Batman, BSG and RSS feeds

Yesterday I saw another trailer for The Dark Knight, and it looked awesome. One concern I have is that they have Two-Face and the Joker in the same film. Why do they do this? These are two big guns and something has to give if they are in the same film. Seems like they could do more with the story and the interaction between Batman and the character if they just focused on one at time. Imagine the Killing Joke oneshot with another big villain running around. The impact of an amazing one on one confrontation is lost. But what do I know?

I obviously don’t know anything about BSG. I finished the third season, and I have to say I have no idea what’s going on. I am pretty sure they are not going to be able to resolve the show to my satisfaction in the fourth and last season. I am trying to put my thoughts together based on the theology of the show. Hopefully I can do that later this week.

Listened to a podcast called Hardcore History. I tried the BBC History Magazine and didn’t even make through the intro. Anyway, the host has some really interesting ideas that are lost and diffused and muddled by his presentation. He’s like a bad preacher or youth convention speaker. Lots of passion in trying to get his message across but he is not as sharp as a quality public speaker that you might enjoy, so you end up thinking, yeah, but. He goes in circles and repeats himself and says “things” a lot. I say things a lot when I can’t come up with the exact word, but I’m not speaker and I don’t have a podcast. It eats away at his credibility when he can’t articulate the concepts he his trying to convey to either history buffs or laymen like me. When he makes comments like “. . . the most powerful empire in the history of powerful empires . . .”, c’mon. I’ll probably give it one more try, but I may be looking for another history podcast.

Finally, I’m not becoming a “techie”, but I am trying to broaden my horizons and abilities. Last week, I explored the world of RSS feeds. I set up feeds from my favorite blog (this one) and several soccer blogs to see how it would work. It’s awesome. Instead of visiting a bunch of sites, the information is fed to me, which is exactly what I want. The feed goes bold, I highlight, see the headline, bam, I’m informed.

My goal is to have a series of RSS feeds on the left of my browser, with only my faceboook and Pandora pages open as tabs. I want information, but I want to minimize the effort needed to get it. I am also trying to synch my hotmail (personal) and outlook (work) email accounts. The first try didn’t go so well. Any thoughts??

Be Kind

I am not sure how to preface this post. I think I should start at the beginning of my Michel Gondry experience. You have seen his movies, but his work really began as a director of music videos. Think Bjork. Think most of the White Stripes videos. Remember that Foo Fighters video where the guy had really big hands? Radiohead used him a few times. Then think of his movies. Like, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. You get the idea that this director is off his rocker.

When you watched Eternal Sunshine, you got a funny movie but it was more of a thoughtful funny than your typical Jim Carey film. The same can be said with Be Kind.

Almost everything he makes looks like a junior high film project. Low definition, lots of messes. Yet, I guess I need to say it, Genius.

Be kind rewind was just that. It was a thin story line that made almost no sense except in the genius of what it accomplished in the end.

The movie, Be Kind Rewind starring Jack Black and Mos Def was by far the weirdest movie I have seen since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

In short, Mos Def and Jack Black end up making a bunch of Sweded movies (a joke in th e film which means they made remakes of movies with themselves as the actors and directors and rented them out to customers from their video store). Here's the thing you need to know in advance. It is not a laugh-a-minute comedy like Dumb & Dumber or Anchorman. It is an artistic movie and a visual movie that also has funny moments. It is a comedy in the Shakespearean sense rather than the Will Farrell sense.

The direction is incredible, very creative. It took a wild imagination to make this movie.

However, the movie isn't the entire treat. The website is dedicated to the whole idea of Sweding things. They even Swede the internet. It also kindly shows all the Sweded movies from the Movie itself plus a few more geniusly Sweded films as well. My personal favorite is the Sweded copy of The Lord of the Rings. I laughed hard for hours with this stuff. Check it out and let me know what your favorite Sweded movie is. This is the instant gratification funny ha ha that you may have expected from the movie.

My New Favorite Thing

There are certain things I really enjoy that I don't tend to share with other people because, let's face it, I'd totally get ripped on for it. And currently there is a tv show I enjoy but Ben hates it so much he will not stay in the same room with me while it's on.

So yeah, it's Ghost Hunters on SciFi. I love it!

It's not like a believe in ghosts so much as I've always been really intrigued by the idea of them. In addition I also really like being scared so it works on two levels. Ever since I was a little kid I've always loved ghost stories which were always in store at the old family reunion campfire time. Then, with the help of the interweb, I get about as much in the way of ghost stories, photos, and videos as I could possibly want.

And yet, I still love Ghost Hunters. I think I like the human side of it. Most of the people are not overly annoying and I like how they react to things. There's one guy who's afraid of heights and bugs, but apparently not ghosts. So they'll be walking around in the dark and he'll start jumping and cussing and it's a bug!

They try to debunk as much as they can. The two leaders are plumbers so they know that pipes tend to knock around and make noise and they know that certain sinks really can turn on by themselves and why. They also know that mold can cause paranoia and hallucinations, strong electrical fields around power boxes can make you feel like you're being watched. And yet sometimes they do come away with things they cannot explain.

Let me reiterate one more time, I don't really believe in ghost as much as I'm intrigued with the idea, as a spiritual person I can honestly say that something is out there, which leaves some room to hypothesize. Not that anyone will ever prove the existence of ghosts, all one can hope for is to disprove as much as you can and whatever is left is up for evaluation and conjecture. I'm ok with that.

And it's just fun! I like to be scared, I like to use my imagination, I like to think that there is something more out there than what can be seen and touched and heard. There's also a little place in my heart for Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster.

So hey, I don't make fun of you for all your sports and politics, you don't need to make fun of me.

can i add flair to my posts? here we go . . .

The fourth of July has come and gone. Ho hum. I’m not a big fireworks guy. Loud, annoying, not very dynamic. I took Larry to watch the Sharp Park fireworks because he wanted to. He ended up “not wanting to watch them” and after several attempts at discipline, I picked him up and left. I went because of him and if he doesn’t want to watch, then it’s night night time.

I was confronted with the fact that maybe I’m missing a summer strand of the American DNA. I don’t like fireworks, I don’t like swimming, I can tolerate hot dogs, I try to avoid the sun at all costs. El sol is not my friend. Maybe I have some mutant strain that will prove either impervious or highly vulnerable to the changing world of the next 25 years. Only time will tell.

I checked out a recent Underworld album from library last week. I think I have found my new favorite ambient song, “Best Mamgu Ever”. It’s right up there with Halcyon and on and on from Orbital and Children by Robert Miles. Right in my chill out wheel house. Find it on limewire or rhapsody or tell me how to insert into a post.

Speaking of inserting media into a post, I have tried to insert an Onion News Network video podcast into this week’s post.

How great is that? It’s perfect for me. I’m totally following every single piece of advice.

This weekend I made a pretty heavy bet (20 cents) on Roger Federer to win the Men’s, excuse me, Gentlemen’s Title at Wimbledon. I figured he’s the king of grass, he’s had Nadal’s number in the past, and even though Nadal is closing the gap, Federer should hang on. Of course, what happens? There is no thing as a sure bet and Nadal won in 5 sets over 7 hours. Thank God this is free, because I suck at gambling, and if it was real I’d probably be in the bottom of some river courtesy of the bookies.

Remind me why I do this?

Tonight I discovered that getting to know new people shows me how truly boring and self-centered I am.

Like when people find out I'm a librarian they always ask me what books I like to read. That's always a bad question because, in all earnestness, I like to read romance and fluff. I like regency fantasy romance, and if that isn't a genre then I'm going to start writing it. I don't read to bone up on non-fiction, that's what the internet is for. And I don't read to discuss it with other people, I personally don't care what other people think of books. I read to escape my own drama.

And when people talk about current events, I know only the bare minimum. I know 1) Obama vs. McCain, 2) Wild fires in Napa, 3) Soaring gas prices, 4) ....crap, I was really stretching for three. I don't keep up with current events because they're depressing. I don't follow the minutia of politics for the same reason I hated middle school. I don't keep up with the war in Iraq because the same crap has been happening for 6 years now. And I don't care that the Olympics are in China. I only read the news at msnbc.com for "news of the weird" and "wonderful world" the least depressing of all news stories.

Let's move on. "What do you do for a living?". Um, a whole lot of nothing. Nothing to talk about there. "What do you do with your time?". I read a lot of books. Oh crap! And then we're back to the beginning.

"What kind of TV do you like to watch". Part of me is really embarrased but here's the list. Jon and Kate Plus Eight, What Not to Wear, 10 Years Younger, and Ghost Hunters. And I'll watch some History Channel when they have stuff on UFO's or monsters. And I like TLC when they have documentaries on really crazy diseases or midgets. Movies are pretty much the same. I really don't like drama of any sort or anything with any educational or moral value.

So anyway, I'm getting to know people and they're getting to know me, whether or not they like me has yet to be seen.

In other news today was kinda cool. We cycled down to Negro Bar, yes, it's really called that. There are huge flat rocks in the water. People just swim out and find a nice flat place and chill. It was fun. The water is super clear compared to Michigan and even though it was cold, the sun was so hot it makes it all equal out. And a fun day was had by all.

A Celebration of Ben

This post is dedicated to my friend Ben Brown, who prestigiously encounters another birthday today, in order to properly celebrate his lust for life.

Ben moved to California a couple months ago, taking with him his wife Crystal (a Friday contributor to this blog), his dog (really more hers than his), his bike, his station wagon (but not the Lumina), his Nintendo Wii, and a host of personal virtues that I have been trying for what seems like forever to emulate.

Ben is like the leisurely weekend that you look forward to for months, the relaxing TV show at the end of a really long day. He can always be counted on to be there, and to keep things together no matter what is swirling around him. He is easy to spend time with and has so many points of common interest with so many people. You may do nothing with Ben but sit around the house for an hour, but when you leave, it always feels like time that was completely spent to its fullest.

Ben is one of those great personalities who can become as frustrated or annoyed as easily as anyone else, but VERY rarely will ever raise his voice. The most animated he will get when angry is usually much later, when he is re-telling you the story and recalling his inner turmoil. When he gets flustered, he doesn't throw the project down into the dirt with disgust, he fixes it, polishes it, and by the time you get another look at it you'd have a hard time believing there was ever anything wrong with it.

I was so excited this year when the Michigan DMV awarded me a new license plate that began with the letters "BEN". Even though I had paraded around the same tired, white-letters-on-navy-blue-background plate since I first drove a black Ford Escort in high school, I was pleased to have a new plate that shared a name with one of my closest friends. To my chagrin, the "BEN" plate was not unique, as I find myself constantly surrounded by an army of BEN drivers in Michigan, erratic malcontents who have no idea of the prestige behind the initials they bear on their rear bumper.

The greatest of Ben's attributes, though, in my view, is his never-ending thirst for knowledge. And not just any knowledge. Not just biblical, or technical, or practical, or conversational. Anything and everything. Ben can find and become fascinated by the minutia in any subject, and the greatest thing is that he won't simply nod his head and accept the scraps of knowledge available when he and that subject are introduced. He must know more, and he'll explore Wikipedia, IMDB, libraries, and whatever other sources are available until he feels he has a proper grasp on the topic. This makes Ben THE person to turn to at any event for any random information that you may desire, to the never-ending exasperation (but, I believe, the private adoration) of his wife.

Ben has taught me that there is always more to know, and that there is never much of a downside to knowing more. He taught me that such knowledge is the key to truly enjoying the in-betweens of life, instead of just quickly turning past them like the foreword of a novel, the part of the book you want to get by so that you can "get to the good stuff". Ben knows where the good stuff is and how to get the most out of it.

Thanks, Ben! Happy birthday!

To read more from the Mind of Ben, bookmark his blog: http://mindbenderblog.wordpress.com/

what now?

Euro 2008 is over. I know that you don’t care but I do. There’s always a let down after a big tournament, and after 3 weeks of really great games, there will be an even bigger drop than usual. I’m glad Spain won on a lot of levels. Not the greatest final but it did demonstrate the gulf in class between the two teams. For greater insight into the final read these two articles from Soccernet.com contributors:

Spain
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=552825&sec=euro2008&root=euro2008&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1&cc=5901

Germany
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=552769&sec=euro2008&root=euro2008&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos2&cc=5901

There is another gap in my life as well. The Tony Kornheiser show is on hiatus as TK Stack Money goes on vacation and prepares for Monday Night Football. His show via podcast is truly one of the highlights of my day. I’ll have to wait until January for more craptastic entertainment.

In lieu of that, I went podcast hunting. Here’s what I found:

Smodcast. Kevin Smith’s podcast with cohort Scott Mosier. The first one I downloaded was absolutely dreadful. It was Kevin and his daughter doing a special Father’s Day edition. UGH!!! I went back and got an older one, which was a little better. I’m going to give next week’s a shot and go from there. I’m on the fence on this one.

Diggnation. This video podcast focuses on articles from digg.com. Funny funny funny. The hosts drinking beer during the show adds a fantastic element to the show. Kevin Rose reminds me a lot of Jim from the Office.

A sister video podcast of Diggnation is the Totally Rad Show. I’m about halfway through my first one. It’s OK. Review of movies and gaming and tech culture. The hosts are almost dorky cool, but don’t quite pull it off. I’m going to give this another try. A lot of the stuff I’m not even familiar with so that might be an issue.

Finally, I watched the Onion video podcast. I almost peed my pants it was so funny. That one I’ll definitely get into.

Other ones I will be checking out, Ask a Ninja, Attack of the Show, and Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History.

My ipod nano is sweet. The video quality is quite remarkable. Yes it’s tiny but amazing nonetheless. I can sit on the porch while Larry plays and be responsible while being entertained. I’m planning to load it up for my drive to Mississippi later this month. Erin is going to be a lot of driving.

Finally, I’ve started BSG season 3. The human insurgency thread was interesting in that the question is raised, What will you do for freedom? The humans wanted to be freed from the Cylon occupation and the envelope kept getting pushed until suicide bombing became a real option. Everyone is against terrorism these days, and I am too, but I also realize that part of the foundation of this country is a group that rose up against those that they deemed to be the oppressors, used a mix of standard and guerilla tactics and pushed the colonizers out. Just something to keep in mind.

And on that pleasant note, I gotta go.