100 minutes today. Would've been more but I was awaiting the new machine.
The new treadmill arrived at 1:00am, as a sort of good news/bad news thing.
The good news was that Sole gave me a free upgrade! From the S73, which I had felt was probably good enough, to the S77, which was the machine I had initially looked at, with the stronger motor. Apparently they don't make the S73 anymore. That's a $200 free upgrade which might be good for anyone in the area ordering a machine.
I like these guys. Not just for the upgrade, but for the bad news part. You can tell a lot about a company by how they deal with bad news.
In this case, the bad news was the trucker decided to "help" by taking the machine off the truck himself without using a dolly. So he dragged it a ways, then started turning it end over end. (I'm not making this up!) By the time it hit our driveway, the box was torn in places and there were visible scratches on the unit!
I assume that his goal was to get out of there ASAP, and I sort of wonder if his plan wasn't to high-tail it out of there before anyone noticed the damage. He should have made a lot less damage, though, if that's the case.
We ended up calling the shipping company and not accepting delivery. Then we called Sole, who cheerfully agreed to send us out a new machine. Sweet.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Introducing: The Barbarienne
The Flower and The Boy have a younger sister. Sample quote:
[this is accompanied by the motions of tearing something up and eating it]
My children do say odd things sometimes. When The Flower was two, she once plopped down in an executive chair, spun around in it and said,
[this accompanied by uncannily good smoking mimicry, not the usual fakey thing kids do]
Anyhoo, while The Flower is bossy, The Barbarienne is imperious. She's pretty sure she's in charge, and takes great affront at challenges to her sovereignty. Well, she's two, right? Terrible 2s and all that?
Except that she's been this way since six months, complete with verbal commandy-ness at 11 months. A year-and-a-half ago I was sure she was going through the terrible 2s a year early, and wouldn't that be great to get that out of the way.
The thing I ignored is that none of my other kids went through the "terrible 2s". Hmm. And it's not going away even as she approaches three.
Oh.
All kids are different, of course. And you can tell a lot about them from the moment they're born and well before they can articulate their thoughts and feelings. Even as you help them move past their limitations, you can see--and had better respect--the core personality.
The Barbarienne is fearless, but she wants nothing to do with anything horror. (The Boy, of course, loved horror early on, while The Flower puts her own "hearts and flowers" type spin on anything dark.) She emulates her older sister on stage, but has none of the stage timidness--and a rather fascinatingly strong musical sense. She's pretty sure she can solve most problems by being louder and pushier than the other people involved. (Oh, lord, we've given birth to a New Yorker!)
All of the kids try the tantrum, of course, but since our reaction is generally very "meta"--that is, we don't react to the tantrum as if it were genuine, but rather as though it's a show that the child is putting on (which it is)--a second tantrum is very rare.
Having said that, and being confident that it's true, it remains that The Barbarienne wants her way, and volume is no obstacle. She doesn't have tantrums, really, but she believes--without any evidence to support the idea--that if she asserts herself strongly enough, she will get her way. Hands on hips, foot stamp, leaning forward into your face sort of assertion.
Unlike her various siblings, she's not really interested in negotiating. Although this is difficult to manage, it's not necessarily a bad thing, presuming it gets focused in positive ways. Worst case, I suppose, is that she ends up on a Sunday morning talking heads show.
With the added bonus that she might just rip out her adversary's heart and eat it.
You're not my friend, Daddy, and I break your heart and eat it.
[this is accompanied by the motions of tearing something up and eating it]
My children do say odd things sometimes. When The Flower was two, she once plopped down in an executive chair, spun around in it and said,
I have nothing to do today but smoke and boss people around.
[this accompanied by uncannily good smoking mimicry, not the usual fakey thing kids do]
Anyhoo, while The Flower is bossy, The Barbarienne is imperious. She's pretty sure she's in charge, and takes great affront at challenges to her sovereignty. Well, she's two, right? Terrible 2s and all that?
Except that she's been this way since six months, complete with verbal commandy-ness at 11 months. A year-and-a-half ago I was sure she was going through the terrible 2s a year early, and wouldn't that be great to get that out of the way.
The thing I ignored is that none of my other kids went through the "terrible 2s". Hmm. And it's not going away even as she approaches three.
Oh.
All kids are different, of course. And you can tell a lot about them from the moment they're born and well before they can articulate their thoughts and feelings. Even as you help them move past their limitations, you can see--and had better respect--the core personality.
The Barbarienne is fearless, but she wants nothing to do with anything horror. (The Boy, of course, loved horror early on, while The Flower puts her own "hearts and flowers" type spin on anything dark.) She emulates her older sister on stage, but has none of the stage timidness--and a rather fascinatingly strong musical sense. She's pretty sure she can solve most problems by being louder and pushier than the other people involved. (Oh, lord, we've given birth to a New Yorker!)
All of the kids try the tantrum, of course, but since our reaction is generally very "meta"--that is, we don't react to the tantrum as if it were genuine, but rather as though it's a show that the child is putting on (which it is)--a second tantrum is very rare.
This is a fun fact about kids: They do things deliberately, like tantrums, that then get out of control. They're not exactly faking. It's more like an Incredible Hulk thing: they get angry and then can't stop getting angry. So if you demonstrate that a certain behavior isn't going to get results and that they can control it, you don't get compulsive behavior like breath holding or whatever.
Having said that, and being confident that it's true, it remains that The Barbarienne wants her way, and volume is no obstacle. She doesn't have tantrums, really, but she believes--without any evidence to support the idea--that if she asserts herself strongly enough, she will get her way. Hands on hips, foot stamp, leaning forward into your face sort of assertion.
Unlike her various siblings, she's not really interested in negotiating. Although this is difficult to manage, it's not necessarily a bad thing, presuming it gets focused in positive ways. Worst case, I suppose, is that she ends up on a Sunday morning talking heads show.
With the added bonus that she might just rip out her adversary's heart and eat it.
Treadmill Desk, Day 13
0 minutes today!
What's this? Have I given up?
Nah. I could've put in some time, though. I didn't because I'm preparing iteration 2 of the Treadmill Desk. The new machine's supposed to come tomorrow.
Well, that and because the electricians were here at 7:30 in the AM to make sure everything had enough power. I don't know if sleep-deprivation plus a lot of work plus a treadmill is a good combination. (It probably would be. Exercise can reduce some of the negative effects of fatigue, ironically enough.)
I'll probably get less than the desired amount tomorrow, because I'll need to assemble the damn thing, and fiddle with stuff, etc. But Friday should be golden.
What's this? Have I given up?
Nah. I could've put in some time, though. I didn't because I'm preparing iteration 2 of the Treadmill Desk. The new machine's supposed to come tomorrow.
Well, that and because the electricians were here at 7:30 in the AM to make sure everything had enough power. I don't know if sleep-deprivation plus a lot of work plus a treadmill is a good combination. (It probably would be. Exercise can reduce some of the negative effects of fatigue, ironically enough.)
I'll probably get less than the desired amount tomorrow, because I'll need to assemble the damn thing, and fiddle with stuff, etc. But Friday should be golden.
The Force Is Strong With This One
Via Ace, the Anchoress waxes poetic on the nature of energy and God. As she is wont to do. (This, not coincidentally, evokes The Force of the Star Wars movies. Lucas cleaned out the archetype store when he made those.)
It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine, for people to treat the brain-injured as being "pure" or otherwise magical. But it is fair to say that they see the world differently (and in our own dull compulsive conformity, we perceive that as a kind of stupidity).
I knew a guy who said that if you perceived the enormity--the sheer math--of infinity versus your time on earth, you would never do anything that risked your chances at heaven.
Makes sense, really. Although people are not always rational, if you could sustain the enormity of eternal damnation versus eternal happiness, it would be very, very difficult to sin, indeed.
A common problem with the brain-injured is an inability to filter. For example, our brains filter out the myriad sounds that constantly assault us. They all reduce to a hum that we forget, and this allows us to concentrate on what we're doing. Our ability to function in day-to-day life is thanks in large part to a brain that shuts out most of the stimulus coming at us.
You'd sit on a floor and rock back-and-forth, humming, too, if you couldn't filter out the constant barrage of sensations.
By parallel, could you actually function if you held in your mind a constant awareness that your action might eternally damn you? I mean, could you weigh every action against infinity--and still operate?
Or would you end up rocking back-and-forth, humming--paralyzed?
There's an episode of the '90s cartoon "Duckman" which has the title character unable to act, because every trivial decision he makes alters his future in radical ways. The effects of our own actions on our lives, while they ripple out, don't have the same power of the infinite (and are, one hopes, less random), but you could see being crippled, at least to the degree that random chance was influential.
If you were confident that you understood what would be judged right and wrong, you could still act reasonably well, presuming that your understanding didn't hold you to account for, essentially, randomity.
But given the chaos with which brain-injured kids often experience reality, and how often their choices turn out to not be the ones they intend, and how often the results can backfire, I can imagine God as judge being absolutely terrifying.
It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine, for people to treat the brain-injured as being "pure" or otherwise magical. But it is fair to say that they see the world differently (and in our own dull compulsive conformity, we perceive that as a kind of stupidity).
I knew a guy who said that if you perceived the enormity--the sheer math--of infinity versus your time on earth, you would never do anything that risked your chances at heaven.
Makes sense, really. Although people are not always rational, if you could sustain the enormity of eternal damnation versus eternal happiness, it would be very, very difficult to sin, indeed.
A common problem with the brain-injured is an inability to filter. For example, our brains filter out the myriad sounds that constantly assault us. They all reduce to a hum that we forget, and this allows us to concentrate on what we're doing. Our ability to function in day-to-day life is thanks in large part to a brain that shuts out most of the stimulus coming at us.
You'd sit on a floor and rock back-and-forth, humming, too, if you couldn't filter out the constant barrage of sensations.
By parallel, could you actually function if you held in your mind a constant awareness that your action might eternally damn you? I mean, could you weigh every action against infinity--and still operate?
Or would you end up rocking back-and-forth, humming--paralyzed?
There's an episode of the '90s cartoon "Duckman" which has the title character unable to act, because every trivial decision he makes alters his future in radical ways. The effects of our own actions on our lives, while they ripple out, don't have the same power of the infinite (and are, one hopes, less random), but you could see being crippled, at least to the degree that random chance was influential.
If you were confident that you understood what would be judged right and wrong, you could still act reasonably well, presuming that your understanding didn't hold you to account for, essentially, randomity.
But given the chaos with which brain-injured kids often experience reality, and how often their choices turn out to not be the ones they intend, and how often the results can backfire, I can imagine God as judge being absolutely terrifying.
Traffic Nerd
Given the amount of time I've spent driving around over the years--there were plenty of years in my youth when I'd do over 20,000 miles in a year--or being driven around, it's probably normal (if not exactly healthy) that I have an interest in traffic.
Instapundit linked to this Traffic Quiz, which I scored seven out of ten. Not bad.
I'm torn, because, on the one hand I think that drivers (and cars!) shouldn't even need licenses, and on the other because I think the police should be able to vaporize a car that's obstructing traffic.
So those two instincts are at play when I'm on the road, even though I telecommunte 90% of the time, and almost never drive during rush hour anyway.
I played with the thought for a while that a SimCity-ish game based on correcting traffic problems would be fun, but the time it was tried
wasn't hugely successful. (But it has a strong cult following, suggesting that it might-maybe-could be successful done right.)
Anyway, all you out there in the cow counties can larf it up. (But on the other hand, I haven't had to wait for livestock to cross the road in a while, either.)
Instapundit linked to this Traffic Quiz, which I scored seven out of ten. Not bad.
I'm torn, because, on the one hand I think that drivers (and cars!) shouldn't even need licenses, and on the other because I think the police should be able to vaporize a car that's obstructing traffic.
So those two instincts are at play when I'm on the road, even though I telecommunte 90% of the time, and almost never drive during rush hour anyway.
I played with the thought for a while that a SimCity-ish game based on correcting traffic problems would be fun, but the time it was tried
wasn't hugely successful. (But it has a strong cult following, suggesting that it might-maybe-could be successful done right.)Anyway, all you out there in the cow counties can larf it up. (But on the other hand, I haven't had to wait for livestock to cross the road in a while, either.)
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
My Oil Platform
As regular readers know (both of them), I'm pro-gasoline. Love the stuff. Would put it on my cereal in the morning.
So, as a public service, the Bit Maelstrom is going to state its position on oil drilling, in case any enterprising politician wants our vote. (Sure, it's only one, but it's quality, not quantity, right?)
We've got to get over this attachment to pieces of the crust that we call "nature". "Nature" herself is going to destroy it all when we're dust--after killing us (or alongside of killing us in a twofer). That's what she does. She'll bury the redwoods under a mega-volcano, and Rushmore will collapse under some tectonic plate shifting in due time.
The only permanence we have is that which we carve, bloody, out of what narrow windows of opportunity the universe gives life. To do less than carve everything we can to prolong our (probably fleeting) existence is nihilism.
And nihilism, as the Dude says, is exhausting.
So, as a public service, the Bit Maelstrom is going to state its position on oil drilling, in case any enterprising politician wants our vote. (Sure, it's only one, but it's quality, not quantity, right?)
Wherever there may be oil, we should allow drilling. That means if there's oil under the redwoods, we drill. If there's oil in my backyard, we drill. If there's oil on Mount Rushmore, Lincoln's getting a lobotomy.
We've got to get over this attachment to pieces of the crust that we call "nature". "Nature" herself is going to destroy it all when we're dust--after killing us (or alongside of killing us in a twofer). That's what she does. She'll bury the redwoods under a mega-volcano, and Rushmore will collapse under some tectonic plate shifting in due time.
The only permanence we have is that which we carve, bloody, out of what narrow windows of opportunity the universe gives life. To do less than carve everything we can to prolong our (probably fleeting) existence is nihilism.
And nihilism, as the Dude says, is exhausting.
How About a Nice Pineapple Express?
From the guys who brought you Superbad, as the tag line goes, comes another film which curiously blends '00s sensibilities with a '70s feel. What is this movie, anyway? Comedy? Action? Love st--okay, nobody's thinking it's a love story. (Though it is, kinda.)
Drug comedy--at least the old style stuff, whether it's Cheech & Chong or, hell, even Dean Martin or Foster Brooks staggering around--doesn't really do it for me. I find the humor to be overly broad, without the cleverness of a Chaplin or something else to ameliorate it. I enjoy Kevin Smith's stuff, I think, partly because the stoner characters are comic relief, not the main focus. Also, they're just as dopey when they're clean and sober (as in Clerks II).
I've noticed with the Judd Apatow guys that they take a lot of conventions of the genre they're working in, and render those a lot more realistically than previous movies have, and then stylize some other aspect instead. Superbad, for example, was a lot more realistic in terms of how the kids acted, on the one hand, but on the other hand, the subplot with McLovin and the cops was surreal.
In Pineapple Express we have the story of lovable stoner/loser Dale Denton (Seth Rogan), a process server who smokes pot all day while driving between jobs, and waiting for his targets, and dressing in costumes, who has no apparent ambition and a girlfriend who's still in high school (Amber Heard).
After receiving the titular marijuana from his dealer Saul Silver (James Franco in a wonderful change from his usual, more intense roles), he witnesses his next victim (of service) murder a person with the help of a cop (Rosie Perez). This murderer is Ted Jones (Gary Cole), who just happens to be his dealer's dealer's dealer.
The "love story" aspect is between Dale and Saul, by the way. They're both losers, sure, but they both have potential, unlike the other losers they deal with, and they sort of recognize that. Dale feels superior to Saul because, hey, Saul is a drug dealing felon. Saul's sensitivity, which shows up in many ways, is what makes him lovable, despite his dependence on the loco weed (and his subsequent lack of good judgment).
Anyway, Dale, also not functioning at peak efficiency, tosses his pineapple express out of the window after witnessing the murder, which allows Jones and his cop accomplice to track him down through Silver's dealer, Red (Danny McBride). Hilarity, or at least a few good chuckles, ensue, and along the way we learn the dangers of smoking too much dope. (See? There's a moral! Heh.)
So, first off, the cast: Yeah, pretty top-notch. There's a weird, great chemistry between the always fabulous Cole and Rosie Perez, to say nothing of the relationship between Franco and Rogen (occasionally with McBride). James Remar and Bill Hader show up in an amusing opening showing how marijuana came to be banned. Kevin Corrigan and Craig Robinson (the bouncer in Knocked Up) play the heavies sent to kill Dale, Saul and Red with a mixture of humor and menace. And the whole rival Asian (Chinese? Japanese? Indian? Who knows?) gang is amusing as well. And Ed Begley and Nora Dunn turn up as the girlfriend's parents.
So even though you have a buddy movie, essentially, it's also a nice ensemble piece, with each new character bringing their own little twist to the proceedings, so that you keep going, "Oh, and remember when this character showed up?", like Cleo King as the school cop who arrests Dale.
I think they call that good writing. It reminds me of Hitchcock, actually. Very seldom did a characer show up on screen who wasn't a character, i.e., who didn't seem to have their own life and their own problems, and just because the movie's about you doesn't mean they're going to roll over.
The last set of the movie, a shootout in the drug lord's hideout, is necessarily somewhat goofy. But the movie walks the fine line between slapstick and gory-realism very well, as the characters are only required to be just heroic enough, and not suddenly Willis, Stallone and Schwarzeneggar.
Although Rogan does that jump from the second floor on to Cole near the end--they show it in the commercial--is sort of unexpected and cool, even if you just know that he's got the safety harness on and needed a lot of editing and multiple takes.
Those things usually do, of course, it's just--you know--Seth Rogan. (Though, honestly, the guy just has a round, five-o-clock-shadow face; he's not really very fat. He's probably reasonably fit.)
So, all-in-all, a pretty entertaining couple of hours. Not your thing if drugs are offensive to you. And possibly not your thing if you're into the whole drug scene and find anti-drug moralizing off-putting (though there's not much of that, it is there).
Better than it had a right to be. The Boy approved, and particularly of the last action scene which he thought had just the right feel.
Drug comedy--at least the old style stuff, whether it's Cheech & Chong or, hell, even Dean Martin or Foster Brooks staggering around--doesn't really do it for me. I find the humor to be overly broad, without the cleverness of a Chaplin or something else to ameliorate it. I enjoy Kevin Smith's stuff, I think, partly because the stoner characters are comic relief, not the main focus. Also, they're just as dopey when they're clean and sober (as in Clerks II).
I've noticed with the Judd Apatow guys that they take a lot of conventions of the genre they're working in, and render those a lot more realistically than previous movies have, and then stylize some other aspect instead. Superbad, for example, was a lot more realistic in terms of how the kids acted, on the one hand, but on the other hand, the subplot with McLovin and the cops was surreal.
In Pineapple Express we have the story of lovable stoner/loser Dale Denton (Seth Rogan), a process server who smokes pot all day while driving between jobs, and waiting for his targets, and dressing in costumes, who has no apparent ambition and a girlfriend who's still in high school (Amber Heard).
After receiving the titular marijuana from his dealer Saul Silver (James Franco in a wonderful change from his usual, more intense roles), he witnesses his next victim (of service) murder a person with the help of a cop (Rosie Perez). This murderer is Ted Jones (Gary Cole), who just happens to be his dealer's dealer's dealer.
The "love story" aspect is between Dale and Saul, by the way. They're both losers, sure, but they both have potential, unlike the other losers they deal with, and they sort of recognize that. Dale feels superior to Saul because, hey, Saul is a drug dealing felon. Saul's sensitivity, which shows up in many ways, is what makes him lovable, despite his dependence on the loco weed (and his subsequent lack of good judgment).
Anyway, Dale, also not functioning at peak efficiency, tosses his pineapple express out of the window after witnessing the murder, which allows Jones and his cop accomplice to track him down through Silver's dealer, Red (Danny McBride). Hilarity, or at least a few good chuckles, ensue, and along the way we learn the dangers of smoking too much dope. (See? There's a moral! Heh.)
So, first off, the cast: Yeah, pretty top-notch. There's a weird, great chemistry between the always fabulous Cole and Rosie Perez, to say nothing of the relationship between Franco and Rogen (occasionally with McBride). James Remar and Bill Hader show up in an amusing opening showing how marijuana came to be banned. Kevin Corrigan and Craig Robinson (the bouncer in Knocked Up) play the heavies sent to kill Dale, Saul and Red with a mixture of humor and menace. And the whole rival Asian (Chinese? Japanese? Indian? Who knows?) gang is amusing as well. And Ed Begley and Nora Dunn turn up as the girlfriend's parents.
So even though you have a buddy movie, essentially, it's also a nice ensemble piece, with each new character bringing their own little twist to the proceedings, so that you keep going, "Oh, and remember when this character showed up?", like Cleo King as the school cop who arrests Dale.
I think they call that good writing. It reminds me of Hitchcock, actually. Very seldom did a characer show up on screen who wasn't a character, i.e., who didn't seem to have their own life and their own problems, and just because the movie's about you doesn't mean they're going to roll over.
The last set of the movie, a shootout in the drug lord's hideout, is necessarily somewhat goofy. But the movie walks the fine line between slapstick and gory-realism very well, as the characters are only required to be just heroic enough, and not suddenly Willis, Stallone and Schwarzeneggar.
Although Rogan does that jump from the second floor on to Cole near the end--they show it in the commercial--is sort of unexpected and cool, even if you just know that he's got the safety harness on and needed a lot of editing and multiple takes.
Those things usually do, of course, it's just--you know--Seth Rogan. (Though, honestly, the guy just has a round, five-o-clock-shadow face; he's not really very fat. He's probably reasonably fit.)
So, all-in-all, a pretty entertaining couple of hours. Not your thing if drugs are offensive to you. And possibly not your thing if you're into the whole drug scene and find anti-drug moralizing off-putting (though there's not much of that, it is there).
Better than it had a right to be. The Boy approved, and particularly of the last action scene which he thought had just the right feel.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Treadmill Desk, Day 12
I've done 130 minutes so far with more to come.
I did place the order, though I went for the S73 rather than the S77. The main advantage to the latter seemed to be an extra .5 horsepower. I can't see me needing that. At all.
Anyway, that'll be fun. We'll see if I can actually to the full 6-8 hours at a time.
(Pineapple Express tonight!)
I did place the order, though I went for the S73 rather than the S77. The main advantage to the latter seemed to be an extra .5 horsepower. I can't see me needing that. At all.
Anyway, that'll be fun. We'll see if I can actually to the full 6-8 hours at a time.
(Pineapple Express tonight!)
You Can't Fail Me Now
I lost the thread among the vines
And hung myself in story lines
That tell the tales I never would allow
God knows the name of every bird
That fills my mind like angry words
But you know all my secret heart avows
We're taught to love the worst of us
And mercy more than life, but trust me
Mercy's just a warning shot across the bow
I live for yours
And you can't fail me now
I live for your mercy
And you can't fail me now
You can't fail me now
--Joe Henry
And hung myself in story lines
That tell the tales I never would allow
God knows the name of every bird
That fills my mind like angry words
But you know all my secret heart avows
We're taught to love the worst of us
And mercy more than life, but trust me
Mercy's just a warning shot across the bow
I live for yours
And you can't fail me now
I live for your mercy
And you can't fail me now
You can't fail me now
--Joe Henry
Treadmill Desk, Day 11
I didn't use the treadmill yesterday (Monday). A combination of working away from home, and hanging out with the Olympics.
Back on today. I did use the time to scope out a new treadmill. I was going to buy used because, you know, buying new exercise equipment is for dunces, given the huge discounts you get for a used anything. I mean, I got this treadmill for $50, right?
But it overheats, etc. It's not quite the same as buying weights or a bench. This is a machine. It requires maintenance, it breaks down, etc. I'm likely to use it 40 hours a week, so a good warranty will pay for itself.
This machine from Sole is what I'm planning to get. Free delivery and a two-year in-home warranty. Well, hell. In-home is precisely my style. And they sell to hotels, which tells you something about ruggedness. (People are never more careless than with stuff that's not their own.)
So I'm guessing the 2-year thing means they're pretty confident they won't hear from me in those two years.
It's not a folding treadmill, but where I had previously thought that was a minor engineering issue, I'm now understanding requires certain compromises in the quality of the machine. I'm not folding this up, anyway, so no big deal.
Back later with day 12 news.
Back on today. I did use the time to scope out a new treadmill. I was going to buy used because, you know, buying new exercise equipment is for dunces, given the huge discounts you get for a used anything. I mean, I got this treadmill for $50, right?
But it overheats, etc. It's not quite the same as buying weights or a bench. This is a machine. It requires maintenance, it breaks down, etc. I'm likely to use it 40 hours a week, so a good warranty will pay for itself.
This machine from Sole is what I'm planning to get. Free delivery and a two-year in-home warranty. Well, hell. In-home is precisely my style. And they sell to hotels, which tells you something about ruggedness. (People are never more careless than with stuff that's not their own.)
So I'm guessing the 2-year thing means they're pretty confident they won't hear from me in those two years.
It's not a folding treadmill, but where I had previously thought that was a minor engineering issue, I'm now understanding requires certain compromises in the quality of the machine. I'm not folding this up, anyway, so no big deal.
Back later with day 12 news.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Georgia On My Mind
Putin did the one thing that could actually make me vote for McCain.
I have no desire to see the world slide back into the Cold War. Russia needs to be slapped down, hard for this. But W doesn't have the wherewithal at this point (does he?).
More than Western Europe, Eastern Europe is our natural ally at this point. They've had a taste of life under the yoke and they don't like it.
While I don't think much of running America down, the story of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution--I always felt we should have done more about that. We shouldn't have allowed the wall to be built, for that matter, either.
I just get the same feeling about this. We're going to let something awful happen.
I have no desire to see the world slide back into the Cold War. Russia needs to be slapped down, hard for this. But W doesn't have the wherewithal at this point (does he?).
More than Western Europe, Eastern Europe is our natural ally at this point. They've had a taste of life under the yoke and they don't like it.
While I don't think much of running America down, the story of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution--I always felt we should have done more about that. We shouldn't have allowed the wall to be built, for that matter, either.
I just get the same feeling about this. We're going to let something awful happen.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Post Apocalypto
When we think "apocalypse" these days, we think nukes, environmental disasters, diseases and the like, going from our current POV. But of course, societies have ended many times, and movies have been made of this.
E.g., Apocalypso shows the end of the Mayans. The Last Days of Pompeii shows--if memory serves--not just the end of Pompeii, but the implicit fall of Rome. (And I remember some movie where some Roman scientist had invented a laser and was blasting ancient Rome with it.) The Lost City and Reds probably would count. I wouldn't count American Revolutionary movies because the transition from British control to American control was pretty smooth. I might count French revolutionary stuff, though. How about Gone With The Wind?--the entire Southern way of life down the tubes.
Zombie movies could count. I wouldn't count Romero's, though, because in Night, he shows the before, while in Dawn, and subsequent flicks, he shows the after. Maybe the last real one (Land of the Dead) because it showed a post-zombie society, and then showed it ending.
In which case, I think Mad Max 3 would probably count. I can't remember--did they end up destroying Bartertown?
Movies about genocide fit, too. Hotel Rwanda, maybe even Schindler's List. Though a temporary feel doesn't quite work.
Apocalypse, after all, is just a matter of degree. The main thing it has to capture is that things taken for granted before are gone for good, now. When Worlds Collide has that feel. The Last Emperor.
80% of the fun is just defining the category.
All stories are eventually about some major change. Cataclysmic change for the worse is what makes them apocalyptic.
Lord of the Rings had that feel--the book, not the movie. Well, maybe the movie, too, if I could stay awake through the endings. The Narnia books almost all have that feel: It's sort of the point, sic transit gloria mundi and all that.
Curiously, I'd say the recent Star Wars trilogy, which tries very hard to do so, really misses the mark. Except, perhaps, when they're killing all the jedi.
Anyway, a good apocalyptic movie is always a little unsettling, probably because at some Jungian collective level, we recognize the archetype of civilization collapse. (OK, the Jungian collective isn't popular these days, but it is fun!)
It's gotta be tough to hit both the civilization-scale collapse and still make a movie personal enough to be interesting.
Can you guys think of more titles?
E.g., Apocalypso shows the end of the Mayans. The Last Days of Pompeii shows--if memory serves--not just the end of Pompeii, but the implicit fall of Rome. (And I remember some movie where some Roman scientist had invented a laser and was blasting ancient Rome with it.) The Lost City and Reds probably would count. I wouldn't count American Revolutionary movies because the transition from British control to American control was pretty smooth. I might count French revolutionary stuff, though. How about Gone With The Wind?--the entire Southern way of life down the tubes.
Zombie movies could count. I wouldn't count Romero's, though, because in Night, he shows the before, while in Dawn, and subsequent flicks, he shows the after. Maybe the last real one (Land of the Dead) because it showed a post-zombie society, and then showed it ending.
In which case, I think Mad Max 3 would probably count. I can't remember--did they end up destroying Bartertown?
Movies about genocide fit, too. Hotel Rwanda, maybe even Schindler's List. Though a temporary feel doesn't quite work.
Apocalypse, after all, is just a matter of degree. The main thing it has to capture is that things taken for granted before are gone for good, now. When Worlds Collide has that feel. The Last Emperor.
80% of the fun is just defining the category.
All stories are eventually about some major change. Cataclysmic change for the worse is what makes them apocalyptic.
Lord of the Rings had that feel--the book, not the movie. Well, maybe the movie, too, if I could stay awake through the endings. The Narnia books almost all have that feel: It's sort of the point, sic transit gloria mundi and all that.
Curiously, I'd say the recent Star Wars trilogy, which tries very hard to do so, really misses the mark. Except, perhaps, when they're killing all the jedi.
Anyway, a good apocalyptic movie is always a little unsettling, probably because at some Jungian collective level, we recognize the archetype of civilization collapse. (OK, the Jungian collective isn't popular these days, but it is fun!)
It's gotta be tough to hit both the civilization-scale collapse and still make a movie personal enough to be interesting.
Can you guys think of more titles?
Heartbreaker
As all regular maelstrom "readers" know, this site is primarily a porn site full of pointy breasted babes, if only you know the secret password to access the XXX super-secret celebrity video area.
Today's entry in search-engine baiting is the incomparable Adrienne Barbeau.
The incomparable Ms. Barbeau was something of a paradox: She had (has!) large breasts; she also had (has!) a brain!
At a time when busty meant bimbo, AB played credibly smart, tough women who could be fiercely aggressive when needed, but always with a feminine edge. A proto-Sigourney Weaver, if you like. A woman who actually gave birth to twins in her 50s.
Her most recent high-profile role was in the too-soon-canceled HBO series Carnivalé. Like some other great actresses (Helen Mirren, Judy Dench), she demonstrated that sexiness was not strictly the province of the young, even while she in no ways looks to have had any sort of surgery.
They're not pointy. But they are fabulous.
Today's entry in search-engine baiting is the incomparable Adrienne Barbeau.
The incomparable Ms. Barbeau was something of a paradox: She had (has!) large breasts; she also had (has!) a brain!At a time when busty meant bimbo, AB played credibly smart, tough women who could be fiercely aggressive when needed, but always with a feminine edge. A proto-Sigourney Weaver, if you like. A woman who actually gave birth to twins in her 50s.
Her most recent high-profile role was in the too-soon-canceled HBO series Carnivalé. Like some other great actresses (Helen Mirren, Judy Dench), she demonstrated that sexiness was not strictly the province of the young, even while she in no ways looks to have had any sort of surgery.
They're not pointy. But they are fabulous.
Olympic Badminton
I don't really have much to add. I just wanted to say
OLYMPIC BADMINTON
It's pronounced "bad-mitton". We sort of played it as kids--it doesn't take much space.
Am I wrong in thinking this is like the curling of the summer olympics?
One good thing about it, though, is it gives you an excuse to say "shuttlecock".
Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!
Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!
Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!
OLYMPIC BADMINTON
It's pronounced "bad-mitton". We sort of played it as kids--it doesn't take much space.
Am I wrong in thinking this is like the curling of the summer olympics?
One good thing about it, though, is it gives you an excuse to say "shuttlecock".
Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!
Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!
Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!Shuttlecock!
Cinematic Titanic Stings The Wasp Woman
The first fifteen minutes of this is blazingly funny. Non-stop, high-octane riffing. (Actually, the last fifteen minutes is also terrific. And the in-between 50 minutes are pretty dang hilarious.) Maybe the best yet.
In the latest Cinematic Titanic, the guys take on Roger Corman's '50s classic The Wasp Woman. "Classic" may be too strong a word here, but actually, it's a real movie with a beginning middle and end, real actors, and a real plot which makes sense, after a fashion. In typical Corman low-budget style, of course, it has little in the way of action, giving lots of space for riffing.
More coherent than The Doomsday Machine, and less oozy than The Oozing Skull, I'm sensing a new Golden Age Of Riffing with this latest one. Josh seemed a little subdued this time, and the "Board Meeting" and "Buddy Rich" sketches still didn't quite come off--though the Board Meeting just needed a little more tweaking to go from mildly amusing to a gem--but overall the flow is flowing, and the shape is shaping up.
Oh, and unlike most movies, the mixing is kick-ass. You can hear what the guys are saying, you can hear what's going on in the movie, the music is often obnoxious but, hey, it's B-movie music, and it doesn't blow your eardrums out so that you're fiddling with the remote constantly.
Problems? Well, while I'm still not crazy about the political humor (Trace! A John McCain is old joke? Really?) they've kept a lid on it. I know this stuff goes down big at the cons and live performances, guys. Hell, even I'll laugh and clap with a bunch of other morons at a reference like that. It just falls flat in the living room.
Worse, for me, though, is the swearing. I'm no shrinking violet. I can quote Chapter and Verse in "South Park". Hell, I could probably act out the entire movie, complete with musical score, which isn't something I've been able to do with a musical since The Muppet Movie.
But one of my favorite aspects of the old MST3K was the gentle ribbing and walking-the-line profanity ("Is dickweed a bad word?") and the clever censorship. (Remember City Limits where Joel opens his umbrella to cover the nudity?) All that stuff was funnier than working without a net is.
Now, I'll admit, Trace's line about "I'm just going to fill my nostrils with your perfume before returning to the world of rat shit" was pretty good. But there was another "shit" right after that, and then the Buddy Rich sketch with the "goddamns".
It's a slippery slope. You could doubtless do 80 minutes of political clap humor and working blue, and probably some people would eat it up. It's a way to go, and it's gotta be easier than actually being clever. But it won't fly here.
P.S. We sill miss the robots.
In the latest Cinematic Titanic, the guys take on Roger Corman's '50s classic The Wasp Woman. "Classic" may be too strong a word here, but actually, it's a real movie with a beginning middle and end, real actors, and a real plot which makes sense, after a fashion. In typical Corman low-budget style, of course, it has little in the way of action, giving lots of space for riffing.
More coherent than The Doomsday Machine, and less oozy than The Oozing Skull, I'm sensing a new Golden Age Of Riffing with this latest one. Josh seemed a little subdued this time, and the "Board Meeting" and "Buddy Rich" sketches still didn't quite come off--though the Board Meeting just needed a little more tweaking to go from mildly amusing to a gem--but overall the flow is flowing, and the shape is shaping up.
Oh, and unlike most movies, the mixing is kick-ass. You can hear what the guys are saying, you can hear what's going on in the movie, the music is often obnoxious but, hey, it's B-movie music, and it doesn't blow your eardrums out so that you're fiddling with the remote constantly.
Problems? Well, while I'm still not crazy about the political humor (Trace! A John McCain is old joke? Really?) they've kept a lid on it. I know this stuff goes down big at the cons and live performances, guys. Hell, even I'll laugh and clap with a bunch of other morons at a reference like that. It just falls flat in the living room.
Worse, for me, though, is the swearing. I'm no shrinking violet. I can quote Chapter and Verse in "South Park". Hell, I could probably act out the entire movie, complete with musical score, which isn't something I've been able to do with a musical since The Muppet Movie.
But one of my favorite aspects of the old MST3K was the gentle ribbing and walking-the-line profanity ("Is dickweed a bad word?") and the clever censorship. (Remember City Limits where Joel opens his umbrella to cover the nudity?) All that stuff was funnier than working without a net is.
Now, I'll admit, Trace's line about "I'm just going to fill my nostrils with your perfume before returning to the world of rat shit" was pretty good. But there was another "shit" right after that, and then the Buddy Rich sketch with the "goddamns".
It's a slippery slope. You could doubtless do 80 minutes of political clap humor and working blue, and probably some people would eat it up. It's a way to go, and it's gotta be easier than actually being clever. But it won't fly here.
P.S. We sill miss the robots.
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