I've decided to just repeat other people's stuff as I find it interesting, rather than write my own. ;)
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I've decided to just repeat other people's stuff as I find it interesting, rather than write my own. ;)
<<cribbed from www.lfgcomic.com>>
This past weekend, as we people tend to do, I was there for the midnight showing of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

I walked in there with the mindset of a wide eyed 6 year old about to see Temple of Doom, yet I walked out as a jaded 29 year old wondering why they still let Uwe Boll make movies. Fancy wording aside, suffice it to say I was less than pleased.

The biggest issue I had was with the script. To say it was lacking would be a disservice to films that are actually lacking. There were a ridiculous amount of absolutely prepostourous moments that completely took me out of the movie and made me wonder how they shot out a script by Frank Darabont for this. I won't spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it, but for those of you who have, you know which moments I speak of.

Another related issue was the lack of witty one-liners, which should have been a pre-requisite for this character. Don't get me wrong, Ford looked just as comfortable in the part as he ever has, but the words coming out of his mouth were not what I was expecting, except for the beginning scene which has already been ruined for you in the trailer.

The last, yet equally glaring issue I have with this film, is the use of CGI. It is horrific and out of place. Coming from ILM, the company that invented special effects, I was more than a little disappointed. I kept waiting for Jar Jar to poke his head out of a gopher hole.

[Illiad] BOOK REVIEW - "RISK:THE SCIENCE AND POLITICS OF FEAR" Posted:Sun May 18 12:45:52 2008
Some of you are too young to relate to this, but North American Gen-Xers like myself remember childhood summers where we would leave home after breakfast to play and not come home for eight or nine hours. As long as we were home in time for dinner, our parents didn't raise an eyebrow. It was considered normal. If you're a ten-year old, try that today and see what happens. Amber Alerts will rain down from the heavens in an organized fury!
This isn't a criticism of the Amber Alert system. The idea of your child going missing is a nightmare of unparalleled scope to a parent, and having a system in place to find them as soon as possible is a good thing. But the fear to be found in a society that needs such a system is unbelievably destructive, and many factors dovetail to create this fear.

Many of you won't believe this, but Western societies are safer than they ever have been in history. This is hard to believe because of a constant struggle between two human factors, the Head (rational thought) and the Gut (hard-wired survival instincts). This conflict is laid bare in a new book by Dan Gardner: RISK:The Science and Politics of Fear. Within this 300+ page book, Mr. Gardner, a journalist and historian, throws the fear that pervades our lives into sharp relief. He not only shows how we're all wired to be terrified of unrealistically small risks, he also shows that the media, our governments, and big corporations encourage these fears. Sometimes they encourage them for mercenary reasons; other times, the fear is encouraged inadvertently.

There is a constant battle being fought in our psyches between these two 800-lb. gorillas within our behaviourial matrix. Generally, we rely on Gut to guide us in making decisions, with Head stepping in to ameliorate the more extreme reactions with rational assessments. For example, if we hear an ominous sound in a dark alley, Gut sets off the alarm and tells us to leave. Head, however, also notes that there's quite a wind blowing, and the sound we heard could be easily explained by boxes and cans being knocked over. We adjust our reaction and carry on.

Sometimes though, Head isn't given enough (or any!) information to be helpful in adjusting Gut's reactions. Gardner explains that much of this comes from the advent of mass communications, which is no real surprise. A century ago, your window to the world was in fact the front window of your house. You paid attention to threats that were local. You could read the paper and note the threats that were far away, but they had little impact on your daily assessments. Fifty years ago, your window to the world was the television. With visuals and the humanizing effect of in-person interviews, distant threats became more real and pertinent to Gut. Today, what you see on television has become your local community, with all of the rapes, murders and abductions from around the world neatly organized and queued up for your consumption. When a sweet little girl 1400 km away goes missing, Gut tells you that all little children in your immediate community are at risk. The truth, of course, is quite different.

But the truth, the hard numbers that make sense to Head, are decidedly unavailable. When you watch the news, you're told truthfully that cancer rates are set to rise sharply over the next 15 to 25 years. What the newscasters (and cancer foundations) don't give you is the context, that due to dramatic improvements in health care, people are living much longer and cancer is by and large a disease of the elderly. An aging population will by definition become one where incidents of cancer will rise. Without that latter piece of information, Gut is left to shriek in fear in the corner, and money flows into the coffers of Big Pharma, sunscreen manufacturers and cancer research foundations. Funding going to research to fight cancer is certainly an excellent thing, but this example serves to show you that even noble, altruistic organizations have no problem with manipulating the public to help serve their ends.

Where were you on 9/11? Everyone remembers. I also remember that the U.S. airline industry took it in the pouch for a full year after that tragic day. Almost no one wanted to fly, because Gut said that the risk was too great, and Head had no data to mitigate that fear. Everyone decided to drive instead, and this choice caused a spike in driving deaths. In the U.S., there is a 1-in-135,000 chance of being killed in a hijacking if you fly once a month for a year -- trivial odds, especially when you consider that there is an annual 1-in-6,000 chance of being killed in a car crash. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives on 9/11. The switch from flying-to-driving caused an additional 1,595 people to die the year following 9/11. The news media didn't notice, because it wasn't spectacular like 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina. Only the loved ones of the dead paid any attention.

The "spectacular" litmus test for today's news channels is what helps drive so much of this unreasoning fear. Gut believes that what we see on the news, the spectacular tragedies of serial killings, child abductions, terrorism, ad infinitum ad nauseum is a truthful representation of our world. So Gut rightfully judges our world to be a terrifying place, where paedophiles, terrorists, murderers and cyclones lurk around every corner, to pounce on us the instant that we stop being careful. We vilify the news media for being merchants of fear, yet what the news media offers is what we want. Gut is always looking for examples of threats to help protect us, and eats up what CNN and its brethren have to offer. The more we watch, the more scared we become, and the more scared we become, the more we want to watch. In many ways, we created what the media have become today.

I picked up Gardner's book and consumed it in two sittings, then went back to read it again. His writing style is clear and his research is impeccable. The only agenda he has in this book is to educate the reader on how we are doing a fantastic job of undermining our own world by scaring ourselves and allowing ourselves to be scared. In an age where fear is the coin of the realm, learning of what we should be reasonably scared about (and it's none of the things you hear about on the news on a daily basis) is priceless. I highly recommend Gardner's book: 5/5.

By the way, in Canada, the number of children under the age of fourteen that were abducted during the years 2000 and 2001 by someone other than a parent was exactly one. That's an annual risk rate of 1 in 5.8 million. And yet you can bet junior isn't allowed to go out to the park to play hide-and-seek alone with his friends. Imagine what he's going to teach his kids.

79 Nerdiness? 79????? I'm so pathetic.
On the up-side: 4-day weekend in the mountains!!!

Your Score: Hiro Nakamura

You scored 58 Idealism, 58 Nonconformity, 79 Nerdiness

YATTA!
Congratulations, you're Hiro Nakamura! You're a high-minded idealist, a huge nerd, and you enjoy being a unique and special person. Your combination of positive personality traits makes you impossibly lovable, and your energy and enthusiasm are absolutely infectious. Your dedication to any mission you take on, in addition to your cheerful sense of humor, are qualities anyone should be proud to have.

Your best quality: Spunk
Your worst quality: You are too cute. Some people may not be able to handle it.

Anyone who is now or has ever been involved with anime in any way shape or form (ever seen any part of one episode of ANY Japanese animation? You qualify) must watch this video.
http://www.ownagevideos.com/index.php?id=485&catid=0
On the down-side: weekend over now. :(

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,

This year I've been busy!

Last month I caught a purse-snatcher who stole

londons_rose's purse (30 points). Last Thursday I pulled

shippo_chan's hair (-5 points). In October I bought porn for

gi_jules (-10 points). In February I got in line at the supermarket at the same time as someone else and I didn't yield (-8 points). In May I punched

rebeccasworkshp in the arm (-10 points).

Overall, I've been naughty (-3 points). For Christmas I deserve a moldy sandwich!

Sincerely,
MercuryKnight

1. YOUR SPY NAME: (middle name and current street name)

James Zenobia

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your dad's side, your favorite candy)

Ross Daiquiri

3. YOUR RAP NAME (first initial of first name, first three or four letters of your last name)

T Lat

(Hey, not bad)

4. YOUR GAMER TAG: (a favorite color, a favorite animal)

Blue Cougar

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)

James Honolulu

(That's so not a good last name)

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name, last 3 letters of mother's maiden name, first 3 letters of your pet's Name

Lat Ith-Ara

(that one actually works out)

7. JEDI NAME: (middle name spelled backwards, your mom's maiden name spelled backwards)

Semaj Thims

(I kept the 'th' as one letter)

8. PORN STAR NAME: (first pet's name, the street you grew up on)

Hamish Stevens

(My, how butch sounding.....not).

9. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The", your favorite color, the automobile your dad drives)

The Blue Outback

(No "meat" jokes, please")

10. YOUR ACTION HERO NAME: (first name of the main character in the last film you watched, last food you ate)

Patrick Jambalaya

(heh. heheheheheheheheh)

I never in my life thought it would be a good idea to live in Salt Lake City, but DAMN would I be proud if this guy represented me.
http://kutv.com/video/?id=18850@kutv.dayport.com
How did I never hear about this when it happened a month ago?

Wow. Adam Sandler has created himself a whole new artform. I think he's losing money on it but I admire and respect him for what he does. It's been a long time (the hey-day of Robin Williams, in fact) since I've seen an actor continually make movies where you alternate laughing your head off and crying your butt off. (Insert image of headless buttless army of zombies here). Click is so funny my cheeks hurt and so poignant my eyes are still stinging. Good damn movie. 9.5/10

Happy (ouch) Father's (ouch) Day (ouch) to (ouch) me.
I convinced the fambly that we needed to go to WaterWorld yesterday. Actually, I drove by it a couple weeks ago and thought to myself, "Damn, I haven't been there in forever. Next time we have the punkin we should go." I told the wifey this when I got home and she reminded me that the weekend in question was Father's Day. Ok, so we go Sunday instead of Saturday and make it my present! Great idea, right?
Well, it was a hell of a lot of fun. shippo_chan is tall enough to go on the big slides now, and he has my sense of adventure and taste for adrenaline. We went on the speed-slides (as fast as 40 MPH) 3 times together, and even got nhlsteffi to go once! We hung out in the FunH2Ouse a bit, went on the toilet-bowl slide (it has a name, but damn if I can remember what it is, and anyone who's seen it knows exactly what you mean when you call it a toilet-bowl, but anyway) where shippo_chan realized that maybe doggy-paddling isn't quite as good as really knowing how to swim. We also stood in the monster wave-pool, about 50-60 yards back from the source, so he could feel what water pressure is really about and get an inkling of what undertow feels like when the water receded again. He was... impressed... to say the least.
The 'ouch' comes from the fact that the WaterBabies SPF45 we applied at the beginning of the day and about every two hours afterward has a tendency to get scraped off by the slides. My shoulders are red, as are the tops of my calves and my lower back. The belly and face are remarkably unscathed, though the damn baldy spots in my hair are a bit touchy It's much better today (thank the Polynesian Gods for aloe vera gel) but still stings.
Other cool stuff: the USB cable that lets me sync music from my PC to my phone (I'm listening to Izzy as I wait for a computer to image itself while I type this), a really soft Dark Side of the Moon t-shirt (punkin got a matching one in his size), and the official X-Men 3 game (Wolvie's easy, but Nightcrawler is harder than hell and Iceman is just weird).
Anyway, PC's imaged now so back to work. Ouch.

Just got back from seeing X-Men 3. Oh, my stars and garters.
Let me start by saying it's a good movie. At least as good as Hollywood is capable of putting out right now, take that as you will.
Let me further state that people who are wholly unfamiliar with X-Men plotlines and characters will enjoy it more than those of us who are fans.
X-Fans: I strongly suggest you drink heavily before viewing the film. It'll help if your memory is a good bit fuzzy so that you don't exclaim loudly and disrupt the movie, because your fandom is about to be raped.
Don't get me wrong, it's not the painful kind of fandom-rape like when they turned Two-Face into Riddler's sidekick (with neon tommy-guns!) or when they cast Richard Pryor as a Superman villain. No, this is the disorienting fandom-rape where they slip you a mickey and lube you up real good. If you relax and go with it, it's quite enjoyable. Fight it, though, and you're going to get hurt. Badly.
I can't say anymore without revealing too much so I'll sum up: Well worth the $7, well worth rushing out the door after coming home from work to get a good seat. Go see it. And bring that non-X-fan you love so you can see the enjoyment in their eyes.

I swear I didn't do it on purpose!

You scored as Beast. Beast is an intelligent, politcal spokesman for the X-Men. He has a Ph.D in Genetics and is well versed in literature. He may look like a blue fuzzy monster, but deep down he's very benevolent and logical. Powers: Enhanced strength and agility

</td>

Beast

90%

Jean Grey

75%

Storm

60%

Gambit

55%

Nightcrawler

50%

Iceman

50%

Colossus

50%

Cyclops

40%

Rogue

30%

Wolverine

30%

Emma Frost

25%

Most Comprehensive X-Men Personality Quiz 2.0
created with QuizFarm.com

So how's this for blog-worthy? I just put $500 down on a Toyota Prius.
Now, before I get accused of hypocrisy by Chris (I ragged on her for buying a Focus without shopping first), I haven't actually bought the thing. Hell, they haven't even run a credit check yet. I just want to drive it and this is the only way.
Why do I have to pay $500 and wait 8-10 weeks for a test-drive? Because the damnable things are moving out the door faster than they can make them! You can't find a Prius on a lot anywhere in the metro area. They get snapped up as soon as they come off the truck, if not before. So that's what I'm doing: I'm custom-ordering a Seahawks blue (they call it seaside pearl or some gods-awful thing, but trust me) package #6 brand new Prius. #6 is the one with the built-in Bluetooth for my phone (headset? my CAR is a headset!) and the 6-disc in-dash cd changer. It'll take a bit to build, but that gives me time to test-drive the hybrid Civic and maybe an Acura. Then when my Prius comes in I can drive it and make a decision. If I like it, I buy it. If not, they give me my $500 back and I go get something else. I wish Chevy made a reasonable hybrid.
But anyway, one way or another I'll be buying my first-ever brand new car in a few months. Holy shit, if I'm not careful I'll start growing up! Better go play some games. };-)>

Then

silvara21 tagged me...

Write an LJ entry about 5 Guilty Pleasures.

State this rule clearly: In the end you need to choose 5 people to be tagged and list their names.

1. Snuggling on the couch with

shippo_chan while watching Saturday morning cartoons. (note: I don't feel guilty about this one)

2. Sumptuous dinner at a really nice restaurant with

nhlsteffi. (the guilt is for the scream from my wallet, but she's SO worth it)

3. Spending a whole weekend at a gaming con and not thinking about work even once. (don't really feel guilty about that, either)

4. Snuggling with

nhlsteffi on a weekday morning and trying not to think about work even once.

5. City of Heroes. I could play that for days on end.

Tag, you're it!!!!

londons_rose

gi_jules

priestess_bambi

trowathelost

weedatheevil

Your results:
You are Wash (Ship Pilot)

Wash (Ship Pilot)		85%
Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)		65%
Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)		55%
Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic)		55%
Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)		50%
Jayne Cobb (Mercenary)		35%
Alliance		35%
Derrial Book (Shepherd)		35%
River (Stowaway)		35%
Inara Serra (Companion)		25%
A Reaver (Cannibal)		20%

You are a pilot with a good
if not silly sense of humor.
You take pride in your collection of toys.
You love your significant other.

Click here to take the Serenity Personality Quiz

Your Score: Hiro Nakamura

You scored 58 Idealism, 58 Nonconformity, 79 Nerdiness

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