Tuesday, 28 Jan 2003

Here is the ultimate glamor need-for-speed travel vehicle.

Understandably there is some scepticism over whether the vehicle will actually work or not, but it’s a really fun and truly insane idea at the same time.

For fun check out the older models - what this guy has apparently really been trying to do since the early 1960’s is to build flying saucers.

http://www.moller.com/skycar/

Friday, 17 Jan 2003

Now that our cable company has apparently dropped the WB from it’s free lineup(?) and Angel and West Wing are on in the same time slot, we can’t tape one and watch the other. Ok, well we could but it would mean that we would have to watch Angel and tape West Wing - and since WW has been the wednesday evening show I figure Angel is the interloper. So, I watch Angel on the computer with the TV tuner in the other room and the spouse watches WW in the living room. I feel slightly guilty, or lowbrow that i want to watch Angel more than I want to watch West Wing, but I really do enjoy Angel more than I enjoy WW. WW is technically better written (or is it “more well-written”?) but I don’t feel as attached to the characters and they are too clever and noble and altruistic and have no personal lives or relationships that are integral to the characters. In Angel the relationships are the show, well ok, that and the demon hunting and trying to stave off the apocalypse and stuff. In WW it seems a lot of people do a job because they get off on being the “good guys” and they feel noble and self-righteous about being the Democrats, and they see the Republicans as the “bad guys”. They feel morally superior because they think their political party is doing good things? Give me a break. In Angel people do their jobs (ridding the city of demons and evil) because there is just no one else to do it. They don’t feel superior or morally better. They don’t like what they do but they do it anyways. I like this. This is more heroic to me. Or maybe I just have too dark a world view. Or maybe I just really find smugness annoying.

Friday, 17 Jan 2003

I saw the two towers opening week and enjoyed it mostly. I think my brother hit it right on the head when he said “I liked it but the number of things I didn’t like was a lot higher than the first one”. In no particular order, things I didn’t like/agree with: Ents were too small and spindly. Wargs weren’t right at all (”let’s ignore the author’s decription of Wargs as giant wolves and make them into something We think is scarier looking - I know, let’s use hyenas!”), Dwarves are a serious race of creatures whom honor is very important to, let’s stop trying to make Gimli into the comic relief (ala Jar Jar Binks) of the film series. And stop the short jokes… PLEASE! While we are on the topic, the person who decided to have Legolas “surf” down the stairs on a shield while rapidly firing arrows should have his artistic license taken away and shredded. [geek alert, as if this whole commentart isn't geeky enough] I used to play D&D and this is the kind of stunt one of the players would try to pull off that was just so devoid of any resemblance to anything resembing reality that NO ONE would seriously think of doing something like this. [DM: "OK, 100 orcs have just overrun the castle walls and are closing in on you, while another 300 have rushed through the breach in the wall and running up the stairs to attack you!" player: "OK, then my elf will jump on the shield at the top of the stairs, slide down the stairs past (over?) the orcs rushing up the stairs towards me, and then I'll flip off at the end landing safely on my feet. Oh, and of course I will be shooting with my bow the whole time, ok?"] No, it’s NOT ok. It wasn’t ok in a GAME set in a make believe world, and it’s not ok in a movie about a well defined make believe world either. So stop it. Having Theoden suddenly morph from 80 to 50 years old to illustrate the effect that Saruman’s possession had on him was kind of lame too.

Friday, 17 Jan 2003

visual: The Two Towers(elves don’t do boards)
The Accidental Spy (best naked fight/chase scene ever)
Buffy (Season 2)

Friday, 17 Jan 2003

“Yes we have no bananas”? Maybe in as few as 10 years if this story about the fungal threat to edible bananas that was reported on NPR is true.
[story]

In other banana news…

The US recently lifted a European Union banana embargo. [story]

What will teachers use to demonstrate the proper use of condoms if bananas dissapear? [story]

Did you know that bananas can be considered weapons? story

Or that you can make a cake and frosting with them?