Also, here's a photo of two recently hatched Canada gosling and parents lounging at the Oracle pond.
Savepoint Funny
2 months ago
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Web: Belated Happy Easter
Work and other commitments have kept me busy this week. Posted my Friday movie reviews on Monday and may not get around to my Amazing Race reviews until Saturday. So I'll continue the trend of being 3 days late by pointing you to a (cartoonishly violent but) funny video.
Also, here's a photo of two recently hatched Canada gosling and parents lounging at the Oracle pond.
Also, here's a photo of two recently hatched Canada gosling and parents lounging at the Oracle pond.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Movies: Weekly Recaps
Over the years, it's almost become a ritual for me to visit the movie theater with some friends on a Friday or Saturday night (even though I already subscribe to just about every cable channel available). Last year was an odd exception as I knew it might be hard to enjoy regular movies after watching the Lord of the Rings. Time to play some catch up (though I'll forego the hyperlinks and just recommend going to imdb directly).
King Kong - It would be unfair to expect Peter Jackson to top Lord of the Rings, so I went to the theater trying to keep my expectations low. In a way, Jackson squeezed a trilogy into a single movie. One part portrait of depression era New York City, another part rollicking Jurassic Park sequel, and finale a touching love story of an odd sort. So it was 3 movies for the price of one. Except for a few nitpicks and some weak special effects, it was quite enjoyable. It's possible that some weaknesses were left as is so that the director could keep his childhood visions and passions of how he'd remake this movie intact. His love for this subject did come through the screen for me, plus it was the best excuse to stare at Naomi Watt's angelic face for 3 hours. Evan Parke's performance as Hayes also stood out. B+
Good Night and Good Luck - The events portrayed in the movie happened long before I was born, but I ended up reading much about this era as a side effect of doing research on President Nixon for an elementary school history assignment. David Strathairn seemed to be channeling Edward R Murrow. Other than reminding viewers that those in power could throw around "labels" to distort truth and create an atmosphere in fear, I wasn't sure this movie would be Oscar nominated in most years. However, it was still fascinating to watch. B
Match Point - I've always been a big fan of Woody Allen's earlier movies. His more recent movies have been good at best. This movie falls into the same category as Mystic River for me. Great acting and interesting characters (though nobody I'd actually cheer for) undone by a dull, predictable story . I haven't had a chance to ask any Brits about how accurate some of the portrayals are in this film. C+
Munich - This may be the best movie I saw which was nominated for 2005 (somehow I missed Crash and Brokeback Mountain). I liked Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can a little bit more, but in general, it's difficult to rank all the classic films that have been directed by this one person. From AI onwards, it appears Steven Spielberg has permanently inherited a touch of darkness from Stanley Kubrick (who seems to have done a number on Tom Cruise as well since Eyes Wide Shut). But I won't complain much about that. I was still a very young child when the tragedies of the 1972 Olympics occurred, but many of my memories and feelings of confusion resurfaced as the ABC Sports coverage was shown. The movie was fascinating to watch from beginning to end with some surprising "in your face" violence that seems unavoidable given the subject matter. It raised more questions than it answered about terrorism and vengeance, but again it felt like everything fit and fell into place. I know I'm enjoying a movie when my brain does not struggle to rewrite things on the screen. A
Inside Man - While this movie portrays a very interesting bank heist (somehow the Oceans Eleven remake spawned several copycats recently), I suspect New Yorkers would have the most appreciation of the other things going on inside this movie. I've seen Denzel Washington do better work in other movies but he's still better than most actors even when he's not in his top game (though it may be that he was straddled with a detective character that looked like ones I've seen before like Woody Harrelson's character in Before the Sunset). Chiwetel Ejiofor who did a great job in Serenity shines again as Denzel's partner. Jodie Foster moves around and cat complete with a Cheshire smile, so befitting of her character - amazing. A-
Thank You for Smoking - One commercial claimed this movie was laugh out loud funny and compared it to the Wedding Crashers. I sort of beg to differ but only so people don't watch this with the wrong expectations. I only laughed out loud a couple of times but I think I had a grin or smirk on my face for most of the movie. It was a great tongue in cheek exaggerated commentary on attempts to use "spin" vs. facts to try to influence public opinion. B
V for Vendetta (redux) - I decided to give this movie a rare second viewing last Friday because I had a feeling there was more to the movie than met the eye. This time I sat in a regular theater (not IMAX) and sat further back. Tom Kyte beat me to the punch in commenting on the considerable symbolism and recurring themes in this movie. I also caught some things I missed the first time around (which again I can't say much about without giving away plot) which better plugged some of the holes that I thought were there before. I also forgot to mention Hugo Weaving's achievement of being able to display emotion despite being hidden behind a mask. He couldn't even leverage his lips like Peter Weller in Robocop or Michael Keaton in Batman. All Hugo Weaving could do was tilt his head or position his shoulders and basically let his voice do most of the work.
The Wachowski brothers adapted this screenplay before they wrote the Matrix so it was also fun to analyze how they influenced each other. One of the scenes near the end reminded me of one of Clint Eastwood's early westerns, but its title still escapes my memory. B
Most of the movies I've watched recently have had some common undercurrents. I guess it's true that popular movies and books sometimes say as much or more about the time they were created as the subjects that they were supposed to be about.
King Kong - It would be unfair to expect Peter Jackson to top Lord of the Rings, so I went to the theater trying to keep my expectations low. In a way, Jackson squeezed a trilogy into a single movie. One part portrait of depression era New York City, another part rollicking Jurassic Park sequel, and finale a touching love story of an odd sort. So it was 3 movies for the price of one. Except for a few nitpicks and some weak special effects, it was quite enjoyable. It's possible that some weaknesses were left as is so that the director could keep his childhood visions and passions of how he'd remake this movie intact. His love for this subject did come through the screen for me, plus it was the best excuse to stare at Naomi Watt's angelic face for 3 hours. Evan Parke's performance as Hayes also stood out. B+
Good Night and Good Luck - The events portrayed in the movie happened long before I was born, but I ended up reading much about this era as a side effect of doing research on President Nixon for an elementary school history assignment. David Strathairn seemed to be channeling Edward R Murrow. Other than reminding viewers that those in power could throw around "labels" to distort truth and create an atmosphere in fear, I wasn't sure this movie would be Oscar nominated in most years. However, it was still fascinating to watch. B
Match Point - I've always been a big fan of Woody Allen's earlier movies. His more recent movies have been good at best. This movie falls into the same category as Mystic River for me. Great acting and interesting characters (though nobody I'd actually cheer for) undone by a dull, predictable story . I haven't had a chance to ask any Brits about how accurate some of the portrayals are in this film. C+
Munich - This may be the best movie I saw which was nominated for 2005 (somehow I missed Crash and Brokeback Mountain). I liked Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can a little bit more, but in general, it's difficult to rank all the classic films that have been directed by this one person. From AI onwards, it appears Steven Spielberg has permanently inherited a touch of darkness from Stanley Kubrick (who seems to have done a number on Tom Cruise as well since Eyes Wide Shut). But I won't complain much about that. I was still a very young child when the tragedies of the 1972 Olympics occurred, but many of my memories and feelings of confusion resurfaced as the ABC Sports coverage was shown. The movie was fascinating to watch from beginning to end with some surprising "in your face" violence that seems unavoidable given the subject matter. It raised more questions than it answered about terrorism and vengeance, but again it felt like everything fit and fell into place. I know I'm enjoying a movie when my brain does not struggle to rewrite things on the screen. A
Inside Man - While this movie portrays a very interesting bank heist (somehow the Oceans Eleven remake spawned several copycats recently), I suspect New Yorkers would have the most appreciation of the other things going on inside this movie. I've seen Denzel Washington do better work in other movies but he's still better than most actors even when he's not in his top game (though it may be that he was straddled with a detective character that looked like ones I've seen before like Woody Harrelson's character in Before the Sunset). Chiwetel Ejiofor who did a great job in Serenity shines again as Denzel's partner. Jodie Foster moves around and cat complete with a Cheshire smile, so befitting of her character - amazing. A-
Thank You for Smoking - One commercial claimed this movie was laugh out loud funny and compared it to the Wedding Crashers. I sort of beg to differ but only so people don't watch this with the wrong expectations. I only laughed out loud a couple of times but I think I had a grin or smirk on my face for most of the movie. It was a great tongue in cheek exaggerated commentary on attempts to use "spin" vs. facts to try to influence public opinion. B
V for Vendetta (redux) - I decided to give this movie a rare second viewing last Friday because I had a feeling there was more to the movie than met the eye. This time I sat in a regular theater (not IMAX) and sat further back. Tom Kyte beat me to the punch in commenting on the considerable symbolism and recurring themes in this movie. I also caught some things I missed the first time around (which again I can't say much about without giving away plot) which better plugged some of the holes that I thought were there before. I also forgot to mention Hugo Weaving's achievement of being able to display emotion despite being hidden behind a mask. He couldn't even leverage his lips like Peter Weller in Robocop or Michael Keaton in Batman. All Hugo Weaving could do was tilt his head or position his shoulders and basically let his voice do most of the work.
The Wachowski brothers adapted this screenplay before they wrote the Matrix so it was also fun to analyze how they influenced each other. One of the scenes near the end reminded me of one of Clint Eastwood's early westerns, but its title still escapes my memory. B
Most of the movies I've watched recently have had some common undercurrents. I guess it's true that popular movies and books sometimes say as much or more about the time they were created as the subjects that they were supposed to be about.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
TV: Amazing Race 9 - Ep 7
The theme this week was shards -- ancient ruins, plate shards, glass shards, pottery shards, and the shards of a broken spirit.
Apparently, many of my friends were unaware of the time slot change for the Amazing Race resulting in low ratings. Hopefully we'll hear better news this week. But if CBS decides to cancel the series because the production costs were higher than the ad revenue, I'll blame Fran and Barry for damaging their car.
I must admit that was good editing by the Amazing Race producers though. When they showed the car parked next to the trees, my immediate thought was howa team may be easily distracted and smack into one of them, and then it was "BAM!" a short time later. Nice way to make me feel psychic.
And that rear ender bender was a slow point in what felt like a hectic episode. For the first time in what feels like many legs, the racers were bunched together again to fly from Sicily to Rome for literally just a caffe espresso before heading off to Greece. At least they got to see the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps - to that I can just say, "Bella! Bella!"
It was a tough decision to take a cab or the metro to that area. I have not been to Rome - yet, but street traffic in any large city can always be unpredictable. In the end, the ones who chose the cab were faster. It may not have mattered much anyway as I think all the racers ended up on the same plane to Greece.
The DaVinci clue was pretty lame, and I say that not just because even the frat boys figured it out even though they acted as if they'd never seen that picture before. The tie-in for the upcoming movie was too obvious, but if it keeps the production in the black so the Amazing Race can live on a few more seasons, then I'll live with it. [And can I get my nickle for including the link to the site in my blog?]
Breaking dishes looked like fun (though it was like smashing stunt bottles in Germany). At first I thought the frat boys biggest challenge was to avoid being distracted by women. Now they need to add dangerous horseplay to that list. First falling backward in a wheelchair, and then jumping onto a pile of breakable plates and then getting a small cut from one of the shards. Then again maybe I'm showing signs of being raised by overly protective parents. Hopefully burning the fast forward in this leg will not be waste, but it probably will be.
In Greece, the Olympics challenge was just hilarious. Those Greek wrestlers actual put up a serious effort despite having to take on both team members at once. Strong man Ray shockingly did not have the coordination to throw a javelin as Mojo breezed past them.
I don't know how it happened once again, but the Oldsters were the slowest to a clue box yet keep staying alive due to huge mistakes by others. This time it was the hippies and the Lakers who broke the cardinal rule of carefully reading maps. I think Fran and Barry must be carrying a four-leaf clover with them or voodoo dolls of the other teams. They forgot to hit Ray and Yolanda with the hex this week as they managed to read their map and finish a more than decent second.
And so we bid "adio" to Lake, who despite scattered rain, completely dried up in exasperation and required his wife to calm him down. His "dang" quotes will be missed. It would have been fun to see his reaction to being in the Middle East next week. Maybe if he had packed doses of N2O, his team could have stayed in the race to the end.
Apparently, many of my friends were unaware of the time slot change for the Amazing Race resulting in low ratings. Hopefully we'll hear better news this week. But if CBS decides to cancel the series because the production costs were higher than the ad revenue, I'll blame Fran and Barry for damaging their car.
I must admit that was good editing by the Amazing Race producers though. When they showed the car parked next to the trees, my immediate thought was howa team may be easily distracted and smack into one of them, and then it was "BAM!" a short time later. Nice way to make me feel psychic.
And that rear ender bender was a slow point in what felt like a hectic episode. For the first time in what feels like many legs, the racers were bunched together again to fly from Sicily to Rome for literally just a caffe espresso before heading off to Greece. At least they got to see the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps - to that I can just say, "Bella! Bella!"
It was a tough decision to take a cab or the metro to that area. I have not been to Rome - yet, but street traffic in any large city can always be unpredictable. In the end, the ones who chose the cab were faster. It may not have mattered much anyway as I think all the racers ended up on the same plane to Greece.
The DaVinci clue was pretty lame, and I say that not just because even the frat boys figured it out even though they acted as if they'd never seen that picture before. The tie-in for the upcoming movie was too obvious, but if it keeps the production in the black so the Amazing Race can live on a few more seasons, then I'll live with it. [And can I get my nickle for including the link to the site in my blog?]
Breaking dishes looked like fun (though it was like smashing stunt bottles in Germany). At first I thought the frat boys biggest challenge was to avoid being distracted by women. Now they need to add dangerous horseplay to that list. First falling backward in a wheelchair, and then jumping onto a pile of breakable plates and then getting a small cut from one of the shards. Then again maybe I'm showing signs of being raised by overly protective parents. Hopefully burning the fast forward in this leg will not be waste, but it probably will be.
In Greece, the Olympics challenge was just hilarious. Those Greek wrestlers actual put up a serious effort despite having to take on both team members at once. Strong man Ray shockingly did not have the coordination to throw a javelin as Mojo breezed past them.
I don't know how it happened once again, but the Oldsters were the slowest to a clue box yet keep staying alive due to huge mistakes by others. This time it was the hippies and the Lakers who broke the cardinal rule of carefully reading maps. I think Fran and Barry must be carrying a four-leaf clover with them or voodoo dolls of the other teams. They forgot to hit Ray and Yolanda with the hex this week as they managed to read their map and finish a more than decent second.
And so we bid "adio" to Lake, who despite scattered rain, completely dried up in exasperation and required his wife to calm him down. His "dang" quotes will be missed. It would have been fun to see his reaction to being in the Middle East next week. Maybe if he had packed doses of N2O, his team could have stayed in the race to the end.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
M2C: Who'll Stop the Rain
- I was supposed to be attending my first SF Giants game of the season tonight, but that pesky rain has postponed the game by a couple of days. Only 31 rainouts over about 50 years is a decent record.
- If California does slide into the ocean it will be due to mud slides rather than earthquakes.
- Most of the times I've dislocated my shoulder, some form of rain was implicated.
- Traffic always worsens on a rainy day. But it's not because Californians don't know how to drive in this weather. The problem is they aren't even driving or paying attention to the road even when conditions are perfect. I've witnessed people driving while dialing numbers on their cell phones, putting on makeup, reading the newspaper, and watching (porn?) movies on their in-dash DVD players. Of course looking for this kind of violation means I'm distracted too... oops.
Exhibit A - Britney letting her baby drive.
Exhibit B - Owner letting poodle drive - (courtesy my cell phone camera)
Exhibit C - Me trying to use my cell phone to take a picture of a family of deer while driving (okay, in reality, I pulled over and rolled down my window and fumbled for my cell, which let them get much further away from my car, but this sounded funny)
- If California does slide into the ocean it will be due to mud slides rather than earthquakes.
- Most of the times I've dislocated my shoulder, some form of rain was implicated.
- Traffic always worsens on a rainy day. But it's not because Californians don't know how to drive in this weather. The problem is they aren't even driving or paying attention to the road even when conditions are perfect. I've witnessed people driving while dialing numbers on their cell phones, putting on makeup, reading the newspaper, and watching (porn?) movies on their in-dash DVD players. Of course looking for this kind of violation means I'm distracted too... oops.
Exhibit A - Britney letting her baby drive.
Exhibit B - Owner letting poodle drive - (courtesy my cell phone camera)
Exhibit C - Me trying to use my cell phone to take a picture of a family of deer while driving (okay, in reality, I pulled over and rolled down my window and fumbled for my cell, which let them get much further away from my car, but this sounded funny)
Thursday, April 06, 2006
TV: Amazing Race 9 - Ep 6
Kind of an interesting mish-mash of stuff happening this week. However, in the end it was a predictable finishing order as the teams spent more time touring the beautiful island of Sicily.
The hippies continued to have fun while staying at or near the head of the race. They played with a dog and put up a bogus "Official sign in sheet" at one of the challenges that the Frat Boys almost took seriously. The two teams talked as if they were turning into rivals (pixie dust... vs. dumb luck...), but there are some compromising photos floating around MySpace that may indicate they were all partying together a little too hard in Florida recently.
Nice editing by the producers by having Monica talk about how strong she is only to have her break down in tears at a later challenge. This time she got filthy, but wasn't loving it. Hauling a dead fish isn't my idea of fun either, and overall she's been a trooper. Joseph made a wise decision to listen to the woman and trust her counting abilities.
I also agree with Joseph's observation about how more open and trusting Europeans are with strangers compared to Americans. That still throws me for a loop sometimes. Ray and Yolanda escaped last place as they once again relied on the kindness of strangers to get directions everywhere (though some people found Ray intimidating later). Their relationship future looks like its getting brighter future, but I fear their chances of winning seem to be dimming just as quickly.
And leave it to Lake and Michelle to display no trust the locals at all as they had their money clips tightly secured onto their bodies. If they've had those things tied on like that during the whole race, then it might explain many of their mistakes -- blood circulation being cut off from their brains.
Kayak polo looks fun. But were those guys even trying to play defense against the contestants? Not sure why Ray thought he had to shoot from 3-point range. I expect to see Sicilian Kayak Polo matches on ESPN8 "The Ocho" someday.
Fran and Barry somehow keep plugging along and I'm not sure what the secret to their success is. I'd hesitate to buy fish from a sweaty, old guy with such hairy triceps (but I'm one to talk...). They win the quote of the week with "There's a fabulous statue ahead -- with no head!" [Cutaway to shot of a fabulous statue with no head.]
Funny scene - the hippies grabbing bear hugs from Monica as Joseph looks on with a "WTF?" expression. I guess the hippies learned a trick from the frat boys who did not get distracted by women this week (perhaps still mourning the loss of the Double-Ds).
Quick update - I just noticed my caption was chosen on the CBS TAR website (yes I sometimes go by Eric but that's another story). I thought I had an even better caption for last week's episode referencing "shrinkage" but maybe it was too risque for CBS (or they never watched Seinfeld).
The hippies continued to have fun while staying at or near the head of the race. They played with a dog and put up a bogus "Official sign in sheet" at one of the challenges that the Frat Boys almost took seriously. The two teams talked as if they were turning into rivals (pixie dust... vs. dumb luck...), but there are some compromising photos floating around MySpace that may indicate they were all partying together a little too hard in Florida recently.
Nice editing by the producers by having Monica talk about how strong she is only to have her break down in tears at a later challenge. This time she got filthy, but wasn't loving it. Hauling a dead fish isn't my idea of fun either, and overall she's been a trooper. Joseph made a wise decision to listen to the woman and trust her counting abilities.
I also agree with Joseph's observation about how more open and trusting Europeans are with strangers compared to Americans. That still throws me for a loop sometimes. Ray and Yolanda escaped last place as they once again relied on the kindness of strangers to get directions everywhere (though some people found Ray intimidating later). Their relationship future looks like its getting brighter future, but I fear their chances of winning seem to be dimming just as quickly.
And leave it to Lake and Michelle to display no trust the locals at all as they had their money clips tightly secured onto their bodies. If they've had those things tied on like that during the whole race, then it might explain many of their mistakes -- blood circulation being cut off from their brains.
Kayak polo looks fun. But were those guys even trying to play defense against the contestants? Not sure why Ray thought he had to shoot from 3-point range. I expect to see Sicilian Kayak Polo matches on ESPN8 "The Ocho" someday.
Fran and Barry somehow keep plugging along and I'm not sure what the secret to their success is. I'd hesitate to buy fish from a sweaty, old guy with such hairy triceps (but I'm one to talk...). They win the quote of the week with "There's a fabulous statue ahead -- with no head!" [Cutaway to shot of a fabulous statue with no head.]
Funny scene - the hippies grabbing bear hugs from Monica as Joseph looks on with a "WTF?" expression. I guess the hippies learned a trick from the frat boys who did not get distracted by women this week (perhaps still mourning the loss of the Double-Ds).
Quick update - I just noticed my caption was chosen on the CBS TAR website (yes I sometimes go by Eric but that's another story). I thought I had an even better caption for last week's episode referencing "shrinkage" but maybe it was too risque for CBS (or they never watched Seinfeld).
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
M2C: Blame it on the Rain
My two cents on all the rain in California:
From the Simpsons:
Lisa (concerned upon seeing Homer who had moved out of the house for some reason): Dad, where have you been staying?
Homer: Have you heard of the Four Seasons?
Lisa (relieved): Yes!
Homer: Good. Because that's what I've been living through while sleeping in the park.
Usually there are four seasons in the Bay Area: Rainy, Sunny (except for fog in SF and Daly City), Really Hot (right when school starts in September), and Chapped Lips. This year rainy season has decided to stick around for 5 or 6 months starting with tropical storms around October followed by the usual winter pattern. Now when it rains in Florida, it is like a 10 minute shower that just passes through town, and you can feel the humidity disappear just before and after the downpour, so it is almost a pleasant break. However, rain in SF is like that guest who doesn't have a clue when to leave. He just sticks around for days at a time, tells you depressing stories, and keeps you up all night with loud snoring.
It's been raining so much I forgot baseball spring training had come and gone because the rain usually stops by then. The Giants already have had one game rained out - in San Diego of all places. It almost never rains down there.
This is the first time I've gone on road trips and dreaded coming back home each time. Once this rain stops, I might have to spend a month or so hiding out from the mold and pollen (or whatever it is I am allergic to). Hmm... maybe Hawaii will be nice. I haven't sneezed in that state yet.
A few weeks ago, when the wind and rain was particularly nasty, I saw one of those overnight shipping guys struggling to tie down a cart full of boxes he was delivering. Then despite all that one strong gust knocked over most of the boxes and had them rolling like tumbleweeds in different directions. The guy was really quick in wrangling the boxes back together even before I could think of helping (I was way at the other end of the parking lot) with the wind and rain making me want to head for the warmth and safety of my car.
Anyway, if someone in my apartment complex recently received a brand new, but defective desktop computer, don't blame the vendor. Blame it on the rain, yeah yeah.
Weather and commentary to be continued...
From the Simpsons:
Lisa (concerned upon seeing Homer who had moved out of the house for some reason): Dad, where have you been staying?
Homer: Have you heard of the Four Seasons?
Lisa (relieved): Yes!
Homer: Good. Because that's what I've been living through while sleeping in the park.
Usually there are four seasons in the Bay Area: Rainy, Sunny (except for fog in SF and Daly City), Really Hot (right when school starts in September), and Chapped Lips. This year rainy season has decided to stick around for 5 or 6 months starting with tropical storms around October followed by the usual winter pattern. Now when it rains in Florida, it is like a 10 minute shower that just passes through town, and you can feel the humidity disappear just before and after the downpour, so it is almost a pleasant break. However, rain in SF is like that guest who doesn't have a clue when to leave. He just sticks around for days at a time, tells you depressing stories, and keeps you up all night with loud snoring.
It's been raining so much I forgot baseball spring training had come and gone because the rain usually stops by then. The Giants already have had one game rained out - in San Diego of all places. It almost never rains down there.
This is the first time I've gone on road trips and dreaded coming back home each time. Once this rain stops, I might have to spend a month or so hiding out from the mold and pollen (or whatever it is I am allergic to). Hmm... maybe Hawaii will be nice. I haven't sneezed in that state yet.
A few weeks ago, when the wind and rain was particularly nasty, I saw one of those overnight shipping guys struggling to tie down a cart full of boxes he was delivering. Then despite all that one strong gust knocked over most of the boxes and had them rolling like tumbleweeds in different directions. The guy was really quick in wrangling the boxes back together even before I could think of helping (I was way at the other end of the parking lot) with the wind and rain making me want to head for the warmth and safety of my car.
Anyway, if someone in my apartment complex recently received a brand new, but defective desktop computer, don't blame the vendor. Blame it on the rain, yeah yeah.
Weather and commentary to be continued...
Friday, March 31, 2006
TV: Amazing Race 9 - Ep 5
Slight delay in posting this week -- not because I was pouting about the Double-Ds elimination (though maybe I was), but because I had a bunch of meetings and after work activities did not allow me to watch the episode until now. Thank goodness for the DVR.
- A pox on Lake for using the Yield, but the Double-Ds still squandered several opportunities to beat other teams. I guess Long Island gals don't drive stick. And they aren't as familiar with the male anatomy as they might lead you to believe.
- I wonder how many microseconds of sadness the frat boys felt after learning of the Double-D's demise. I suspect only as long as it takes for them to spot another woman. And wouldn't it have been tragic if they were forced to retire from the race by injuring themselves while horsing around with the wheelchairs at the airport?
- Leave it to a Bay Area hippie to know how to navigate a German Travel Web site to find an English version.
- Ray and Yolanda would be near the top of the heap if they could just read a map and stop relying on others for directions. I fear they may suffer the same fate as Wanda and Desiree.
- I suppose I would have chosen the Bell at the detour, but if I knew I'd be the first to get to the laundry lines, then 20 out of 2400 chance of finding the right piece of clothing does not seem like bad odds to me.
- Were the clothes donated to charity afterward, or is it all in Phil's closet now?
- At least Fran and Berry only walked back and forth past the clue box for 5 or so minutes instead of 40 this time around. Hopefully, they'll remember to pay a visit to the optometrist after the race is over.
- You'd expect nerds to recognize the statue puzzle's trick faster than anybody else. But I guess they actually aren't in the science branch of the nerd species.
- The relationship cracks (beyond Lake and Michelle) are starting to show. This week the nerds, next week's preview shows some stress on MoJo. Let the fireworks begin.
- Looks like next week, the Amazing Race steals a page from The Apprentice and makes some teams try to sell stuff in a market. That might be entertaining.
- Sicily added to list of places to visit. The last time I heard the city Palermo mentioned, I was a mere child watching a great war movie titled Patton. Ancient sites and warm sandy beaches, what more could you ask of a dream vacation?
- A pox on Lake for using the Yield, but the Double-Ds still squandered several opportunities to beat other teams. I guess Long Island gals don't drive stick. And they aren't as familiar with the male anatomy as they might lead you to believe.
- I wonder how many microseconds of sadness the frat boys felt after learning of the Double-D's demise. I suspect only as long as it takes for them to spot another woman. And wouldn't it have been tragic if they were forced to retire from the race by injuring themselves while horsing around with the wheelchairs at the airport?
- Leave it to a Bay Area hippie to know how to navigate a German Travel Web site to find an English version.
- Ray and Yolanda would be near the top of the heap if they could just read a map and stop relying on others for directions. I fear they may suffer the same fate as Wanda and Desiree.
- I suppose I would have chosen the Bell at the detour, but if I knew I'd be the first to get to the laundry lines, then 20 out of 2400 chance of finding the right piece of clothing does not seem like bad odds to me.
- Were the clothes donated to charity afterward, or is it all in Phil's closet now?
- At least Fran and Berry only walked back and forth past the clue box for 5 or so minutes instead of 40 this time around. Hopefully, they'll remember to pay a visit to the optometrist after the race is over.
- You'd expect nerds to recognize the statue puzzle's trick faster than anybody else. But I guess they actually aren't in the science branch of the nerd species.
- The relationship cracks (beyond Lake and Michelle) are starting to show. This week the nerds, next week's preview shows some stress on MoJo. Let the fireworks begin.
- Looks like next week, the Amazing Race steals a page from The Apprentice and makes some teams try to sell stuff in a market. That might be entertaining.
- Sicily added to list of places to visit. The last time I heard the city Palermo mentioned, I was a mere child watching a great war movie titled Patton. Ancient sites and warm sandy beaches, what more could you ask of a dream vacation?
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
TV: Amazing Race 9 - Ep 4
Readers, the lesson for this week is "Learn to read a map." It might be difficult enough to find someone who speaks English in a foreign country, but maybe even rarer that the person can give good directions as well. But I understand the difficulties some teams may have had in Germany. Street names get concatenated together so you have to get used to separating out the -strasse and -platz parts when reading maps. The exit (ausfahrt) lane line markers confused me as well when I was out there. Anyhow map reading skills and a good sense of direction appeared to be what separated the teams from each other the most on this leg.
- I thought men were supposed to be the ones who never stop to ask for directions. The reference to Groundhog Day was appropriate considering how two teams were driving around in circles for a while. [OnDemand cable has been promoting this movie recently too. Coincidence?]
- Interesting decision to caption Michelle yelling "Oh shoot" presumably to avoid FCC fines.
- Was that a car ride or a luge run? That may be more effective than a double espresso for getting the juices flowing in the morning. That, or waking up to "I've Got You Babe" on the alarm clock / radio.
- The Florida guys asked a local if German women are hot. The response is along the lines of "Meh" with an implication that drinking beer helps. Later another team recruits help from a man walking down the street sort of in the middle of nowhere and saying he was too drunk to drive. Considering it was probably mid-morning at that point, he must have been seeing a beauty pageant the night before.
- Hopefully Eric and Jeremy are smart enough to wipe off the lipstick from the clue carrying fraulein before they recommence tongue wrestling with the DoubleDs.
- It would have been a very difficult detour for me either way. I'm not sure I'm coordinated to dance, but having someone break stunt bottles over my head for potentially several hours might bring back a mild concussion I suffered a few years ago. Both were funny to watch though.
- I wonder if Bavaria Film used for this Detour is the same studio that produced a cool little movie called Run Lola Run. [It's a mystery to me how I can recall random bits of info like that] And it had a tinge of Groundhog Day flavor in it. Coincidence?
- I hope the Amazing Race keeps the product placement tricks to a minimum. I stopped watching The Apprentice during the second season when it started turning into disguised info-mercials / merchandising for a string of sponsors.
- Santa? The Hippies might be trying a bit too hard for laughs, but I guess different people appreciate different types of humor. So who am I to complain? It's kind of like how some people find the repetition of Groundhog Day funny...
- I thought men were supposed to be the ones who never stop to ask for directions. The reference to Groundhog Day was appropriate considering how two teams were driving around in circles for a while. [OnDemand cable has been promoting this movie recently too. Coincidence?]
- Interesting decision to caption Michelle yelling "Oh shoot" presumably to avoid FCC fines.
- Was that a car ride or a luge run? That may be more effective than a double espresso for getting the juices flowing in the morning. That, or waking up to "I've Got You Babe" on the alarm clock / radio.
- The Florida guys asked a local if German women are hot. The response is along the lines of "Meh" with an implication that drinking beer helps. Later another team recruits help from a man walking down the street sort of in the middle of nowhere and saying he was too drunk to drive. Considering it was probably mid-morning at that point, he must have been seeing a beauty pageant the night before.
- Hopefully Eric and Jeremy are smart enough to wipe off the lipstick from the clue carrying fraulein before they recommence tongue wrestling with the DoubleDs.
- It would have been a very difficult detour for me either way. I'm not sure I'm coordinated to dance, but having someone break stunt bottles over my head for potentially several hours might bring back a mild concussion I suffered a few years ago. Both were funny to watch though.
- I wonder if Bavaria Film used for this Detour is the same studio that produced a cool little movie called Run Lola Run. [It's a mystery to me how I can recall random bits of info like that] And it had a tinge of Groundhog Day flavor in it. Coincidence?
- I hope the Amazing Race keeps the product placement tricks to a minimum. I stopped watching The Apprentice during the second season when it started turning into disguised info-mercials / merchandising for a string of sponsors.
- Santa? The Hippies might be trying a bit too hard for laughs, but I guess different people appreciate different types of humor. So who am I to complain? It's kind of like how some people find the repetition of Groundhog Day funny...
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Movies: V for Vendetta
For me, there's been a dearth of fun movies to watch between King Kong, which was not perfect but very enjoyable, and this weekend. V for Vendetta may mark an early start to the US "blockbuster" movie season (X-Men 3 coming out in May might be considered more of an official start).
The movie delivers the pre-requisite action and suspense that make action movies fun. These were even more enhanced by experiencing it in an IMAX theater (something I'll install in my mansion as soon as I win the lottery). Natalie Portman did a wonderful job. Some of the content may stir political discussion, though ultimately it is just a comic-book movie.
I imagine the movie is not as intricate as the 1980's graphic novel that it was based upon. Unfortunately I did not read that one even though it was from the same person who created Watchmen, one of my favorite stories from the days when I had more time and energy to read. So I don't know how much to say without giving away plot points. In short, interesting movie, but catch it in IMAX if you do watch it. B-
The movie delivers the pre-requisite action and suspense that make action movies fun. These were even more enhanced by experiencing it in an IMAX theater (something I'll install in my mansion as soon as I win the lottery). Natalie Portman did a wonderful job. Some of the content may stir political discussion, though ultimately it is just a comic-book movie.
I imagine the movie is not as intricate as the 1980's graphic novel that it was based upon. Unfortunately I did not read that one even though it was from the same person who created Watchmen, one of my favorite stories from the days when I had more time and energy to read. So I don't know how much to say without giving away plot points. In short, interesting movie, but catch it in IMAX if you do watch it. B-
Friday, March 17, 2006
Sports: Cal Basketball
The California Golden Bears men's basketball team lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament earlier today even though it was St. Patrick's Day and Cal's colors blended together would be green. But I didn't feel devastated about the loss. The team made great progress compared to last year and I hope they get even better next year. Hopefully someone will convince Leon Powe to stay in college another year (without breaking any rules of course).
I find college basketball more entertaining than the NBA. There's just more die-hard enthusiasm on the part of the players and the fans. The do or die nature of the tournament with potential upsets at any time is why it earns the nickname March Madness.
With the Bears out, I guess I can go back to catching up on things and not pay full attention to the remaining games. At least that is how I console myself.
The women's basketball team has done great as well by getting an invite to the tournament for the first time in many years and will be playing on Sunday.
Maybe Cal will get to the College Softball World Series again this year.
I may have just jinxed these teams just by printing this (reference earlier blog entry regarding Golden State Warriors)...
Anyhow Go BEARS!!
I find college basketball more entertaining than the NBA. There's just more die-hard enthusiasm on the part of the players and the fans. The do or die nature of the tournament with potential upsets at any time is why it earns the nickname March Madness.
With the Bears out, I guess I can go back to catching up on things and not pay full attention to the remaining games. At least that is how I console myself.
The women's basketball team has done great as well by getting an invite to the tournament for the first time in many years and will be playing on Sunday.
Maybe Cal will get to the College Softball World Series again this year.
I may have just jinxed these teams just by printing this (reference earlier blog entry regarding Golden State Warriors)...
Anyhow Go BEARS!!
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
TV: Amazing Race 9 - Ep 3
Wow.
I think I made a mistake by hitting the delete button at the end of what felt like an action-packed episode. I may have already lost track of several details and thoughts I had while watching.
- The hippies were risking a hospital visit jumping in front of VWs like that, but it was comical.
- I have a fear of heights (as mentioned previously) but zip line with that sort of scenery would be worth the temporary panic.
- A long bus ride followed by a very long flight that practically went to the other side of the planet == very sore rear for me. Fortunately very little of that ordeal was aired, so any painful flashbacks were avoided. Thank you producers.
- Moscow is quickly rising on the list of places I must visit in my lifetime. The artwork and architecture on some of those cathedrals look amazing (thus the name of the race). I imagine Western influences (e.g. fast food restaurants) will make the city less unique the longer I wait.
- Hats off to the two contestants who overcame their fear of swimming to complete a task. If I ever find myself crazy enough to enter this thing, it will be an absolute must to find a partner who would deal with the swimming related road blocks.
- Team Mojo provided another very brief highlight this week, but I'll not elaborate.
- I would have chosen to scrub the bus. I think the music and monotonous opening of dolls to find a tiny clue would have driven me batty (though it would have been cool to check it out the entertainment for a little while). Bad luck in a "find the needle in a haystack" type challenge has eliminated the best of teams in the past. But who could have predicted that the trolley station would be the needle?
- The Florida team proved me wrong this week. They stayed focused on the doll task and were the first to complete it first when they could have been distracted by some pretty dancers. Meanwhile the Double D's may have been distracted by the guys leading to their big mistake.
- Each team made at least one potentially fatal mistake or got stuck somewhere, so by the end (actually middle) of the leg they make all cancel each other out in interesting ways.
- Looks like an exciting car ride is in store next week.
I think I made a mistake by hitting the delete button at the end of what felt like an action-packed episode. I may have already lost track of several details and thoughts I had while watching.
- The hippies were risking a hospital visit jumping in front of VWs like that, but it was comical.
- I have a fear of heights (as mentioned previously) but zip line with that sort of scenery would be worth the temporary panic.
- A long bus ride followed by a very long flight that practically went to the other side of the planet == very sore rear for me. Fortunately very little of that ordeal was aired, so any painful flashbacks were avoided. Thank you producers.
- Moscow is quickly rising on the list of places I must visit in my lifetime. The artwork and architecture on some of those cathedrals look amazing (thus the name of the race). I imagine Western influences (e.g. fast food restaurants) will make the city less unique the longer I wait.
- Hats off to the two contestants who overcame their fear of swimming to complete a task. If I ever find myself crazy enough to enter this thing, it will be an absolute must to find a partner who would deal with the swimming related road blocks.
- Team Mojo provided another very brief highlight this week, but I'll not elaborate.
- I would have chosen to scrub the bus. I think the music and monotonous opening of dolls to find a tiny clue would have driven me batty (though it would have been cool to check it out the entertainment for a little while). Bad luck in a "find the needle in a haystack" type challenge has eliminated the best of teams in the past. But who could have predicted that the trolley station would be the needle?
- The Florida team proved me wrong this week. They stayed focused on the doll task and were the first to complete it first when they could have been distracted by some pretty dancers. Meanwhile the Double D's may have been distracted by the guys leading to their big mistake.
- Each team made at least one potentially fatal mistake or got stuck somewhere, so by the end (actually middle) of the leg they make all cancel each other out in interesting ways.
- Looks like an exciting car ride is in store next week.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Web: A couple of funny sites
I usually discourage "chain e-mail" from my friends and relatives. They usually take on the form of old jokes, urban legends, actual chain mail that says I'll have bad luck if I don't forward the message to several other people, or even stale parodies of urban legends about the ill fates of people who do not forward chain mail. I'd almost like to think I've seen it all by now. But every so often a new joke (to me anyway) actually does appear. Plus it's nice when the e-mail does not have some huge dubious attachment and only contains a safe URL to some web site that is not infested with ad-filled pop ups (particularly with content considered NSFW).
Not sure how long this has been floating around the Internet, but this is a pretty interesting test for people who write software or hang around people who do.
Programming Language Inventor or Serial Killer
If you score pretty low, you may have to start wondering of over-exposure to programmers is leaving you with a false sense of security.
Here's a (homemade?) video of a woman and a car.
Speaking of videos. If you know how to search the Internet, there are a couple of entertaining rap videos from recent Saturday Night Live episodes popping in and out of existence online. One features Natalie Portman (maybe channelling the grown up version of the character she played in The Professional).
Not sure how long this has been floating around the Internet, but this is a pretty interesting test for people who write software or hang around people who do.
Programming Language Inventor or Serial Killer
If you score pretty low, you may have to start wondering of over-exposure to programmers is leaving you with a false sense of security.
Here's a (homemade?) video of a woman and a car.
Speaking of videos. If you know how to search the Internet, there are a couple of entertaining rap videos from recent Saturday Night Live episodes popping in and out of existence online. One features Natalie Portman (maybe channelling the grown up version of the character she played in The Professional).
Thursday, March 09, 2006
TMI: Anagrams
Recently saw this entry by Tom Kyte and decided to see what an online anagram generator would do with my name. It returned a much longer list than I could ever imagine. Some interesting results and several quite embarrassing. A few cleaner highlights:
OK, R.C., I am a Cal nerd.
Update: Someone quietly pointed out to me that I misspelled "mourn" and that particular line was messing up my website layout on IE. There is no 'u' in my name (but there is an 'I and a me' with plenty of letters left over). Anyway, I'll have to settle for the phonetic version.
A CARDINAL MOCKER (Go Giants! We got Matt Morris now)and finally
A CARAMEL DRINK CO (Yes, I drink colas and root beer
on a regular basis)
CLICKER ON A DRAMA (And I do watch too much TV too)
I, A RANDOM CACKLER (Sounds right)
I MORN A CRACK DEAL (Always said no to drugs --
well never got offered any either)
MANILA CRACK DOER (Or maybe I was lying...)
KARMIC ORACLE DNA (Apparently, I was born for this job)
OK, R.C., I am a Cal nerd.
Update: Someone quietly pointed out to me that I misspelled "mourn" and that particular line was messing up my website layout on IE. There is no 'u' in my name (but there is an 'I and a me' with plenty of letters left over). Anyway, I'll have to settle for the phonetic version.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
TV: Amazing Race 9 - Leg 2
The subtitle for this episode was "I'm filthy ... and I love it!"
Nice choice. If I were driving a car when the contestant said that line the way she said it, I'd likely lose my focus and smash into a fire hydrant.
Otherwise the race had more adventure than interesting banter this week, but there were no major surprises at the finish.
The panorama shots of the beautiful Brazilian countryside (and last week's Rockies) do make me wish this had been recorded in widescreen. But perhaps HD cameras aren't mobile enough for international travel yet?
I do have a fear of heights, but with an odd twist. I start to imagine my glasses will slip off my face, and I'll fall to my death trying to catch my glasses before it reaches terminal velocity and kills some innocent bystander on the ground. So I generally need to have one hand on a handrail and another on the rim of my glasses. I don't recall wearing contacts while leaning over the ledge of a tall structure, but if someone is going to get killed by a high-speed falling soft contact lens, I'm sure it would be my fault somehow. Nevertheless, I'd be pretty game for rope climbing up a waterfall (with lots of professional supervision nearby of course).
The Florida team may need to have themselves neutered, otherwise a distraction will cost them the million-dollar prize. On the other hand, had they been following the Double D's rather than the Hippies, they would not have pulled over at a gas station for directions and lost unnecessary time.
Winning team gets a trip to Tahiti. That sounds very nice, but still doesn't top the lifetime supply of gasoline given out last season. I now wonder if BP gets to end that deal if their gas stations switch over to ethanol.
And yes, the nerds did excel at the science experiment. I wonder if they listened to their special AR theme music the whole time.
Nice choice. If I were driving a car when the contestant said that line the way she said it, I'd likely lose my focus and smash into a fire hydrant.
Otherwise the race had more adventure than interesting banter this week, but there were no major surprises at the finish.
The panorama shots of the beautiful Brazilian countryside (and last week's Rockies) do make me wish this had been recorded in widescreen. But perhaps HD cameras aren't mobile enough for international travel yet?
I do have a fear of heights, but with an odd twist. I start to imagine my glasses will slip off my face, and I'll fall to my death trying to catch my glasses before it reaches terminal velocity and kills some innocent bystander on the ground. So I generally need to have one hand on a handrail and another on the rim of my glasses. I don't recall wearing contacts while leaning over the ledge of a tall structure, but if someone is going to get killed by a high-speed falling soft contact lens, I'm sure it would be my fault somehow. Nevertheless, I'd be pretty game for rope climbing up a waterfall (with lots of professional supervision nearby of course).
The Florida team may need to have themselves neutered, otherwise a distraction will cost them the million-dollar prize. On the other hand, had they been following the Double D's rather than the Hippies, they would not have pulled over at a gas station for directions and lost unnecessary time.
Winning team gets a trip to Tahiti. That sounds very nice, but still doesn't top the lifetime supply of gasoline given out last season. I now wonder if BP gets to end that deal if their gas stations switch over to ethanol.
And yes, the nerds did excel at the science experiment. I wonder if they listened to their special AR theme music the whole time.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Sports/TV: Jerry Rice
The #1 reason I actually watched Dancing with the Stars this season is Jerry Rice -- the greatest wide receiver to ever play in the NFL. Fortunately, he spent most of his career and best years with my favorite team, the 49ers. [Bay Area sports fans have almost been unfairly blessed to see other great athletes like Willie Mays, Joe Montana, and Rick Barry play here on a regular basis].
It's been a privilege to witness Jerry Rice display his precision moves on the [American] football field and translate that to the dance floor (with the help of his dazzling dance partner Anna Trebunskaya, reason #1.5 to watch). Their final performances were a hoot to watch. He's a great guy off the field who deserves all the positive attention he wants.
I remember that around 15 years ago, I found myself standing at the opposite end of the bar from Jerry at a local restaurant (I wasn't drinking so I wasn't imagining this - and all my buddies spotted him first). He wasn't overtly drawing attention to himself and seemed to be hanging out with friends just like any other regular person that night. He was gracious and polite to all the fans who interrupted his conversations with his friends for a hand shake and/or an autograph and/or a closer look at what I imagine was his first of what would be many Super Bowl rings.
I've avoided posting this earlier for fear of jinxing his run into the finals. No matter how much I try to rationalize things, I become very superstitious when it comes to games. In the end, Jerry got further into the finals that I thought possible. Even before the show started, I predicted his toughest competition would come from Stacy Keibler (reason #2 to watch) who I've only seen once or twice on a WWF wrestling show while flipping channels on the weekend. I'm definitely no dance expert, but she just looks like she'd be a great dancer or beach volleyball player. Drew Lachey ended up winning, but I fast-forwarded through his and all the other performers to chop the viewing time to about 15-20 minutes per episode.
Now Jerry Rice is one of the ex-Jocks in a game show on Spike TV where "Average Joe" contestants see if they can outdo professional athletes. It was hilarious to see Jerry's competitive streak emerge as he continually burned these guys on a football field, then turn around and give the guys a friendly hug after it was over. [And cool to see ex-SF Giants third baseman, Matt Williams again. Bill Romanowski and Bo Jackson will make appearances in later episodes].
My best wishes to Jerry Rice to achieve the same sort of commercial success that teammates Joe Montana and Steve Young have enjoyed after retiring from football.
It's been a privilege to witness Jerry Rice display his precision moves on the [American] football field and translate that to the dance floor (with the help of his dazzling dance partner Anna Trebunskaya, reason #1.5 to watch). Their final performances were a hoot to watch. He's a great guy off the field who deserves all the positive attention he wants.
I remember that around 15 years ago, I found myself standing at the opposite end of the bar from Jerry at a local restaurant (I wasn't drinking so I wasn't imagining this - and all my buddies spotted him first). He wasn't overtly drawing attention to himself and seemed to be hanging out with friends just like any other regular person that night. He was gracious and polite to all the fans who interrupted his conversations with his friends for a hand shake and/or an autograph and/or a closer look at what I imagine was his first of what would be many Super Bowl rings.
I've avoided posting this earlier for fear of jinxing his run into the finals. No matter how much I try to rationalize things, I become very superstitious when it comes to games. In the end, Jerry got further into the finals that I thought possible. Even before the show started, I predicted his toughest competition would come from Stacy Keibler (reason #2 to watch) who I've only seen once or twice on a WWF wrestling show while flipping channels on the weekend. I'm definitely no dance expert, but she just looks like she'd be a great dancer or beach volleyball player. Drew Lachey ended up winning, but I fast-forwarded through his and all the other performers to chop the viewing time to about 15-20 minutes per episode.
Now Jerry Rice is one of the ex-Jocks in a game show on Spike TV where "Average Joe" contestants see if they can outdo professional athletes. It was hilarious to see Jerry's competitive streak emerge as he continually burned these guys on a football field, then turn around and give the guys a friendly hug after it was over. [And cool to see ex-SF Giants third baseman, Matt Williams again. Bill Romanowski and Bo Jackson will make appearances in later episodes].
My best wishes to Jerry Rice to achieve the same sort of commercial success that teammates Joe Montana and Steve Young have enjoyed after retiring from football.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
TV: Amazing Race is back
...but the jury is out if this run will be better than ever. Someone needs to warn the producers that their casting is getting a bit predictable. Ken and Barbie pair - check. Senior couple - check. Eye-candy single women - check. Beefcake single guys - Check. Token minory couple - check. Alpha male / submissive partner - check. Nerds - check. Supposedly there are 16 personality types so there might be 256 pairs to choose from and "experiment" with. One can even cut it down to 64 if you remove all the introverts.
That nit aside, it is still an entertaining contest to watch, and I look forward to the more exotic locations and tougher challenges that may lie ahead. It's easier to appreciate the action, prep work, and editing on the Amazing Race after a brief glance at "Deal or No Deal" where all you see are overacting contestants and friends decide if the briefcase they chose may contain a huge amount of money or not. Unfortunately, The Banker is not the only person who seems to be "phoning it in" on that game show.
Other notes:
Brazil is on my list of countries to visit (closest I've been is Bogota, Columbia), and I definitely would have chosen the helicopter ride at the detour.
Hotel room with private helipad: Out of my price range.
For a two-hour episode, I don't even recall a Road Block on the first leg...
I predict the main battle throughout the race will be between the teams that came in first and second tonight. And I have to root for the home team from San Francisco who are trying to act like stereotypical hippies but may have already done a world tour together. But it might be nice to see a parent-child team win for a change (though I'm not sure the current set will have the stamina to make it to the finals).
Perhaps someone will start the pool on whether the lovey-dovey nerds will have a major argument before they are eliminated. I can almost see that being setup a mile away. And what's with the odd theme music whenever they appear?
It's a bad sign for your chances of winning if you can repeatedly walk right by a clue box for 40 minutes without seeing it. It was probalby torture for the camera person following them back and forth all that time, and that person still somehow managed not to tip off the location by pointing the camera at the box each time the couple passed it.
That nit aside, it is still an entertaining contest to watch, and I look forward to the more exotic locations and tougher challenges that may lie ahead. It's easier to appreciate the action, prep work, and editing on the Amazing Race after a brief glance at "Deal or No Deal" where all you see are overacting contestants and friends decide if the briefcase they chose may contain a huge amount of money or not. Unfortunately, The Banker is not the only person who seems to be "phoning it in" on that game show.
Other notes:
Brazil is on my list of countries to visit (closest I've been is Bogota, Columbia), and I definitely would have chosen the helicopter ride at the detour.
Hotel room with private helipad: Out of my price range.
For a two-hour episode, I don't even recall a Road Block on the first leg...
I predict the main battle throughout the race will be between the teams that came in first and second tonight. And I have to root for the home team from San Francisco who are trying to act like stereotypical hippies but may have already done a world tour together. But it might be nice to see a parent-child team win for a change (though I'm not sure the current set will have the stamina to make it to the finals).
Perhaps someone will start the pool on whether the lovey-dovey nerds will have a major argument before they are eliminated. I can almost see that being setup a mile away. And what's with the odd theme music whenever they appear?
It's a bad sign for your chances of winning if you can repeatedly walk right by a clue box for 40 minutes without seeing it. It was probalby torture for the camera person following them back and forth all that time, and that person still somehow managed not to tip off the location by pointing the camera at the box each time the couple passed it.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
TMI: The DVR Generation
The last few weeks have been a very busy time for me thanks to an unusual confluence of work projects that all had to be completed around the same time. Most of this was my own fault. I'm a lifelong procrastinator with an unusual job position that I haven't gotten around to fully defining (but that's on my "To Do" list), so I volunteer (or cannot talk my way out of) lots of odd projects (and I particularly look for ones with no well-defined due dates). This generally works in my favor since I can then work on one project as an excuse to procrastinate on the other N-1 projects. And magically at the end of each job review period, I come out looking pretty productive.
Fortunately, I did foresee that my free (or what other people would call sleep) time would be greatly impacted, but technology came to my rescue.
I'd been meaning to purchase or build a "Tivo-like" device for many years (it was on my "To Do" list, which, by the way, has actually never been written down as maintaining a "To Do" list is also on that list). Procrastination kept paying off as technology kept improving and prices kept falling. Finally, a few weeks ago, it became as simple as disconnecting my existing cable box, driving to the local cable office down the street, swapping boxes, driving back home, and connecting the new box. [Note however, that reverse-engineering the wiring and cabling of one's own fairly basic home entertainment setup that hasn't been touched in several years can still be trickier than first thought].
Now, I don't know how I ever lived without a DVR (Digital Video Recorder), and can see how other people almost worship these things.
It turns out most hour-long dramas only have ~40 minutes of actual content (minus commercials, credits, and recaps of previous episodes). That's a whopping 30+% compression ratio with no loss of data! It's even more dramatic for sporting events where I have no emotional ties to have to see the whole game live. I managed to squeeze 4 to 8 hours of Australian Open tennis coverage into about 2 hours. It helps if one is only interested in the style of tennis played by Hingis or Federer, and want to check out a newcomer like Baghdatis.
The downside of all this? There are actually a few minuses that have emerged so far:
1) I have to figure out how to catch up on 30-40 hours of non-tennis programming on my DVR. In the meantime, I have to avoid anybody at work or on the street who mentions the words 24, Lost, or House even if it's not in the context of those TV shows since you never know when a conversation will take a sudden turn in that direction.
2) Some evenings, I find myself with a painfully full bladder because I've skipped all the commercials and forgot about the ability to pause and go to the restroom.
3) I've also quickly picked up a bad habit of wanting to hit fast forward even if I'm watching live TV. I've even caught myself trying to find a remote while sitting in a long meeting...
4) The DVR from the cable company does not allow easy copying of shows I might want to keep around "forever".
I imagine my next few blog entries may be TV related as I catch up on things.
Fortunately, I did foresee that my free (or what other people would call sleep) time would be greatly impacted, but technology came to my rescue.
I'd been meaning to purchase or build a "Tivo-like" device for many years (it was on my "To Do" list, which, by the way, has actually never been written down as maintaining a "To Do" list is also on that list). Procrastination kept paying off as technology kept improving and prices kept falling. Finally, a few weeks ago, it became as simple as disconnecting my existing cable box, driving to the local cable office down the street, swapping boxes, driving back home, and connecting the new box. [Note however, that reverse-engineering the wiring and cabling of one's own fairly basic home entertainment setup that hasn't been touched in several years can still be trickier than first thought].
Now, I don't know how I ever lived without a DVR (Digital Video Recorder), and can see how other people almost worship these things.
It turns out most hour-long dramas only have ~40 minutes of actual content (minus commercials, credits, and recaps of previous episodes). That's a whopping 30+% compression ratio with no loss of data! It's even more dramatic for sporting events where I have no emotional ties to have to see the whole game live. I managed to squeeze 4 to 8 hours of Australian Open tennis coverage into about 2 hours. It helps if one is only interested in the style of tennis played by Hingis or Federer, and want to check out a newcomer like Baghdatis.
The downside of all this? There are actually a few minuses that have emerged so far:
1) I have to figure out how to catch up on 30-40 hours of non-tennis programming on my DVR. In the meantime, I have to avoid anybody at work or on the street who mentions the words 24, Lost, or House even if it's not in the context of those TV shows since you never know when a conversation will take a sudden turn in that direction.
2) Some evenings, I find myself with a painfully full bladder because I've skipped all the commercials and forgot about the ability to pause and go to the restroom.
3) I've also quickly picked up a bad habit of wanting to hit fast forward even if I'm watching live TV. I've even caught myself trying to find a remote while sitting in a long meeting...
4) The DVR from the cable company does not allow easy copying of shows I might want to keep around "forever".
I imagine my next few blog entries may be TV related as I catch up on things.
Friday, January 06, 2006
TMI: An Armenian in Paris
Several months ago a colleague / friend of mine, Vicken Khachadourian, wrote a humorous story about meeting the singer whose songs have held significant meaning throughout Vick's life. His story was even published in a few Armenian newspapers that circulate in major US cities. It is also posted on the armeniapedia.org site. Somehow I managed to play a tiny part in this, meaning I've already achieved my 15 words of fame with the Armenian community. This does not even make me rank with the same Z-list celebrities as, say, Kato Kaelin, but I've had a strange compulsion to mention that dude's name in my blog for some time and finally found an excuse to do so.
Because no two people ever occupy the exact same physical location in the Universe, I might have a slightly different perspective about some of the events I was involved in. But to clarify a couple of things in the story:
- I backed out of seeing the concert with Vick in Montreal because I was still suffering from jet lag and other varied minor ailments after the India trip, and I did not feel any performer was worth flying cross-country to see (no offense to the city of Montreal intended).
- A trip to Paris does not need much justification, and I needed a vacation at the time. That said, Paris was refreshing, and the Aznavour concert turned out to be much more than icing sur le gâteau. I may dedicate a future blog entry to other interesting things that happened during that trip.
- I would not describe myself as opportunistic - I've let more opportunities of all kinds slip though my hands than I can count. I've actually found myself standing close to famous people many times in my life. However, the most interaction I've had was to smile at Patrick Stewart and have him smile back at me as we were exploring the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas. He seems much more jovial in real life than his Capt. Picard character. My general modus operandi is to leave them be.
- "Sommelier" was spelled correctly after all. But I'm not familiar enough about the wine scene to know if the person helping us should have been identified as a Master Sommelier. The whole staff at Ledoyen was incredibly friendly, professional, and helpful.
But why are you still reading this? Read the story. It's better than these ramblings.
Because no two people ever occupy the exact same physical location in the Universe, I might have a slightly different perspective about some of the events I was involved in. But to clarify a couple of things in the story:
- I backed out of seeing the concert with Vick in Montreal because I was still suffering from jet lag and other varied minor ailments after the India trip, and I did not feel any performer was worth flying cross-country to see (no offense to the city of Montreal intended).
- A trip to Paris does not need much justification, and I needed a vacation at the time. That said, Paris was refreshing, and the Aznavour concert turned out to be much more than icing sur le gâteau. I may dedicate a future blog entry to other interesting things that happened during that trip.
- I would not describe myself as opportunistic - I've let more opportunities of all kinds slip though my hands than I can count. I've actually found myself standing close to famous people many times in my life. However, the most interaction I've had was to smile at Patrick Stewart and have him smile back at me as we were exploring the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas. He seems much more jovial in real life than his Capt. Picard character. My general modus operandi is to leave them be.
- "Sommelier" was spelled correctly after all. But I'm not familiar enough about the wine scene to know if the person helping us should have been identified as a Master Sommelier. The whole staff at Ledoyen was incredibly friendly, professional, and helpful.
But why are you still reading this? Read the story. It's better than these ramblings.
Monday, January 02, 2006
News: Cat dials 911
I suspect this news will spread pretty quickly. A man was saved by his cat.
I've heard of cats who were trained to use the toilet and flush afterward. Recently a Russian cat circus has been appearing in New York (looks like the photo album section is currently generating some MySQL errors though).
I have to remember to train some pets if I find myself older and still living alone. Fortunately the worst thing that's happened to me so far is dislocating my shoulder at home -- part of a series of stories I may share eventually.
I've heard of cats who were trained to use the toilet and flush afterward. Recently a Russian cat circus has been appearing in New York (looks like the photo album section is currently generating some MySQL errors though).
I have to remember to train some pets if I find myself older and still living alone. Fortunately the worst thing that's happened to me so far is dislocating my shoulder at home -- part of a series of stories I may share eventually.
Welcome 2006
Tried to include this SVG file in my blog, but I guess my ISP doesn't know how to send a file type of image/svg (everything is basically sent as text/plain).
It was kind of fun spending some hours the last couple of weeks getting refamiliar with HTML. Then once I started doing that, then I had to dabble in CSS, DHTML, XHTML, SVG, Javascript, etc. (I knew I was getting too far when I started looking at AJAX).
It was an interesting exercise to discover how browser still differ in respect to supporting the numerous standards (or even in how they parse files in some cases). A challenge was determining the minimum code that would still render pages pretty closely in all the browsers with no Javascript errors.
Not sure if I fully achieved that with the Merry Christmas entry. [For readers outside the U.S., there was some silly feud going on between FOX News host Bill O'Reilly and Comedy Central Daily Show's Jon Stewart - search Google for more details.] The simple SVG example looks the same in IE (with an Adobe plugin) and Firefox 1.5 with native SVG support. Looks a little different under Opera 8.51. At least, I got a taste for what developers must go through when trying to make an application DB and/or OS independent.
So, now that that's out of my system, back to writing articles in mostly plain old text!
Hope 2006 turns out to be the Best Year Ever for everybody.
It was kind of fun spending some hours the last couple of weeks getting refamiliar with HTML. Then once I started doing that, then I had to dabble in CSS, DHTML, XHTML, SVG, Javascript, etc. (I knew I was getting too far when I started looking at AJAX).
It was an interesting exercise to discover how browser still differ in respect to supporting the numerous standards (or even in how they parse files in some cases). A challenge was determining the minimum code that would still render pages pretty closely in all the browsers with no Javascript errors.
Not sure if I fully achieved that with the Merry Christmas entry. [For readers outside the U.S., there was some silly feud going on between FOX News host Bill O'Reilly and Comedy Central Daily Show's Jon Stewart - search Google for more details.] The simple SVG example looks the same in IE (with an Adobe plugin) and Firefox 1.5 with native SVG support. Looks a little different under Opera 8.51. At least, I got a taste for what developers must go through when trying to make an application DB and/or OS independent.
So, now that that's out of my system, back to writing articles in mostly plain old text!
Hope 2006 turns out to be the Best Year Ever for everybody.
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