Blended Blur

Vicky Cristina Barcelona - A 3.5 Star Movie

2009-05-03T01:14:00.001-05:00

We rented Vicky Christina Barcelona from Amazon - Video On Demand (Formerly Amazon Unbox). I went in with no expectations but I thoroughly enjoyed the film. Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz both impressed me. Rebecca Hall as Vicky was not someone I had seen act before and her performance was spot on as well. Scarlett Johansson was less interesting but I might be influenced by the nature of the character she is playing. The ending has a nice symmetry, though perhaps too satisfying a payoff for those too quick to judge the turmoil surrounding Javier Bardem's character. Like so many things, ultimately I enjoyed the journey a bit more than the destination but it was a trip I was very glad to have taken. Authentic dialogue and performances that crackle all set in gorgeous Spanish countryside.

Mini- Amazon - Video On Demand Review

Amazon - Video On Demand via Tivo is a service that enables you to download films (for purchase or rental) over broadband internet. The service works flawlessly thanks to the integration with Tivo but is still a bit pricey. The quality of the downloaded video is more than acceptable on our 32" HD TV. The convenience of browsing and purchasing without the need for a Netflix cue or a trip to Blockbuster is hard to beat. We tend to wait for sale pricing and have yet to rent any of the HD titles, but so far so good.

Watchmen Doesn't Work For Me

2009-03-10T23:14:00.001-05:00

Zack Snyder's Watchmen looks visually amazing but the characters are thin and the underlying dystopian vision lacks the impactful nuance of Blade Runner. Maybe I am just not in the mood right now for a film that paints people essentially as heartless bugs. Are we capable as a species of mindless acts of selfish violence? Yes, but I don't need a 3 hour film to remind me of this. That's what CNN does most nights and I avoid that too. What I crave and films like Blade Runner, The Martix and 28 Days Later deliver is the dystopian vision coupled with characters that reflect humanities potential. Not because I can't handle the darkness but because total darkness is no more real than a vision where everything is sweetness and light.

As The Economic Crisis Deepens...

2009-03-10T22:49:00.001-05:00

This will be my last post on the draining bathtub that is our economy for awhile. The Atlantic Online has a long but super interesting article that thinks through what the current realignment might mean. A real contrast to the media obsession with the day to day market drops and scandals of the week. It puts this crash in a historical context and asks some intriguing questions. I am not sure if it gets all the answers right but I am glad someone is starting to ask the right questions.

Just Like That

2009-03-03T23:29:00.001-06:00

Back in November I predicted that in 2009 the market would close out at 6,800. I did not expect my prediction to come to pass the first week of March 2009. I had that dire prediction penciled in for the end of the year. I will stop predicting and instead begin burying bars of gold in the yard and stockpiling crackers and water as the end times are near. I kid... I kid. Look if the stocks have to fall let's just get this over with and see what happens.
Invisible hand of the market please don't move the market back up to 7,200 for a couple of weeks only to drop it to 5,000 right before the 4th of July weekend. It messes with people and we have been messed with enough. Take it down as low as it needs to go and then begin the long slow climb up to something approaching the actual value for goods and services. Is that too much to ask?

Top 25 Active Film Directors List

2009-03-01T23:22:00.000-06:00

EW.com (like AFI before them) loves their lists.
Check out their list of the 25 Greatest Active Film Directors.
25 Greatest Active Film Directors

I can't fault their top 10. Actually I can only find two in the whole list of 25 that really bug me.
Call me crazy but Tim Burton at #13 and Sam Raimi at #15 both seem too high. Tim Burton is an exceptional Art Director/DP but his inability to consistently build stories as stunning as his visuals should push him lower down the list. Raimi is solid but I'd bump him entirely for Kevin Smith. I am reserving judgment on Zack Snyder until I see Watchmen.
Firstshowing.net has a nice discussion about the list in the comments and manages to put the list all on one page.

(Caution: The EW write up is one of those annoying page view generating 25 pages for 25 directors things that makes EW look like they don't understand the internet.)

Cable Channel Stimulus Doubters

2009-02-12T09:13:00.001-06:00

For all the critics of the about to be signed stimulus package, please identify the magic dollar amount or program that will reverse the 500,000 a month job losses or mop up the billions of dollars in foreclosed homes clogging the financial system. Absent that magic answer, please hold your fire because the road gets bumpier before it gets smoother and nobody likes whiners on road trips.

Judgemental Busy Bodies

2009-02-09T22:48:00.001-06:00

The most recent stories about Michael Phelps (Olympic swimmer and photographed pot smoker) and Nadya Suleman (mother of six artificially-conceived children and recently a full set of octuplets) have me wondering if the news cycles from here on out are going to be consumed with 'shame on you' stories and moral exemplar tales (Sully the wonder pilot). Some might say the press has always had this sort of focus but I am feeling generous.

The press is turning into that person you bump into at church that sees every problem or milestone that somebody in the community faces as a morality play. This sort of tone enables busy bodies from one end of the country to the other to shake their heads in disgust at the decisions/behavior of others. To what end? If the stories must be covered, cover them once in a neutral tone and move on to more pressing matters. We are blessed/cursed to live in a time with no shortage of news to be covered. Stop focusing on stories that enable a portion of your readership (with little basis) to feel morally superior. We are neither morally superior nor inferior to most of our neighbors, co-workers or fellow citizens, but a collection of human beings each trying to do their best, no more and no less. Every story that reinforces that fundamental reality is true and real. News stories that try to convince you otherwise are the mainstream media equivalent of 'link bait' and a disservice to the public as a whole.

A New Day

2009-02-05T12:00:00.001-06:00

It has only been a few weeks since the Obama administration has taken the reigns of government but because of the historic nature of these times and the fact that in a
few years I would like to remember what perspective I had in these
early days, I thought I would type up some of my thoughts.

I think we are being reminded of the way a democracy is supposed to work. Obama has an agenda and he is pushing it but he is listening to opposing points of view and making changes. This is messy and some are reading this as a sign of weakness. It may eventually become a weakness, but after eight years of leadership that simply took a position and repeated it endlessly, I find the process comforting.

The same quiet confidence/inner steel that propelled him in the campaign seems well suited to the White House. Particularly so during these times of economic turmoil.

The propossed stimulus is not a short-term prescription for recovery. I think it shouldn't be sold as such. It should be sold as a downpayment on the infrsatructure renewal, healthcare reform and eventual energy independence this country has been delaying since the mid 90's. The fact that this package doesn't solve these issues or that it can't in one stroke of the pen lift the world from this downturn is obvious.

Finally, I continue to wonder what effect these political and economic shifts are going to have on our culture. Will the high gloss sheen of recent pop culture morph into a gritty 70's era naturalism or (more likely) something else entirely? We shall see.

Hunches

2008-12-27T02:16:00.001-06:00

2008 is the culmination of a lot of hunches that I (and many others) have had for awhile now.

Hunch #1 I had a hunch when we (as a nation) reelected George W. Bush in 2004 that we had sealed our fate. You can get away with a mistake now and then but willfully reelecting the guy was asking for trouble. This year trouble came into the room and made himself at home. I don't think electing a good man for the presidency will clear trouble from the room either. I suspect it will take the better part of the next four years to convince trouble to go bug someone else.

Hunch #2 I remember years ago thinking out loud that the world economy was overdue for a deep recession (or worse) and that I suspected it would occur during my lifetime. Should I be grateful this is happening during my peek earning years and not when I am nearing retirement? Does it really matter since having the hunch does not mean I acted on it? I didn't buy gold and bury it the backyard. I didn't eliminate credit card debt or pay off my home mortgage in advance of the storm. It was in the end only a hunch. Most of my hunches don't pan out.

Hunch #3 I thought the odds were pretty good that the Illinois Governor was going to court. Having lived in Illinois I suspect I was not alone in having that hunch. It's kind of a tradition here.

Hunch #4 More than 20 years ago I listened to my 5th grade elementary school teacher (in 80' - 81') sketch out this whole global warming thing and it made sense then. It has been making sense for decades, not months or years, and our leaders have turned a blind eye towards it for most of that time. My hunch here has been (and will continue to be) that we will not seriously attempt to turn down the global heat on global warming until the urban centers of major Western nations starts taking on water from ice melt. It will of course be too late to reverse the worst effects by then but that is just how we humans roll.

Hunch #5 (Final Hunch) I have suspected that new media was going to claim some old media victims and I think that the days of reckoning are upon us. Unlike some I don't fear what comes next. The daily newspapers and big network television news divisions have long since stopped delivering substantial cultural contributions. Something new will form and eventually it will be 60% positive and 40% negative like the newspapers and major networks used to be. Of course, in the interim period something terrible could emerge to fill the vacuum... in which case I will fear what comes next but I can only handle a couple of global calamities at a time and this one is still hypothetical.

A sampling of some of my failed hunches:

I thought David Lee Roth could sustain his solo career.
I thought bottled water was a silly idea with no potential.
I thought online stores would kill off brick and mortar stores. (The jury is still out on that one.)
I thought telecommuting would become much more popular than it has so far.
I thought that cable channels dedicated to narrow niches like food, golf and the home would quickly fail.

An Argument for Public Transportation

2008-11-26T09:20:00.001-06:00

An Early Round of 2009 Predictions

2008-11-23T22:08:00.000-06:00

Before the predictions a brief word about the election. I believe this country has a way of picking the leader it needs at times of major crisis. From Lincoln at a time of grave division to Roosevelt at a time of ultimate peril. I believe while it is too soon to compare this man to those historical figures, the selection of Obama is game changing and this country will be well served by his vision. Beyond the rational cause for celebration I find his selection to be enormously good for the countries morale. This is good because if my predictions are correct we will need that boost and more to get through what we are facing.

And here are my 2009 predictions in no specific order:

The economic trouble we are facing will deepen in ways we don't yet understand. I suspect the dollar is going to collapse. The impact of that collapse will touch a broad swath of both the middle and upper classes.
Obama will have enourmous leeway to push major initiatives through and he will succeed in getting many of them implemented. My guess is that he will get major health care reform, a giant public works/infrastructure stimulus package and drastic environmental reform.
The government will likely have to step in and suspend all home foreclosures for 12-24 months, freeze repayment of student loans and one or two other unheard of federal controls to keep the downturn from accelerating.
The U.S. will be forced to speed up withdrawal from Iraq to bolster troops in Afghanistan.
The DOW will close out 2009 below 7,000. If I had to guess I would call 6,800 a distinct possibility.

Election Fatigue?

2008-11-02T22:20:00.002-06:00

Type the phrase "election fatigue" into Google and you get 1.92 million hits. I hear talk of election fatigue but I can't join in on this particular meme. The candidates are likely exhausted after months and months of endless travel and speechifying but as a citizen I have been waiting my entire adult life for the opportunity to cast a consequential vote for a leader that inspires.

When this election cycle ends and our electoral choices return to the mediocre vs. the crass, most of us will long for an election cycle like this one. This campaign has been so riveting and important that it didn't just wear out the candidates but apparently some of the citizens as well. As for me, I have cast votes for candidates like Dukakis, so having an election like this has been phenomenal. I'm not tired, I am hungry for more.

America Cares

2008-11-01T09:08:00.003-05:00

I am never again going to listen to news commentators that tell me that we are an apathetic nation. That the young, the poor and the middle class can't be bothered to vote.

I stood in line this past Thursday for 2 hours with some young folks, poor folks and middle class folks to cast my vote early. The line moved slowly as some of the older voters struggled to master the touch screen ballot and because of the limited number of machines. Regardless the people in the long line that snaked through the Parks and Rec building stayed put and made small talk with their neighbors. They weren't talking politics or calling each other un-American either.

It turns out that in order to get this sort of response you need several things to happen. You need a remarkable candidate that bothers to talk to the young, the poor and the middle class the same way when the camera is turned on or off. Then you need a situation where the stakes are not manufactured (made up issues: flag burning, Willie Horton, swift boats, etc.) but instead real (involvement in 2 wars, tanking economy, damaged ecology, broken health care system, etc.).

It helps if you put the citizens through 8 years of broken promises, pointless fear and diminished opportunity.

Rock the Vote Indeed!

Lost?

2008-10-30T10:21:00.002-05:00

As a fan of the television show "Lost" I wonder if the show will adapt to the changing times. The show was so perfect for America in 2004 coming as it did on the heels of September 11th. It opened with the cast and by proxy the audience being put threw a horrific plane crash. They arrive on an island searching for a leader and scared of the darkness that surrounds them. If that sounds eerily familiar it might have something to do with the last 6 years of the Bush presidency. Not to get all political but if the election next week goes the way I hope it does, we will in a sense be less lost. Most of us will be no less concerned by the state of the world but suddenly reassured that an adult has taken the wheel.

I will still watch the show and it will no doubt continue to dazzle me but I suspect on some level I will feel a little less connected to the characters. A little less lost.

It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better... Redux

2008-10-09T23:15:00.001-05:00

I had an odd experience today at work and I thought I would share it.

I was at my client company sitting in my guest cube working on something. My guest cube sits in a vast cube farm filled with admins, marketing managers, directors, VP's and SR VP's. Anyway around 3:30 pm I hear audible (break my concentration) groans from one aisle over. On the aisle on the other side of me I hear a middle aged man saying loudly that he's "going to go downstairs and get ice cream who's coming." No it wasn't an overworked drone or Jerry Maguire declaring his independence from the man. It was a forty or fifty something VP and he was not talking about his work. "I've had it" he said. A co-worker proceeded to join him. As they walked away they were talking loudly with disgust about the stock market. In a cube next to mine some twenty somethings in a more conversational tone said that the market is tanking again. "Do you think China is laughing?" says one. "Nope their next." says the other. Within 5 minutes it seemed like most of the floor was talking in water cooler fashion about the stock market and its nose dive. Confusion and not a little fear seemed to be the subtext of these discussions. I am not sure if the VP's outburst triggered this socializing, but I definitely had the sense that everyone was checking their 401k every fifteen minutes and the pressure was building all afternoon. In some ways the spontaneous communal commiserating had echoes of 9/11. On an ordinary day, on a floor where the big shots and the worker bees sit together these sorts of spontaneous outbursts of shared anxiety are not typical.

Since my last post the market is down several thousand points and many major banks have folded or been acquired on the cheap.

So now I ask... does it get worse before it gets better?
I hope not.

It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better

2008-09-22T15:25:00.002-05:00

I have been watching the US economy unravel before my eyes for the past few weeks and the question that keeps coming up is:

What is the worst that can happen?

Sadly nobody knows. Those in power were not on the scene during the Great Depression and even if they were a new calamity seldom behaves like the last one. What does an economic crash look like when the economy is no longer primarily agricultural? What does a fully networked populace do when companies start falling like dominoes? In the 1920's one could raise chickens and grow food to survive the hard times but a suburban and urban America several generations removed from that kind of self-reliance will have an entirely different response. What might that response look like? I hope we never have to find out.

Presidential Politics: The Lightning Round

2008-09-12T08:00:00.007-05:00

After reading the text of the Charlie Gibson interview with Palin I think it probably helps the McCain folks out a little as it keeps her name above the fold going into another weekend.

To say things are moving rather fast would be an understatement. Since Tuesday we have seen pigs and fish. We have seen McCain accuse Obama of being essential a child abuser with the sex
ed fabrication/ad/riff. We have seen Obama show his cool on Letterman and have lunch with Bubba. The scariest part of the Clinton lunch was listening to Clinton predict that Obama would win. After the primary season please keep your political predictions to yourself. Bill Clinton seemed to get most of his Hillary predictions all wrong and I think we all know he is doing the Obama lunch thing to punch his "I did all I could!" ticket before he returns back to his offices in Harlem to sulk/brood.

Speaking of Bill and Hillary... I have noticed have you. Some of Clinton's old allies are doing background and not so background interviews expressing their Obama doubts. These are getting a ton of play on Drudge.

For Example:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6c2f69ce-8031-11dd-99a9-000077b07658.html

They essentially second guess/write the obit for the Obama campaign and if Obama wins I hope somebody in charge is feeling vengeful and excommunicates these dead enders to the back benches for 4-8 years minimum. In a just world that would happen. Of course if Obama loses and my application for Canadian citizenship falls through I never said any of this and please pass the Moose burgers. Yummy!

A September Morning

2008-09-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

I was getting ready for work and the radio announcer broke in to say that the TV was showing one of the World Trade Center towers on fire. One report was indicating it might have been a small plane.

I remember how the weather in the Chicago area matched the weather in NY and Washington D.C. with the cloudless blue skies. I remember driving with my wife to work and hearing radio reports that kept escalating the bad news. I remember feeling my hair stand up on the back of my neck when I learned that the Pentagon was on fire and the false reports of other explosions near the State Department and the Capital. At one point the announcer (I believe it was Dan Rather simulcast on a local CBS station) said basically let's slow down here and take a breath. The events of that day didn't let us do that. I remember pulling into work and finding all of my co-workers watching TV.

Seven years later I think of how much has changed. The world is different now (two prolonged American wars) and I am different too (two beautiful children).

The stakes for me now with a family of my own have risen. The stakes for the world have risen too.

Some Additional Thoughts After The Republican Convention

2008-09-06T23:15:00.001-05:00

With each passing day the stakes in this coming presidential election get higher. Whoever takes the office is going to find plenty to keep them busy. Lets list the problems and hope whoever wins has some good ideas.

Rising Unemployment
A Mortgage Crisis
Rising National Debt/Deficit
Declining Stock Market
War in Iraq
War in Afghanistan
A Newly Antagonistic Russia
Unaffordable Health Care
Oil at $100+ a Barrel
Declining Education System
Damaged Environment (Another big chunk of ice broke loose a day ago.)
Looming Threat of Terrorism

I mention all of this to say wake up America and get in the game but then this video sort of made my point for me.

Reaction to the Palin Speech at the Republican Convention

2008-09-04T23:34:00.001-05:00

Palin is some sort of cross between Jesse Venture, Evita Peron and Archie Bunker. The unearned pious anger, the barely disguised racism, the chirpy 'you betcha' delivery. She is supposed to elicit this reaction in me and I suppose the equal and opposite reaction in the red states.

If this Palin ploy works in November, the political/cultural heart of this country has been gamed one to many times for my taste.

Regardless of the outcome I suspect that McCain will have the burden of knowing he introduced this strain of fascism into the American mainstream political waters.

The Morning After: The Obama Democratic Convention Speech

2008-08-29T07:41:00.001-05:00

The speech lived up to my expectations. It was a more partisan or blue state focused speech than his primary speeches, but that
is what you do at your parties convention. My favorite moments are the
ones where he directly addressed the McCain/Rove fear nonsense. He
didn't look rattled by their weeks of non-stop attacks. He seemed
energized (fired up?) by the task at hand. The contrast of his energy
and quiet confidence with the nervous/awkward/grumpy energy of McCain at
the Republican convention will be interesting for the country to behold. May the best man win.

A Genius Poster: "Those Were The Droids You Were Looking For"

2008-08-25T23:41:00.003-05:00

Seasons Change

2008-08-25T12:00:00.001-05:00

In the Chicago area the seasons change. This is a good thing. I like to look forward to the first snow or the first warm Spring day. This morning I awoke to a chilly house for the first time since probably May and that is a little preview of what is to come in September. This week is back to school week too so the Summer is all but over and thoughts now turn to school buses and (dare I say it) Halloween decorations. Oh and the new Fall TV season. A season that this year will be supported by a brand new Tivo HD. I have been testing it out now for about 2 weeks and (excluding the Comcast piece of the puzzle) the experience has been extremely positive. I will write up my review in the days to come.

Luke, Han, Chewie: Star Wars Tribute in an Office Building

2008-08-18T20:05:00.003-05:00

Vimeo Tribute: Star Wars from Casey D on Vimeo.

Chocolate Rain

2008-08-17T00:55:00.001-05:00

Picture 031, originally uploaded by Maxo.

TIVO Upgrade:

2008-08-03T12:44:00.001-05:00

I've finally decided to take the plunge and upgrade our Series 2.0 Tivo to a Tivo HD. Watch this space for a review in the next week or two.

Remember That Texas UFO Flap From January? The radar tapes are in and...

2008-08-02T19:53:00.003-05:00

Something indeed was moving about in the sky. A hat tip to the Wonkette Blog for this story. Researchers have acquired the radar tapes from the date in question. The same radar reliably used to safely manage air traffic around the world everyday confirms what the Texas locals were saying. An unknown object (UFO) moved as slow as 49 mph and as fast as 2,100 mph through Texas airspace. And military traffic was in the area too.

Don't look for any follow-up from the big media but do read the MUFON report (PDF) because it is rather interesting. A large, unidentified, radar and visually confirmed something was heading towards the President of the United States Texas ranch. Does that mean it was little green men? Nope. It means something we can't explain happened and our response to that should be more interest not less. Something tells me the media will just move on for fear of being painted as part of the lunatic fringe but what if instead they started asking questions. I won't hold my breath but that would be nice.

New Job, New President... The Back To School Experience

2008-08-02T12:31:00.006-05:00

When you leave school you imagine you are saying goodbye to so many experiences. At 38 it is clear to me that you are not so much saying goodbye to those school experiences as living them again and again in new settings. Take for example this new job I started. The first day at a new job is like heading off to a new school. Will the kids like me? Will the teacher (boss) be a jerk? As you get older maybe you get better at these experiences but regardless they keep on coming. Two weeks into this gig I find myself hoping I won't have too much "homework" and wondering if I will ever fit in with the other "kids" at work?

Presidential politics is not that far removed from the schoolyard either. Just ask McCain and Obama who have been having an epic popularity contest in the lunch room that is the modern media over the past week. Obama is all "I'm the new kid but I am cool." and McCain is all "He's the new kid you can't like him and I'm tough." It's a heck of a way to pick a president but such is life.

A Storm Rolls In

2008-08-02T12:30:00.001-05:00

IMG_2867, originally uploaded by Maxo.

This storm roared through the Chicago metro area in early July and I had to move quickly to capture the leading edge. No hail but lots of rain and wind.

George Lucas in Carbonite

2008-07-19T00:19:00.002-05:00

George Lucas in Carbonite, originally uploaded by Official Star Wars Blog.

The Pause That Refreshes

2008-07-19T00:10:00.002-05:00

As someone who fell hook, line and sinker for the Obama vs. Clinton political showdown this late Winter/early Spring I have been enjoying a bit of a Summer break from the political to and fro. As Fall quickly approaches I am ready to refocus on the Obama vs. McCain fight and root for Obama. In honor of the coming fight three Obama videos to get you fired up.

Barack Speaks To HQ Staff & Volunteers

Daily Show's Take on Obama Winning Democratic Nomination

Obama Victory Speech in South Carolina

Net Neutrality Explained in 4 Painless Minutes

2008-07-11T20:51:00.002-05:00

Be Careful

2008-07-11T19:24:00.003-05:00

lightning strike on camera, originally uploaded by SLOWLORIS.

Lightning doesn't just strike trees and golfers. I didn't see anything in the seconds leading up to the lightning strike in this clip that would have made me put down the camera and head for shelter. Going forward... I think I will take my storm pictures from behind glass inside a house or inside a car.

Who's Hungry?

2008-07-07T13:36:00.003-05:00

This map of where the husky folks live is interesting but I would like to see an overlay of where the older people live. Generally the older we get the heavier we become so any states that skew young and skew heavy would be notable. Excellent candidates for Jenny Craig outlets and Krispy Kreme emporiums.

Via:Strange Maps

Making Money on the Web Is Not Rocket Surgery

2008-07-03T00:20:00.002-05:00

A Great Talk By David Heinemeier Hansson from 37signals cuts through a ton of the bull and explains in a no hype fashion how to make a profitable startup company. Take notes... I know I did.

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Stormy Saturday in Chicagoland

2008-06-28T17:08:00.001-05:00

Picture 068, originally uploaded by Maxo.

The picture is from a few years back but the weather today is comparable. One minute the sun is out and the next minute the rain is pouring down.

A Useful Gas Mileage Tool

2008-06-25T23:20:00.001-05:00

How to Save Money on Gas, Without Driving Less

Follow the above link to learn how much money driving 5 or 10 mph slower saves you in the long run. Very interesting.

World Cement Production Isn't Usually Interesting But...

2008-06-18T21:45:00.001-05:00

Take a look at how much cement China is using relative to everybody else and behold a giant economy getting bigger.

Air Travel Doesn't Have To Be Unpleasant... You Can Lip Dub

2008-06-02T01:21:00.001-05:00

Rocket Man Lip Dub from Underground Planet on Vimeo.

I Wish All of My Post College Roomates Were This Low Impact

2008-06-01T22:24:00.001-05:00

Homeless Woman Lived Unnoticed in Man's Closet For Year - msnbc.com

"The woman told police she had no place to live and first sneaked into the man’s house about a year ago when he left it unlocked."

Your Day is Bad, But it Probably Could Get Worse

2008-05-24T13:17:00.001-05:00

Daily Herald 5/24/08

Niles man backs over squad car after getting ticketed

This Humble Grill...

2008-05-22T22:56:00.001-05:00

IMG_2427, originally uploaded by Maxo.

still has what it takes. I tried a new to me technique. I put the steaks into a 250 degree oven for 20-30 minutes and then put them on the grill. Hat Tip to America's Test Kitchen for that technique because it works like a charm.

Political Thought of the Day

2008-05-20T13:55:00.002-05:00

Both the Clinton and Obama supporters have a strong core of folks who have internalized (made their own) the two candidates messages. The Clinton base believes that Clinton is the rightful candidate and that those that impede her on her journey to the White House are either naive or misogynists. The Obama base (self included) believe that Obama embodies the nations hope for a unified "common sense" approach to politics. Those that would impede his journey to the White House are either clinging to the old politics that got us into this mess in the first place or on some level racists. Unifying these two bases is going to be tricky but I think it can be done. The upside of unification far exceeds the downside so here is hoping cooler heads prevail.

In The Case Of Indy... If Ebert Likes It I Probably WIll Too

2008-05-19T22:35:00.002-05:00

Roger Ebert Reviews: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (3.5 Stars)

Some Perspective

2008-05-19T21:56:00.002-05:00

In times of stress love trumps fear every time.

In Rubble, Couple Clung to Each Other, and to Life - New York Times

Quote That Sticks:

"They had to take turns breathing. When Ms. Li took a deep breath, her chest expanding, Mr. Wang held his breath."

Rainy Days and Mondays....

2008-05-19T14:45:00.002-05:00

, originally uploaded by maggot.

Shoe Still Life Photography

2008-05-18T16:02:00.003-05:00

IMG_2275
Originally uploaded by Maxo

Are All The Candidates Having This Kind of Impact?

2008-03-31T00:10:00.002-05:00

My Robot Snake is Cooler Than Your Robot Mule

2008-03-28T16:32:00.001-05:00

Vegas on My Mind

2008-03-19T10:20:00.001-05:00

And now for no good reason I present:

The Las Vegas hotels I have stayed at since 1996.

Circus Circus 96'
MGM Grand 97'
Mandalay Bay 98'
Mandalay Bay 99'
Monte Carlo 00'
New York New York 01'
Venetian 04'

Doom and Gloom?

2008-03-17T11:18:00.002-05:00

I am generally optimistic but reading this mornings headlines one can't help but wonder if the U.S./World economy isn't overdue for a giant "correction." That's economist doublespeak for a major recession or perhaps even depression.

The current class of know it alls have never known a time of true global economic hardship. What a shock the current generation of big shots might face if one morning they/we woke up and the readily available credit they/we take for granted simply wasn't there any longer.

I hope that scenario is an artifact of a gloomy Monday morning and not a tale of what is to come.

Obama 08'

2008-03-15T22:23:00.003-05:00

Not many politician are thoughtfully addressing any issue this charismatically.

Some Reasons for Optimism

2008-03-14T16:44:00.002-05:00

Today we hit 60 degrees after a long, cold and snowy winter.
The Superdelgates seem to be breaking for Obama.
A new Indiana Jones movie is only a few short months away.

16 Gig Ipod Touch Review

2008-03-13T15:44:00.001-05:00

What can I add that hasn't been already said about the Apple Ipod Touch.
The interface (touch keypad included) works better than I expected and I expected quite a bit. The screen is beautiful. The web browser is excellent if still a wee bit slower than a desktop/laptop in response time.

Ultimately, this thing feels like the future. I find myself poking the screen on my two year old Samsung slider cellphone expecting all my portable devices to function so intuitively.

The paving stones leading toward ubiquitous computing continue to be laid with I think only two fundamental pieces missing.

1. A single broadband provider that offers seamless wired and wireless service for a single reasonable fee (<$50).

2. Portable device power/battery life that is counted in days/weeks instead of minutes/hours.

If I had to guess I would say those remaining pieces will be widely available in the next two years.

Reflecting on Super Tuesday Results

2008-02-06T16:42:00.000-06:00

Overall: This is about where the delegates were supposed to land. I think things are in place for Obama going forward.

The web coverage is fairly spot on but last night the TV talking heads didn't seem to get it. They focused on the win/ no win for the states like MA and CA instead of the delegate count which is the point. Drives me a little crazy actually. How is it that I can understand the proportional delegate thing and the brain trust at MSNBC can not?

Not Obama's best post election speech. Still fine, just not his best work. It felt like he rushed his preparation or the multi-state campaigning took him off his stride just a touch.

The Hillary speech was a transparent crib of prior Obama lines and she is trying to change up her delivery style to match his but it's not working.

With the MA and CA wins Hillary did well enough though to keep her funding going for now.

Now let's see how the next few days play out.

Blended Blur Endorses Obama

2008-02-03T22:44:00.000-06:00

Winter Time Blues

2008-01-28T12:36:00.001-06:00

It strikes me that the Eddie Cochran song that says their "ain't (sic) no cure for the summertime blues" was probably not written from the vantage point of Chicago in late January. As therapy for this mid-winter malaise I will now change my desktop wallpaper to a some random beach scene from Flickr and spend a few moments browsing gardening catalogs.

Calamari For Two?

2008-01-27T15:26:00.000-06:00

I love calamari but seriously this startling image is almost enough to turn me vegan.

Image Courtesy of Pink Tentacle.

Cloverfield Review

2008-01-22T10:11:00.000-06:00

It's been three days since seeing Cloverfield and here are my thoughts.

The shaky camera thing is both a blessing and a curse. It drives a sense of authenticity AND nausea. I (a first person shooter gamer) generally do alright with fast camera moves, but even I found my stomach churning during some portions of the film. My wife had to look away for minutes at a time to keep her popcorn in her stomach. That said, I found the constantly moving camera really did help to up the sense of realism. The ever moving camera pays dividends when Hud (the camera holder) is surprised by a stream of military troops marching up the street with all their weapons blazing. His point of view drifts from trying to take in the soldiers, to focusing on his friends and back again. His mounting sense of confusions and fear is palpable.

While I can understand how it might effect those from NY and Washington D.C., the use of 9/11 imagery in the film doesn't bother me at all. I think as a country we are still working out what we took in on that fateful day. Well made movies that visually reference 9/11 aren't so much exploiting our memories as providing another opportunity for us to reflect on the horror from the more comfortable distance of a Hollywood movie.

My strongest critique of the film centers on the relative lack of inspired character development and the less than stellar script. Imagine this film with a linguistic punch of authenticity that was able to match the visuals and you would of had a nearly perfect film. As it stands it is still a remarkable night at the movies, which is more than can be said for the likes of The Bucket List.

A Scandal Gets A Name

2008-01-21T23:06:00.000-06:00

A currently unnamed scandal (Note: Scandal without a catchy name = scandals nobody knows about) involves accusations of extremely senior U.S. officials selling nuclear secrets to dangerous foreign players and a reported F.B.I. cover-up.

Some scandals get a lot of play in the MSM (Lewinsky, Whitewater, Valerie Plame) and some do not. Let's see how much coverage the scandal gets in the U.S. media. I suspect they won't get around to focusing on this London Times Online article and their follow-up story either. The world press on the other hand will follow along and that might hurt our credibility on the whole non-proliferation/Iran thing.

Oh, and for good measure we have the voice of Mr. Burns from The Simpsons weighting in on the non-coverage of the "Nuke-Gate" scandal. (Mark this portion of the post as my first feeble attempt to brand the scandal.)

It goes without saying that this whole thing probably won't be raised during the presidential debates.

What Should We Name This Recession?

2008-01-21T17:48:00.001-06:00

After looking at this Optimism Index chart I am left wondering what we should name this recession?

Suggestions: The Bubble 2.0, Mortgage Malaise, Foreclosure Fest...

Optimism Index: Company vs. CFO Optimism Index Optimism Index: US economy - Swivel

Getting Better All The Time

2008-01-21T17:39:00.001-06:00

An expert shows how Third World conditions are getting better using a powerful data visualization tool that I wish came with Microsoft Office.

The Center for Graphic Facilitation: Debunking 3rd World Myths with Animated Statistics

What state has the most fortune 500 companies?

2008-01-21T17:32:00.001-06:00

Glad you asked.

Number of Fortune 500 by State - Swivel

Re-Enactment: The Big Lebowski (Like the Original - Not Work Safe)

2008-01-21T17:04:00.000-06:00

Keeping Up With The Jones

2007-11-05T11:37:00.001-06:00

The folks at ZIPskinny have raised the art of neighborhood comparing.
It is built using 2000 U.S. Census data but even if the data is dated the results can be interesting.

ZIPskinny - Get the Skinny on that ZIP (demographics by ZIP Code)

The Adults Have Left The Room

2007-09-18T23:16:00.001-05:00

In the last 7 years it has become increasingly apparent to me that the adults (WW II Generation) have left the political room. In their place a rising tide of graying teenagers who are content to win their political battles by being the loudest voice instead of the wisest. If this approach to political discourse sounds familiar it should. It is the same tactic baby boomers used in the 60's but without the moderating influence of the older generations. How this round of national strife will sort itself remains to be seen but my advice is to hold on to your hats because it is going to get bumpier before it gets smoother.

Quick Question About the New Media...Meet the New Boss Same As The Old???

2007-09-18T21:46:00.001-05:00

Is it possible that the current fragmentation of media reverses itself in a few years?

For the record, I am all for the fragmentation of the media. One could argue that in the early days of radio & TV you had an initial fragmentation followed by re-aggregation. The fallout from that little cycle was decades of dominance by the big networks. Are Federated Media, the Podshow network and Revision3 harbingers of what is to come?

The Robots Are Coming

2007-07-17T21:05:00.001-05:00

Danger Room - Wired Blogs

I have a Roomba. I've seen science fiction robots and Roomba is no science fiction robot.
Click over to Danger Room to see video of a robotic pack mule that can carry 150 pounds and traverse rocks and steep hills without human intervention. That is a science fiction level robot and it is being made by a company called Boston Dynamics. Cool!

Here is a headline you don't see everyday.

2007-05-28T01:55:00.001-05:00

Slashdot | Some Soft Drinks May Damage Your DNA

Kennedy Mall in Dubuque, Iowa Early 1970's

2007-05-04T22:52:00.001-05:00

Old malls looked so different.

I grew up going to this one.

Vintage photo of Kennedy Mall in Dubuque, Iowa

Simply Stated: I Want This Book

2007-04-26T15:25:00.001-05:00

Moriarty From Ain't It Cool News Reviews THE MAKING OF STAR WARS!!

File This Article Under "You Think Your Having a Bad Day?"

2007-04-14T18:33:00.001-05:00

An American soldier writes an excellent piece about his postwar mindset.

On Being Home

Multiply this experience by the thousands and you see how a war fought by a few still has very real consequences.

Lee Iacocca Gets Aboard the Straight Talk Express

2007-04-12T15:11:00.001-05:00

In his new book Lee Iacocca asks:

Where Have All the Leaders Gone?

How Does Your Workspace Compare?

2007-04-02T22:05:00.001-05:00

An Inside Look at the Offices of Martha Stewart, Michael Bloomberg, Aby Rosen, Paul Rudnick, and More -- New York Magazine

9/11 Airport Security Called Worse Than Before The 2001 Attack

2007-04-01T09:59:00.001-05:00

This unfortunately is not an April Fools joke.

Undercover agents slip bombs past DIA screeners

A 3 Car Garage Seems Less Impressive

2007-03-30T12:18:00.001-05:00

The aerial photo in the linked article shows Travolta's causal getaway place.  Movie money is remarkable.

With five private jets, Travolta still lectures on global warming

Quentin Tarantino With Some Advice On Being Quentin Tarantino in Hollywood

2007-03-12T11:07:00.001-05:00

A great article I found via kottke.org.

I call the shots here-Arts Entertainment-Film-TimesOnline

Watch a Video From The Future

2007-03-12T10:21:00.001-05:00

Dean Kamen Cyborg Arm - Gizmodo

A Sandstorm In The Gulf

2007-03-10T00:38:00.000-06:00

2007 Lunar Eclipse

2007-03-03T22:16:00.001-06:00

Lunar Eclipse
Originally uploaded by hhsc_2000/Greg.

Manufactured Lightning

2007-02-28T14:21:00.001-06:00

My favorite Tesla Coil. ClintLightning@Aol.com
Originally uploaded by tesla1000.

Their electric bill is probably enormous.

Chicago O'Hare UFO Incident Redux

2007-02-28T11:13:00.000-06:00

The unresolved November O'Hare UFO incident I wrote about here and here gets a little more coverage in this article from The Providence Journal. If you ask me the questions that are hardest to answer are usually the most interesting.

Clear The Air

2007-02-26T00:16:00.001-06:00

I can envision a time when we will have individual citizen air monitoring networks. These would be much like the amateur weather monitoring networks that currently exist and would enable a much more localized view of air quality. In the mean time we have the AIRNOW website.

What does Marcellus Wallace look like?

2007-02-23T10:03:00.001-06:00

If that sentence makes you smile you might enjoy this. Someone has taken one of Samuel Jackson's best scenes from Pulp Fiction and animated it with typography. Quite enjoyable but turn your speakers down if your at work or among children because this is definitely not safe for work (NSFW).

Via Boing Boing

It's The "Freak" Accidents That Bum Me Out

2007-02-22T23:50:00.001-06:00

This Chicago Tribune article got my attention.

Your minding your own business driving in your car and a frozen piece of mud comes crashing through your windshield and your dead before the car rolls to a stop. I should just add this to my increasingly lengthy list of unfair stories in the news.

Fast Food Blog

2007-02-22T00:29:00.001-06:00

Here's something you don't see everyday...

A blog dedicated to fast food appropriately titled Fast Food News.

Fear Sells and We're Buying

2007-02-20T23:36:00.001-06:00

This post from Xeni Jardin over at Boing Boing captures the current fear based media culture in a nutshell. Why is a major American charitable organization (the American Red Cross) with a charter to provide aid and comfort running advertisements that do exactly the opposite? I wholeheartedly support preparedness but I ~~suspect~~ hope we are quickly approaching a tipping point where such scare tactics will not only draw the wrath of Boing Boing readers but of NASCAR fans. Not that the two (Boing Boing readers/NASCAR fans) are necessarily mutually exclusive, just somewhat uncommon.

P.S. I currently gather most of my news via the RSS powered Google Reader. This tool helps me to sample the main stream media gestalt from a safe distance and then quickly route around it to learn more about the things that I believe matter most.

MTV in 1983

2007-02-18T20:32:00.000-06:00

Via Digg:
A Google Video of MTV back in 1983. Watch it before the lawyers send there letter and it gets pulled. Be sure to note the awful advertising and shocking abundance of "music" on MTV.

Palm Beach

2007-02-16T16:01:00.001-06:00

Palm beach
Originally uploaded by Lennart Woltering.

Some warm thoughts to combat the Midwest cold.

How Clean Are Your Word Documents?

2007-02-15T23:03:00.000-06:00

NSA offers tips on how to sanitize your Word documents. via: Lifehacker

Whoa

2007-02-15T22:48:00.000-06:00

This sort of blew my mind. Follow the link to see photos representing how much stuff America consumes. If I think about how much we consume I have a hard time believing we find places to bury the stuff when we are done with it.

You Already Have Pictures, Turn them Into Posters... For Free

2007-02-15T17:57:00.000-06:00

Block Posters is a tool that turns your pictures into wall sized pictures for free. I have to try this.

Chicago Winter = Brrrrrr!

2007-02-10T02:01:00.000-06:00

As a Midwesterner with 30+ years under my belt I am used to cold but enough already. I take solace in the fact that March is only a few short weeks away and then we should turn the corner.

The Searchers - Trailer

2007-01-31T00:02:00.000-06:00

to catch a comet

2007-01-28T01:38:00.001-06:00

to catch a comet
Originally uploaded by Jirrupin.

This photo makes me smile!

Update: UFO Over O'hare Airport in Chicago...Photos?

2007-01-26T20:36:00.000-06:00

Nothing as credible as the Chicago Tribune article but an anonymous person or person(s) have posted 2 photos. The photos claim to be the object in question and were posted over at AboveTopSecret.com. Here is an article from Earthfiles.com with some additional details and the 2 photos in question. You be the judge.

And here is a page with links to a number of articles discussing this incident.

Not All Media Needs to be Mindless

2007-01-22T23:59:00.000-06:00

Universities are increasingly creating academic podcasts that (in moderation) can make you a more interesting human being. I myself have yet to sample these... which may explain my struggle to be interesting.

Amazon Music Catalog Mashed Up With YouTube

2007-01-21T13:37:00.000-06:00

Zontube is a brilliant idea. It makes searching for music you love on YouTube so easy.
Only downside is you quickly lose track of time as you find one gem after another.

Touch Screen Technology On The Big Screen

2007-01-18T00:33:00.000-06:00

An intuitive and amazing touch screen interface pioneered by big brain Jeff Han can be seen in the linked new video clip below.

Touch Screen Technology Demonstration Video (A brief commercial runs before the good stuff.)
The Jeff Han Article in the February issue of Fast Company provides more details.

Conspicuous Consumption

2007-01-16T15:07:00.000-06:00

An interesting blog post about the mysterious Black American Express card. I assume my invitation for this card is in the mail but in the interim this provides some details.