[Musings] General ramblings from a far off land...

I am a terrible blogger. I do not update as much as I should, but I only feel a little bad, I move at my own pace on my own time.

I have been on vacation for the last week. Welcome, blessed vacation. The last truly big vacation Nerdwife and I had been on was our honeymoon. Others have been too short or for very specific reasons (i.e. work, visiting family, etc.). This one was for fun.

San Francisco has been a muse.

San Francisco is like no other city.

San Francisco is dirty, it smells, yet is also clean and refreshing.

The vast diversity of peoples from all parts of the world is simply amazing. From the loud vendors of Chinatown, to beach bums on Stinson Beach. From the ubiquitous homeless to the morbidly wounded pigeons that scratch out livings. The million dollar condos to majestic redwoods, this place is simply awesome.

We have spent the better part of a week (six days) getting to know San Francisco, the touristy sides to those off the beating path. We've witnessed the change in flavor of downtown, the shift from the ebb and flow of daily worklife during the week to the energetic nightlife of Friday nights to the tourist choked swells of the weekend.

We soaked up the sun. Waded in the Pacific Ocean. Looked out of the deck of a fully rigged windjammer. We ate Dim Sum in Chinatown. We touch redwoods. We felt the wind on our faces, the salty tinge to the air. We rejoiced in the liberalism of this great city. Its tolerance of all. We had a quiet dinner in a small town called Fairfax that we happened upon by accident while meandering along and off of Hwy 1. Fairfax, a liberal, progressive, green-eco friendly town. We sipped coffee in Union Square. Supped while overlooking the Bay. Wandered through Wine Country. Ate at a cheesy, kitschy restaurant in Sonoma. Sat and contemplated in the Poetry Room of the City Lights bookstore, where the spirits of Kerouac and Ginsberg still echo. I have sipped Illy espresso in perhaps one of the coolest Internet Cafe's (http://www.goldengateperk.com). We've watched the fog roll in to engulf downtown. We have seen the Sun set on the Bay. Our minds have been altered by SFMOMA.

The salty air and the rolling ocean has been a salve to sooth the wounds of my mind and body. I feel alive.

I have come to understand parts of myself.

[Musings] I wish I was beautiful.

I wish I was beautiful. Ripped and chiseled. Able to wear the hip and trendy clothes. To be able to garner looks (even though I am happily married, it is a self-esteem thing).

Beautiful people have an easier time in life.

When you are not beautiful, you are not noticed.

[Musings] Blog Silent, Blog Deep

Still running in 'stealth' mode. This summer has not turned out like I hoped it would be, not bad, just different. Nerdwife and I have been working very hard to give up the glamorous life of owning two houses. I hope the housing market holds for a few months yet so that we can sell our old house to at least get something out of it.

I know it is silly of me to worry over what I can get out of the sale of a house when there are people everywhere who do not own homes, or even have a place to live out of the elements. I have lived in that house for 11 years, owned it for 10. That house and its needs have consumed parts of me, time, youth, energy, money, emotions.

Am I a bad person for wanting something in return? We had thought about donating the house to charity (if you can even do that), but we still owe money on it, which sinks that idea. I hope someone will want it.

[Musings] "No I am not a social worker."

This conversation happened to me last night on my walk home from work around 20:00. It took place between myself and an older woman sitting on her steps outside her front porch.


Woman: Hello.

Myself: Hi.

Woman: Is your name X (where X = my name)?

Myself (stunned): Yes, my name is X.

Woman: Are you my new social worker?

Myself (still stunned and a little confused): No, I am not in social work, my name is X, but, no I am not a social worker.

Woman: I have a new social worker. His name is X. He looks like you. I thought you were maybe my new social worker.

The conversation ended at this point and I continued my walk home.

[Thing] Bumper Sticker

"What Would Jesus Bomb? (WWJB)"

[Thing] Risk

So on my lunch break I walked by the local 'Games by James' in the Galleria. In it I saw a handful of RISK games that I want to have!

Risk: Star Wars - Clone Wars - execute Order 66
Risk: Lord of the Rings - Destroy Mordor!
Risk: 2250 A.D. - Nukes, giant robots, underwater cities, moon bases...what else do you need?

Other games on my short list:

Warhammer 40k: Battle of Maccragge Starter Kit (Space Marines vs Tyranids) - so I can have pickup games when fellow WH40k nerds visit
Battlefleet Gothic Compendium (see my page for my Battlefleet Gothic group 'The League of Drifting Hulks')
WH 40k: Codex - Tau

[Blog] Damn I suck.

Geez I am terrible at keeping this blog up to date. A lot has happened, but I am suffering from a case of writer's block and exhaustion so I don't feel like posting anything.

[Politics/War] Normspank and the Smoking Gun

This was a fun read. And who might the Senator he was spanking, er speaking to be?... Norm Coleman, senator from my own state of Minnesota.

And, for those who have not read the most important news article in the last month (and possibly year), here it is.

[Movie] Star Wars ep3: Revenge of the Shit...I mean Sith

Overall grade: B+

I still don't forgive you Lucas for ep1 and ep2, but ep3 was a lot better. Darker was better. The acting of Christensen and Portman was still flat, but better than the 'I hate sand' stuff of ep2. But he plays evil better than he does a good-hearted caring individual. Jar-Jar was there but did not speak, which is a bit of a cop-out, you made him a major character, so make him prominent.

Eventhough the acting was a little flat between Portman and Christensen, the others did well. The epic battles were epic. I have to admit, I loved the first 10 minutes, I said to 'Nerdwife', even if the rest of the movie sucks, the first 10 minutes were pure awesome.

Mon Mothma was supposed to be there somewhere, but she wasn't really introduced, which I haven't decided if it was cool or not. The digital rendering of Moff Tarkin was also very good.

[Thing] My damn car

Cars, the necessary evil.

I love to drive, I find it relaxing, but it is wasteful.

I used to love my car, but now it is just a source of frustration that costs $1500 a pop to fix.

Thank god I live in a place where I can walk or take the bus to work.

[CubeZoo] Nearly a year later...

Wow, time has done what time does and flew by. On the 26th, the cubezoo blog will be 1 year old. Damn!

In memory, here is the f1rst post:

---snip---

5-26-2004

[Intro] is blog short for weblog or bitch-log?

So I have decided to delve into the world of blogging. Its strange and new and scary. So bear with me while I start out.

---snip---

I think in a year of blogging I now have the answer as to what blog stands for...

This blog was originally started as a place for me to brain-dump things, for all the world to see, because a few friends suggested that some of my ideas and rants should be made available for public consumption. Over the course of the year I have found it to be very interesting (and fun) to be a pseudo-journalist/editor/critic/writer/ranter/drama queen/liberal guerilla. I decided to open my blog to others (hence the explosive growth of 'team cubeZoo' as I think of them. The Internet(s) have given new power to the indirect communicators, now we too can think our opinions are important and spout them off in a public forum for all the world to ignore.

[Sci-Fi] Low Budget Fun

I've seen a couple of good yet very low budget science fiction films lately, and thought I'd comment. The first is my recent purchase of the DVD of "Primer", the winner of the 2004 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize and the Alfred P. Sloan Sundance award for films about science and technology. This is one of the coolest little indies I've seen in a while. Made for about $7000, it is the first film by Shane Carruth. What's more is it is a baffling puzzler, a HARD Science Fiction film (as opposed to soft scifi, science fantasy, or space opera). Not to mention the most compelling and well-done example of a scifi plotline that has all too often been (ahem) abused and badly wrought so many, many different ways. I won't say what kind of oft used theme lest I spoil the surprise. Worth a rental or even a purchase.

The other is "Star Wars: Revelations",
a low budget fan film taking place in the Star Wars universe. It is a free download and clocks in at about 46 minutes (about a 250 MB download). They even provide links to DVD images and artwork so you can burn your own DVD copy (including a behind-the-scenes making of bonus disc!). Not only was this a truly amazing example to me of what a few dedicated fans can do (and that nerds have a little too much time on our hands), but the characters were more involving than the flat and stiff offerings of the last two 'REAL' Star Wars films by Lucas, and I gotta say, even the effects sequences and chase come off as being more interesting and well executed than what even ILM has come up with, if perhaps a little lower res. And its FREE, so worth the time to download.

I guess this just confirms in my mind that all that is required for good scifi is a vision, some perserverance, a little ingenuity, but not necessarily a whole lot of dough.

[Music] I can't get this song out of my head!

'Metal Heart' by Garbage...ever since I heard it at the concert last Friday.

Here is a link to the lyrics.

[blog] cubezoo

I felt like changing the template's appearance, so I did.

enjoy.

[Poem] Dichotomy Random

Dark

Light

Right

Wrong

Sex

Chaste

Freedom

Oppression

Fear

Courage

End

Start

[Poem] Ode to a cup of Coffee

Coffee

nectar of the gods

that which brings the mind awake and causes the hands to shake

so good in so many ways

espresso, mocha, straight-up, iced

fair-trade

home brewed

caffine, caffine, caffine

sweet bitterness when alone

bitter sweetness when combined

sugar

milk

syrup

other things nice

too much and the mind won't rest

not enough and the pain's a pest

tea is not so much for me (though it is quite nice)

I'd much prefer a cup of coffee.

[Politics] Politics A-go-go

[Begin rant]

MN Constitutional amendment for Gas tax increase. Here's my take, how about you just RAISE THE TAX! Do we seriously need a State constitutional amendment for a tax increase so that you can say in 2006 'I didn't raise taxes.' when in fact you did in the form of fees, amendments, and property taxes (Cities and municipalities have to pay for basic services somehow). Thank you Pawlenty for bankrupting our State. We better hurry though, soon Bush will sign that law that will make it harder to file. Here a hint for you Pawlenty, start figuring out what you are going to do in 2007. Because it will not be as Govenor. MN has a history of not re-electing Govenors who do not take care of business and who stand on the 'No New Taxes' platform. A government casino is not the answer. The answer, sooner or later, whether you like it or not, will be an increase in taxes. The standard of living is slipping, our public education is slipping and our public safety (among others) is slipping because you refuse to raise taxes and pay for services. You are passing the buck, big-time and soon people will figure this out.

[End rant]

Ah, I feel much better now.

Lucas, Star Wars, genre, sadness

On May 19th, the third of six and in all liklihood, final regular episode of the Star Wars film sextet will be released. As a great fan of genre (science fiction and fantasy), I must say I look to this with a certain sad resignation.

What fascinating world George Lucas created in my childhood, I now realize in my adult years that he did so largely by accident. The first Star Wars film, while not novel in any storytelling, was a pure creative icon, and the birth of modern science fiction on film. Taking Campbellian heroes and archetypes, and in turn using them to craft a scifi homage to Kurosawa's films, among other influences, Lucas created the most memorable films of my childhood. The follow-up, Episode V, was perhaps an even better film. Note that this is the film that Lucas had the least role in. Since then, his films have gone downhill. Episode VI was childish in many regards, and pointless in its redemption plotline, due to the lack of (pretty stupid) backstory that would follow in Episodes I and II. George Lucas' idiotic two-dimensional morality, obsession with drag racing, inability to see why his Campbellian 'heroes' are the way they are, the inability to pick a hero in the most recent two films, and a score of other problems has lead to a franchise that is at best damaged goods. David Brin

http://www.davidbrin.com/starwarsarticle1.html
http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/feature/1999/06/15/brin_main/index.html
http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/feature/1999/06/15/brin_side/index.html

has already made some excellent points. When you strip away the almost unbelievable (and sometimes quite unbelievable - see Yoda turbo midget ninja) technical prowess with digital effects in the most recent spate of films, you end up with films not many levels beyond B-grade horror, bad sweaty epics, or even Plan 9 from Outer Space. The characters are flat, unnuanced, flawed, yet take the roles of redeemable demigods. I can look back to The Phantom Menace and the only thing I found compelling was the skill with which (Scotsman Martial Arts Expert) Ray Park [aka Darth Maul] could move. The difference in disappointment between the Star Wars films and, say, The Matrix, was that the coolness of ANH and ESB had almsot twenty years to gel in my head, whereas the Matrix produced one great film, one bad film, and one film I have refused to see since I heard it was even worse than film two.

This brings me to some of the problems of science fiction in general. There seems to be a certain opinion that you can forgo plot, characters, and all the things that make up drama, and in their place put CGI porn. George Lucas' legacy may end up being ILM more than any film he made. There have been scores of uncompelling science fiction worlds on film, and reliance on computer rendered explosions to draw audiences is a major reason why. The best science fiction has been niche in recent years. I'll leave my 'sad resignation' over Star Trek for another day.

Having watched the trailer, I have no doubt that Episode III will be much of the same. Flat acting, CGI candy, and a whole lot of story to get through with a director who seems not up to the task. At least it is nice to see Christopher Lee getting some work.

So, do I go?

Yeah, as much as I don't want to enable George Lucas and Fox with my $9, I need some closure (not something I usually desire). If it is the final nail in the coffin of my rosier memories of Luke and Han (shoots first!) and Leia, then so be it.

Oh, and please note that "Serenity", likely to be a far better scifi film out Septmeber 30, was supposed to be out around the same time and moved its release because of not wanting to compete with Lucas' overblown gasbag franchise finale. Perhaps there is a future for science fiction, one that has compelling flawed heroes and good storytelling. But it is not likely to be Star Wars, and perhaps that is a lesson to learn from this.

[Conversation] Overhead at Peace Park Plaza, Rochester MN

Subjects: two males, approximately 18 years of age, of the 'jock' phenotype

Subjects were monitored from a distance of approximately 3m while waiting for a street light to change. Subjects were sitting on a bench loudly discussing a topic. Conversation lasted approximately 30 seconds. Cryptographic analysis of the conversation has only been partially successful in decoding the contents of the conversation.

Transcript of conversation:

Jock 1 (Subject A): "Fuck this fucking sucks! Fuck this fucking thing...I mean fuck!"

Jock 2 (Subject B): "Yeah, no shit dude, no shit."

Jock 1 (Subject A): "Fuck these fucking things, I mean what the fuck?"

Jock 2 (Subject B): "Yep, no shit dude."


Cryptographic Analysis:

Jock 1 (Subject A): "So you see, I think what Shakespeare was trying to do with 'MacBeth' was more trancendental than what is implied in the text."

Jock 2 (Subject B): "I see your point good chap. A very astute observation."

Jock 1 (Subject A): "Quite."

Jock 2 (Subject B): "Word."

[Questionable Medical Device] BIOpro Cell Chip

from (http://www.mybiopro.com/BioProTemplate.aspx?ItemID=667&ID=awengrove)

BIOPRO Cell Chip

Electromagnetic field (EMF) waves negatively affect the human brain and body. Commands transmitted from the brain are executed incorrectly, and tests show that EMF waves radiated by cell phone can even damage DNA! These results are just the beginning, but with the BIOPRO Cell Chip you finally have a way to protect yourself!

• Ground-breaking invention after 20 years of research
• Developed by German Scientist
• Backed by research study from Research Institute for Vital Energetics Germany
• Based on modern physics' guiding principle of energy and information
• Reprograms transversal and longitudinal waves of Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from cell-phones
• Measurably neutralizes the negative effects of EMFs from cell-phones on bio-energetic field of the human body
• Information permanently stored inside the BIOPRO Chip system, plus the energy of light guarantee flawless and indefinite operation
• No maintenance necessary – EVER!

As an ex-physics major, I find this hilarious. My favorite part is 'Information permanently stored inside the BIOPRO Chip system, plus the energy of light guarantees flawless and indefinite operation'. It's a sticker, it doesn't do anything. The disclaimer says it all:

"These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. The products and/or technologies listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."

Back before it closed I went to the 'Musuem of Questionable Medical Devices' where it had on display many, many medical inventions that either didn't work or were harmful to you. Such things as 'Brain Tonic' (irradiated water) and the 'Fat Snapper' (basically a charcoal grill igniter).

Too bad it is no longer open, this would need to be on display there.