Ever have one of those days where every person, every situation you come in contact with just pisses you off mightily? I thought so.
So how do you deal with it?
Month: May 2002 (Page 4 of 5)
Fascinating bit of dialogue from “Star Trek: First Contact”:
Lily: How much did this [ship] cost?
Picard: The economics of the future are somewhat different. You see, money doesn’t exist in the 24th Century.
Lily: You mean you don’t get paid?
Picard: The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force in our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity.
Yeah, right.
I can accept force fields, transporters, phasers and Tribbles, but no money? I don’t think so. I could accept it for the Federation crew – they’re essentially in the military, after all, and would be used to spartan quarters and comforts. But for the rest of humanity, I just don’t buy it (pun somewhat intended). No matter how filled with goodness people in the future will be, they’ll still want to buy a fancy car.
After recently complaining that there aren’t enough open-ended computer games out there, I’ve been playing “Morrowind.” It’s a 3D role-playing game, where you create a character and then wander the lands, fighting monsters and completing quests. This is the first game of this type that’s held my attention. It’s incredibly open-ended; there’s a main storyline, but there’s nothing keeping you from just wandering around, exploring and talking to people. The world of the game is huge, and the graphics (although they run slowly on my 2.5-year-old computer) are immersive – day/night cycles, weather, etc. It’s much closer to an alternate, living universe than I’ve ever seen in a game. Yesterday I found myself “ducking my head” as I went down a narrow staircase in a temple. It’s not the holodeck, but it’s as close as we can get at this point. If you have a computer with major muscle, you might want to check it out.
Andy Rooney must die.
That is all.
(Note to FBI agents: Please don’t break down my door. Just knock politely, and I’ll let you in. Thanks.)
Interesting conversation over at Blogatelle about plagiarism and related issues. I know I would take some perverse pleasure in seeing someone else copying my weblog posts and placing them on their own weblog without attribution – I sometimes wonder, as we all do, if I’m writing anything that’s worth reading, much less copying. But I would also be angry.
Stacy, you are the Sydney Bristow of weblogging.
I love “Alias.” Jennifer Garner kicks ass, and it’s nice to see someone whose most important previous work was as Girlfriend #2 in “Dude, Where’s My Car?” turn out to be an engaging actress who can handle comedy, action and pathos. Can’t wait to see who they cast as Sydney’s mother when she inevitably turns up.
But here’s my big unanswered plot question about the show – maybe someone out there knows the answer. What role did her father play in recruiting her into SD-6? He must have known by then that it was an evil organization, so why would he allow his daughter to be drawn into it?
I know, there are much more important questions to be considered in this life. But those make my head hurt.
Learning about Eastern mysticism with The Simpsons
Apu: I used to think karma was baloney, but now I’m not so sure.
Homer: Mmmmm……caramel baloney!
Spider-Man
I was surprised by how low-key and downbeat it was. It was something of a parable about how being an adult sucks – you have to make hard decisions, the world is an unpredictable and dangerous place, and you put yourself on the line when you care about someone. But because it dealt so much with the angst factor (as well done as it was), it lacked some of the juice, the fun you expect from a superhero movie. Not knowing anything about the comic, I don’t know if that’s the tone of the source material as well. But if you’re expecting a fun romp, be slightly warned.
The high point was definitely Tobey Maguire as the webslinger. I’m so glad they didn’t cast some pretty boy teen idol (Freddie Prinze Jr. anyone?). His expressiveness peeks out from his placid face in a way that’s wonderful to watch.
I would definitely like to see a sequel or two. But lighten it up a little next time, OK?
Instead of braving the crowds at “Spider-Man” last night, I watched “2001: A Space Odyssey” on DVD. It’s fascinating for any number of reasons, but it struck me this time that this is a movie that could never be made today. No studio would back it. It’s too slow, it’s too long, there’s very little dialogue and even less plot. Nothing is explained in the end. It’s an effects-heavy movie with no stars to carry it. It’s a space movie that starts with an extended dialogue-free sequence about prehistoric man.
But despite all these “faults,” it’s one of the most mind-expanding experiences on film. You could probably watch it 100 times and get something different from it each time.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m still going to see “Spider-Man.” But it’s nice to know that there are movies like “2001” to balance things out.
At last, I have the technology to make all my evil dreams of world domination come true! Muwhahahaha!