***Dave Does the Blog

Life in the Solo Lane

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:48:50 -0700

I've been the Big Bachelor here at the Consortium since I returned from KOA on Wednesday morning. Margie and Katherine remain in the wilds of upstate Wisconsin until Tuesday night.

So how's it going?

1. Well, I haven't been eating as healthy as I ought to. I've not gone hungry, by any means, and I've tried to be sure that there's something other than chips and ice cream and beer in the diet (see previous mentions of a huge pot of chili, plus some meals with others on a couple of evenings). Not a lifestyle I suspect I would sustain long-term -- and short-term it's palling -- so I'll be glad for Margie to get back

2. Schedule normalcy has been difficult. Between time I took off (Wednesday), and a four-day holiday weekend for the company (including, ha-ha, Monday), things have been a bit odd. I did make it to church this morning, but I didn't make it to karate on Thursday (dagnabbit). I've been staying up late -- but not insanely so -- but not sleeping past 7 or 8 in the morning (dagnabbit). I look forward to a return to normalcy there almost (but not quite) as much as I look forward to one more day off.

3. My friends have kept me from being a social hermit and only watching DVDs and going out to the movies. Kate and Doyce and Randy came over Friday (nothing says "Fourth of July" as much as sitting around, drinking beer, eating BBQ chicken, and watching Doctor Who on the DVR). Saturday night I went over to Jackie's for dinner with her folks and Angie (and learned that while D&D players can be kind of geeky and obsessive, they do not hold a candle on cribbage players). Today I was over at Doyce's for some gaming as well.

4. As I said, I've not been sleeping terribly well, though that's in part due to the cats wanting Extra Love (usually at 5 a.m.) and the heat of the evenings (sleeping atop the sheets until 4 or so, then under the sheets, then getting warm around 7 or so). As is my wont on such occasions, I sleep over on Margie's side, though I have taken care not to mess up her alarm clock.

5. I've not done nearly as much City of Heroes playing as one might imagine. Nor, until today, had I done much blogwise. I have done a few useful projects -- getting nearly finished with making sure all our CDs are up-to-date in my iTunes and Margie's iPod, and getting our hardcover fiction shelves reorganized so that we can actually see what we've got.

6. Tomorrow I plan to either do some online gaming, or else work on our digital picture albums. Plus do some clean-up of the house (which, actually, is in remarkably good shape) preparatory to the family's return on Tuesday evening. I am not sure if I'll work from home on Tuesday, or go into the office and head out to the airport from there.

7. There are certain devil-may-care, lackadaisical advantages to the bachelor's life, temporary or not. They do not hold a candle to having my wife and daughter at home with me. An occasional holiday or vacation might be entertaining now and again, just as Margie enjoys going out for sushi when I'm away on business, but more than 2-3 days wears down on one awfully. The courteous inclusion of myself in the weekend plans of my friends has been quite nice (otherwise I'd really be going stir crazy), but ...

I'm looking forward to Margie and Katherine being home. 'Nuff said.

Potpourri for about two weeks

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:33:58 -0700

I'm not nearly caught up with my blog reading from vacation and so forth, but this is about as good a pass as I can make with stuff snagged for the Google sidebar.

Fiscal responsibility - A nice little graph addressing the GOP's reputation for fiscal responsibility. Remember that this year.
Repeal the Second Amendment? - I don't know that I agree with everything that DOF writes here about gun control and the Second Amendment, but there's a hell of a lot here that I do agree with, and pretty much all of it deserves some attention.
After Impeaching Clinton, McCain Now Dismisses Idea... - Because, of course, impeachment is only a silly, distracting, in appropriate idea when it's not about a Democratic president who lied about boffing an intern.
Rove Rips NYT For Outing CIA Agent’s Identity And... - Pot. Kettle. Black. Chutzpah.
GI Bill Opponent President Bush Lauds GI Bill Opponent... - Bush and McCain both opposed -- in hyperbolic rhetoric -- the new GI Bill benefits in the defense spending bill. But once it was passed, Bush was pleased to share credit for it with his appointed successor.
More Stupid Voters - We must get Barrack Obama elected, if only to demonstrated that this yahoo is not, in fact, the face and voice of the American electorate.
FOX News Gets Ugly - I don't expect actually expect unbiased or non-ideological news and commentary from Fox News. But actual, verifiable, blatant altering of photographs as part of character assassination pieces? Wow, that's taking sleaze to a whole new level.
London Mayoral vote can't be verified due to e-voting... - Paper ballots have problems. E-ballots have problems. The problems with e-ballots could likely be largely solved ... except that it would cost the e-voting industry money, and cost their supporters in government credibility. So, instead, we get debacles like this. Expect more grand stuff like this as we head into the 2008 elections.
Court order on YouTube user data fans privacy fears... - I don't actually want Viacom -- or anyone else -- knowing what YouTube videos I've watched. Nor do I trust that they will only use the information for limited purposes. Yeesh.
Less Hyphen, More Burst for Walmart - Wal-Mart ... er, Walmart is changing it's logo (and its hyphenation). Now, are they offering immunization coverage for the children of their employees yet?
Wall-E is a copyright criminal - An analysis of how WALL-E breaks Canada's proposed DMCA-like copyright law left right and center ... doing things that nobody at the movie probably recognized as Evil Piracy of Precioussssss Intellectual Property Rights.
History Locked Up... Thanks To Copyright - This is what's called a "Chilling Effect." Not sure who holds the copyright on 100-plus-year-old photos? Well, you don't dare use them in any sort of history exhibit or book, for fear of getting your ass sued off. Yeah, that's really serving the public interest.
David Tennant is made of awesome - Yes. Yes he is. There's a lengthy scene in an episode of Doctor Who last season where her records a long message for Martha. During the episode, the volume is turned down, and we don't get to hear what he's saying. Now we know ...
Meet the Bread Man from Down Under - Another unfortunate logo change, but these things always have interesting stories. I'm a Panera man, myself.
Frontier going under the knife - The Denver Post - I was really hoping that Frontier would be who we could turn to as United continued its steady slide into Delta, American, Continental, and Aeroflot ... but a combo of skyrocketing jet fuel prices and competitive pressure from Southwest may spell an end to all that. And that's a damned shame.
I must be getting old. I still don’t understand what... - I'll confess that the whole big distinction in purpose and motivation between Facebook and MySpace and Twitter and ... just plain o' blogging ... too often escapes me. I'm sure some of it is my just being an ol' fogey -- and part of it is Big Promotion.
If you live in Texas and ask me to fix your computer,... - Hey, could I convince my family to move to Texas so that it would be illegal for me to help them with their computer problems? Nah, even that wouldn't justify such a fate for them.
Because some folks were at KOA... - Heh. Yeah, we got at least one of these "kitties" visiting us while we were away. To judge from the report of chewed-up crayons, and the upended cat food tub in the kitchen when I walked in ...
Tofu 'may raise risk of dementia' - See! Tomatoes and tofu are both evil! Evil!
Scientists: Watermelon yields Viagra-like effects - The bad news is, I really don't like watermelon. The good news is, I really don't need to rely upon it for, um, it's side effects.
Elite transportation - DOF writes at length on what to look for if you're buying a bicycle for actual bicycling use.
Hellboy on “Inside the Actor’s Studio.” - 'Nuff said.
Dave Hill, inventor of the world's greatest two-man... - Um ... not this Dave Hill, I'm afraid.
Itchy grossness - Yes, yes it is.
Spirit World: Father Damien cleared for sainthood... - I don't usually report on canonization efforts in the Catholic Church, except to note the unseemly hastiness of the canonization efforts for Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa. However, Father Damien has been dead for quite some time, he was a true martyr to his efforts to bring comfort to the lepers of Molokai, he's consider the "patron" of AIDS patients ... and I attended Damien High School for a year and a half, so he's of particular interest to me.
Religion and Its Role Are in Dispute at the Service... - The military academies of the United States are meant to train the best and brightest to lead the defense of this nation, and all of its people. That really has nothing to do with proselytizing conservative Christianity, and to do so is not only an insult to the citizenry who aren't of that particular persuasion, but a distraction from the mission, which, from a military aspect, is a bad thing.
one for the “now I feel safer” drawer - Thank goodness folks won't be allowed onto airplanes with guns. Or, gun-shaped jewelry.
Nelson Mandela finally taken off US terror list - Well, I, for one, will sleep much safer tonight knowing that Nelson Mandela is no longer a terrorist threat to myself or my family.

Putting one's money where one's mouth is on waterboarding

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:49:51 -0700

Let me start by saying that I find Christopher Hitchens, 99% of the time, to be a loathesome little man whose crabbed hateful mentality and penchant for sensationalism is a blot of the worst kind upon journalism. I usually find the stuff he writes to be viscerally repulsive, and discovering that Hitchens is writing to a particular position is 2.5 strikes against that position in my mental playbook.

That said, I commend the following article to anyone to read: Believe Me, It's Torture: Politics & Power: vanityfair.com

Hitchens tried to examine the question of waterboarding, and whether it is torture, in a very direct fashion: he underwent it himself, at the hands of professionals.

You may have read by now the official lie about this treatment, which is that it “simulates” the feeling of drowning. This is not the case. You feel that you are drowning because you are drowning—or, rather, being drowned, albeit slowly and under controlled conditions and at the mercy (or otherwise) of those who are applying the pressure. The “board” is the instrument, not the method. You are not being boarded. You are being watered. This was very rapidly brought home to me when, on top of the hood, which still admitted a few flashes of random and worrying strobe light to my vision, three layers of enveloping towel were added. In this pregnant darkness, head downward, I waited for a while until I abruptly felt a slow cascade of water going up my nose. Determined to resist if only for the honor of my navy ancestors who had so often been in peril on the sea, I held my breath for a while and then had to exhale and—as you might expect—inhale in turn. The inhalation brought the damp cloths tight against my nostrils, as if a huge, wet paw had been suddenly and annihilatingly clamped over my face. Unable to determine whether I was breathing in or out, and flooded more with sheer panic than with mere water, I triggered the pre-arranged signal and felt the unbelievable relief of being pulled upright and having the soaking and stifling layers pulled off me. I find I don’t want to tell you how little time I lasted.

After vividly (and not very self-complementarily) describing how it was, he then cogently and clearly and concisely addresses the arguments by those who support and condemn the practice.

Given that waterboarding is being done by our government ostensibly on behalf of us all, and is supported and defended by members of our government and political candidates, I do think that the subject is worth facing head-on. And as much as I think Hitchens is a jerk of the highest water, given that he's been willing to go through this in a way that so many of those politicians, and their pundit supporters have not, I have to give him a hell of a lot more credibility than I do them on this subject.

(via Les)

Colorado a bit less blue as of this weekend

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:59:48 -0700

I missed it when it passed the legislature in April, but Colorado, as of ... today ... allows purchase of wine and beer on Sundays.

Yes, in many states that will sound very strange. Being raised in California, I was astonished when I got here and discovered that liquor stores were closed here on Sundays -- and even grocery stores which carried 3.2 beer couldn't sell it on Sundays (that changed since we moved here, but not with a lot of fanfare).

The last restraint to the change came largely not from prohibitionists or others of the sort, but from liquor store owners themselves, who actually kind of liked the day off (and siad it would add to their overhead without any increase in overall sales). They're a powerful force in the state, and still keep the similar blue laws regarding liquor outlet ownership in the state (a given corporate entity can only have one liquor store, so no booze at grocery stores or Costco's or Pier One's, etc.). Will those laws fade in the near future, or parallel laws forbidding car sales on Sundays, too? Time will tell.

In the meantime, I don't expect our home consumption of wine and beer will increase any under the new law. But our weekend errands will be less irksome to schedule when we do actually want to restock the fridge or wine cellar.

The Obama "faith-based program" thang

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:46:52 -0700

I was off on vacation when all this came up, so I'm just circling back to this now. Obama pulled down some heat from his supporters by supporting continuation and even expansion of Bush's "faith-based" support programs.

Taking a page from President Bush, Democrat Barack Obama said Tuesday he wants to expand White House efforts to steer social service dollars to religious groups, risking protests in his own party with his latest aggressive reach for voters who usually vote Republican.

[...] On Tuesday, touring Presbyterian Church-based social services facility, the Democratic senator said he would get religious charities more involved in government anti-poverty efforts if elected. "We need an all-hands-on-deck approach," he said at Eastside Community Ministry.

Now, certainly I've not been a big fan of President Bush's faith-based program -- largely because it's come across as a way of getting money into the hands of conservative religious organizations to allow them to proselytize and expand their churches. While there are some risks and concerns (for both churches and for the governments) for faith-based organizations to start accepting money from the state, the fact is that there are a lot of charities and organizations out there that do good work, and can use (with caution) some help.

While Obama would expand Bush's efforts to give religious charities more equal footing when getting federal funding, he also would tweak what he would call the President's Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships in ways that divert from Bush's approach.

He would increase spending on social services, starting with a $500 million-a-year program to keep 1 million poor children up to speed on their studies over the summers. He would increase training for charities applying for funding and make it a grass-roots effort. He would elevate the program to be "a critical part of my administration," a reference to criticism that Bush paid barely more than lip service to his effort.

This is part of this tactic that's sheer genius. There are a lot of religious conservatives who've been majorly torqued over the Bush administration paying mostly just lip service to their cause -- getting in the vote, putting up a show, but never really following through. This isn't going to cause those conservatives to jump onto the Obama bandwagon, by any means, but given their lukewarm feelings toward McCain, it might cause some of them to give a shrug and simply stay out of the process.

Obama also chose a different emphasis for why religious charities are an important answer to solving poverty and other social problems: because they better know the people who are hurting, instead of Bush's argument that religion itself is a transforming power the government must not be afraid to harness.

Also an important (and distinguishing) point -- and one that Obama knows whereof he speaks, given his community activism background.

And while Bush supports allowing all religious groups to make any employment decisions based on faith, Obama proposes allowing religious institutions to hire and fire based on religion only in the non-taxpayer-funded portions of their activities — consistent with current federal, state and local laws. "That makes perfect sense," he said.

Where there are state or local laws prohibiting hiring choices based on sexual orientation in the federally funded portion of the programs, he said he would support those being applied.

Actually enforce employment law! Yes, he is indeed a radical.

Of course, for those concerned as to whether this really is Obama selling out to the ultra-right crowd ...

This position would make his proposal "dead on arrival" for many evangelicals and small churches, said Jim Towey, a former head of Bush's faith-based office. That's because telling a small organization to keep employees hired with federal funds separate from others "is unmanageable — and besides those folks want to hire people who share their vision and mission," Towey said.

Which, of course, they're free to do ... just not with the taxpayer's nickel.

I actually don't have the degree of concern about this that a lot of other Obama supporters do. First off, I think it's great politics -- given the right's disappointment with Bush's actual delivery on promises to them, as well as all the memes about Obama as crypto-Muslim or Obama as godless liberal. But secondly, I also think it's something that can be a help to communities, and that's actually right in keeping with Obama's non-partisan "yes we can" kind of thinking. This isn't Obama saying that Focus on the Family needs money to convert domestic heathen, but that there are people in this country who could be helped by well-funded community organizations, some of which are (gasp) religious in their motivation to help others.

Though I'm a member of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, I disagree with their position that the overall concept should be "shut down, not expanded" (since the expansion being talked about is in all the right direction). I do agree it is a place to keep an eye on, should Obama win (and even moreso beyond into the next administration after that). And, like Les, the proof as well will be in who actually gets the money and for what -- including programs sponsored by faiths other than conservative Christianity -- as well as how the inevitable controversies (from left and right) get resolved. As such, it is a risk -- but one which is probably worth giving a try.

Why it often pays to flip to the Public Access Channel ...

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:39:01 -0700

Because watching a Windows 2000 login screen-saver -- with harp music in the background -- can be very soothing.

"No, Mister Bond, I expect you to decompose"

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:38:11 -0700

Mozart mash-up with John Barry. Or, wait, was that Monty Norman?

Mozart versus James Bond
by FinalFouFantasy

(via BD)

Movie trailers

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:02:58 -0700

Stuff I saw before Wanted and Hancock, initial impressions, and the likelihood I'll be going to see it.

The Mummy: Rise of the Dragon Emperor - More good, rollicking Mummy fun. Though why Rick's son has aged so much while Rick still looks, um, young is going to be interesting to explain. Likely.
The Day the Earth Stood Still: Keanu Reaves is no Michael Rennie. Unlikely.
Burn After Reading: This looks seriously dumb, regardless of the talent involved. Unlikely.
The Longshots: I'm sure there are some "underdog sports team" or "kid abandoned by father who redeems down-and-out relative" movie clichés that didn't show up in this trailer, but I can't think of any of them. Unlikely.
Step Brothers: This makes The Love Guru look like Citizen Kane. Highly unlikely.
Quantum of Solace: Fine Bondian action, even with the "Bond's gone rogue, cut up his credit cards" schtick recycled. Likely.
Swing Vote: The feel-good election movie of 2008! Unlikely.
Pineapple Express: This makes Step Brothers look like Citizen Kane. Highly unlikely.
The Dark Knight: Nothing new here. Likely.
Punisher: War Zone: Great, another craptastic Punisher movie. When will Marvel learn? Unlikely.
Death Race: It's the Running Man crossed with The Longest Yard and ... um ... NASCAR. Those who like this sort of thing will probably like it. Unlikely.

Movie Review: Wanted (2008)

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:47:02 -0700

Yet another movie I went to today. I was pretty sure Margie wouldn't want to see it, and sure enough, I was right.

Wanted (2008)

Overall		Story
Production		Acting

Story: Based on an early version of Mark Millar and J.G. Jones's comic book mini-series, this is the story of Wesley Gibson, a schlub who discovers he's heir to the powers and perqs of a centuries-old Fraternity of Assassins, who get messages from "Fate" as to who needs to be killed in order to "keep the balance" -- the current top of the list being Cross, the rogue assassin who killed Gibson's father, and who threatens the entire Fraternity.

The movie starts strong with Gibson -- a refugee out of The Office and Dibert, screwed over by everyone in his life, and subject to anxiety attacks -- learning of and coming to grips with his heritage. That part is delightful. We then get a prolonged and bloody training sequence, where the Fraternity hones Gibson's unsuspected natural abilities -- Neo by way of Fight Club. Only then, three-quarters through the flick, does plot start to rocket forward amidst violence and betrayal and more violence.

The overall story is hardly original, a cross between a Campbellian fairy tale, existentialist angst, and, oh, about every other assassin movie of the last four decades. The underlying message -- you have the power to do something about your miserable life -- follows that of the comic, though just as obnoxiously presented and just as easy to say for someone who has supernatural abilities ...

Acting: James McAvoy, as Gibson, starts out strong, but too quickly graduates from anxious loser to cocky creep to driven professional. He does okay with the material given, but, really, the movie is a lot more about the action than the actors.

Angelina Jolie is wasted, at least from an acting standpoint. She spends most of her time smiling enigmatically, frowning enigmatically, and performing amazing gunplay. Her character is as much of a cardboard cut-out as everyone else (except McAvoy's), save with more screen time. (Ignore the fact that she plays the most prominently on the movie poster. She is a supporting character, albeit the most important one.)

Production: Okay, take The Matrix, crank it up to 13, set it (mostly) in Chicago, cross it with a Hong Kong action flick, and you have this movie. Lots of gunfire, much of it in bullet-time, beautifully choreographed and executed. This really is the main reason to see this movie. Well, that and the brief bath house scene with Jolie ...

Overall: Violent (fists, knives, guns, guns, guns), obnoxious, shallow, and beautifully crafted. It's like eating a gallon of chocolate ice cream with bacon -- you know it's going to be bad for you and you'll hate yourself for it afterwards and, really, it doesn't taste all that good ... but you just can't help yourself.

Movie Review: Hancock (2008)

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:41:00 -0700

While the wife and kid's away, this cat will check out a couple of movies at the theater that I'm not sure I'd otherwise get a chance to see there -- though, in the case of Hancock, I'd very much like to get Margie to go see it, too.

Hancock (2008)

Overall		Story
Production		Acting

Story: Hancock is the only super-hero in the world. A basic brick, he's super-strong, nigh-invulnerable, and can fly. He's also an asshole, nasty to people he meets, usually drunk, and prone to causing massive collateral damage while capturing out bad guys.

But what's his secret? Why is he the way he is, physically and emotionally? Why does he keep trying to do good. Can an idealistic PR rep turn him around? And why does Hancock keep giving the guy's wife the eye ...?

The movie starts as a bit of a funny romp, but gradually grows more serious and emotional as it progresses. While some reviews have lambasted it for veering wildly off course, having now seen it I'd have to say the story arc is both logical and well done, and it has plenty of big action, and white-knuckle suspense, to keep the standard Will Smith Fourth of July crowd happy.

In some places it over-reaches. Some bits of relationship storyline are never resolved, or never quite gel the way it looks like they were supposed to. I suspect there's some "Director's Cut" editing that might fix some of that. And there are some tone issues -- some over the top humor (and dubious physics) early on that doesn't quite align with the drama to come.

But overall, I had no big complaints, and I walked out of the theater feeling like it was a good investment of time and money.

Acting: Will Smith is a naturally likable character. That makes playing the initial "asshole" that Hancock is (and I keep using the term only because the movie does) a tough sell, but Smith does it okay. His emotional evolution is equally fitful, not helped by distraction from a lot of other events and personalities. Jason Bateman is one of those, an idealistic PR guy who makes Hancock his new project, with unexpected impacts on his home life. Charleze Theron as the wife also gets some interestingly meaty bits to play with, though we don't get enough of her character's story to really do her justice.

This would make a fabulous novel. As it is, the character parts tend to get short shrift in favor of the action.

Production: Figure a super-hero film will have a lot of CG, a lot of explosions, and a lot of vehicles crashing, smashing, and blowing up, and you'll figure right. The movie makes the whole super-hero thing work, though, with the powers manifested looking pretty "right" (if with a bit of a "Greatest American Hero" feeling to them at times).

Music works okay, too -- a mixture of somewhat forgettable action fare and some appropriately chosen rock/rap pieces.

Overall: Rated PG-13, this is probably too intense and violent for Katherine (age 8) at the moment, but I think Margie would enjoy it. And I wouldn't mind seeing it again, honey.

Hancock is not the best super-hero flick of all time -- but it's most definitely in the Top 5. 'Nuff said.

That all men are created equal

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:25:17 -0700

This is ... both goofy and, to be honest, really damn inspiring.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

(via Doyce)

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:06:45 -0700

Y'know, if there are folks who have theological disagreements with me, and with my church and religion and denomination, I'm okay with that. I certainly don't have the hubris to believe I have an exclusive on the Truth, and that I have all the answers to all the questions.

That said, I expect a certain amount of courtesy and respect and propriety -- and, being Anglican, such would seem to be the appropriate way to deal with each other in such disputes. Which is why the following irks me to no end:

Does Williams not understand that tens of thousands of Episcopalians and dozens of churches are fleeing The Episcopal Church because Mrs. Katharine Jefferts Schori preaches "another Gospel" (Gal. 1:8)

Whilst most of the press over the current schism within the Anglican Communion has focused on the whole nassssssty gay stuff, the fact of the matter is that a huge part of it is the refusal by many on the conservative/"orthodox" side to accept women in clerical roles -- as priests, let alone bishops. Which is demonstrated, time and again, by insistent and intentional (and insulting) references to the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church as Mrs. Katharine Jefferts Schori, as opposed to Bishop Jefferts Schori, or even Reverend Jefferts Schori.

This isn't about 2003. It's about 1976.

I just wish they'd be honest about it.

Because nothing says Independence Day ...

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:55:15 -0700

... like sitting around with friends, drinking beer, eating tortilla chips and salsa and BBQ chicken, playing RPGs and dominoes, and watching Doctor Who.

Happy Fourth of July, folks.

Bachelor Movie Reviews

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:08:00 -0700

So what does a guy watch when his wife and kid are out of town? Hmmmm ... well, if it's me ...

Battle of the Bulge (1965) : A film of a bygone era of movie-making -- the massive, epic war film, complete with big stars, big sound track, big battles, and a cast of zillions. Even has an Overture, Entr'Acte, and Exit Music. A ripping good tale, if pretty shoddy history. Worth watching if you've only ever seen the 167 minute run time dramatically cut-down for a two hour (with commercials) TV slot.

Dragonlance - Dragons of the Autumn Twilight
(2008) : Wretched animation (and a wretched mix of CG and 2D animation at that), muddled plot, clumsy storytelling ... ick. Not necessarily the fault of the original, just of this production, which resembles the Rankin-Bass Return of the King in its incoherence (but is much less well put toether. Okay, as a kid I would have killed for this. But there's so much better available now, it's a wonder this got made. Does make me want to re-read the book, though.

Ocean's Eleven (2001) : I wanted to like this more than I did. Slick, stylish, and a classically crafted caper flick, it felt ultimately empty, and left me wondering whether I was really interested in picking up the next installment from the bargain bin.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) : I had genuinely forgotten how faboo of a movie this is. Any time I don't rank this on lists of my Top Ten Films, kick me upside the head. Simply incredible.

The Lion in Winter (1968) : A complex historical melodrama that is soooooo late 60s intellectual-revisionist soap opera with witty wordplay from its stage origin that it's almost difficult to enjoy, rather than "just" be fascinated by.

The Andromeda Strain (1971) : It had been several years since I watched the "original" adaptation of Crichton's novel. And, yes, though the technology has changed a bit in the last 35 years, it's still a taut scientific thriller. Worth watching.

Die Hard (1988) : The original and still -- even with Bruce Willis sporting a full(ish) head of hair, a kick-ass action flick -- great good guys, great bad guys, a great Michael Kamen (and James Horner and Ludwig van Beethoven) score, guns, explosions, and a good time to be had for all.

Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (2006) : Not bad. Not great, but not bad. The animation is serviceable to the decent story, and there's some fun Japanese mythos bits. Certainly made me want to rewatch the movie (or re-read some of the trades).

Hellboy (2004) : So I did (the former). Still a good, fun flick, a bit too violent and dark to share with Katherine (yet), but a remarkably faithful adaptation of Mignola's work. Good stuff.

Superman Returns (2006) : No, I'd not seen it yet. And I'm glad ow I have. It does a remarkable job of tying to the original couple of Donner Superman flicks of ... ye gods, how long ago? Great cast, well-done special effects, good use of the classic Williams music, and a fine story with a 00s polish and edge. Good flick.

Saving sweat or saving gas?

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:52:37 -0700

What are the economics (at least in terms of fuel efficiency) between driving with the air conditioner on and driving with "360 A/C" (i.e., with the windows rolled down)? Air conditioning draws on power, which reduces mileage. Windows open increase drag, which reduces mileage.

Not surprisingly, there's no easy answer (it varies wildly with the vehicle in question, the temp, the speed, etc.), but the simple rule of thumb seems to be that a/c is better at freeway speeds, windows at slower than that.

Now, which will keep you cooler (vs. more solvent) is another matter.