Thursday, December 22, 2005

I wanna run...I want to hide...


bono edge, originally uploaded by yojayy.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

'Watchmen' on Duty at Warner Bros.

(Hollywood Reporter) – “Watchmen," the seminal DC Comics limited series created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, has found a home at Warner Bros. Pictures. The project has landed at the studio with original producers Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin – but not with screenwriter David Hayter and director Paul Greengrass, who were with the project when it was let go from Paramount in June. The develop-ment of the movie has turned out to be almost as epic as the story the comic tells. Hollywood had for years been trying to bring the 1986 comic book series to the big screen. Joel Silver brought the project, which remains the only wholly owned DC Comics property to have ever left the fold, to Larry Gordon when the latter was based at Fox, where Terry Gilliam was developing a Sam Hamm-penned script back in 1989. "Watchmen" first landed at a studio in 2001, when it was set up at Universal with Hayter on board to adapt and Gordon, who holds the rights, producing.


I can only hope that this movie gets better treatment than Fantastic 4. What a disaster that was.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Lunacore Photoshop Tutorial - Beautify a Face (part 1/7)

This tutorial will show you how to beautify a face. The corrections that we're going to do will make the face look different, but at the same time we avoid to make the results look unnatural. Of course, the face we're going to work on is not going to look the same when we're done, but we will only make necessary and subtle changes. We will fix skin, remove blemishes and wrinkles, whiten and fix teeth, fix hair, fix eyebrows, increase definition in the eyes and crop and sharpen the image in the final steps.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

Malawi road


Malawi road, originally uploaded by Koffiemetkoek.

From flickr.com

20051210 Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA 055

From flickr.com

Friday, December 16, 2005

Ron Jon Gets Go-Ahead

PORT CANAVERAL (Florida Today) – Although they expressed reservations about the project, Canaveral Port Authority commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to begin negotiating with Ron Jon Surf Shop to build a theme-park-like hotel and resort at the port. The commissioners said they are opposed to giving Ron Jon control of Jetty Park – a campground, fishing spot and beach at the port's shipping entrance on the Atlantic Ocean. "It's important to point out that not everybody agrees with their proposal in its entirety," said Commissioner Ralph Kennedy. The hotel and resort – called Ron Jon World – would be built on a 26-acre Port Authority site on the Banana River, but Ron Jon wants to shuttle visitors to Jetty Park as an extra attraction. At an estimated cost of $147 million, the Ron Jon World proposal calls for a 400-room hotel with a high-rise tower and a five-story wing, a 20,000-square-foot conference center, a 72,000-square-foot store, a water and surf park, an exhibition hall, and an 1,800-car parking garage, among other features. The complex is projected to draw 700,000 visitors or more a year, with $135 million a year in direct spending.

  • The commissioners and others said they would like to see a larger conference center than the 20,000-square-foot facility that Ron Jon has proposed at the Banana River site.
  • In addition, Commissioner Chairman Ray Sharkey expressed concerns about the design of the proposed resort's surfboard-shaped hotel on the river – calling it a "200-foot monument to Ron Jon." He said it would look like "a big billboard," and suggested the company "tone down" the design, and get a major hotel company involved in the project.
  • Port Authority Chief Executive Officer Stan Payne said the authority will approach the negotiations with Ron Jon from the standpoint that "I would like the port to operate Jetty Park, and have Ron Jon enhance our operation of Jetty Park."
  • Ron Jon President Ed Moriarty responded that Jetty Park "is not going to be a Ron Jon park." He said the company would like to see the park's landscaping and campground facilities upgraded, as well as no longer charging admission at the park. In addition, Moriarty said the company found that a conference center larger than 20,000 square feet would not be "economically viable," although enlarging it some time in the future might be possible.

Cocoa Beach-based Ron Jon has been a major player in Brevard County's tourism industry for years, with its flagship store in Cocoa Beach. However, the Cocoa Beach store would close and a larger Ron Jon store would be part of the port resort at the port. In voting to pursue Ron Jon's plan, commissioners accepted the recommendation of Port Authority administrators, who selected Ron Jon over a competing proposal by Merritt Island-based Sheraton Group. Sheraton proposed a 370-room hotel with some units for extended stays, a 60,000-square-foot convention center, and an aquatic facility for sea life, among other features.

Dear Britney - What Happened?

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Showcasing thesuperficial.com's comments

15. Posted by Horatio on December 12, 2005 12:33 PM
I agree that Sean Penn's defense of Jude Law was both totally pathetic and totally awesome. And by totally awesome I mean totally pathetic. The bastard has no sense of humor. Example: he was not amused when I tried to steal his coke the other day.

Monday, December 12, 2005

How Bob Iger Saved Network TV

Here is an excerpt from Mark Cuban's weblog. I say follow the money, and if he is spending his time here, then maybe we should too.

On the ITunes Store, you can buy the latest episode to Lost and some other shows the day after they air on Network TV. in this case ABC, for $1.99. Sounds simple and reasonable. Not anything earth shattering right ?

Content has been available for download for years and years. That content could be played on any number of devices, from computers to DVD players to PDAs. Being able to playback a video from the new Video Ipod just like you can play a song from a current IPod, certainly is not a technical marvel.

It is a business marvel. Bob Iger has gone contrary to what every current and previous TV network head has and would have done had Bob not turned the industry on its head with his announcement with Apple yesterday. Bob Iger has saved Network TV.

How ?

By completely changing the economic model.

...

Friday, December 09, 2005

Best Action Figure Ever?



Exactly why he comes with an AK-47, he only knows.

Scenic Views


scenic views, originally uploaded by yojayy.

This is the best way to sell a townhome for $260,990

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Top 100 Nightclubs and Bars Selected by Nightclub & Bar Magazine

OXFORD, Miss. (PRNewswire) – Oxford Publishing Inc., publisher of national trade magazine Nightclub & Bar, has named its Editors' Top 100 bars and clubs in the United States, which will be honored in a spe-cial presentation at the Nightclub & Bar/Beverage Retailer Beverage and Food Convention & Trade Show ("The Show") in Las Vegas, held March 5-8, 2006. Nightclubs and bars from all over the United States were chosen based on a number of criteria, including annual revenues, marketing and advertising effec-tiveness, promotional expertise, uniqueness to market, food and beverage programs and much more. The following bars and clubs, listed in alphabetical order, made the Editors' Top 100. The city designated in parentheses for each is the city in which it is located, or, if the concept has multiple locations, the city of its first location.


1. 115 Bourbon Street Pub (Chicago)
2. 32 Degrees (Philadelphia)
3. AJ's (Destin, FL)
4. Ampersand (New Orleans)
5. Ava Lounge (New York)
6. Aria (Boston)
7. Avalon and Spider Club (LA)
8. Beach Bar at the W Hotel (San Diego)
9. B.E.D. (Miami)
10. Billy Bob's Texas (Fort Worth, TX)
11. Blue Martini (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
12. Cabo Wabo Cantina (Lake Tahoe)
13. Caramel Bar and Lounge (Las Vegas)
14. Carlos & Charlie's (Lake Travis, TX)
15. Carousel Bar (New Orleans)
16. Casbah (Atlantic City, NJ)
17. Chilkoot Charlies's (Anchorage)
18. Club Chameleon (Las Vegas)
19. Club Deep (Miami)
20. Coyote Ugly (New York)
21. Crobar (New York)
22. Dave & Buster's (Dallas)
23. Denim (Philadelphia)
24. Dream (Washington, DC)
25. e4 (Scottsdale, AZ)
26. Eight 75 (Biloxi, MS)
27. Elements, the Lounge (Sea Bright, NJ)
28. Eleven50 (Atlanta)
29. ESPN Zone (Baltimore)
30. Elysium (Detroit)
31. Excalibur (Chicago)
32. Fado Irish Pub (Atlanta)
33. First Avenue (Minneapolis)
34. Flatiron Lounge (New York)
35. Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce (Hollywood / Vegas)
36. Fox Sports Grill (Scottsdale, AZ)
37. Vicci (Austin, Texas)
38. Galapagos (Brooklyn, NY)
39. ghostbar (Las Vegas)
40. Green Parrot (Key West, FL)
41. Good Hurt (Los Angeles)
42. Ground Zero Blues Club (Clarksdale, MS)
43. House of Blues (New Orleans)
44. ICE (Las Vegas)
45. Jillian's (Dallas)
46. Jimmy'z At The Forge (Miami)
47. Kahunaville (Wilmington, DE)
48. Key Club (Hollywood, CA)
49. Le Passage (Chicago)
50. Light (Las Vegas)
51. Long Street (Columbus, OH)
52. Lotus (New York)
53. Mango's Tropical Cafe (Miami)
54. Marquee (New York)
55. Medusa (Seattle)
56. Mercy Wine Bar (Addison, TX)
57. Midnight Rodeo (San Antonio)
58. Mickey's Hangover (Scottsdale, AZ)
59. Mynt (Miami)
60. Mie N Yu (Washington, DC)
61. Nikki Beach (Miami)
62. Ocean Club (Honolulu)
63. Pangea/The Gryphon (Hollywood, FL)
64. Pat O'Brien's (New Orleans)
65. Prey (Los Angeles)
66. Pure (Las Vegas)
67. Pin-Up Bowl (St. Louis, MO)
68. Purple Moon (Flint, MI)
69. Rain in the Desert (Las Vegas)
70. Remote Lounge (New York)
71. Rise (Denver)
72. RockStar (soon to be renamed) (Destin, FL)
73. rumjungle (Las Vegas)
74. Senses (Memphis)
75. Sharkeez (Huntington Beach, CA)
76. Shelter (Los Angeles)
77. Sherlock's Baker Street Pub (Houston)
78. Six (Scottsdale, AZ)
79. Sloppy Joe's (Key West)
80. Studio 54 (Las Vegas)
81. Tabu Ultra Lounge (Las Vegas)
82. The Abbey (West Hollywood, CA)
83. the bosco (Ferndale, MI)
84. The Crocodile Cafe (Seattle)
85. The Dresden Room (Los Angeles)
86. The Funky Buddha Lounge (Chicago)
87. The Greene Turtle (Ocean City, MD)
88. The Library Bar & Grill (Tempe, AZ)
89. The New Crown & Anchor (Provincetown, MA)
90. The Ranch (Midland, Texas)
91. The Viper Room (Los Angeles)
92. Tipitina's (New Orleans)
93. Tobacco Road (Miami)
94. Tongue & Groove (Atlanta)
95. Tootsie's Orchid Lounge (Nashville)
96. Top of the Mark (San Francisco)
97. Vine Street Lounge (Los Angeles)
98. Whiskey Blue (Los Angeles)
99. World Bar (New York)
100. XYZ (Los Angeles)

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Rubik's Professor


I got one of these yesterday from a friend for Christmas. Wow is it hard.

Riders have gone


Riders have gone, originally uploaded by Maxresolution.

This is a cool photo from flickr.com.

Our Lady


Our Lady, originally uploaded by dbgp.

Skagit County Tulip Festival (Washington State, USA)

Biff-Bang Stamps

(NY Times) – Batman, Superman and other DC Comics characters will be featured on commemorative stamps from the United States Postal Service next year. The series of 20 stamps, which will be issued next summer, will salute 10 costumed heroes. Half the stamps will feature portraits of the characters, including Aquaman, Hawkman and Wonder Woman. The other 10 are to showcase classic and modern comic book covers, the post office announced. Other commemorative stamps scheduled for next year include "Favorite Children's Books Animals," "Art of Disney: Romance" and "Baseball Sluggers."

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Why?

Yahoo! Avatars

Man charged with hiding body of lottery winner's granddaughter

I've highlighted in red everything you need to know about this story.


WINFIELD, West Virginia (AP) -- The body of a Powerball jackpot winner's 17-year-old granddaughter was hidden under a van for weeks after she died of a drug overdose, police said.

The teen's boyfriend, Brandon Crosier, 19, was charged Thursday with unlawful disposal of a body and with two unrelated felony drug charges.

Brandi Bragg died December 5, 2004, of a drug overdose in the home of Steve Crosier, Brandon Crosier's father. Her death came two years after her grandfather, Jack Whittaker, won nearly $315 million in the Powerball lottery -- the largest single jackpot in history.

Brandon Crosier found Bragg dead, then wrapped her in a tarp and blanket, took her body outside and hid it under a broken-down van in his family's front yard, state police said.

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Thursday, December 01, 2005

Downloading for Dollars

(Slate) – Once upon a time, the movie business was about making movies. Nowadays, it is about creating intellectual property that can be licensed in a raft of different markets. The Hollywood studios still make movies, of course, but by 2005, only 14.2 percent of their revenues came from movie ticket sales, while 85.8 percent came from licensing or selling their products for use in the home. Until 2005, the studio's principal access to the home market came through pay TV, free television, video rentals, and DVD sales. But now, with products such as Apple's video iPod and TiVo-type digital recorders becoming widely avail-able, Hollywood is inching toward an even more lucrative way of exploiting the home market.

? Disney's ABC network has already made a deal with Apple that will allow iPod users to download and watch shows, such as Desperate Housewives, for $1.99 an episode. The company has also been talking to Comcast about a similar pay-per-view arrangement for Comcast's 23 million cable sub-scribers.
? CBS, which is still controlled by Sumner Redstone, and NBC, a subsidiary of NBC Universal, have announced plans to release their programs for 99 cents a viewing whenever a customer wants to see them, through linkups with cable and satellite providers.
? Meanwhile, the satellite giant DirecTV, which Rupert Murdoch controls, is in the process of equipping its 12 million subscribers with TiVo-like digital video recorders that have extra storage capacity for eight hours or so of programming.
? Fox, which Murdoch also owns, can then download its shows onto an encoded section of subscribers' hard disks, which they can pay to view.

This downloading strategy is particularly appealing to the broadcast networks. Under long-standing FCC regulations, they have the right to negotiate with cable operators about carrying their programming. But, the broadcast networks rarely receive cash payment – instead they are compensated with such things as free ad time. Cable networks, such as ESPN, who are under no such mandate, get paid a hefty "carriage fee" for allowing cable operators to show their programs. A cost of 99 cents a pop is hardly trivial when multiplied by an audience of 23 million subscribers. The studios stand to gain even more from a huge au-dience willing to pay to download movies from their libraries. Unlike DVDs, which require manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, and disposing of returns, it costs almost nothing to download a movie or car-toon. Indeed, all the costs of transmission would be born by the cable operator (or a site like the Apple Music Store), whose cut would be less, under present arrangements, than retailers get on DVDs. The real issue for the Hollywood studios is how they can dig into this potential gold mine without undermining their existing revenue streams. Since the 1980s, the studios have managed their revenue by employing a sys-tem of "windows" to release their products to different markets. First, movies play in theaters, then, six months later, the video window opens, followed by the opening of the pay TV and then free television window. With the possibility of costlessly providing millions of downloads to consumers of both their older and new films, the studio heads are openly discussing radically revamping the window system. Holly-wood's downloading option, by whatever device it may be realized, is just one more part of the transfor-mation of movies from a big- to a small-screen experience and from a theatrical to a home – or even mo-bile – product.

'A Charlie Brown Christmas' Leads TV Pack

LOS ANGELES (USA Today) – Good grief, network executives said when they first saw Charles Schulz's A Charlie Brown Christmas. "They thought it was too slow," executive producer Lee Mendelson recalls being told by the powers-that-were at CBS in 1965. But the special was an instant hit with critics and au-diences. Forty years later, its ruminations on the spirit of Christmas, backed by a lilting jazz score by Vince Guaraldi, remain fresh and affecting. A Charlie Brown Christmas airs 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, on ABC. It's paired with Charlie Brown Christmas Tales, based on Schulz's work and featuring each of the Peanuts characters, including Snoopy, in individual vignettes. Among the other old favorites and new-comers marking the holiday season (all times ET, check local listings for PBS programs):

Animation
? Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, CBS. A shy reindeer battles the Abominable Snowmonster and finds that his vibrantly colored nose makes him a hero, not a misfit, when Santa Claus needs a guiding light.
? The Happy Elf, 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, NBC. Harry Connick lends his voice and original songs to the story of Eubie the elf, who must rescue the unhappy town of Bluesville.
? Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, ABC. Fred Astaire was the narrator for this 1970 tale about how Kris Kringle (Mickey Rooney) overcomes a ban on toys in his native Sombertown and ends up becoming Santa Claus.
? I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown! 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, ABC. Rerun, younger brother of Linus and Lucy, gets more than he bargained for when Snoopy the beagle invites his brother, Spike, for a visit.
? Rugrats Chanukah Special, 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, Nickelodeon. Grandpa Boris and his old rival, Shlomo, perform in a play about the holiday's meaning and, with the help of the babies, find a way to reconcile.
? Frosty the Snowman, 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, CBS. Jimmy Durante narrated the tale of the brave snowman pursued by evil Professor Hinkle on a mission to rescue the North Pole. Followed at 8:30 p.m. by Frosty Returns, narrated by Jonathan Winters.
? A Rugrats Kwanzaa, 8:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 26, Nickelodeon. When Aunt T. arrives to celebrate the Kwanzaa holiday with the Carmichaels, little Susie learns what it means to honor "the legacy of our great people."
? Arthur's Perfect Christmas, 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24, PBS. Elwood City is abuzz with plans for the perfect holiday, whether Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, but everything doesn't go as planned for Arthur, D.W. and their family and friends.
? Chanukah Stories, airing on PBS stations in December (check local listings). Two children's books, The Tie Man's Miracle and Moishe's Miracle, were adapted for this special, featuring Jami Gertz and Bob Saget.

Movies
? Holiday Inn, 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, AMC. Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire star as two showmen whose New England country inn, open only on national holidays, becomes a success.
? Recipe for a Perfect Christmas, 9 p.m., Monday, Dec. 5, Lifetime Television. Bobby Cannavale, Christine Baranski and Carly Pope star in a romantic comedy about a fledgling food critic whose scheme involving her mom and a restaurant owner doesn't go according to plan.
? It's a Wonderful Life, 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24, NBC. Frank Capra's classic 1946 fantasy about troubled George Bailey (James Stewart) and his enlightening an-gel,Clarence (Henry Travers).
? Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, ABC. Jim Carrey stars as the unpopular Grinch in the film based on the Dr. Seuss book.
? The Santa Clause, 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, ABC. Tim Allen stars as a man who becomes the unwilling successor to Santa Claus and has to quickly learn the ropes.
? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, NBC. Life on the road isn't easy for Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and family, but at least his Christmas bonus is coming.
? Christmas Lights, 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 23, BBC America. Two lifelong friends – and rivals – become locked in a holiday house decoration contest that gets out of control and ultimately forces them to re-flect on what really counts.
? I'll Be Home for Christmas, 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24, ABC. College student Jake (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) is on a homeward holiday trek, determined to win back his girlfriend and get a '57 Porsche, to boot.
? Finding John Christmas, 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 25, CBS. Valerie Bertinelli, Peter Falk, David Cubitt and William Russ star in the tale of a woman whose search for her long-missing brother brings her together with a newspaper photographer and a helpful angel.

Stocking Stuffers
? Christmas in Rockefeller Center, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, NBC. A celebration of the lighting of the famous New York tree, with music by Rod Stewart, Sheryl Crow, Carrie Underwood, Brian Wil-son, the Brian Setzer Orchestra and Earth, Wind & Fire.
? Entertainment Weekly's Best Holiday Movies, 10:15 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, AMC. Actor French Stewart hosts this rundown of yuletide movie favorites.
? Creative Juice for the Holidays, 10 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, DIY Network. Hosts Cathie Filian and Steve Piacenza demonstrate affordable holiday craft projects, including turning foam snowballs into snowmen and tomato wire cages into Christmas trees.
? The White House Christmas 2005, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, HGTV. The special, with host Gail O'Neill, takes viewers into the holiday planning process for the White House and includes first lady Laura Bush's discussion of her choice for this year's theme.
? Christmas in Washington, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14, TNT. Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood and Ciara will perform at the annual event attended by the president, first lady and other prominent Wash-ingtonians. Phil McGraw (Dr. Phil ) and his wife, Robin, are the hosts.
? LA Holiday Celebration, 10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, PBS. A multicultural program of music and dance with performers of African, Asian, European, Middle Eastern and Hispanic backgrounds mark-ing the season. Elayne Boosler hosts.
? A Home for the Holidays, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, CBS. George Lopez and Jamie Lee Curtis are among those featured in this annual effort to spotlight the issue of adoption.
? Renee Fleming: Sacred Songs and Carols, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, PBS. In this Great Per-formances program recorded at Germany's Mainz Cathedral, the opera singer is backed by an or-chestra and full choir.
? Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, and 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24, PBS. Audra McDonald and Peter Graves take part in a concert that includes African-American spirituals and contemporary favorites.
? A St. Olaf Christmas in Norway, 10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, PBS. The choir of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., joins with a Norwegian girls' choir and mezzo Randi Stene in a program taped at Tronheim's Nidaros Cathedral.
? Christmas at Belmont, 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 22, and Sunday, Dec. 25, PBS (check local listings). Country singer Josh Turner, a Belmont University alumnus, is set to perform at the school's annual concert Hall, as are students, faculty and the Nashville Children's Choir.
? Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade, 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 25, ABC. Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa host the 22nd annual telecast of the resort's parade, with guests including Vanessa Williams, Julie Andrews, Tiger Woods, Fantasia and Hayden Christensen.
? Live from Lincoln Center, 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, PBS. The New York Philharmonic presents its annual New Year's Eve gala, featuring a program of Italian opera with soprano Angela Gheorghiu.
? Tournament of Roses Parade, 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 2, NBC. The 117th edition of the Pasadena parade includes performances by LeAnn Rimes, Toni Braxton and magician Lance Burton, along with the flower-bedecked floats, parade royalty and many horses.

Auld Lang Syne
? New Year's Eve with Carson Daly, 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, NBC. Daly rings in 2006 from New York City's Times Square.
? Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve 2006, 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, ABC. Ryan Seacrest joins Clark in hosting the celebration in Times Square.
? New Year's Eve Live, 11 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, Fox. Regis Philbin is the host for these Times Square festivities, including music, celebrities and a look back at the events of 2005.

Monday, November 21, 2005

WATCHMEN was one of my favorite comics

Watchmen is a dark, cynical story of a group of ex-superheroes drawn into a complex web of deception and conspiracy after one of their former colleagues is murdered. Events that occur in the present (or near future) are interspersed with flashbacks to the past that paint these “heroes” in a quite negative light. The comic, a self-contained 12-issue series by Alan Moore and David Gibbons, was one of the seminal comics of the 1980s reinvention of the superhero genre and is widely regarded as one of the best comic stories of all time.

As early as 1989, plans were being made to bring the Watchmen to the big screen, with Terry Gilliam directing. However, this attempt got no further than the script stage and it was in and out of development hell for a decade after that.

The problem is that, unlike Batman, Spider-Man and the X-Men; to make a film of Watchmen involves adapting the story told in the comic itself. For other comic franchises, scriptwriters have the luxury of picking and choosing characters, themes and plots from several hundreds of issues. They are then free to create their own story using these elements but without the need to adapt a specific issue or issues.

The Watchmen movie will be an adaptation of an existing 12-issue story. It is a long, complex story, told simultaneously in two different time periods, with a fairly large central cast, featuring adult themes. As many people who have tried to get the movie made have found out, it will be very difficult to adapt and very expensive to make. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that the darker, more cerebral and more noirish take on superheroics will struggle to get a PG-13 rating and the Watchmen themselves lack the name recognition of guys like Spiderman and Batman.

David Hayter will be responsible for the difficult job of adapting the comics, something with which he at least has some experience, as he was a writer on both of the X-Men films. Currently, Hayter’s biggest claim to fame is being one of the most recognizable voices in video games, such as the voice of Snake in the popular Metal Gear Solid games and the guy who informs us that “It’s in the game” at the beginning of every EA Sports release.

Despite all these obstacles and potential pitfalls the quality of the source material is not in question and there is the potential for a good film at the end of it all. Assuming all goes according to plan, Watchmen is rumoured to start shooting in Prague later in 2004. As a huge fan of Alan Moore, I can only hope this adaptation fares better than previous Moore adaptations From Hell and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (both also filmed in Prague), which were both considered commercial and critical failures. (Ash Wakeman/BOP)

April 21, 2004
In an interview with Ain't It Cool News, screenwriter David Hayter said that Pi/Requiem for a Dream director Darren Aronofsky will be helming this project. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

June 6, 2005
The studio put the project in turnaround, meaning that it will not be made unless another studio happens to pick up the rights. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

Children Wait By the Phone for Santa to Call

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (PRNewswire) – After decades of long lines with crabby children at a crowded mall, parents are finally being offered an alternative to the traditional visit with Santa Claus. Christmas websites like SantaSpeaking.com are offering parents and children a much needed, more convenient, Santa experience – live, highly personalized, phone calls from the big man himself. Children can chat away with Santa in the comfort of their own home, and be delighted by all of the details that Santa knows about them – information the parent provides when they order online. Santa now actually knows if they have been naughty or nice, right down to the details. The phone calls from Santa may be proving to become the new Santa tradition globally as the International Council of Shopping Centers reports that from 2001 to 2003, children visiting Santa at the mall fell 41%. And with the rising popularity of the Internet over the last decade, children are searching for Santa online throughout the holiday season, beginning in early October.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Bubble or not, high home prices can hurt 5/5/2005

By Sue Kirchhoff, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Pamela Harness has never seen the market this hot.

This house in a Baltimore suburb sold for $230,000 in 1987; $665,000 in 2005.
By Tim Dillon, USA TODAY

The Phoenix-area real estate agent's clients include a couple who made a $150,000 profit by reselling a house they held for just six months, an investor who paid more than $300,000 for a home he plans to put back on the market by year's end, and buyers facing months-long waiting lists at area home builders — if they can even get on a list. (Related graphic: Housing prices increase across the USA)

"The market here is just absolutely nuts," says Harness at West USA Realty in Chandler, Ariz. "I get investors calling; they want to buy a home. I tell them they're a day late and a dollar short at this point."

This was supposed to be the year the housing sector, which has expanded at a record-setting pace since 1998 (except in 2000), started to cool. Instead, existing-home prices rose in March at the fastest pace in two decades, and new-home sales hit another peak in the first three months of the year.

The strong housing sector has buoyed the economy and local governments, through construction payrolls, increased property tax revenue and consumer spending tied to high home equity.

But it also has economic downsides. High prices are keeping buyers out of the market, making it harder for firms to attract workers in pricey markets and breeding high consumer debt and speculative buying.

Many economists warn a major swath of the market is at risk of a price correction.

"Home buyers appear to be irrationally exuberant," Jan Hatzius, economist at Goldman Sachs, said in an April report to clients, recalling Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's comment about stock market investors in the 1990s. Hatzius identified frenzied coastal markets, such as Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Washington, Miami and San Francisco, as especially hot.

Prices double in California

Nationally, home prices have jumped an average 50% in the past five years, doubling in California and rising about 80% in Nevada and Hawaii, according to the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO).

In an April USA TODAY poll of 55 top economists, three-fourths called housing overheated, though they differed on whether they expect a gradual cool-down or a sharp drop in sales and prices. Forecasts for a soft landing expect robust job creation to offset the negative effects of the Federal Reserve's interest-rate increases.

Those forecasts were buoyed Friday, when the government's April jobs report showed stronger-than-expected job creation. But other recent data show a somewhat softer economy than forecast, with wages lagging behind inflation.

A few economists warn of a national housing bubble, but most say local housing and job markets vary so much that a countrywide downturn is unlikely. But price reductions in big urban markets could have a broad effect on the economy. That is why there is plenty of concern about signs of speculative buying: the fact that prices are rising faster than rents, when the two usually move more closely in tandem, and price inflation that can't be justified by low rates or supply.

For their part, industry officials are irritated by "sky is falling" predictions. Home builders say the current, elevated level of about 2 million housing starts a year is not enough to meet higher-than-predicted household growth, fueled by immigration. Supply is tight in some areas because it can now take years to get developments approved by zoning authorities.

Further, affluent baby boomers, rather than selling homes as they near retirement, are buying second houses. Investment homes were nearly a quarter of all purchases in 2004, and vacation homes were an additional 13%, says the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Joel Rassman, chief financial officer of luxury home builder Toll Bros., a publicly traded firm based in Pennsylvania, reviews the finances of recent customers every few months to gauge how well the company could weather altered economic conditions, such as an interest-rate surge. At last check, his average buyer could pay at least 38% more.

"I still have so many people overqualified, I should be able to sell houses as long as I've got housing in the right location," Rassman says.

Nationally, an NAR survey shows affordability still in a healthy range. But in a number of cities, soaring prices are pushing not just lower-income workers but middle-class families to the sidelines.

In California, on average, only 18% of the population could afford a median-priced home in March, according to the California Association of Realtors.

That's down 3 percentage points from a year ago. The minimum household income needed for a median-priced home, at $495,400, was $115,910 based on a 5.81% interest rate and 20% down.

In Montgomery County, Md., a suburb of Washington, officials say people making the county median income of $84,446 could still afford median-priced existing town houses and condos but won't be able to in a couple of years if current trends continue. New town houses and existing homes are out of reach.

In Minneapolis, where appreciation is more modest, the non-profit Family Housing Fund says lower-paid employees such as cashiers and child care workers can't afford a typical $189,000 home.

At the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245 in Walnut Creek, Calif., about 30 miles northeast of San Francisco, housing is on the agenda in coming contract talks. Union officials will press for higher pay in cities with stratospheric prices, such as San Francisco. The plan is controversial with union members who have opposed wage differences based on geography, gender or other factors.

IBEW Communications Director Eric Wolfe says there is no choice because high prices are distorting the local economy. Fewer workers want jobs in expensive cities. Experienced workers with seniority rights are claiming openings in cheaper rural locations. Mass migration from pricey areas to affordable ones, dubbed the "salmon run," creates its own problems.

"Like the plague in the Middle Ages, real-estate-price inflation is being spread by the people who are fleeing it," Wolfe wrote recently about the bargaining stance.

Another telling sign

There is another telling sign of consumer stress: the growing use of alternative financing. Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs), which carry interest rates that rise in tandem with market rates after a set period, have been setting records and now account for more than a third of recent home lending, even though rates on 30-year fixed loans remain below 6% — lowest in decades.

In the subprime market — higher-priced loans for consumers with impaired credit — more than 80% of purchase loans are adjustable rate. So-called 2/28 products, in which an interest rate is fixed for two years, then can rise annually or semiannually, is the main subprime-purchase loan, according to David Kogut, a senior economist at mortgage giant Fannie Mae.

Based on past experience, ARMs should have only about 20% of market share, Kogut says. The rise in ARMs shows that borrowers are stretching to buy, because ARMs offer lower interest rates, and therefore lower monthly payments, in the early year or years of a mortgage. At the Web site LendingTree, which connects consumers with lenders, about half the customers in the past six to nine months have opted for adjustable-rate, zero-money-down, interest-only or similar mortgages.

"As rates go up higher and as real estate prices continue to firm, people will look at alternatives, and a bigger percentage of consumers will get into these non-traditional loans," says Anthony Hsieh, president of LendingTree.

The risk of waiting

Potential buyers see warning signs of a speculative market but worry they run a bigger risk if they wait and prices jump still higher. "People have been saying for years now, 'The bubble is going to burst.' It hasn't happened, and my friends who bought three years ago have tripled the value of their property," says Bridger McGaw, 30, seeking a Washington, D.C., condo.

McGaw has lost out on several properties, including one in a bidding war that pushed the cost $70,000 over the $319,000 listing.

Phoenix's Harness and Bob Waldron, a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker in Los Angeles, say buyers trying to break into the market are being hurt by speculators snapping up lower-priced homes that have more appreciation potential.

Home builders are trying to tamp down speculative buying by writing contract clauses allowing them to cancel a sale if an owner does not live in a home or to take a share of the profit if a house is quickly resold.

Home prices don't always go up. In Boston, median home prices fell 6% in the early 1990s, and were down 13% in Worcester, Mass. In New Haven, Conn., prices dropped 21% from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s. Since the late 1990s, prices and volume have moved at a heady pace, lately fueled by Fed interest-rate cuts.

Today, a typical existing home costs 3.5 times a median family income, compared with a longstanding 2.7 ratio, according to Goldman Sachs, which says affordability is still not too bad because interest rates are low. But in hot markets on the coasts, price ratios are near peak levels of 1981 and 1989, which were followed by some sharp corrections. The earlier price-ratio peaks occurred when interest rates were at highs, not lows, however. If the price gains continue, affordability could become the worst ever in those pricey areas within the next year, the firm says.

Prices have not been rising uniformly, however. Prices from late 2003 to late 2004 rose 32% in Nevada, 23% in California and 23% in Washington, D.C., but less than 4% in Indiana and Ohio, according to OFHEO.

"It's like a cake when you open (the oven door), and it sinks in the middle and gets burned around the edges. There really is not a housing bubble in the middle of the country," says David Kelly, chief economist of Putnam Investments.

Mary Kuhlmann, a real estate agent at Woods Bros. in Lincoln, Neb., tells sellers it takes 45 to 60 days to move a home. The average price for a new starter home is $165,000 to $199,000.

"In the last four months, our homes probably have been lingering a little longer. We went through a downtime, unusually," she says, adding spring sales are heating up.

But Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research says the fact that prices haven't risen as fast in parts of the Midwest and South isn't much cause for solace.

"There is an argument there is no national market. Fine. There are regional markets where prices are sufficiently overvalued. ... They are sufficiently large that it affects the national data," says Baker, adding he thought the real estate bubble would have popped by now.

The slowdown that wasn't

For a time late last year, it looked as though the long-predicted slowdown was arriving. Katherine Race Brin, 29, entered the Washington, D.C., market gingerly in November, but she and her husband, Lawrence, ended up getting the first house they went for.

"Our Realtor was saying all these people were talking about how the bubble may be bursting. ... For our house, in a pretty sought-after area, there was only one other bidder, and we only had to pay 1% above what they were asking," says Katherine Race Brin, adding that the sellers got 35% more than they paid for it two years earlier.

Since the first of the year, the local market has heated up, with prices rising 10% to 15%. A friend of Brin's bid on, but didn't get, a house down the block, which went for $100,000 above the asking price.

Existing-home sales and new-home sales both posted large gains in March, with existing-home prices up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis — the biggest gain since 1980. Interest rates, which briefly rose to about 6% for a 30-year fixed mortgage are back to about 5.75%.

The NAR expects existing-home sales to decline about 1.2% this year and new-home sales to slip 2.5%. Prices are expected to rise 7%.

But most say after years of such predictions, who knows?

"In 2004, the market had an adjustment during the last two quarters," says Waldron, the Los Angeles real estate agent. "Then in January, it started all over again. Boom. It's back into multiple offers."

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Ninjas!

Cam'ron gets shot

Rapper Cam'ron was shot and wounded early Sunday morning during a carjacking that went wrong, and was treated at Howard University Hospital. According to his manager, Big Joe, he was stopped at a traffic light around midnight when a man attempted to steal his Lamborghini. When Cam'ron refused to give up the car and tried to drive away, the gunman fired a single shot which went through both of Cam'ron's arms.
'People are foolish if they think I'm going to lose my head and give up anything to anyone just because someone threatens me,' Cam'ron said in a statement. 'I'm doing OK. It takes more than a botched carjacking to keep me down.'
I'm curious as to how the carjacker could be so stupid, though. When a Lamborghini drives by, pretty much everybody within a 100 meter radius is staring at it, so what kind of genius decides that that's the time to make their move and try to steal the damn thing? Maybe these idiots should aim a little lower and go for the Honda Civics parked in an alleyway, leaving the celebrity Lamborghinis to more capable carjackers. Like ninjas. Or really strong monkeys with swords."

Thursday, October 13, 2005

'Wallace and Gromit' Props Ruined in Fire

LONDON (AP) – A day of celebration has turned to ashes for Aardman Animations, the English studio that created animated clay movie stars Wallace and Gromit. Aardman said an early morning fire on Monday gutted its warehouse in this western English city, destroying a priceless archive of props, sets and models. Aardman had just learned that "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," the first full-length adventure for the eccentric inventor and his indomitable dog, had topped the US box office on its opening weekend. The Avon Fire and Rescue service said the roof and three interior walls of the Victorian warehouse collapsed in the blaze, which broke out at about 5:30 a.m. local time. The cause of the fire was being investigated. Sheriff said the warehouse contained sets, props and models from all the company's past productions, from the children's cartoon character "Morph" through the Oscar-winning, anthropomorphic "Creature Comforts" series to the Wallace and Gromit films. Aardman said the sets and props from "Curse of the Were-Rabbit" were not caught in the blaze.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Monday, October 10, 2005

PI poster


PI poster, originally uploaded by yojayy.

It's official.

Waiting... 10/8/2005


group waiting poster, originally uploaded by yojayy.

We all went and we all laughed.

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Waiting... opens 10/7/2005!


Listed at the PI AMC, originally uploaded by yojayy.

Waiting... has finally opened. My line made the final cut. I did not, in fact, name my daughter chlamydia.

Monday, October 03, 2005

Old Mickey & Minnie toy


Accoring to flickr.com, this toy, by Tipp & Co. sold for £11,000

Sunday, October 02, 2005

The dark side of faith - Los Angeles Times

He found that the most religious democracies exhibited substantially higher degrees of social dysfunction than societies with larger percentages of atheists and agnostics. Of the nations studied, the U.S. — which has by far the largest percentage of people who take the Bible literally and express absolute belief in God (and the lowest percentage of atheists and agnostics) — also has by far the highest levels of homicide, abortion, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
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Arguably, Paul's study invites us to conclude that the most serious threat humanity faces today is religious extremism: nonrational, absolutist belief systems that refuse to tolerate difference and dissent.

Friday, September 23, 2005

Bestseller in Mideast: Barbie With a Prayer Mat

DAMASCUS, Syria (NY Times) – In the last year or so, Barbie dolls have all but disappeared from the shelves of many toy stores in the Middle East. In their place, there is Fulla, a dark-eyed doll with, as her creator puts it, "Muslim values." Fulla roughly shares Barbie's size and proportions, but steps out of her shiny pink box wearing a black abaya and matching head scarf. She is named after a type of jasmine that grows in the Levant, and although she has an extensive and beautiful wardrobe (sold separately, of course), Fulla is usually displayed wearing her modest "outdoor fashion." Fulla's creator, NewBoy Design Studio, based in Syria, introduced her in November 2003, and she has quickly become a best seller all over the region. It is nearly impossible to walk into a corner shop in Syria, Egypt, Jordan or Qatar without encountering Fulla breakfast cereal or Fulla chewing gum or seeing little girls pedaling down the street on their Fulla bicycles, all in trademark "Fulla pink." Young girls here are obsessed with Fulla, and conservative parents who would not dream of buying Barbies for their daughters seem happy to pay for a modest doll who has her own tiny prayer rug, in pink felt. Children who want to dress like their dolls can buy a matching, girl-size prayer rug and cotton scarf set, all in pink. Fulla is not the first doll to wear the hijab, a traditional Islamic head covering worn outside the house so a woman's hair cannot be seen by men outside her family.

Fawaz Abidin, the Fulla brand manager for NewBoy, said NewBoy understands the Arab market in a way that its competitors have not. "This isn't just about putting the hijab on a Barbie doll," Mr. Abidin said. "You have to create a character that parents and children will want to relate to. Our advertising is full of positive messages about Fulla's character. She's honest, loving, and caring, and she respects her father and mother." Though Fulla will never have a boyfriend doll like Barbie's Ken, Mr. Abidin said, a Doctor Fulla and a Teacher Fulla will be introduced soon. "These are two respected careers for women that we would like to encourage small girls to follow," he said. On the children's satellite channels popular in the Arab world, Fulla advertising is incessant. In a series of animated commercials, a sweetly high-pitched voice sings the Fulla song in Arabic as a cartoon Fulla glides across the screen, saying her prayers as the sun rises, baking a cake to surprise her friend, or reading a book at bedtime. Young Syrian actresses also present Fulla silverware, Fulla stationery, Fulla luggage and, of course, new accessories for Fulla herself. In Damascus, a Fulla doll sells for about $16, in a country where average per capita income hovers around $100 per month. And yet, Fulla flies off the shelves. Fatima Ghayeh, who at 15 is a few years past playing with dolls herself, said she felt "sad that no one plays with Barbie anymore." But, pressed for further explanation, Ms. Ghayeh appeared to change her mind. "My friends and I loved Barbie more than anything," she said. "But maybe it's good that girls have Fulla now. If the girls put scarves on their dolls when they're young, it might make it easier when their time comes. Sometimes it is difficult for girls to put on the hijab. They feel it is the end of childhood." But Jyza Sybai , a lanky, tomboyish Saudi 10-year-old, visiting Syria with her family for a short vacation, disagreed. "All my friends have Fulla now, but I still like Barbie the best," Jyza said. "She has blond hair and cool clothes. Every single girl in Saudi looks like Fulla, with the dark hair and the black scarf. What's so special about that?"

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Fla. car theft suspects return to scene to gas up

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PENSACOLA, Fla. - If you're going to steal a gas station employee's car, don't come back an hour later to get a fill-up.

Investigators say that bit of logic escaped Artemio Castillo and Ernesto Garcia, who were arrested Tuesday night near the Parade gas station.

Employee Pam Pease, 49, was sweeping the parking area when she noticed a familiar car pull up to pump No. 7.

It was her blue 1994 Ford Escort with a missing hubcap. She had reported it stolen less than an hour earlier.

"It just blew my mind, but there they were," Pease said. "I'm glad it was low on gas."

Another attendant, Vince Nguyen, recognized suspects Castillo, 49, and Garcia, 41, both without known addresses, as the men who had asked him for a ride to Mississippi as he arrived at work shortly before Pease noticed her car was missing.

Nguyen asked the men in Spanish why they had returned and they replied that they needed gas, Pease said. He shut off the engine and offered the men water while other employees called 911.

The suspects fled on foot and Nguyen followed them through a back alley, Pease said. Two Escambia County sheriff's deputies and a police dog then took up the chase, catching one suspect in some brush and another across the street from the station.

The suspects remained today at the county jail on grand theft auto and resisting arrest charges. Bond was set at $7,500 for each. Jail records did not indicate whether they had lawyers and interviews are prohibited. The public defender's office does not comment on pending cases.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Dane Cook pimps Waiting...

URL: Dane Cook just Bloggin' Away!
By Dane Cook
Hi fans of blogs and of the information superhighway. Dane Cook here. I play Floyd. Floyd is one of the cooks working in the kitchen at Shenanigan's restaurant. And he likes to mess with peoples heads. He's a real charmer though and when he's not working there he helps kids at a camp nearby. This is not in the movie and is never indicated but I know its true.He also drives a one of a kind Ferrari prototype that was given to him by a dying uncle who was owed a favor by a guy he knew that worked at Ferrari. Again this is NOT a scene in the film but I allude to it in the way I serve up food orders. It's all in the acting. The subtle moments that make you think ... "hmmm I bet this guy has a one of a kind automobile and ... I don't know .... helps children in need when he's not working." I also want to say to anyone in high school that was a jerk to me I forgive you. It's easy to do that because I'm in this movie.Dane Cookwww.DANECOOK.com

Piano


Piano, originally uploaded by yojayy.

I took this photo with a 6 second exposure in the dark in the middle of the night. I think it came out ok.

Friday, September 16, 2005

Pasteurization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Milk Pasteurization

Pasteurization is typically associated with milk, first suggested by Franz von Soxhlet in 1886. There are two widely used methods to pasteurize milk: high temperature/short time (HTST), and ultra-high temperature (UHT). HTST is by far the most common method. Milk simply labelled "pasteurized" is usually treated with the HTST method, whereas milk labelled "ultra-pasteurized" must be treated with the UHT method. HTST involves holding the milk at a temperature of 161.5 degrees Fahrenheit (or 72 degrees Celsius) for at least 15 seconds. UHT involves holding the milk at a temperature of 280 °F or 138 °C for at least two seconds.

Trimobius Disney Cabinet Original post

Originally, I formed the FDC (Future Disney Cabinet) as a loose online gag to see what kind of support I could get if I planned a mock Disney coup back in 1993. I later used this as the foundation for this bizarre mockery of a newsgroup troll who wouldn't stop crying about Disney stealing his *MAGICAL* hat, the TRIMOBIUS.

*****************************************************************************

Claude Nichols wrote:

> Enough of you have been asking about FDC through e-mail lately that I
> decided to post some of the answers to the questions that have been
> asked!


> So, hang on tight....heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere we go! :)


> ***************************************************************************
> **************
> What is FDC?
> **************
> FDC stands for Future Disney Cabinet. Let me explain. :)


> A long time ago, actually YEARS ago...on Rec.Arts.Disney newsgroup
> a guy named Sean Squire decided (jokingly) that he would like to



Actually, what he meant to write was

Sean Squier...


Sean SQUIRE is my evil twin responsible for the formation of the TDC,
or TRIMOBIUS DISNEY CABINET, a team devoted to the production, marketing,
and trademark/copyright protection of an amazing new piece of headwear,
the TRIMOBIUS! Apparently, some inventor came up with the idea of a reversible,
reversible, reversible, reversible, reversible, reversible hat (6 TIMES,
can you believe it?), gave it to Disney, and then mysteriously disappeared.


Well, with amazing luck, and Disney definitely has its share, this magical
new hat started sweeping through Disney Stores across the nation, creating a
consumer panic the likes of which we haven't seen since the introduction of
the Cabbage Patch Doll. The TDC predicts sales of this phenomenal new hat
will soon outpace revenue generated by Disney's fledgling motion picture division,
and is therefore preparing for the future. In true 'Disney Cabinet' style, the
TDC is making this official call for support, hoping that by filling key
positions early, a clean transition of management can be made painlessly and
seamlessly, when the time is right.


With the overwhelming response generated by what can only be called TRIMOBIUS
fever at this point, Disney is faced with an important decision. The TDC
believes Disney has no choice but to create a fourth company division to
complement THEME PARKS, MOTION PICTURES, and CONSUMER PRODUCTS......MAGICAL
REVERSIBLE HEADWEAR! And when that decision is made, the TDC will be there,
with the skills and resources necessary to lead the new division into the next
millenium.


Currently held positions:


Sean Squire - Evil Twin and Future President - The Magical Reversible Headwear Division


Currently the TDC is in need of the following positions:


Director of Marketing
Director of Production - Domestic
Director of Production - International
Phenomenally Loony inventor to create matching socks and possible evening wear
Vice President in charge of Legal Affairs
Hundreds of Patent and Copyright Attorneys
A couple more Patent and Copyright Attorneys, just to be safe
Director of Licensing (to secure rights for numerous opportunities including:
Cabbage Patch TRIMOBIUS
TRIMOBIUS for Barbie
G.I. Joe with TRIMOBIUS Jungle Pack (TRIMOBIUS socks sold separately)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TRIMOBIUS sewer disguise
NFL TRIMOBIUS, with 6 of your favorite teams)
Director of Motion Picture development
(for 'A Mouse and his Magical Reversible Hat - The TRIMOBIUS Story', Touchstone Pictures
starring Steve Guttenberg as the Loony inventor
special appearance by Gary Coleman as 'the hat')


Please respond to fdc...@reedycreek.stanford.edu to apply for the above positions, or just post
that you claimed it and fight it out amongst yourselves.


As always, new positions can be created at the discretion of the reader.


'In the SPIRIT of the TDC - REVERSE!!'


Sean Squier
(Future CEO - The Walt Disney Company)


(Imagine if he'd spelled my first name wrong too! =-) )


BTW, what's this MICKEYGATE thing all about...? =-)

Trimobius Disney Cabinet posts

This was an old group I created to deride a troll in the rec.arts.disney newsgroup back in the 90's. I have copied some of the posts here to preserve them (although google will do that forever I am sure) and to make them easier to find than to search the newsgroup archives. I am pasting them here without any special formatting:


I checked out DEJANEWS and waded through EVERY single TRIMOBIUS(R) post I
could find and came up with the following list of all things TRIMOBIUS(R)
the TDC has created thus far! I have completely left off all authors
since it was basically too much work to include them. If you see
something you've contributed, be proud! But this collected work can only
truly be credited to all the members of the TDC!! So here it is, the
fiscal '97 production plan for the TDC!


====================================================================
MAGICAL REVERSIBLE HEADWEAR - The new WDC Company Business Unit


Represented on the internet by ‘the TRIMOBIUS ® DISNEY CABINET, a team
devoted to the production, marketing, and trademark/copyright protection
of an amazing new piece of headwear, the TRIMOBIUS! ®


Product Division


The original ideas:


Cabbage Patch TRIMOBIUS ®
TRIMOBIUS ® for Barbie
G.I. Joe with TRIMOBIUS ® Jungle Pack (TRIMOBIUS ® socks sold separately)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TRIMOBIUS ® sewer disguise
NFL ® TRIMOBIUS ®, with 6 of your favorite teams


Plus:


TWINKLE TIARA -- turns inside out 6 ways to reveal a crown imitating the
ones worn by Miss Universe, Miss America, Miss Teen America, Miss World,
Mrs. America, and Miss Piggy.


BARBIE'S DREAM SWEATBAND -- Matches all 6 of Barbie's Dream Leotards with
a simple twist of the wrist.


BARBIE'S TRIMOBILIAN ® HOME -- It's an Airstream! It's a trailer! It's a
camper that sleeps 487 dolls! It's a split-level ranch! A colonial! And
a tractor!


INSIDE-OUT KEN -- "What's that, Barb? You're tired of me? You wish I
had red hair? You want me a foot taller, and 88 points smarter on the
Mensa scale? Baby, your wish is my command. I'll just turn myself inside
out for you."


BARBIE's TRIMOBIAN ® Treats so your kids can have a test party. They
are a hazelnut, inside a chocolate cherry, inside a caramel custard,
inside a Rice Krispie Treat, inside a sponge cake, inside a Creamsicle.


G.I. Joe all-purpose weapon - a kind of slingshot/Bowie
knife/grenade/shotgun/revolver/H-bomb. We could make it in a folding
design; the Swiss Army knife of 20th century war toys.


GI Joe TRIMOBIAN ® Backpack and Weapon Holder Thingie-Device


GI Joe TRIMOBIAN ® Tactical Nuclear Explosive Device


Official TRIMOBIUS ® shirt (its a polo! its a parka! its a serape! its a
poncho! its a toaster oven! its a Wonder Bra!).


A recipe for a phyllo pastry hat that turns from a baklava balaclava to a
napoleon kepi to a caramel kaffiyeh to a toffee tam to a mortarboard
mousse and finally to a cunning little cream puff cloche.


TRIMOBIAL ® caftan will turn into a dashiki, a poncho, a serape, a pup
tent, and also serve as a covering to Mickey's Toon Town Fair.


TRIMOBIUS ® Mickey Plush
1. Mickey as Steamboat Willie is the first plush you see of Mickey, then
he *magically* turns inside-out and into...
2. Plane Crazy Mickey, brave aviator! [Note: Some people find that Plane
Crazy Mickey magically appears *before* Mickey as Steamboat Willie.]
3. Turn it inside out again and Skating Mickey appears, gallantly keeping
Minnie's muff warm.
4. Next, Mickey magically turns from black and white to full color as
Sorcerer Mickey, complete with *MAGICAL* Magical Hat.
5. Another permutation and there's Prince and the Pauper Mickey, in which
Mickey turns tail on the castle and turns his life inside out,
masquerading as a commoner.
6. And the final version of Mickey is Runaway Brain Mickey, in which his
brain turns inside out from all the inside-out, inside-out, inside-out,
inside-out, inside-out, inside-out stuff!


Hi there toy! I see you are in your first stage -- You're the top! Now
I'll turn you inside out, and... You're the Coliseum! Ooops...slipped
there and you reverted back to your first form -- You're the top! Just a
quick flip inside out again and... You're the Louvre Museum! And now,
another flip and... You're a melody from a symphony by Strauss! Wow!
That's quite *magical* how you went from a solid to a song melody.
Huh-ha! Another flip and now you are poetry: You're a Bendel bonnet, a
Shakespeare sonnet. Now, for the final touch -- a quick inside-out flip
and...You're Mickey Mouse!


TRIMOBIAN ® rum punch


Disney TRIMOBIUS ® Happy Meal! It's six courses in one! It's a
hamburger, it's french fries, it's a soft drink, it's a dinner roll, and
it's a dessert! Simply turn your plate inside-out after each course to
get to the next one! When you're done, turn it inside-out one last time
to claim your cheap plastic prize! But it's not only a cheap plastic
prize! It's a MAGICAL magical plastic prize...a car! a truck! an action
figure! a plane! a boat! a muff!


TRIMOBIS ® fish - A MAGICAL magical fish...it's a bass! A carp! A tuna! A
catfish! A HERRING! A muff!


TRIMOBIUS ® yard tool...it's a lawmmower! A weed wacker (not unlike mr.
Pretzel...)! A backhoe! A shovel! A trowel! A muff!


TRIMOBIUS (R) *magical* magical sheets. They can be changed six times
without ever taking them off the bed.


TRIMOBIUS ® Terry Cloth - it's a bath towel/hand
towel/washcloth/robe/beach towel/muff.


TRIMOBIAL ® Tunic will serve all these locations, allowing one to
gracefully blend in with the teeming populace that surrounds. With deft
folding and repositioning it becomes:


1. a coolie jacket, or for the adventurous, that loincloth Mowgli wears
2. a sombrero (with optional sequins)
3. a Valkyrie helmet
4. a flannel shirt
5. an inner tube
6. a country frock decorated with (naturally) Pansies, Poppies, and
Petunias, de rigeur for evenings at the
Laughing Place.


TRIMOBIUS ® Timon & Puumbah Adventures: CD ROM for
Windows, CD ROM for MacIntosh, Game cardtridge for Super NES,
for Sega, for Gameboy and for Commodore 64!


TRIMOBIUS ® *MAGICAL* hangover/upset tummy/diarrhea/sinus
infection/athlete's foot/dandruff remedy.


TRIMOBIAN ® Pony Express/1st Class Mail/UPS/Carrier Pigeon/FedEx/Pitzel's
Pack Mules. If they arrive inside out, just pop them in the microwave for
six (6) minutes exactly.


TRIMOBIUS ® boxer shorts, when manipulated inside out, reverse side in,
backwards, forwards, sideways, and slightly askew, allow the wearer to not
change their boxer shorts for six (yes that's right, six!) days.


TRIMOBIUS ® undergarments, including TRIMOBIUS ® frilly panties, TRIMOBIUS
® briefs, and TRIMOBIUS ® support pantyhose.


TDC Motion Picture Division


The original project:


'A Mouse and his Magical Reversible Hat - The TRIMOBIUS ® Story',
Touchstone Pictures starring Steve Guttenberg as the Loony inventor
special appearance by Gary Coleman as 'the hat')


Plus:


I can sign the remaining beatles to be in "Magical Mystery hat"
“I am the hatman, I am the hatman, I am TRIMOBIUS ® Koo-koo koo-koo"


How about Will Smith and Bill Pullman in TRIMOBIUS ® DAY (or TD ®), a film
about a *MAGICAL* magical space ship that attacks earth....turns inside
out, and inside out, and inside out...


Or "That Darn TRIMOBIUS ®", in which Disney spies, intent on tracking
down the TRIMOBIUS ® hat, get caught up in mirth and wackiness.


The TRIMOBIUS ® Parent Trap - Hayley Mills will also be in this one but
this time she will play sextuplets instead of twins.


"Honey, I Reversed The Hat"- starring wrangling Rick Moranis.


The first entry in Disney's new line of MAGICAL *magical* magical
TRIMOBIUS ® animated films: "The Six Hundred and Six Dalmatians." (Rated
NC-3D: Viewers with special 3-D glasses are strongly cautioned against
viewing this film.)


TRIMOBIAN ® Double Triple Companion of Honor Award, pinned to your lapel
or just below the knee of your pants should we not be upright at the time.


TRIMOBIUS ® Walt Disney World Inside Out, Inside Out, Inside Out, Inside
Out, Inside Out, Inside Out. Hosted by TRIMOBIUS ® host, George Foreman -
he's in Japan eating sushi, he's in Mexico eating tacos, he's in Italy
eating fettucinni, he's in Morocco eating couscous, he's in Germany eating
sauerkraut, he's in China eating moo goo gai pan....


Theme Parks


TRIMOBIUSLAND ® containing:


TRIMOBIUS ® Mountain -- A high-speed thrill ride with a series of loops
which turn you inside-out, inside-out, inside-out, inside-out, inside-out,
inside-out, until you puke from being SICK OF HEARING ABOUT IT!!!!! (Note
that, of course, riders will spend the entire time in the dark...)


THE RANTIN’ RIVER -- A wild, meandering ride which makes no sense, but in
which the passengers are submitted to incessant assault by random barbs
and arrows.


SNOPES SNIPERS -- A *Magical* magical simulator, where riders are forced
to dodge the attacks of the evil Utter Liars, who spew venom unceasingly,
but with no particular target in mind


LEGAL LA-LA LAND -- A *Non-Magical* magical stage show featuring mythical
lawyers attempting to sing and dance their way into the US Patent Office
wearing ugly floppy hats


PITZEL HOLLOW -- A *Magical* non-magical boat ride through the mind of the
TRIMOBIUS' ® inventor (designers are concerned that this ride is
extrememly short, and contains nothing)


DISNEY DODGEBALL -- A *Non-Magical* non-magical experience where happy
riders in mouse ears attempt to avoid being hurt by scathing words hurled
at them by unhappy would-be illusionists


And of course, the whole place will be smack-dab in the middle of
FantasyLand...


TRIMOBIAN ® TUNNEL SYSTEM, connecting Cinderella Castle at WDW with six
(6) of the most important sites in the World:


1. The eggroll cart outside Jungle Cruise.
2. The film loop in El Rio del Tiempo where the Mexican vendors sell you
trinkets from screen to screen.
3. "Yeww...arr not the firrst...to pass this way..."
4. First row of rockers at the Wilderness Lodge lobby.
5. Castaway Creek.
6. The upside-down possums on Splash Mountain.


Disney's All-New TRIMOBIAL ® Parade Spectacular! Bigger than the
Electrical Parade! Better than Spectromagic! It's SIX parades in one!
This is not just a magical magical parade; it's a MAGICAL magical magical
parade. When it reaches the end of its route, it turns around and becomes
a whole new parade! Three different ending points make for six unique
parade experiences! The All-New TRIMOBIAL ® Parade Spectacular! can also
be used as a hat, a puppet, and a muff.


Resorts


TRIMOBIUS ® Disney Resort.


It will be the ultimate in resort hopping. As you sleep in your room each
night the room and the rest of the resort changes into another one. It
will also come in 2 price levels. The first will feature the TRIMOBIUS ®
All Stars Sports, then the TRIMOBIUS ® All Star Music, then the TRIMOBIUS
® Caribbean Beach , then the TRIMOBIUS ® Dixie Landings, Then the
TRIMOBIUS ® Port Orleans and finally the TRIMOBIUS ® Fort Wilderness. The
next level will feature the TRIMOBIUS ® monorail resorts of Polynesian,
Grand Floridian, and Contemporary. Also featured are the Wilderness
Lodge, Yacht and Beach Club. All who book early, pay in advance, and use
the Food n Fun card will also have their resort change into the new
Boardwalk at no extra charge. Packages will soon be available to also
include the TRIMOBIUS ® Old Key West and the TRIMOBIUS ® Disney Institute.
For those who do not want to stay inside the TRIMOBIUS ® Disney World,
there is available vacation packages on the TRIMOBIUS ® motels on 192.


I may make this into a web page, perhaps a TROMOBIUS(R) page. UNless one
already exists.


In the spirit of the TDC - 'REVERSE'


Sean Squier [Squire]
(Future CEO - The Walt Disney Company) [evil twin founder of the TDC]
sean_squ...@wda.disney.com

Flying Spaghetti Monster


fsm game end, originally uploaded by yojayy.

Ahhhhh.

The Game

New York Times article about Pastafarianism

Thursday, September 15, 2005

The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty

"The book features:
* Nearly 200 snowflake photographs some of the best snowflake photographs ever taken!
* Numerous full-page high-resolution images that reveal the minute details of snow crystal design and structure.
* A richly illustrated field guide to falling snow that describes the different kinds of snowflakes.
* A brief history of snowflake observations and study.
* A close look at what snowflakes are, how they form, and why they look like they do.
The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty
written by Kenneth Libbrecht
photography by Patricia Rasmussen
published by Voyageur Press, October 2003
112 pages, 8.5x10 inches, hardcover"


This book looks cool, but I'm more impressed with the photo: What you'll look like sitting with the book open on your lap. This could be you!

Monday, September 12, 2005

Bruce Lee: Enter the Dragon..of peace?

CNN.com - New Bosnia icon: Bruce Lee - Sep 12, 2005: "SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (Reuters) -- The ethnically divided Bosnian city of Mostar has agreed to erect a new symbol of unity -- a statue of kung fu legend Bruce Lee, worshipped by Muslims, Serbs and Croats.
A group of enthusiasts came up with the idea of honoring the childhood hero of the city's ethnic groups in 2003, on the 30th anniversary of his death. They launched the project, found donors and waited a year for the city's approval."

Is the power out in Southern California?

My sister just called and there is a massive loss of power. What does the world know about this?

Video Game Olympics!

This is why I suck at Counter-Strike. Plus, I'm 35 with a kid, so my hours are a little more limited still.

The gamers themselves, overwhelmingly middle-class white or Asian males in their early 20s or late teens, almost always come to a career-ending point in their lives where they can no longer dedicate the long hours necessary to achieve video game stardom.

“It’s called college,” Suttles said.

Rock, Paper Scissors 15?!



ROCK POUNDS OUT
FIRE, CRUSHES SCISSORS, SNAKE,
HUMAN,
WOLF, SPONGE, BLOCKS (GROWTH OF) TREE.



FIRE MELTS SCISSORS,
BURNS PAPER, SNAKE, HUMAN,
TREE, WOLF & SPONGE.



SCISSORS SWISH THROUGH AIR, CARVE TREE,
CUT PAPER, SNAKE, HUMAN,
WOLF & SPONGE.



SNAKE BITES HUMAN & WOLF,
SWALLOWS SPONGE, NESTS IN TREE & PAPER,
BREATHES AIR, DRINKS WATER.



HUMAN PLANTS TREE, TAMES WOLF,
CLEANS WITH SPONGE,
WRITES PAPER, BREATHES
AIR, DRINKS WATER, SLAYS DRAGON.



TREE SHELTERS WOLF & DRAGON, OUTLIVES SPONGE,
BECOMES PAPER, PRODUCES AIR, DRINKS WATER,
IMPRISONS DEVIL.



WOLF CHEWS UP SPONGE,
& PAPER, BREATHES
AIR, DRINKS WATER, OUTRUNS DRAGON & LIGHTNING,
BITES DEVIL's HEINY.



SPONGE SOAKS PAPER, USES
AIR POCKETS, ABSORBS WATER, CLEANSES DEVIL & DRAGON,
CLEANS GUN, CONDUCTS LIGHTNING.



PAPER FANS AIR,
COVERS ROCK, FLOATS ON WATER, REBUKES DEVIL & DRAGON,
OUTLAWS GUN, DEFINES LIGHTNING.



AIR BLOWS OUT FIRE,
ERODES ROCK, EVAPORATES WATER, CHOKES DEVIL,
TARNISHES GUN, FREEZES DRAGON, CREATES LIGHTNING.



WATER DROWNS DEVIL & DRAGON, ERODES ROCK, PUTS OUT
FIRE, RUSTS SCISSORS & GUN,
CONDUCTS LIGHTNING.



DRAGON COMMANDS DEVIL, BREATHES LIGHTNING &
FIRE, RESTS ON ROCK, IMMUNE TO SCISSORS &
GUN, SPAWNS SNAKE.



DEVIL HURLS ROCK, BREATHS
FIRE, IMMUNE TO SCISSORS & GUN, CASTS LIGHTNING,
EATS SNAKES, POSSESSES HUMAN.



LIGHTNING MELTS GUN & SCISSORS,
SPLITS ROCK & TREE, STARTS FIRE,
STRIKES SNAKE & HUMAN.



GUN TARGETS ROCK & TREE,
FIRES, OUTCLASSES SCISSORS,
SHOOTS SNAKE, HUMAN & WOLF.



Each gesture beats out seven others, and is beaten by the remaining seven.

...SO...will there ever be an RPS-17 and beyond? Maybe it's up to YOU...

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Creepy "lifelike" dolls


I'm not quite sure why they even bothered to make an acronym out of MAMRH. ??! Reminds me a little of my beloved NAMBLA.

Friday, September 09, 2005

Now THIS is irrational

History of the theory of irrational numbers
The discovery of irrational numbers is usually attributed to Pythagoras, more specifically to the Pythagorean Hippasus of Metapontum, who produced a (most likely geometrical) proof of the irrationality of the square root of 2. The story goes that Hippasus discovered irrational numbers when trying to represent the square root of 2 as a fraction (proof below). However Pythagoras believed in the absoluteness of numbers, and could not accept the existence of irrational numbers. He could not disprove their existence through logic, but his beliefs would not accept the existence of irrational numbers and so he sentenced Hippasus to death by drowning.

Recursive Acronyms

I never knew these had a category:

A recursive acronym is an acronym (or occasionally, a backronym) which refers to itself in the expression for which it stands, similar to a recursive abbreviation. Though, because of their lack of a termination condition, perhaps a more accurate term would be circular acronym.

The earliest example is perhaps the credit card VISA, which was named in 1976 as a recursive acronym for VISA International Service Association.

In computing, it soon became a hackish (and especially MIT) tradition to choose acronyms and abbreviations which referred humorously to themselves or to other abbreviations. Perhaps the earliest example in this context, from about 1977 or 1978, is TINT ("TINT Is Not TECO"), an editor for MagicSix. This inspired the two MIT Lisp Machine editors called EINE ("EINE Is Not Emacs") and ZWEI ("ZWEI Was EINE Initially"). (Note that "eine" and "zwei" are German for "[female] one" and "two".)

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Waiting Movie Posters - long





Eiffel Tower


eiffel tower 2, originally uploaded by John Gusky.

I have a similar picture I took when I was 16, but it is not nearly as well executed. The Eiffel Tower looks great from any angle.

Ultimate Life List - Part 1

I was inspired after a recent trip to NYC to list the things I should do with my life. A lot of these I've already done, but the list grows every day. I plan to share pieces of my hand written list from the plane over a few random posts. Part 1 is focused on mainly on NYC and is open for massive debate I'm sure. Free inspiration: just add effort.

Things you should do in NYC

Ride the NYC Subway

*Everyline
*Be serenaded by a street performer
Go to the top of the Empire State Building
Go to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Live in a borrough
*All the borroughs
Work in Mahattan
Ride in a NYC taxi
*w/a stranger
*to/from the airport
Broadway show
*comp tix
*TKTS
Ice skate in Rockafeller Center
MET
MOMA
Guggenheim
A Rockette
Listen to a homeless person talk to themselves
Walk Central Park
Disney Store 5th Ave
FAO Schwartz
Stay @ the Plaza
*cigar in Oak Room
Stay @ Waldorff Astoria
See the Macy's Day Parade Live
Visit Ground Zero
Fly into JFK
Fly into LGA
Guinness @ Paddy Reilly's
Little Italy
Chinatown
SOho
Village
Wall St
See a show at Carngie Hall
Knicks Game
Nets Game
Yankess Game
Giants Game
Islanders Game
Rangers Game
Mets Game
Brooklyn Cyclones game
Letterman
*Be on it
Times Square
*New Year's Eve
Off Broadway Show
*Drinks w/ cast after
Eat a street hotdog
Eat a street pretzel
Drive a car in Manhattan
Cupcake @ Cupcake Cafe
Eat sushi
Eat Shabu Shabu

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Peanuts anyone?

2,400 Keesler Miss. Air Force students, enjoy 1st class seating on C-17 Globemaster IIIs, for ride to Texas