Type-a, Type-a, Type-a
One of the biggest things that bugs me in modern day movies is when I see computer users typing. Typing for God's sake! In this day of graphical user interface (GUI) software, they're typing away like they're playing whack a mole on their keyboards. Why? Why are they always typing? What are they typing? Is it because they all use Linux? Even Linux is primarily GUI by now.
As soon as the character sits down to the computer to run a diagnostic on something, check a patient's records, hack into the Pentagon or create Kelly LeBrock (Vanessa Angel I should say), they're pushing buttons instead of sliding mice. They should be using innovative and intuitive software that saves them the trouble of having to extend the joints of their ten digits over and over. What are you, living in the stone age?
From now on, if you have computer users in your movie or television show, have them playing with the mouse or light pen or Duck Hunt gun. I know it's not cool looking and not much of a sound effect, but do you want realism or not?
I'm reminded of a scene in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home where Scotty sits down at an Apple Classic computer, picks up the mouse and politely speaks orders into the peripheral like it's a com piece. When someone points out that he should be using the keyboard instead, Scotty says, "Hmph. How quaint."
Indeed Scotty. Indeed. Now give it ALL YOU GOT!
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Foo Fighters Fan
Foo Fighters Fan
Mrs. Lock told me one time that she was glad Kurt Cobain killed himself which freed Nirvana's drummer David Grohl to go off and form Foo Fighters. She's a big Foo Fighters fan - huge.
See, it pays to always look on the bright side of things.
Mrs. Lock told me one time that she was glad Kurt Cobain killed himself which freed Nirvana's drummer David Grohl to go off and form Foo Fighters. She's a big Foo Fighters fan - huge.
See, it pays to always look on the bright side of things.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Time Travel - Bah!
Time Travel - Bah!
the elements of time; a message that tells some future discoverer to visit me at a specified time and location, say, right next to my computer in the next ten seconds.
Guess what? Nobody came (I did wait the full ten seconds). So one of the three things happened:
1) The time traveler never got my message
2) The time traveler got my message but didn't/couldn't obey the request
3) Time travel will never exist
Given the rest of my life, I can develop a means that a potential future time traveler can receive my message. I don't know what that means is now, but surely I can come up with one in the next 50 years. I'll probably plant it in a satellite or deep space spacecraft to insure the message will survive even planetary destruction. With this accomplished, someone living in an advanced technological age will get my message and either use it or pass it to a generation that surely is close to developing the means for time travel if it's going to be at all possible.
I received no such sign.
If the recipient is not Homo Sapien, I can not vouch for the psychological affect ignoring my long distance message would have on that species. It's possible another species with time travel capabilities is emotionally equipped to ignore my request, in which case, I would concede that time travel will actually exist, but since I will never find out this contradiction due to the paradoxical nature of the action, I am perfectly safe to continue with my assumption.
If the time traveler was forbidden to contact me in the past, well that's just silly. At some point, they will develop a means to communicate with the past and not affect their precious timeline or whatever rule that exists to keep travelers from communicating to the past. Surely, my message will be saved and passed down to the generation that can accomplish such a thing.
So we get to the third option, which just seems more likely to me, doesn't it? Time travel will never be possible. Occam's Razor says so.
My test would not be complete if I didn't say the following: A response to my request from a future time traveler can be answered, if personal appearance is impossible, difficult or the traveler is just lazy, by posting a comment to this post. Existence of this post will serve a record for me to pick the time and place of contact when I do finally develop a means of delivering the message.
This post must survive until I am ready to deliver my message to the future or I'll just have to choose a new time and location. I only have about a billion more chances.
Image 1: The time travelling duo from Voyagers! pictured with their time travel device The Omni
Image 2: Socrates (so - crates), Ted, Billy the Kid and Bill in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
 | Let's talk about time travel and the possibilities of it ever existing. Einstein thought you could warp the passage of time and maybe even slow it down, but not actually reverse it and I happen to agree with that assessment. However, I am not agreeing because I have poured over his theorems, checked his facts and graded his homework. I have my own test that tells me time travel, as I understand it, will never happen.
I can sit here at my terminal and intend to plant a message in an environment that can withstand |
Guess what? Nobody came (I did wait the full ten seconds). So one of the three things happened:
1) The time traveler never got my message
2) The time traveler got my message but didn't/couldn't obey the request
3) Time travel will never exist
Given the rest of my life, I can develop a means that a potential future time traveler can receive my message. I don't know what that means is now, but surely I can come up with one in the next 50 years. I'll probably plant it in a satellite or deep space spacecraft to insure the message will survive even planetary destruction. With this accomplished, someone living in an advanced technological age will get my message and either use it or pass it to a generation that surely is close to developing the means for time travel if it's going to be at all possible.
 | If the second option happened, it seems to me the future traveler would send me a hint or a small sign to indicate it was received. For a message to survive all those years, all that time and for that person not to reply to it, would drive the person into a frenzy and no one, not even the people of the future want that. |
If the recipient is not Homo Sapien, I can not vouch for the psychological affect ignoring my long distance message would have on that species. It's possible another species with time travel capabilities is emotionally equipped to ignore my request, in which case, I would concede that time travel will actually exist, but since I will never find out this contradiction due to the paradoxical nature of the action, I am perfectly safe to continue with my assumption.
If the time traveler was forbidden to contact me in the past, well that's just silly. At some point, they will develop a means to communicate with the past and not affect their precious timeline or whatever rule that exists to keep travelers from communicating to the past. Surely, my message will be saved and passed down to the generation that can accomplish such a thing.
So we get to the third option, which just seems more likely to me, doesn't it? Time travel will never be possible. Occam's Razor says so.
My test would not be complete if I didn't say the following: A response to my request from a future time traveler can be answered, if personal appearance is impossible, difficult or the traveler is just lazy, by posting a comment to this post. Existence of this post will serve a record for me to pick the time and place of contact when I do finally develop a means of delivering the message.
This post must survive until I am ready to deliver my message to the future or I'll just have to choose a new time and location. I only have about a billion more chances.
Image 1: The time travelling duo from Voyagers! pictured with their time travel device The Omni
Image 2: Socrates (so - crates), Ted, Billy the Kid and Bill in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Monday, August 09, 2004
False Recognition
False Recognition
don't mean tuna on rye.
Pareidolia happens when you're lying in bed late at night, but you left the closet door open. In the dark room filled with moonlit shadows, that XL sweatshirt you bundled up and threw on the top shelf last week is actually a gray skinned, old man bent forward, gnarled over his own legs waiting for you to drift to sleep to make his move.
Reason says there isn't a contortionist killer hiding in your closet on a shelf in plain sight, but at that hour and with a healthy dose pareidolia, the thought crosses your mind if only for a second.
 | I learned a new word today.
pareidolia: misperceiving a vague but suggestive shape as something definitive. It's a condition, a human condition supposedly left over from our primitive days when we needed to spot camouflaged predators hiding in the thrush waiting to make us lunch, and I |
Pareidolia happens when you're lying in bed late at night, but you left the closet door open. In the dark room filled with moonlit shadows, that XL sweatshirt you bundled up and threw on the top shelf last week is actually a gray skinned, old man bent forward, gnarled over his own legs waiting for you to drift to sleep to make his move.
Reason says there isn't a contortionist killer hiding in your closet on a shelf in plain sight, but at that hour and with a healthy dose pareidolia, the thought crosses your mind if only for a second.
Friday, August 06, 2004
No Shelf Life
No Shelf Life
I rarely post links here because links are made to be broken. I don't like posting information that can become quickly outdated like some blogs that are just click thrus (Dave Barry, I'm looking at you). But I thought I'd try it one day, so here we go. All of these links will be broken in a month.
The Wall Becoming a Musical
Wasn't it already? This one's going to be on Broadway though. Rumors are Roger Waters is tapping Liza Minelli to be a Young Lust girl.
Berry Wants Catwoman 2
They made a sequel to Dirty Dancing, so why not?
Searching For Bobby Fischer? Stop. He's In Japan.
The great chess master wants to (has to) renounce his U.S. citizenship. Checkmate?
TiVo Given The Go Ahead To Share Media
Very cool. I finally will be able to download some of my recorded programs at work and get caught up on my "stories."
New Bushism
Our President's own words yesterday after signing yet another defense spending bill.
I ran spell checker before publishing this post and it stopped at Bushism, understandably, but the suggested spelling it wanted to replace Bushism with, made me laugh - fascism. I almost didn't notice the difference.
I rarely post links here because links are made to be broken. I don't like posting information that can become quickly outdated like some blogs that are just click thrus (Dave Barry, I'm looking at you). But I thought I'd try it one day, so here we go. All of these links will be broken in a month.
The Wall Becoming a Musical
Wasn't it already? This one's going to be on Broadway though. Rumors are Roger Waters is tapping Liza Minelli to be a Young Lust girl.
Berry Wants Catwoman 2
They made a sequel to Dirty Dancing, so why not?
Searching For Bobby Fischer? Stop. He's In Japan.
The great chess master wants to (has to) renounce his U.S. citizenship. Checkmate?
TiVo Given The Go Ahead To Share Media
Very cool. I finally will be able to download some of my recorded programs at work and get caught up on my "stories."
New Bushism
Our President's own words yesterday after signing yet another defense spending bill.
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we," Bush said. "They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
I ran spell checker before publishing this post and it stopped at Bushism, understandably, but the suggested spelling it wanted to replace Bushism with, made me laugh - fascism. I almost didn't notice the difference.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Having (And Keeping) A House
Having (And Keeping) A House
We're coming up on four years that Mrs. Lock and I have been living in our house, our first house. Upkeep of a house isn't easy or cheap. I'm really wondering if it is cheaper to invest in a house or if you're not just better off paying rent for the rest of your life. If you think about the amount of interest you pay in a mortgage plus maintenance, which costs more?
Within two months of moving in, we had to replace the refrigerator. It went out on Thanksgiving Day. Since then, we've replaced the stove, the dishwasher, the garbage disposal, had to disable the water filter system (I don't have $1000 so haven't bothered replacing it). We've replaced the blower in the furnace (not cheap), the water heater, a billion light bulbs. We tore down all of the wallpaper in the house and painted it to increase it's value (very necessary). That was all the stuff that had to be done.
Things that still need to be done: Some areas need to be touched up with paint but there's no such thing as painting one little spot. We have to make a nursery for our impending arrival. Most of the sinks' water flow have degraded severly. I'm not even sure how you clean that out. We need a new screen door, new track, everything. We need to repair one of the windows that is leaking whenever it rains. A new screen for another window. The trim on the house is in dire straits and needs to be painted badly. Carpet is ruined in a couple of rooms (we run a farm). The lawn is mostly green but that's because of all the green weeds. Some of the posts holding up the backyard fence are leaning and pretty much broken off at the base. We've replaced sections of the fence already on several occasions, but it's turned into a game of dominos.
After all of this, the house is still seemingly in good condition. We're trying to keep it up but good grief. There is a ton of little stuff and it's only the two of us living there! There are no kids tearing stuff up (yet)!
Thankfully none of the really big stuff has broken (roof, siding, ceiling). I am now knock, knock, knocking on wood - with a vengeance.
We're coming up on four years that Mrs. Lock and I have been living in our house, our first house. Upkeep of a house isn't easy or cheap. I'm really wondering if it is cheaper to invest in a house or if you're not just better off paying rent for the rest of your life. If you think about the amount of interest you pay in a mortgage plus maintenance, which costs more?
Within two months of moving in, we had to replace the refrigerator. It went out on Thanksgiving Day. Since then, we've replaced the stove, the dishwasher, the garbage disposal, had to disable the water filter system (I don't have $1000 so haven't bothered replacing it). We've replaced the blower in the furnace (not cheap), the water heater, a billion light bulbs. We tore down all of the wallpaper in the house and painted it to increase it's value (very necessary). That was all the stuff that had to be done.
Things that still need to be done: Some areas need to be touched up with paint but there's no such thing as painting one little spot. We have to make a nursery for our impending arrival. Most of the sinks' water flow have degraded severly. I'm not even sure how you clean that out. We need a new screen door, new track, everything. We need to repair one of the windows that is leaking whenever it rains. A new screen for another window. The trim on the house is in dire straits and needs to be painted badly. Carpet is ruined in a couple of rooms (we run a farm). The lawn is mostly green but that's because of all the green weeds. Some of the posts holding up the backyard fence are leaning and pretty much broken off at the base. We've replaced sections of the fence already on several occasions, but it's turned into a game of dominos.
After all of this, the house is still seemingly in good condition. We're trying to keep it up but good grief. There is a ton of little stuff and it's only the two of us living there! There are no kids tearing stuff up (yet)!
Thankfully none of the really big stuff has broken (roof, siding, ceiling). I am now knock, knock, knocking on wood - with a vengeance.
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
More movie reviews
More movie reviews
Couple more Lock movie reviews for ya. I'm just cranking away at these DVD rentals.
Gothika - 5/10. Just saw this minutes ago so this review will be quite fresh, hot off the press. Disappointing. It gets as high as a 5 because the feel was right, creepy, dark, twisted, but the story just kind of falls apart. Lots of loose threads that never get addressed, things that didn't make sense, most likely due to poor editing. Like what caused Downey Jr. to change his mind about Berry's story. Also, I'm not sure sexy Berry was right for the role as communicator of the dead, which leads to another problem with the movie, Berry's character was lifted from a more famous movie a few years ago made famous by a whiz kid actor named Haley "I see dead people" Joel Osment. It just doesn't work for her. And when you see her lined up with the other inmates, boy did she stick out. Who looks that good in prison? This movie is good for the suspense and scary, jumpy moments, but not much else.
Run Away Jury- 8/10. Good flick. They took a somewhat complex mystery with enough twists and turns and really made it work. The movie's only real issue is the believability of a group capable of controlling a jury the way it's done in this movie. I'm sure it's done to some extent, I just don't see it with $10,000 plasma monitors and a team of thugs living in an abandoned warehouse next to the courthouse. The highlight, of course, is seeing acting legends Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman in a great scene together. Excellent dialog. Good story. Technical aspects believable and hip (like using an iPod as a computer).
Matchstick Men - 9/10. What a great, great movie. Story is a little weak for me but that becomes very minor and the only flaw for this fine film. Everything else was perfect. Here is another reason of why we should take Nick Cage seriously as an actor. We hold back because we see him in movies like Snake Eyes, City of Angels and Con Air but he has my respect (again) after seeing him in this one. It's very light hearted, almost a comedic movie because we see a con man (he would say con artist!) with obsessive compulsive disorder which makes for some very funny (yet not really sad because of how he makes his living) moments. Good flick. Hard to believe this is a Ridley Scott piece given the story - not very epic but perfect in its own right.
Sum Of All Fears - 5/10. Had its moments, the traditional Tom Clancy moments (the President is yet again a jerk), but too many flaws, too many holes that beats this film up. Affleck does a decent job portraying the young Jack Ryan, no real complaints there (Alec Baldwin is still the best). I don't have much else to say about this one. It was just there. Entertaining at least.
Couple more Lock movie reviews for ya. I'm just cranking away at these DVD rentals.
Gothika - 5/10. Just saw this minutes ago so this review will be quite fresh, hot off the press. Disappointing. It gets as high as a 5 because the feel was right, creepy, dark, twisted, but the story just kind of falls apart. Lots of loose threads that never get addressed, things that didn't make sense, most likely due to poor editing. Like what caused Downey Jr. to change his mind about Berry's story. Also, I'm not sure sexy Berry was right for the role as communicator of the dead, which leads to another problem with the movie, Berry's character was lifted from a more famous movie a few years ago made famous by a whiz kid actor named Haley "I see dead people" Joel Osment. It just doesn't work for her. And when you see her lined up with the other inmates, boy did she stick out. Who looks that good in prison? This movie is good for the suspense and scary, jumpy moments, but not much else.
Run Away Jury- 8/10. Good flick. They took a somewhat complex mystery with enough twists and turns and really made it work. The movie's only real issue is the believability of a group capable of controlling a jury the way it's done in this movie. I'm sure it's done to some extent, I just don't see it with $10,000 plasma monitors and a team of thugs living in an abandoned warehouse next to the courthouse. The highlight, of course, is seeing acting legends Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman in a great scene together. Excellent dialog. Good story. Technical aspects believable and hip (like using an iPod as a computer).
Matchstick Men - 9/10. What a great, great movie. Story is a little weak for me but that becomes very minor and the only flaw for this fine film. Everything else was perfect. Here is another reason of why we should take Nick Cage seriously as an actor. We hold back because we see him in movies like Snake Eyes, City of Angels and Con Air but he has my respect (again) after seeing him in this one. It's very light hearted, almost a comedic movie because we see a con man (he would say con artist!) with obsessive compulsive disorder which makes for some very funny (yet not really sad because of how he makes his living) moments. Good flick. Hard to believe this is a Ridley Scott piece given the story - not very epic but perfect in its own right.
Sum Of All Fears - 5/10. Had its moments, the traditional Tom Clancy moments (the President is yet again a jerk), but too many flaws, too many holes that beats this film up. Affleck does a decent job portraying the young Jack Ryan, no real complaints there (Alec Baldwin is still the best). I don't have much else to say about this one. It was just there. Entertaining at least.
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Necessities Of Life
Necessities Of Life
Over a year ago, on our honeymoon, Mrs. Lock insisted that I pack the Nintendo Gamecube before we took off.
You see, at the time, she was playing a kiddy version role playing game called Animal Crossing. It was a very popular title for the Nintendo gaming system and in it you had a virtual town that you had to maintain as a resident. In the game, these fuzzy little characters run around in this town, steal your possessions, chat up a storm for anyone who might be listening, litter, fish and yell a lot in a language that doesn't exist anywhere in the real universe.
If you don't check in on your town on a regular basis, funny things happen. Things like weeds popping up everywhere and roaches moving into your house; not to mention your animal neighbors becoming disgruntled by your absence and thinking up something nasty to say next time they see you. I suppose Mrs. Lock couldn't bear the thought of abandoning her town for over a week while we enjoyed our honeymoon, so reluctantly I packed the Gamecube in with our honeymoon supplies and off we went.
We checked into the resort, got into our room and I noticed that we had the standard issue 27 inch color television, an essential tool in the activity of console gaming. But in the back woods of West Virginia where we were living out our newlywed vacation, this television had no component hookups on the TV (the yellow, white and red RCA jacks). What TV in this day and age doesn't have game console hookups? I suppose we were lucky it had color, but even that isn't necessary to play the blasted game I took the trouble to pack.
Fortunately, a trip to the Charleston mall where one business known as the "Shack of Radios" had what we needed. I bought an RF modulator, which converts the antenna coax hookup (Thank God it had that!) on the TV to component to interface with my Gamecube - retail $30. Thirty dollars for a box I'm going to use once so my new bride can perform upkeep on her village of criminal teddy bears.
I still have the box in my computer room closet collecting dust. I look upon it with fond memories.
Over a year ago, on our honeymoon, Mrs. Lock insisted that I pack the Nintendo Gamecube before we took off.
You see, at the time, she was playing a kiddy version role playing game called Animal Crossing. It was a very popular title for the Nintendo gaming system and in it you had a virtual town that you had to maintain as a resident. In the game, these fuzzy little characters run around in this town, steal your possessions, chat up a storm for anyone who might be listening, litter, fish and yell a lot in a language that doesn't exist anywhere in the real universe.
If you don't check in on your town on a regular basis, funny things happen. Things like weeds popping up everywhere and roaches moving into your house; not to mention your animal neighbors becoming disgruntled by your absence and thinking up something nasty to say next time they see you. I suppose Mrs. Lock couldn't bear the thought of abandoning her town for over a week while we enjoyed our honeymoon, so reluctantly I packed the Gamecube in with our honeymoon supplies and off we went.
We checked into the resort, got into our room and I noticed that we had the standard issue 27 inch color television, an essential tool in the activity of console gaming. But in the back woods of West Virginia where we were living out our newlywed vacation, this television had no component hookups on the TV (the yellow, white and red RCA jacks). What TV in this day and age doesn't have game console hookups? I suppose we were lucky it had color, but even that isn't necessary to play the blasted game I took the trouble to pack.
Fortunately, a trip to the Charleston mall where one business known as the "Shack of Radios" had what we needed. I bought an RF modulator, which converts the antenna coax hookup (Thank God it had that!) on the TV to component to interface with my Gamecube - retail $30. Thirty dollars for a box I'm going to use once so my new bride can perform upkeep on her village of criminal teddy bears.
I still have the box in my computer room closet collecting dust. I look upon it with fond memories.
Monday, August 02, 2004
Army of Wal-Mart
Army of Wal-Mart
Here's an (maybe-not-so) interesting fact. Behind the U.S. Government, the largest employer in the United States is Wal-Mart with a stunning 1.1 million employees working at 1,409 Wal-Mart stores, 1,562 Supercenters, 539 Sam's Clubs, and 70 Neighborhood Markets all making $256 billion in sales last year.
That's a lot of people. If Sam Walton's family ever decided to put an army together to overthrow the government, it may have the resources to do so; that is if their employees were soldier material. Actually, many of them do have military experience having fought in World War 2.
Here's an (maybe-not-so) interesting fact. Behind the U.S. Government, the largest employer in the United States is Wal-Mart with a stunning 1.1 million employees working at 1,409 Wal-Mart stores, 1,562 Supercenters, 539 Sam's Clubs, and 70 Neighborhood Markets all making $256 billion in sales last year.
That's a lot of people. If Sam Walton's family ever decided to put an army together to overthrow the government, it may have the resources to do so; that is if their employees were soldier material. Actually, many of them do have military experience having fought in World War 2.
Good place for a headline
Good place for a headline
"Warm one today. Warmer than yesterday. Gonna be even warmer tomorrow. [Plucks his banjo]" - Stewie Griffin in Family Guy, To Live And Die In Dixie
It's hot today.
Had a good weekend. All I did was get caught up on TiVo, play video games, watched TV and played more video games. The neighbor and his kids brought their Xbox over for some system link Halo. They are gluttons for my punishment but they're learning.
Mrs. Lock and I did go out for some lunch at some point and to the drugstore to pick up a stethescope to try and listen to the baby's heart on our own. It doesn't work (trying to hear the baby's heart, not the baby's heart itself). I think the part of the stethescope used to pick up the sound is too wide when we probably need to concentrate on a square inch to focus in on the heart beat. Right now, all we're hearing is Mrs. Lock's lunch pass through her digestive system and who cares about that? Not me.
"Warm one today. Warmer than yesterday. Gonna be even warmer tomorrow. [Plucks his banjo]" - Stewie Griffin in Family Guy, To Live And Die In Dixie
It's hot today.
Had a good weekend. All I did was get caught up on TiVo, play video games, watched TV and played more video games. The neighbor and his kids brought their Xbox over for some system link Halo. They are gluttons for my punishment but they're learning.
Mrs. Lock and I did go out for some lunch at some point and to the drugstore to pick up a stethescope to try and listen to the baby's heart on our own. It doesn't work (trying to hear the baby's heart, not the baby's heart itself). I think the part of the stethescope used to pick up the sound is too wide when we probably need to concentrate on a square inch to focus in on the heart beat. Right now, all we're hearing is Mrs. Lock's lunch pass through her digestive system and who cares about that? Not me.
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