DirecTV subscribers like myself noticed this weekend a new channel in the lineup called NGHC. Nothing listed in the guide yet except for some episodes of In the Womb: Multiples, hopefully they get this channel up and running quickly so I can watch Cesar Millan whisper to those disobedient dogs in HD.
Joystiq is reporting that tomorrow on XBOX Live Marketplace, a 2004 episode of South Park titled “Good Times With Weapons” will be available in HDTV for FREE. Great news for SP fans, hopefully we’ll see more episodes in HD in the near future!
Note to Comedy Central: If all the old SP’s can be mastered in HD, bring it out in HD-DVD or Blu-Ray format. I would be the first in line to buy the whole set!
When I rented this movie, I expected your typical Will Ferrell movie. I’ve seen the previews about a year ago, with the earlier ones portrayed it as such… well partially anyways, showcasing scenes of Ferrell and his (un)usual style of humor. About 20 minutes into the movie, I realized that it carried a much more serious overtone than his previous works.
This led me to question… how good is Will Ferrell in a more serious role? With roles like Mustafa from Austin Powers to Frank the Tank streaking down the street in Old School, I wasn’t too optimistic. Turns out, he fit this movie perfectly. The story revolves around IRS Agent Harold Crick (Ferrell), who lives in an apartment resembling a motel room, and lives his life following a strict routine and schedule. One day, he starts hearing a voice in his head, a narrative voice, that at first describes what he has just done, eventually predicting things just before they are about to happen.
One day, while waiting at a bus stop, the voice narrates that he’s on his way to his future death. Then… silence. Horrified, the story follows Crick as he searches for answers regarding death, as well as the narrative voice itself, which turns out to be a novelist (Emma Thompson) writing a book about an IRS agent named Harold Crick. That’s pretty much as much as I can explain without ruining the movie… I’m sure if you’ve seen the trailer you’ve seen this much.
This movie brought a very important message to the table… and that is to live life to the fullest. As regular readers of my forum have seen, I personally live my life to the fullest, trying to enjoy everything I can as if tomorrow may be my last day on earth. You only live once, so might as well enjoy everything life has to offer, even if it disagrees or hell, even offends people who believe in following what society deems “normal”.
If you are a Will Ferrell fan, this movie is a must watch, as it shows that Ferrell, much like Steve Martin, has the ability to act as well as humor the audience. I won’t go and ruin the ending, but it’s nice to know that Tragedy can be as powerful and entertaining as Comedy.
Correlation does not imply causation. This is a logical fallacy that everyday people… from Joe Blow, to scientists studying global warming, to politcal figures like Al Gore seems to have forgotten. Modern science has come this far because scientists and statisticians rely on this phrase when making conclusions, yet when it comes to global warming, it goes right out the window. Extreme views of a subject as well as presenting information in a way to confuse viewers, much like how the movie Fahrenheit 9/11 portrays the Bush Administration, is how I would sum up this movie. Of course, there’s going to be a lot of people that believe everything they see… such as celebs and agenda driven politicians, which is how this movie won the Oscar for best documentary.
Before I get flamed here, let me bring up one of the correlations that is easily proven today, and was presented in the movie in a decietful way. Al Gore brings up the CAFE mpg averages throughout the world, with Japan having much more average fuel ecomony than US, yet they (Toyota, Honda) are a much more successful than US counterparts (Ford, GM). For the general public, this correlation shows better fuel economy equates to more purchases by consumers, thus resulting in more successful car companies. As a car enthuiasts who knows the world of auto manufacturers very well, and one who follows auto news almost religiously, I know for a fact that GM and Ford’s troubles are due mainly to pension and health care costs (thank the unions for that), and poorer quality of product compared to the Japanese, and not CAFE averages.
Ian Murray did a lot of the homework for me, explaining 25 fallacies from this documentary, some of which I knew from as early as elementary school. Some of them require a bit of research to fully understand… and some, such as CO2’s effect on temperature (#1) and increase in tornadoes (#9) are fairly easy to grasp. #8, Hurricanes, is an interesting one as well. The GFDL released a statement based on their research of hurricanes vs climate change which contradicts what Al Gore stated in the movie. Again, the easiest one to comprehend is #3, which explains Gore’s insurance claims graph.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe global warming IS happening. I just don’t feel that CO2 emissions, and the drastic cutbacks that the global warming movement and Kyoto Accord is the right solution, or the direct cause of the current climate change “crisis”. Remember that when looking at the total amount of CO2 emissions worldwide, only 3% is generated by human activity, with the remaining is generated by mother nature… decomposition being a primary contributor. CO2 is an integral source of our food cycle, and disrupting it to a large degree would cause food shortages as well, with a very minimal effect on global temperatures. Don’t believe me? Do some basic research on your own… that’s the message I’m trying convey. Don’t believe everything that you read, including what I have to say, since everyone has an agenda.
Overall, a good movie, which opens some eyes for folks that want to investigate the issue on their own, but like Fahrenheit 9/11, it’s a bit irresponsible in that it creates mass hysteria based on misinformation, and with nanny law trends on the rise, it could be devestating to our economy and way of life for achieving something that does nothing to counteract global warming.
If you are a Paris Hilton fan like I am, you might’ve wondered why you didn’t hear anything about her last week. Was she in rehab? Burnt out and hiding out in her hotel room? Turns out, the Associated Press conducted an experiment by blacking out all news items about the hotel heiress for a week. Turns out, nobody cares about her… well, I guess except for me. Since everything from Celeb Blog sites to local newspapers rely on AP and Reuters for their news source, the blackout created a week without our my favorite celeb. None of AP’s clients complained, nor asked about what happened to Paris.
During “blackout week,” the AP didn’t mention Hilton’s second birthday party at a Beverly Hills restaurant, at which a drunken friend reportedly was ejected by security after insulting Paula Abdul and Courtney Love. And editors asked our Puerto Rico bureau not to write about her visit there to hawk her fragrance. However, her name did slip into copy unintentionally three times, as background: in stories about Britney Spears, Nicole Richie, and even in the lead of a story about Democrats in Las Vegas.
At least they choose a good week when she didn’t pop a nipple, or smoke a joint.
Last night, a few of us gathered around and watched Happy Feet, the penguin movie with the environmental message. The movie follow Mumble as an egg, a chick, then as a grown Penguin who can’t sing but can tap dance.
At first, I thought this was going to be one of those cute cartoon movies that’s more suitable for the girlfriends than for the guys. I was pleasantly surprised by the humor in the movie… the writer and director (not to mention the CGI guys) created a cast of characters that appeals both to kids, as well as adults. The humor of “the amigos” definately made the movie for me, as I have a whacked out sense of humor.
With great singing and choreography in the film, it’s a great Friday night movie with the family, or with friends. Nicole Kidman, who also sings in Moulin Rouge, sounds great as Mumble’s mother. Although I’m not a huge fan of Robin Williams (an understatement, I try to avoid many of his movies), he was great here as the voice of both Ramon and Lovelace. The ending seemed kinda rushed, but other than that, a great watch! rage2 recommended!
At first impression, it looks like an Arkansas bank robber is taunting the cops by creating a MySpace page with pictures of him in action. In reality, it was put up by Fort Smith police Sgt. Jarrard Copeland in hopes of catching this guy, suspected of 4 bank robberies across Arkansas. Copeland says, “We figure that might be one way to get this photo outside of the market.”
Definately a different approach, Copeland thinks someone on the popular networking site will recognize the man. “The pictures are definitely clear enough and there’s enough of his face and facial features exposed that someone who knows him will definitely recognize him and hopefully they’ll call police,” Copeland said.
You know, if this works, I expect police departments across America to follow the lead. Unfortunately, usually only the first creative ideas get enough exposure to work. What’s really interesting is that there are some cuties that added the robber, known as “Do You Know Me???”, as a friend. 26 year old Sarge ain’t too bad (except the name). I guess crime does pay!
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BMW’s Mario Theissen is confident that their team sits 3rd most competitive, right behind tipped leaders McLaren and Ferrari. The BMW squad has made significant improvements this winter season, and has surprised many in the paddock with their performance.
“So far, we are much closer to the top teams Ferrari, McLaren and Renault than we had anticipated… Ferrari and McLaren look like the strongest teams.” says Theissen. He adds, “We will substantially improve this year.”
And improve they must. BMW finished a disappointing 5th last year, 40 points clear of 4th place Honda. For a company that prides itself in it’s performance image, this must change for the better. Things are looking good throughout pre-season testing, with their drivers routinely clocking the fastest times of the day. Reliablity has been a concern, but once that’s ironed out, expect BMW to challenge for the top spot.
…and I hope it’s not you. The Furutech Demag is a device that claims to demagnitize your CD’s and DVD’s to improve video and audio quality. Unfortunately, CD’s and DVD’s work on an optical principal, and is not affected by magnetic fields. Listed at $2900, there’s going to be a few stupid video and audiophiles that preach the wonders of this device. Suckers.
NY City banned the use of the word nigger on Wednesday, sparking debate from entertainers who use the word in their works; from music to comedy acts. Supporters of this ban are pushing for the Recording Academy to not nominate artists for Grammy awards if the word is used in lyrics. Chris Rock sums it up best in a Reuters interview… “What, is there a fine? Am I going to get a ticket? Do judges say, ‘10 years, nigger!’”
Is this another law that allows government to dictate control of whats socially acceptable? Personally, I’m tired of these types of laws that gives the government too much control over our freedoms. If all it takes is a movement of supporters to push a social preference into law, this will set a precident for other groups to push their agenda on the unsuspecting public. What ever happened to freedoms, or the land of the free? Just because your group finds something to be acceptable, it doesn’t give you the right to force that view upon others, who may actually disagree with you. What’s next? Force Christianity on everyone???
Ferrari pulled clearly ahead of the competition on the final day of testing, being the only team to break the 1m30s barrier at Bahrain. The F2007 was fitted with Melbourne spec bodywork and it was clear that the Ferrari was in a class of it’s own.
“At the moment I think we are ahead of McLaren and BMW,” says Massa, “It is difficult to know, you can never say that there will not be surprises, but that is my feeling.”
Competitors also shared the same views as the Maranello squad. Team McLaren, who was tipped to be a favorite for the opening race until the final day of testing, agree with Ferrari’s claims. They feel that Ferrari’s long time partnership with Bridgestone has helped them understand the new tires much better than other teams, as many of the teams are just getting the first taste of Bridgestone tires this winter after the withdrawl of Michellin.
“There were some tests at which they did not look so great,” says Fernado Alonso, 2 time world champion and lead driver for Team McLaren. “Now their experience with Bridgestone has put them ahead of us. The reality is that they are very strong and in the first half of the season they will have the advantage. We are going to have to be defensive in the first races and then attack when we know that we can recover what we have lost… We are still learning about these tyres. Everybody wants to be the best at the first race, but this car is what we have and it is a good basis.”
As for which Ferrari driver will take the win at the season opener, the competition believes that Massa will be faster, even though Raikkonen was tipped as an early favorite. “Everybody thought Kimi was simply going to replace Michael (Schumacher)’s speed,” Alonso explained, “but the truth is that Felipe is going very quickly and is very determined.”
You have to be a pretty hardcore Nintendo fan to appreciate this one. The Nintendo Famicom, better known as the Nintendo Entertainment System on this side of the Pacific, was revolutionary in transforming the home video game market. So much so that it inspired this luthier to build a working guitar out of it. Templates were used to make the final product look like the original. The coolest part is that both controllers are used, one in the holder on the body, and the other as the headstock.
See more of this creation here.
This week, I picked up my new guitar, a Fender 60th Anniversary Standard Stratocaster. I really didn’t need a new guitar, since I have way too many (this one makes 9) for a mediocre player. This officially makes me a gear whore. I’ve been shopping for a different guitar to add to my collection since I got my Christmas bonus, and was not looking to buy another Strat. I started out playing Strats, and in the last 2 years, progressed towards Les Pauls because of the warmer tone and the superior sustain. In fact, my Epiphone Les Paul Custom with Seymour Duncan pickups is one of the best sounding guitars I’ve ever played, with ungodly amounts of sustain. During my search, I stumbled upon this guitar with a unique color… Fender calls it Blizzard Pearl, and was instantly sold. It took a while to find this guitar since it was a 2006 model, but a quick search on ebay and a quick click of Buy it Now had this guitar in my hands in a matter of days.
The worst thing about the Stratocasters is that when using the tremolo, the guitar goes wildly out of tune. Over the years, I’ve extensively modded my Squier Stratocaster (aka First Guitar) to address this issue. The problem is that when the whammy bar is held down, the strings get caught against the nut and the saddles and doesn’t return to it’s original position until a bend is done on each string. I’ve tried everything, shaving the nut (lol), lubing the nut (lol x 2) and saddles which helped, but was still fairly unplayable, especially if chords followed the use of the tremolo. Last year, I discovered Graph Tech’s self lubricating nut and saddles. When the strings move against them, it releases lubricant which helps the strings slide back into place, thus retaining tuning. Coupled with 2 extra springs on the back of the tremolo system, the guitar would ALWAYS stay in tune, regardless of how far I pushed down on the whammy bar.
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Installation took about an hour, which required resetting the action as well as intonation. Surprisingly, many guitarists don’t know how to adjust intonation. It’s fairly simple, adjusting the position of the saddles as shown in the above picture, until the 12th fret is in tune with the open note, just one octave higher. I’ll post a full tutorial on guitar setup in the near future.
I should mention some of the special features of the 60th Anniversary Strat that makes it unique. The neck plate is engraved with the Diamond Anniversary logo, and a small diamond logo dresses up the back of the headstock.
The guitar comes fitted with Fender’s Tex-Mex pickups. While they sound awesome, they aren’t noiseless, and is subjected to 60-cycle hum when close to almost any electronic device. I will be replacing them with Kinman Woodstock pickups (I have Kinman Classics on my Squier) which gives amazingly accurate single coil tone without the noise. A full writeup with pics of the installation will be posted when they arrive.
Alessandra Ambrosio, Karolina Kurkova, Isabel Goulart, and Selita Ebanks appeared at some random Victoria’s Secret Store to promote some random product. Who cares, hot chicks, no questions! I can’t possibly answer with only 1 hand on the keyboard. Click for larger image.
