Something I’ve joked about for years.
Nice argument starter.
Category Archives: BTW
FlashForward Canceled
FlashForward has been canceled. It was a great show, the show I thought would replace Lost like Fringe is belatedly replacing X Files. Sadly, it is not to be. I guess there’s always the book, but word round the campfire is that it’s pretty different from the series.
In related news, ABC also canceled Scrubs and Better Off Ted.
Happy Top Gun Day!
Happy Top Gun Day! Now, off to find a target rich environment…
Why Ebert Hates 3D
Roger Ebert has a piece in Newsweek on why he hates 3D. I must agree. To be clear, there are good uses of it, but there are also a lot of crappy, after the fact, lipstick on a pig 3D conversions. This is just like the IMAX “conversions” where they use their patented process to change a regular movie into the exact same fucking movie, except it costs more. I’ve been boycotting the fake IMAX films (by boycott I mean I just see the normal version) and I’ll be doing the same with the fake 3D films. You may be surprised to find out that both Clash of the Titans and Alice In Wonderland are fake 3D. I just read they’re slapping it on Michel Gondry’s Green Hornet, too. Let’s all follow Ebert’s lead and save some money.
I do have one prediction: 3D in the home won’t take off until, like VHS and the Internet, it’s embraced by the pornographers.
OBGYN
Painted
I typically prefer the body art where, if you squint and zoom enough, you can see nipples. But this is really clever and even safe for work.
Japan: The Bad With The Good
At one point I was seriously considering moving to Japan. As my buddy Hiro described it, it seemed a good fit for me. I even began studying Japanese at a local college. At some point it didn’t seem feasible to get a job there, but it always seemed cool. Tim Rogers is a man who did move there, got a job, and has been living there for several years. At kotaku.com he writes honestly about stuff he’s getting fed up with. From his complaints I’m not sure it would have worked out for me, esp. reading about the nonstop smoking and almost mandatory drinking. I’d still like to take a long vacation there and see for myself, but it’s good to be informed. Read the article here and judge for yourself.
Character Actor Composite
Found an interesting page that’s simply a composite of character actor head shots and names, so when you’re trying to remember someone you can scan the photos and find out. There are some that are obvious to even part time film buffs, like Giovanni Ribisi, Charles Napier, and James Cromwell, but also a number I could only recognize by face. Sooner or later someone is going to turn this into a photo quiz.
NASA’s Dating Plans
Renegade points us to NASA’s latest romantic endeavors. From The Onion, so use headphones at work.
Real Fake Phone Numbers for Telemarketers/Spammers
I recently tried to download a tech paper from a developer site that requires registration. I had already registered but they wanted me to confirm my info. Strange. I hit save and my phone number was flagged. See, I normally turn my real phone number into a 555 number and rest easy. These bastards were smart enough to check for that. I changed it to the 800 number of a company I don’t like, but they rejected that, too. Then I found Humor Hotlines. It was originally created as a way to give your phone number to someone at a bar or club; when they called they got a humorous rejection message. That sounds potentially cruel, but not when it’s a company that insists on bothering you. If more people start doing this, maybe companies will start making that optional. Probably not, but worth a try.