An Observation

Posted on November 17 2003 by Mickey
    I haven’t posted in a couple days, simply because every time I find something to write about I see others have already done so and have probably done it better. I cannot however let it go unremarked that on today The Two Towers Extended Edition is one day away and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is one month away.
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November Spawned a Monster

Posted on November 14 2003 by Mickey
    The folks at Silicon.com point out that this week marks the 20th anniversary of the computer virus. They arranged a panel of anti-virus experts to share their thoughts on this great millstone.
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Christmas Wish List

Posted on November 13 2003 by Mickey
    A short while ago I was joking how I wanted to add Pioneer’s $40,000 speaker panel to my Christmas wish list, since this single unit could produce home-theater surround sound. Today, Slashdot has a story about the Niro 1.1, a “Niroson Cinema Formulated Home Theatre System” where “One Speaker + One Subwoofer = 5.1 Live Surround Sound”. (Two 6.1 systems, the Niro TWO6.1 and Niro TWO6.1C, are also available.) Unlike Pioneer’s prototype, this uses two speakers and also includes a DVD player as part of the package. Also unlike the Pioneer, the Niro system is much more affordable. At either $599 for the Standard and $799 for the Pro, it’s almost too affordable and could be quite the temptation for me.
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Knights, I Bid You Welcome to Your New Home

Posted on November 12 2003 by Mickey
    It’s already been announced that Eric Idle is working on Spamalot, a musical production of Monty Python & the Holy Grail for Broadway. I’m withholding my judgment on this until I hear more about it. But it’s hard not to say something about this story on IMDB, wherein an attorney representing an upcoming revival of Camelot has asked Idle to change the Spamalot name for fear “the theatre-going public will be confused by the similarity of the titles””!
    Idle has rightfully called the situation idiotic. But then again, I don’t know. I’m beginning to fear people really are that stupid. Maybe it indeed might be best if Disney renamed The Lion King so it is not confused as a musical version of Stephen King’s The Shining, since those two titles share a few letters as do Spamalot and Camelot. By the same token, The Producers should be renamed in case people mistake it for the third “Dirty Harry” movie.
    You know what they say: in the land of idiots, the half-wit is king.
Posted in Movies, Music, News, WTF | Leave a comment

A Message from Joe (2003/11/9)

Posted on November 9 2003 by Mickey
    My nephew Joe is taking an international studies course in Ecuador. Here’s his latest message.
From: Joe
Sent: Sunday, November 9 2003   15:34:11
Subject: San Lorenzo, Chocó, Rio Bogotá, and the gringas.

HOLA ENFERMERA (or, hello nurse!),

Anyway, I had the most amazing weekend of my entire life!

We first went to San Lorenzo which is a coastal town about (——) that far from Colombia. But could we cross the border? Nooooooooooooo! Sissy Kzoo staff. Anyway, we hung out in the manglar forests there and climbed around like monkeys. Well, mostly I was a monkey, but the others WANTED to be like monkeys. We also swam in the sea off the coast of the Isla de San Pablo, or Pedro, or something like that. The weather was amazing and the boat ride was marvelous.

That night we drove to Durango, which is a ‘town’, I guess, but I only saw one building. Anyway, it was about 19h00 and getting dark, so what did we do? Broke out the flashlights and hiked 4 hours through the rain forest, that’s what!! It was amazing. I was tired, I was sweaty, I was hungry, but by golly we all made it to the Rio Bogotá, where we took a quick swim to cool off and went to bed in this lovely wooden building located just feet from the river. The next day was filled with hiking along the river, looking at the jungle and its flora and fauna. After lunch, we set about the task of making our transportion back to civilization: rafts. With a couple locals, we went into the jungle, cut down 8 trees, stripped them of bark, and dragged/carried them to the river. That’s Ecuadoran ecology for ya. The next morning we assembled the rafts, put all of our things aboard, and set out on the 8 hour ride to San Fransisco. I can’t explain it properly, all I can say is that the ride was amazing and the entire jungle experience makes me want to get the heck out of Quito, asap.

After my jungle adventures two gringas were awaiting my arrival in Quito. Kim and Melissa, two friends from my place of business in the states came on a visit to ecuador. Together we visited Baños, everyones favorite tourist location. They now find themselves somewhere in the middle of the Amazon jungle. I hope their jungle times are as amazing as mine.

So, I feel I have burned enough of your time, take care everyone. Hopefully I have attached some pictures for your enjoyment.

Joe
More >>
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Another Year Older

Posted on November 9 2003 by Mickey
    It’s too early for cake, so let’s while away the hours with a favorite birthday tradition, the reading of the “IF NOVEMBER 9 IS YOUR BIRTHDAY” horoscope. Here’s one from today’s Detroit News (Section N Page 1) by Jeraldine Saunders:
IF NOVEMBER 9 IS YOUR BIRTHDAY: You have leadership qualities and gifts of perception, which single you out on many occasions to your advantage. [I’m frequently singled out, yes, but never to my advantage.] Your birthday falling so close to the eclipsed moon is a major landmark in your life. You’re good at handling money HA! Yeah, good at handing it over], and this year should bring exceptional opportunities to make dreams come true. [Obviously intended for someone else.]

The Detroit Free Press has theirs in The New TV Book and they cop out by extending the prognostications for the whole week. According to Lasha Seniuk:
IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK … Check legal records for misinformation or mistaken amounts. Over the next 14 weeks, signed documents, written proposals, and financial agreements will prove temporarily unreliable. [Jeez, Mr Ashcroft, I was only kidding when I said all those things. I love the God Emperor Bush!] A determined attitude will determine success. Let others witness your ongoing resolve. [I’m doomed.] After mid-March, a new era of sensuality and romance arrives. [Now we’re talking.] Recently stalled relationships will soon experience a powerful wave of rekindled affection. By late June, past love affairs will quickly be re-established as permanent. [Could this mean the return of the $3 Triple Cheeseburger combo at Burger King??] Expect minor family differences throughout the summer months, however. [Hey, “minor” would be an improvement!]

Joyce Jillson has this to say:
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (November 9). This year features big changes that help you transform into the person you’ve always wanted to be. [Mr Joyce Jillson…<swoon>] Financial problems must be solved quickly for you to get on with your successful year. [Now this is true. Not likely. But true.] It’s not what you know — it’s who you know, and this month features powerful new alliances. January is passionate, especially your relationship with a Sagittarius or Leo. [Laporte? Eww.] Your lucky numbers are: 7, 32, 10, 28 and 16. [No.]

Daily Horoscopes.com has a nice one, written by Da Juana Byrd:
(Your lucky number is 9.) [Close, but no.] You are always ready for a conversation and today is no different. You love to get your ideas across to others and may find yourself on some sort of campaign trail. [Hard to dispute right here in the middle of my own blog.] Give other people a little time to come around to your way of thinking–do not push your ideas too hard. You may cause some people an added bit of frustration if you seek to change some pre-planned activity–careful. [Huh? Dinner’s at five like it always is. What’s she talking about?] There are opportunities to be with friends and loved ones later this afternoon. [How did she know!!??] Close relationships and other ties between people become a focus for much of your energy this evening. This is one of your better days and also a day of psychic insights! It might be interesting to write down those out-of-the-ordinary insights. [That’d be ridiculous. Don’t be daft.]Enjoy the celebration of this, your special day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Win a 10-year personalized horoscope valued at $750.00. [And it will begin with “You are a gullible person”.]
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Howard Shore MP3s!

Posted on November 9 2003 by Mickey
    I love this time, anticipating next month’s release of Return of the King. All sorts of little things to whet one’s appetite and make the wait that much more excruciating yet exciting. A TORN image here, a new Sideshow Weta statue there, the Topps cards in a couple weeks, the Extended Edition soon after that, and the Howard Shore soundtrack after that. Soundtrack.net has their review up which, once again, as with the last two years, offers the first chance at experiencing each track. All I can say for now is the closing song is much better than last year’s, but I can’t help thinking how much greater it could be if they’d talked Loreena McKennitt into singing it.
Posted in LOTR, Movies, Music | 2 Comments

Lunar Eclipse

Posted on November 8 2003 by Mickey
    How ominous: a lunar eclipse on the eve of my birthday.
    It seems downright biblical. …Legendary.
    …Impetuous.
    …Homeric.

    A little blurry, yes, but my camera was on maximum zoom and the Moon is 239,000 miles away!
    In fact, according to this NASA site, it was during such a lunar eclipse, around 270 BC, that a stargazer named Aristarchus derived the Moon’s distance, extrapolating it from the duration of the eclipse. (This method was later improved by Hipparchus).
    Another bit of trivia regarding the moon’s distance is that the Moon is slowly getting farther away! The Irish Scientist postulates that “if the Moon’s recession rate has been constant throughout geological time then the Earth-Moon distance 4500My ago would be half its present value.”
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Another Burial at Sea

Posted on November 7 2003 by Mickey
    Amazingly, Fish V has already died. He passed away some time late yesterday evening. Right from the start I had a feeling he was already a bit on the mature side and he was already exhibiting signs of the fishy dementia I’ve seen before, but he didn’t even last two weeks.
    Unlike the manic spastic behavior of Fish IV’s last days, Fish V seemed weak and listless, but he still behaved just as oddly. Fish V never seemed that hungry and he would spend most of his time huddled at the bottom of the bowl, hardly ever rising or moving. Once I came home to find him sitting in the middle of the bowl’s lone plant, sitting amid the little green leaves as if he’d swerved out of control and crashed. Just a few days ago I found him on his side, with his head wedged under the base of the plant as if he were trying to hide or trying to dig a tunnel out of there.
    Now that I’ve said goodbye to another fish, I’ve come to realize two things. Firstly, it appears my fish bowl has become a kind of hospice, where weak and tired bettas come to spend their last days. And secondly, it’s becoming more obvious the lives of my fish are beginning to parallel the Star Trek movies, since the odd-numbered ones do less well. I’m not sure when I’ll get another, but when I do I suppose I’m obligated to call him Fish VI: The Undiscovered Country.
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President Bush Clip of the Night

Posted on November 6 2003 by Mickey
    Yay! I finally was at the right place at the right time. David Letterman has frequently been showing unsettlingly funny video clips of our commander in chief, but I was never at my computer when he showed them. Tonight, finally, Dave showed a cavalcade of clips and I was at my computer and ready to digitize. Here are two of my most favorite and I offer them below. (Unfortunately the second WMV clip has become corrupted.)

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