I was Google image searching for "cartoon brain" because I needed a reference for a project I am working on. This is one of the images I found.
The link on the photo went to a page called Conservapedia.com where there is a "definition" of the word liberal. It appears to be a wikipedia type site created to promote conservatism. This site is worth browsing if you really want to "know your enemy".
The "Liberal Brain" image, however, seems to have more to say about the conservative brain, ironically. It was not created by the people who make this site (as far as I can tell), but it does go well with their "theme". It was obviously created to insult and ridicule liberals. Parts of the brain are labeled "Common Sense Particle (need electron microscope to view", "Blame America Synapse", and "Victim Gland". It is a mixture of funny and insulting.
Jan 31, 2008
Jan 30, 2008
He used nails of different shades, shininess levels, and sizes to create light and shadow. He also pounded the nails in at different heights to make the piece 3D.
The final piece of art is incredible.
A coworker was asking me about movies I liked as a kid, since they were having a hard time find movies to watch with their children. That got me thinking, it's been a while since I posted a good old fashioned list. So here you go, my favorite movies from childhood.
#10: The Last Starfighter.
Reasoning: Isn't it every kids dream that some freaky guy in a limousine that turns into a spaceship comes and tells him because of his video game playing skills he's the only one who can save the universe from evil aliens? Maybe not, but still a fun movie. Especially the weird robot impersonator who makes out with his girlfriend at the lake.
#9: The Never Ending Story.
Reasoning: Who doesn't cry when Artax, or Ajax, or whatever the horse's name was, sinks into the swamp? Plus the movie stared Greg Oden (maybe before he was even born). Plus the eighties aspects of this movie are quite enjoyable. And on top of everything else, it encourages kids to read.
#8: The Secret of NIMH.
Reasoning: One of the best examples of eighties style animation. The animals are the heroes, the humans the villains. There's the cool wise owl, plus the silly raven. And it's a "veiled" jab at the advance of technology and the dangers of performing science without morals.
#7: The Goonies.
Reasoning: Has a crap load of future stars, and of course Sloth. The nerdy shy kid gets to be the hero (not that I related to that or anything). Involves pirates without out actually portraying them, and it was shot in Astoria Oregon. Gotta support the home state team.
#6: Labyrinth.
Reasoning: Do I have to explain? David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, and Muppets?
#5: Krull.
Reasoning: Okay, on further review this is a terrible movie, so if you haven't seen it, I don't really recommend that you do. But it was one of my childhood favorites. I mean come on, a sci-fi/fantasy epic with knights, aliens, lasers, cyclops, magic, AND a flying-five-pointed-knife-boomerang-thing? Hell yeah! I probably watched this movie a billion times. Too bad it's terrible, cause it could be so good.
#4: The Black Hole.
Reasoning: This is Disney's lost masterpiece. True, it is pretty much just a rip off of 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but it's set in Freakin' Space. Maximillion is the coolest evil robot this side of the original Terminator. There's the old beat up robot that talks like a prospector. There's a ship of perfection that is run by an evil genius, which of course eventually gets destroyed by the "good" guys (why do god guys always hate progress so much?) and finally a black hole that cleans up the mess.
#3: Enemy Mine.
Reasoning: This movie is just great, and I think still holds up. It does what science fiction should do and explores human problems in metaphor. In this case you have a human and an alien who are enemies in a galactic war. They're both fighter pilots and end up shooting each other down. Stranded on a deserted and dangerous planet they eventually fall in love (sort of), and have a kid (though I think the gloss over the how by explaining that the aliens can breed by themselves). Adventures abound, including evil slavers and an eventual rescue. The movie is tragic and exciting. Actually, I think I need to watch it again.
#2: The Dark Crystal.
Reasoning: Like Labyrinth, but only if it had a better plot, better sets, and better puppets. This is a great movie. It's beautiful, and the puppetry (I may or may not have an unholy attachment to puppets, and in fact think that's probably the main reason the new Star Wars movies sucked; no puppets) is incredible. Some of the designs the Jim Henson and Co., thought of and built are awesome. Plus it's a great story, and explores the concept that good and evil are really just different sides of the same coin.
#1: Dune.
Reasoning: Here's where I'm sure most people in the world disagree with me, but that's because they're all crazy. You have an adaptation of what is the greatest science fiction novel of all time, that was panned by critics and fans of the book alike. But they don't know what they are talking about. For the most part the movie tells the story as it should (yes with some added crap they didn't need, but oh well). This is probably David Lynch's best work in a motion picture. Some of the characters are brilliantly played, and for sci-fi fans the cast is a virtual who's who of sci-fi actors. Visual it's a pleasant movie, with sound bytes that'll stick in your head, and change your life.
So there you have it, one boy's list of movies. Before I wrap it up, there are some honorable mentions:
Clash of the Titans
The Black Cauldron
Predator
Watership Down
and probalby some others I've forgotten.
You've probably all seen this one already, but it's freaking crazy that this got published!
(consumerist.com)
Jan 29, 2008
Jan 28, 2008
Jan 26, 2008
Jan 23, 2008
I recently saw this website, and have since then been laughing my ass off. It is the Best of Craigslist site. Check it out and enjoy!
Here are some of my personal favorites:
Large Glass Jar (possibly containing a ghost)
To the Crazy-bat-shit-lady who picked up the free fridge
FOUND: Canadian Tire $Money$
guy that flashed me on i-90
Basic Instinct dvd
Jan 22, 2008
For the first ever installment of The Super Chicks Column, I thought I'd go with a no-brainer. I mean a girl who can split into three at will...?
Luorno Durgo comes from the planet of Cragg, where the natives of that planet can split into three identical forms. Triplicate Girl was the first to join the Legion after the three founders: Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad and Cosmic Boy. Triplicate Girl fell prey to doom one day when her teammate, Brainiac 5, created Computo. Computo was a robot that believed all living things were weak and should be eliminated. Computo was able to kill one of Triplicate Girl's forms before being defeated. From then on, Triplicate Girl became known as Duo Damsel.
Duo Damsel
Duo Damsel worked for some time with the Legion of Super-Heroes, falling in love with her teammate Bouncing Boy. After they wed, both Legionnaires went on reserve status, being called only for emergencies. After some time, Duo Damsel and her husband became teachers in the Legion Academy, a school meant to train prospective Legion of Super-Hero members.
In a battle against Time Trapper, Duo Damsel found herself losing her only duplicate.
--Courtesy of comicvine.com
Duke University's Online Library has a great collection entitled The Emergence of Advertising in America, which includes thousands of great images from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I stumbled across it three days ago while I was looking for pictures from this era and have been obsessing over it ever since. Some of the artwork and typesetting in these old works is amazing.
Jan 17, 2008
We've been debating the candidates recently, to I think good effect. In fact I will admit that by our (mostly Space Zombie's) analysis, my rankings have Changed from Obama, Clinton, and distantly Edwards to Obama, Edwards, and then Clinton. Still I was reading a column by Ted Rall, and he posits an interesting idea.
It's his claim, that while the candidates are debating, there is a question they've been avoiding: Why do they want to be President? This entails detailing what your plan would be once in the White House, in addition to your actual motivation. In specific he attacks Obama as having the least substance to his positions. I'm not sure I agree with him, and from what's been posted on this blog the evidence would tend to point to Clinton having the least substance, but still a good idea. Specifically I enjoyed that he detailed exactly what he would do if elected President (and I found it most appealing, can we elect him instead?), and then rags on the candidates for not being able to do the same. After all, shouldn't they know what they're going to do with this job their applying for?
Jan 15, 2008
I've seen the signature collectors in support of open primaries floating around Oregon and have been quite undecided on the topic. It seems that most progressives are supportive so that Greens, Independents, and other parties outside of Democrats and Republicans gain a greater voice. While I agree that this would be a good thing, I think the movement might be overly idealistic. Witness the Michigan primaries (which are open to unregistered voters) and a history lesson I received in my inbox today.
Daily Kos says:
In 1972, Republican voters in Michigan decided to make a little mischief, crossing over to vote in the open Democratic primary and voting for segregationist Democrat George Wallace, seriously embarrassing the state's Democrats. In fact, a third of the voters (PDF) in the Democratic primary were Republican crossover votes. In 1988, Republican voters again crossed over, helping Jesse Jackson win the Democratic primary, helping rack up big margins for Jackson in Republican precincts. (Michigan Republicans can clearly be counted on to practice the worst of racial politics.) In 1998, Republicans helped Jack Kevorkian's lawyer -- quack Geoffrey Feiger -- win his Democratic primary, thus guaranteeing their hold on the governor's mansion that year.
With a history of meddling in our primaries, why don't we try and return the favor. Next Tuesday, January 15th, Michigan will hold its primary. Michigan Democrats should vote for Mitt Romney, because if Mitt wins, Democrats win.
While this sort of tactic is kind of fun, I think it violates a fundamental ideal of voting for the candidate you want to win. And frankly, I think that the Right would take advantage more often that the Left (who has a less pragmatic and more significant "screw the consequences, I'm voting based on principle" tendency IMO).
I'm still open to open primaries but I'm concerned about their dangers.
Jan 14, 2008
I've started the debate with the issues that I am most interested in. Here we go into a big hot topic issue that I tend to pay a little bit less attention to...
Issue 4: Immigration
Plan | Analysis | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Supports additional personnel, infrastructure and technology on the border and at our ports of entry, will increase the number of legal immigrants to keep families together and meet the demand for jobs, crack down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants, supports a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens, and will promote economic development in Mexico to decrease illegal immigration | A good intro to dealing with the immigration problem, but does not go nearly far enough in addressing the underlying issues--in particular, it would be nice to see a candidate who intends to implement some kind of reform that allows for us to tax the incomes of undocumented immigrants. | 2 |
 | Opposes a guest worker program, will implement a universal employer verification system, will make family reunification the guiding principle of our immigration system | Doesn't really sound like Clinton wants to say much on this issue, except for the typical politico-babble. If her husband's record can be any indicator, her approach will be less than ideal. Also, her congressional record is more in line with the conservative approach of putting in beurocratic barriers to immigration. | 1 |
 | Supports substantial increases in the ranks of the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol, and consular officials, will give people here the opportunity to pay a fine and learn English to earn American citizenship, will make family reunification the guiding principle of our immigration system, reform the immigration system so there is a clear road map to legalization and citizenship, expand the number of legal immigrants that can get into the country. | Same beef here that I have with Obama, although I like the fact that Edwards wants to expand access to legalization, which should deal with some of the revenue problems. Also, this plays into his larger plan of ending poverty in America, with better access to health care, improved education, and higher minimum wages. | 3 |
These candidates always seem to be really similar on most of these issues. I think that Clinton once again is the least willing to give away information, so she gets the third place score. Obama has some decent ideas, but Edwards edges him out because he is more progressive in his approach and has a more complete plan for integrating immigrants into our society.
After round 4, Edwards ties it back up in first with Obama (10 each), with Clinton (4) falling even further behind. Stay tuned for further analysis.
Jan 10, 2008
Last night I watched a movie. Today I will review that movie. Enjoy.
The Movie:
Paprika
The Plot:
A device is stolen. What's the device? Well its the DC mini. It allows one person to enter into the dreams of another. It was built as a psycho-analytical tool to help psychiatrists to treat peoples problems. So what's the big deal? Well, the device isn't complete. The designer hadn't programed in the protection codes yet, and so the culprit is able to enter into anyone's dreams who is using a DC mini or is connected to psycho-analysis main frame. Doesn't sound like much? You'd be surprised. People are forced into a dream that isn't their own, and all hell breaks lose. What happens then? Well you just have to see it for yourself.
The Review:
I went into it with severe doubts. I definitely enjoy animated movies, especially ones aimed at more sophisticated and/or grown-up audiences (and this one is, being rated R and all). But reading the premise I was worried, plus one of the main characters looks like your stereotypical anime ladies. Worrying. But then the start menu pops up, and the music is catchy, good sign. The movie starts on a dream sequence, and the animation is good. The hand drawn parts are clean and crisp, the computer animated parts sink well and fairly seamlessly. I can't fault the animators, it looks really good, which of course means even if the story sucks, I'll still sit through it.
The plot builds slowly, some of it hinting about moving in a direction I don't want. Towards the more seedy and just plain bad side of anime. But it rights itself quickly. And one of the main female characters has to be the most Japanese looking anime characters I've ever seen. She's also very well drawn. The movie builds well, the story is just complicated enough to keep you guessing, but not to the point of confusion. In fact the story is told in fairly plain terms, the editing is great, leaving almost nothing extraneous in the plot. Again the music is catchy and plays well with the story. The film makers build the suspense with skill and style, an the story follows a fairly nice arc. All in all an enjoyable movie, in a similar vein to the work of Miyazaki, if his target audience were a little more adult (oh, by the way Paprika was made by the same people that made Tokyo Godfathers and Perfect Blue, neither of which I've seen but are supposed to be good).
Verdict:
Two Thumbs up (Mine and Mrs. Moon Tramp).
Jan 8, 2008
In full disclosure, the author of this book Michael Fitzgerald emailed me on goodreads.com and explained he was a first-time author and recommended his book to me. It sounded interesting from the reviews and such, for instance:
-Booklist
Frustrated by the dot-com mania of the '90s, Anthony Sinclair abandons San Francisco to follow the gorgeous but enigmatic Gisela on a search for her lost son in Hungary. In Budapest they meet a group of expats, including Marsh, a brilliant, embittered war correspondent. Anthony thinks he has found in Eastern Europe what his former life was missing: enterprising young people openly questioning U.S. values, determined to remake their own worlds. But when an odd and edgy love triangle emerges and he discovers his mission with Gisela is much darker than he imagined, Anthony is thrown deeply in flux. Moving from the tattered romanticism of Budapest, through the sparkling Dalmatian coast, and into the brutalized landscape of inland Croatia during the last days of the Balkan War, the novel takes a shocking turn of irreversible consequence.
Radiant Days is held taut in the voice of Anthony, whose desire to experience a more serious (and thrilling) life leaves injury in its wake.
With a swift plot and seamless style, Michael FitzGerald delivers a stunning debut in this story of unattainable love, misplaced lust, and the politics of compassion.
So I bought a copy and read it. The verdict?
I really like it. It reads as a sort of combination of Grahm Green meets Chuck Palahniuk. None of the characters are tradionally "likeable," but all seem very realistic and well-drawn. The plot is tightly constructed.
It's not a perfect book, but one well worth reading, and it supports a first-time author. You can get it at Powells or borrow my copy if you like.
The book's official site is located here: http://www.radiantdays.com/
I've generally played video games pretty casually. I definitely like playing sports and other games competitively with friends but thats relatively infrequent. On my own, I don't put that much time or effort into them and when I do I usually play the same game repeatedly over a long period of time because I'm just looking to put my brain in neutral. Usually, its just an excuse for me to sit back and listen to some music (with the game on mute). I'm usually playing sports games, games where I shoot or stab things, simple puzzle games (tetris), or board game types (chess). I'm not looking for a story at all and I'm not looking for anything too challenging or new.
In part because I was impressed by all of you (whose taste and thoughts I respect) and your thoughts on videogames I have decided to try out a new game. So after getting a fairly random recommendation from another friend, and reading a bunch of reviews I decided to go outside of my comfort zone a little bit. The game I bought is called "Orange Box" and it has been getting rave reviews by the videogame sites I visited. Winning all kinds of game of the year awards.
Its actually supposed to be 5 games in one, but the one that piqued my interest is called Portal. Its supposed to be revolutionary, ("Portal is the first major advance in puzzle gaming since Russians started dropping blocks.") although I'm not sure I get why. Its all seems a bit like a Mario game to me only stripped of the distraction of running around frantically trying to avoid being killed by things or collecting points or special powers.
Portal is a single-player first-person action/puzzle game that was first made available as part of The Orange Box. The game consists primarily of a series of puzzles which must be solved by teleporting the player's character and other simple objects using the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (the "portal gun"). The goal of each puzzle is to reach an exit point. The "portal gun" and the unusual physics it creates are the emphasis of this game.
I've played it a couple times and so far it seems pretty fun. Like it says above each level is a brief puzzle of how to get from one side of the room to the other.
The other part of the game is "half-life", which is supposed to be much more story driven but is still a first person shooter. So I guess I'm not going totally out of my comfort zone with a RPG or anything, but I honestly have played very few first person shooters either.
So we'll see how much I play these games and how I like a video game that much more hardcore video gamers seem to love.
Jan 7, 2008
Go HERE to see this and other images of this insanely interesting apartment complex in Mitaka, Japan. Please make sure to look at all the pictures in this gallery.
The bathroom is a tube, the kitchen is sunken into the middle of the room, there is a room that looks like a giant egg with a swing inside, bubble textured carpet, and firepoles and ladders that go nowhere. It is like living in a Dr. Suess invented playground.
Not only do they look crazy, but you will live longer if you decide to live in one. This is what the company that built them says about it:
"What could be more optimistic and constructive than a living space that in every way both prods and coaxes its residents to continue living for an indefinitely long period of time?! That is what the term reversible destiny signals loudly and clearly. Each reversible destiny loft has structured into it the capacity to help residents live long and ample lives."
OK, so it's apparent that most of you white males were more concerned over taxes than health care--not surprising. For today's installment, we'll move on to an issue that is probably even less relevant.
Issue 3: The Iraq War
Plan | Analysis | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months, launch a diplomatic effort to reach a new compact on the stability of Iraq and the Middle East, and form an international working group to address the refugee crisis--providing at least $2 billion to expand services to Iraqi refugees. | This is a solid plan. Obama makes sure to stay tuff on terror with some of his caveats, but is definitely anti-war. He campaigned against the war from the start and, although he was not in Congress when it was authorized, claims he would have voted against it. | 3 |
| Will direct the Military to draw up a clear, viable plan to bring troops home starting with the first 60 days of her Administration, will direct the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to prepare a comprehensive plan to provide the highest quality health care and benefits to every service member, focus American aid efforts on stabilizing Iraq, not propping up the Iraqi government, convene a regional stabilization group composed of key allies, other global powers, and all of the states bordering Iraq, organize an international effort to address the needs of Iraqi refugees. | Probably the most realistic scenereo for withdrawl, although Clinton keeps enough vaguaries and loopholes in her plan that it could concievalby never happen. She loses significant points for continuing to stand behind her support of the 2002 vote authorizing the Bush invasion. | 1 |
| Will completely withdraw all combat troops from Iraq within nine to ten months and prohibit permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq, intensify U.S. efforts to train the Iraqi security forces, engaging in direct talks with all the nations in the region, including Iran and Syria, to bring a political solution to the sectarian violence inside Iraq, including through a peace conference. | Edwards and Obama have strikingly similar plans. I really like Edwards' strong stance against the war and Bush's abuse of power. I also like the idea of a complete withdrawl. If I knew more about his plan to aid the war refugees, I would probably pick Edwards as my #1 on this issue. | 2 |
Once again, the big three are channeling some serious synergy--someone must have told them that the war is unpopular. They all want to withdraw troops, promote diplomacy, and foster some kind of international agreement and support. The question really is whose plan is most viable and addresses the issue with the most clarity? Until I find out more, this one has to go to Obama, with Edwards right behind.
After round 3, Obama jumps into first (8), with Edwards close behind (7), and Clinton (3) falling further behind. Stay tuned for further analysis.
Unemployed kids trained to use lasers to sterilize monkeys that are on the loose killing people in India???It is true... Find out here.
Warner Bros. Entertainment said Friday it will release movie discs only in the Blu-ray format, becoming the latest studio to reject the rival HD DVD technology and further complicating the high-definition landscape for consumers.
--From Google News
This just about seals the deal for Sony's hi-def technology. With Warner Brothers, the DVD market's biggest player, on board, Blu-ray will command about 70% of the market. They already had Disney, 20th Century Fox, MGM, Lionsgate, and Sony.
Time to get me a PS3!!!
Jan 5, 2008
As promised, Space Zombie continues the analysis...
Issue 2: Health Care
Plan | Analysis | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will make available a new national health plan available to all Americans which includes guaranteed eligibility, comprehensive coverage and subsidies for low income families; will create National Health Insurance exchange to serve as a watch dog group and regulatory force for private health insurers; will expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP; will force drug companies to lower prescription drug costs. | I really like the idea of the National Health Plan and the exchange should prove to be effective, although Obama does seem to put a fair amount of the responsibility on the individual consumer to make the right choices. | 3 |
| Will provides tax credits for working families, force insurers to offer and renew coverage to anyone who applies and pays their premium, offer a new federal Health Choices Menu, offer a tax credit for qualifying private and public retiree health plans, and provide a new health care tax credit for small businesses | This plan is a lot better than what we have now, although it would be nice to know how Clinton plans to reign in big-insurance and big-drug. Tax credits can only go so far, there needs to be more done for low-income health-care consumers. | 1 |
| Require employers to either cover their employees or help finance their health insurance, make insurance affordable by creating new tax credits, expanding Medicaid and SCHIP, reforming insurance laws, and taking innovative steps to contain health care costs, create regional non-profit purchasing pools, offer preventive and chronic care with minimal cost-sharing, and require health-insurers to cover all patients. | This could outdo Obama's plan if the purchasing pools are as effective as the union purchasing pools that public employees unions currently use. The requirement to cover all employees may hurt small businesses unless Edwards makes exceptions for them. It would be worthwhile to read more and find what the "innovative steps" are. | 2 |
This one was particularly difficult, as all three candidates offer very similar plans. They each offer a public health care option that is modeled on the plan which Congress currently enjoys, although there are differences in their approaches. Clinton loses again because hers is the least ambitious of the three and the tax cuts alone do not go far enough to fix the situation. Edwards is close to Obama on this one, but is a little more vague on how he would achieve some of his results. Obama gets the nod because of his efforts to fix the situation for the middle class, the poor, and small businesses.
After round 2, it's an Edwards (5) and Obama (5) tie, with Clinton (2) falling behind in last place. Stay tuned for further analysis.
Jan 4, 2008
With election season officially underway, I thought it might be fun to do a Lankownya-style comparison of the leading Dems. I'll break it down through multiple postings on each of the hottest issues.
Issue 1: Taxes
Plan | Analysis | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will create a new "Making Work Pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. The "Making Work Pay" tax credit will completely eliminate income taxes for 10 million Americans, repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. | Sounds like a good start, but it would be nice to know what he plans on doing about capital gains tax and how he'll help the middle class. | 2 |
| Will return to the income tax rates for upper-income Americans that we had in the 1990s | This would be better than the current situation, but it's extremely vague. This would apparently raise capital gains taxes to around 20%--still much lower than current income tax standards for middle class. | 1 |
| Will expand the Child Care Credit, triple the Earned Income Tax Credit, raise the tax rate on capital gains to 28 percent for the most fortunate taxpayers, repeal the Bush tax cuts for the highest-income households, and close unfair loopholes like the tax breaks for hedge funds and private equity fund managers and unlimited executive pensions | Easily the most comprehensive tax plan being offered by any candidate. It appears to heavily adjust the tax burden, putting a particular emphasis on the tax responsibilities of the wealthy and corporate entities. | 3 |
After round 1, the (revised) early leader is Edwards (3), followed by Obama (2), with Clinton (1) in last place. Stay tuned for further analysis.
Did any of you know that monkeys are trying to take over the world? They have already started in India.
"A senior official of Indian capital Delhi died today after he suffered severe head injuries while trying to escape from a group of aggressive monkeys, officials said."
- Sydney Morning Herald link
...Not that you didn't already know.
Score one for sanity. It has taken a beating in presidential elections of late (4 more years for GWB?!?). So while the war is far from won, sanity takes one small battle today...
NEW YORK (AP) - ABC News is eliminating Republican presidential candidate Duncan Hunter and Democrats Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel from its prime- time presidential debates Saturday night because they did not meet benchmarks for their support.
Jan 3, 2008
Anybody think that this guy looks kind of familiar?
Jan 2, 2008
This dude keeps it real to the fullest...
hipsterplease.com
For those who truly want to keep Portland weird.
http://rename42nd.org/
