Sunday, February 28
Saturday, February 27
Sorry to all you non-Americans...
Let's see if our own citizens know who's on their money. No cheating! You'll only hurt yourself, in the end. Somehow.
Whose portrait is featured on the...
$1 bill?
$2 bill?
$5 bill?
$10 bill?
$20 bill?
$50 bill?
$100 bill?
$500 bill?*
$1000 bill?*
Penny?
Nickel?
Dime?
Quarter?
Fifty-cent piece?
Dollar coin? (There are several correct answers; I'll take any of them)
Anyone is welcome to play of course, not just Americans, though it might be more difficult for you...
*These and even higher-denomination bills are no longer printer over concerns of counterfeiting and of use by drug cartels, the mafia, and other unsavory types. Therefore, bonus points (2 pts) if you can get these to correct. It could make up for lost points elsewhere!
A bit bleak, but a great song. Don't let it get you down.
"No Surprises"
A heart that's full up like a landfill
A job that slowly kills you
Bruises that won't heal
You look so tired and unhappy
Bring down the government
They don't speak for us
I'll take a quiet life
A handshake
Of carbon monoxide
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
Silent, silent
This is my final fit
My final
Bellyache with
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises please
Such a pretty house
Such a pretty garden...
No alarms and no surprises (let me out of here)
No alarms and no surprises (let me out of here)
No alarms and no surprises please (let me out of here).
(Thom Yorke, Radiohead)
A heart that's full up like a landfill
A job that slowly kills you
Bruises that won't heal
You look so tired and unhappy
Bring down the government
They don't speak for us
I'll take a quiet life
A handshake
Of carbon monoxide
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
Silent, silent
This is my final fit
My final
Bellyache with
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises please
Such a pretty house
Such a pretty garden...
No alarms and no surprises (let me out of here)
No alarms and no surprises (let me out of here)
No alarms and no surprises please (let me out of here).
(Thom Yorke, Radiohead)
QUAKE
Big old quake in Chile... 8.8 on the Richer Scale! Fortunately, the damage appears to be far less than it could have been given a quake of that magnitude. Track the ongoing story here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8540742.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8540742.stm
Thursday, February 25
Thursday, February 18
Monday, February 15
In a glade.
In a glade near the Danube river,
there is a nightingale singing,
he sings to gather everyone from his family.
In a glade near the Danube river,
there is a bass vibrating and a fiddle crying,
I think of a place where my lovely one is strolling now...
In a glade near the Danube river,
I am sick with my loneliness,
crying, I want to fly like a bird, to where my lovely one is now.
(traditional Ukrainian folk song)
In a glade near the Danube river,
there is a nightingale singing,
he sings to gather everyone from his family.
In a glade near the Danube river,
there is a bass vibrating and a fiddle crying,
I think of a place where my lovely one is strolling now...
In a glade near the Danube river,
I am sick with my loneliness,
crying, I want to fly like a bird, to where my lovely one is now.
(traditional Ukrainian folk song)
Cool, but not the extended versions.
Apparently those will be released on Blu-ray as well, once some time is given for the theatrical releases to sell.
Why the extended movies aren't all you can buy at this point seems silly to me, as they are so much better. If anything I'd add an extra hour or two to each of the extended editions - they still wouldn't even scratch the surface of the detail to be found in the novels. One would think the theatrical versions had served their purpose of packing more paying customers into theaters, but should now quietly go away....
Surprisingly, many people actually don't like long movies, period, and are pretty vehement about it.
Of course I recognize that some films should have been edited more tightly, but 'running time' as such is never on my list of criticisms; movies to me are either worth seeing or they're not — fully realized, or not. Some stories simply demand more time than others to stretch their wings fully, and should be given that. Pure action, horror, and comedy generally run their creative course in far less time than epic adventure or sweeping historical drama. My point is, a film should run as long as it needs to in order that it be the best film it can be - no more and no less.
But obviously not everyone sees it this way, and that's fine. The thing is, for those kind of people with short attention spans who prefer 90 min movies and actually complain when movies are "too long," the theatrical editions of all three of the LOTR movies are likely too long for them anyways! They were all still nearly 3 hours.
Might as well go all out and see the whole 12 hour enchilada, in my mind, if you're going to undertake the journey into Middle Earth in the first place. But, whatever. New Line obviously see more money to be made this way, and anyway I've read that we'll see the extended set in 2010. They're not going to make us wait a whole lot longer. Hopefully by the summer, and if not, then certainly as a holiday release.
Why the extended movies aren't all you can buy at this point seems silly to me, as they are so much better. If anything I'd add an extra hour or two to each of the extended editions - they still wouldn't even scratch the surface of the detail to be found in the novels. One would think the theatrical versions had served their purpose of packing more paying customers into theaters, but should now quietly go away....
Surprisingly, many people actually don't like long movies, period, and are pretty vehement about it.
Of course I recognize that some films should have been edited more tightly, but 'running time' as such is never on my list of criticisms; movies to me are either worth seeing or they're not — fully realized, or not. Some stories simply demand more time than others to stretch their wings fully, and should be given that. Pure action, horror, and comedy generally run their creative course in far less time than epic adventure or sweeping historical drama. My point is, a film should run as long as it needs to in order that it be the best film it can be - no more and no less.
But obviously not everyone sees it this way, and that's fine. The thing is, for those kind of people with short attention spans who prefer 90 min movies and actually complain when movies are "too long," the theatrical editions of all three of the LOTR movies are likely too long for them anyways! They were all still nearly 3 hours.
Might as well go all out and see the whole 12 hour enchilada, in my mind, if you're going to undertake the journey into Middle Earth in the first place. But, whatever. New Line obviously see more money to be made this way, and anyway I've read that we'll see the extended set in 2010. They're not going to make us wait a whole lot longer. Hopefully by the summer, and if not, then certainly as a holiday release.
Saturday, February 13
Friday, February 12
Thursday, February 11
Tuesday, February 9
Wednesday, February 3
Terence Trent D'Arby covering "A Change Is Gonna Come"
This generation's Sam Cooke? I'm gonna post more about Terence soon, but he's certainly got those "throw back" pipes plus a raw feeling for music and the impeccable timing to be compared with the greats - Sam, Otis, Marvin, et al.
More to come...this is just a teaser :)
Monday, February 1
Please continue to help Haiti.
This video is a couple weeks old, but don't think the suffering has gone away. If anything, with the dramatic earthquakes and people trapped in rubble or inside collapsed buildings having subsided, the danger is that the world breathes a sigh of relief and returns to its daily business.
But Haiti before this disaster was the poorest country in the western hemisphere; one of the poorest in the world. They were barely a functioning "country" at all. And now, in the wake of their terrible natural disaster, hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives have been made even harder, past the point of poverty, to the point of complete homelessness and starvation. It will go on for months, people dying not because of the earthquake but because they live on a piece of land which no longer functions as a country.
Please help in anyway you can.
But Haiti before this disaster was the poorest country in the western hemisphere; one of the poorest in the world. They were barely a functioning "country" at all. And now, in the wake of their terrible natural disaster, hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives have been made even harder, past the point of poverty, to the point of complete homelessness and starvation. It will go on for months, people dying not because of the earthquake but because they live on a piece of land which no longer functions as a country.
Please help in anyway you can.
Goodbye, Anonymous, we hardly knew ye.
I had to block anonymous posting. After years of luck, I've started getting a spam post under the "anonymous" heading every few days. They seem to appear on random blog posts, some going back years. I know about them right away though because the spam goes to my email as any other response would.
So I figured I'd better shut down that exhaust port before some wise-ass Jedi kid come by and shoots some real blast torpedoes into it. I'm still not resorting to the verification text yet, because it's such an annoyance to the users. But in the future I can't guarantee that I won't have to.
Anyway, I hope the lack of the ability to post anonymously doesn't hamper anyone too much. You can use any "OpenID" login to post still - it can be a Blogger account, but there are other blog formats that all participate in that open standard of a login/password gate, so I'm trying my best to keep it wide open to as many people as possible without letting the bad guys in.
Thanks.
So I figured I'd better shut down that exhaust port before some wise-ass Jedi kid come by and shoots some real blast torpedoes into it. I'm still not resorting to the verification text yet, because it's such an annoyance to the users. But in the future I can't guarantee that I won't have to.
Anyway, I hope the lack of the ability to post anonymously doesn't hamper anyone too much. You can use any "OpenID" login to post still - it can be a Blogger account, but there are other blog formats that all participate in that open standard of a login/password gate, so I'm trying my best to keep it wide open to as many people as possible without letting the bad guys in.
Thanks.
Friday, January 29
Wednesday, January 27
It's here! The Apple iPad.
Please see http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/ and the related links on that page for full details.
Thursday, January 21
Sorry,
This blog will resume shortly, I hope. I am attending to some family matters and am unable/unenthusiastic about posting here for now.
Thanks for understanding.
Thanks for understanding.
Monday, January 18
Kick 'em when they fall down
Some things just get better with age. And off-color, grainy, deteriorated VHS or Hi-8 bootlegs of The Smiths are one of them. Gotta give this one credit for the excellent sound recording, though.
Saturday, January 16
Moloko - 2 live songs... (Brixton Academy 2003)
Get the whole wonderful show, at much higher quality, by purchasing "Moloko - 11,000 Clicks" on DVD. It's well worth the price if you like the band - something like 15+ tracks for a very reasonable price last time I checked.
Thursday, January 14
More human than human.
The best scene from one of the greatest films ever, in my opinion. Harrison Ford is brilliant - at his peak - and yet Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty is one of the most fearsome yet sympathetic "bad guys" ever. This movie wreaks havoc with the notion of biological vs artificial, real memory vs implanted ones, right vs wrong, "the greater good" vs individual rights, and most importantly, the definition of life and whether man should play God messing about on either side of the line.
If you're one of the rare people who have not seen this movie, by all means get the latest "Final Cut" version and watch it several times to catch all the subtleties. Philip K. Dick's original story, Ridley Scott's amazing vision in 1981 (watch it now and tell me if it looks at all dated), a great ensemble of actors, and the haunting score by Vangelis combine to make this at or near the very top of my list. Not just of sci-fi, but of all films.
If you're one of the rare people who have not seen this movie, by all means get the latest "Final Cut" version and watch it several times to catch all the subtleties. Philip K. Dick's original story, Ridley Scott's amazing vision in 1981 (watch it now and tell me if it looks at all dated), a great ensemble of actors, and the haunting score by Vangelis combine to make this at or near the very top of my list. Not just of sci-fi, but of all films.
Wednesday, January 13
Kybalion.
I know a woman
prettier than most
but the look in her eyes is
pale as a ghost
seen too many summers pass
or a few too many nights
woke up too many mornings
from too many fights
Lift her up.
I know a guy who
ran far from it all
six foot or over
but couldn't stand tall
he's never looked better
yet he's never had it worse
his wings were tarred and
feathered in his fall
Lift him up.
For I say to you there is a spirit
when you take away every other spirit
and the void yawns before you
but you scream back at the emptiness
that deeply offends you
and when you remove hell and heaven
you are left with only being
and being itself is enough to
Lift yourself up.
J. Sias 2010
Tuesday, January 12
So... What music gets you "UP" the most?
You know, the opposite of thoughtful, depressing, philosophical music. Doesn't mean it has to be brain-dead, but it could be. The main thing is you put it on when you're in a great mood, a world-beating mood, and nothing will get you down. Bands like ABBA and such did that kind of thing for me when I was young, and provided a nice counterpoint to introspective obsessions like Dan Fogelberg. Disco did it for a lot of people as a cure from a decade of oh-so-serious folk music. What is your GO music?
My sister's would be Madonna for sure. Possibly Ricky Martin too; the woman's got a lot of "up" bands from pop/disco to 80s hair-metal (but not death metal, see the difference?). Mine would have to be Moloko/Roisin Murphy. It's like a guilty pleasure I don't feel guilty about at all. She makes me feel good with her sweet, soulful voice and lyrical hooks, her crazy dancing and the musicians remixing things to a feverish pitch. One of those acts which takes it up a big notch live from what's on their records; and what on their records is good. It happens she's not fluff either, which is an added perk... like Madonna in her early days, there's more to her that casual listeners might think. She's a real song writer. In other words, she's nothing like Kylie Minogue or Lady Gaga or any of the American R&B/pop divas who have everything done for them - all they do is provide the voice and the looks. But HEY - that's ok too, if it's your thing.
I am also really enjoying Royksopp though they are more electronica and a lot more pleasantly mellow. That's on the road to Karin Dreijer/The Knife/Fever Ray though, which is decidedly not very "up." And performers like Bjork and Depeche Mode can do both - give me chills in a good way or sober me up quick. Hell, I still like old George Michael and Michael Jackson too, though I don't listen to them much any more. And I've loved Terence Trent D'Arby's music ("Sign your name across my heart..." in case you forgot) since he dropped from heaven to earth fully-formed back in the '80s. '70s glam-Bowie does it for me sometimes, same with '90s glam-Placebo. But for just pure unadulterated, crank up the radio, consistently put me in a good mood music, with almost no downbeat songs, unless they are sultry and groovy and funky, which is good too in its own right, I have to go with Ms. Murphy (and her former band Moloko). Just something about her. Oh yeah, she's really pretty! But something more than that too. She's glamorous and a goofball at the same time... I could marry someone like that :)
So spill it! Who makes you feel good, gets you out of a funk, or prolongs or caps off an already great mood? Everyone is immune from apology or embarrassment in this post. If you like Madonna, say it! If it's Pet Shop Boys or New Order or The Bee Gees or U2 or Blondie or The Beach Boys, say it! Doesn't matter, if it makes you feel good, it's not wrong.
Namaste.
My sister's would be Madonna for sure. Possibly Ricky Martin too; the woman's got a lot of "up" bands from pop/disco to 80s hair-metal (but not death metal, see the difference?). Mine would have to be Moloko/Roisin Murphy. It's like a guilty pleasure I don't feel guilty about at all. She makes me feel good with her sweet, soulful voice and lyrical hooks, her crazy dancing and the musicians remixing things to a feverish pitch. One of those acts which takes it up a big notch live from what's on their records; and what on their records is good. It happens she's not fluff either, which is an added perk... like Madonna in her early days, there's more to her that casual listeners might think. She's a real song writer. In other words, she's nothing like Kylie Minogue or Lady Gaga or any of the American R&B/pop divas who have everything done for them - all they do is provide the voice and the looks. But HEY - that's ok too, if it's your thing.
I am also really enjoying Royksopp though they are more electronica and a lot more pleasantly mellow. That's on the road to Karin Dreijer/The Knife/Fever Ray though, which is decidedly not very "up." And performers like Bjork and Depeche Mode can do both - give me chills in a good way or sober me up quick. Hell, I still like old George Michael and Michael Jackson too, though I don't listen to them much any more. And I've loved Terence Trent D'Arby's music ("Sign your name across my heart..." in case you forgot) since he dropped from heaven to earth fully-formed back in the '80s. '70s glam-Bowie does it for me sometimes, same with '90s glam-Placebo. But for just pure unadulterated, crank up the radio, consistently put me in a good mood music, with almost no downbeat songs, unless they are sultry and groovy and funky, which is good too in its own right, I have to go with Ms. Murphy (and her former band Moloko). Just something about her. Oh yeah, she's really pretty! But something more than that too. She's glamorous and a goofball at the same time... I could marry someone like that :)
So spill it! Who makes you feel good, gets you out of a funk, or prolongs or caps off an already great mood? Everyone is immune from apology or embarrassment in this post. If you like Madonna, say it! If it's Pet Shop Boys or New Order or The Bee Gees or U2 or Blondie or The Beach Boys, say it! Doesn't matter, if it makes you feel good, it's not wrong.
Namaste.
Sunday, January 10
So here's me at the People's Choice Awards...
Just kickin' it, choppin' it up with the ladies. Rob (Downey) and Bob (di Nero) and I got outta there shortly after this and went to a real party. I trimmed up my 'stache a bit on the way in Rob's compact, too. Starting to look a bit piratey there! Arrgggh!
Don't ask me what all those necklaces are for. Probably for, like, all my GFs' apartments and stuff. L8er. Oh, and don't tell me I look tired in this picture. My eye moisturizer TOTALLY ran out this morning. I have someone on it right now, though. Plus I've got sunglasses in the Ferrari, even though it's nighttime.
Don't ask me what all those necklaces are for. Probably for, like, all my GFs' apartments and stuff. L8er. Oh, and don't tell me I look tired in this picture. My eye moisturizer TOTALLY ran out this morning. I have someone on it right now, though. Plus I've got sunglasses in the Ferrari, even though it's nighttime.
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