Author: Adam (Page 141 of 224)

Funny stuff – reads like an Onion article, but it’s a Car and Driver review of one of the most inessential vehicles ever made. So I guess the sarcasm is warranted. (via ***Dave again)

Reminds me of a bit Jon Stewart did about it:
“A Cadillac pickup? Boy, you know who would really like that?………..No one.”

Rhetorical question of the day

What’s wrong with people?

It’s fascinating how mysterious computers in general and the web in particular can be to most people. Little do they know that the web is just a bunch of text files sitting on a computer somewhere that instruct another computer to display words or pictures. It’s Microsoft Word with a network.

Of course it’s much more than that. But how much more useful and pervasive would the web be if people understood that it’s not magic?

Some people say I’m crazy to build systems for clients that they can update and maintain themselves. Aren’t I building myself out of a job, since they won’t have to hire me to do maintenance? Well, I do it because a client-maintainable site is just plain a better site – more timely and flexible. But I also do it because maintenance is irritating and fussy and doesn’t pay as well as design and programming. And I’d much rather move on to new projects than be stuck updating old ones.

Now I just have to line up some of those new projects.

My question about this story is, what the hell did he do on his day off? (via ***Dave)

Monster’s Ball
I’m going to make this one short and sweet. Perhaps the most “real” high-concept movie I’ve ever seen. One of the the best movie endings I’ve ever seen. Halle Berry is a revelation. See this movie.

Recently saw this article by the great supernatural debunker James Randi about how he believes media psychics like John Edward (“Crossing Over”) work an audience.

I like James Randi. I think he provides a note of common sense in discussions about the paranormal. But the thing is, I also like John Edward. I think he provides entertainment for people like me who don’t believe in him (his show is great trashy TV), and he provides some comfort for people who miss their loved ones. Yes, he makes a good living at it, but so do those guys selling “Make Big Money Now” tapes on late-night infomercials, and I wouldn’t let them borrow my car either. As long as John Edward isn’t bilking people out of their savings with his “powers,” I just don’t see the harm.

I think it was a major mistake for them to mount another “Survivor” series so soon after the end of the last one. It makes it feel more played out to have it starting up again with barely a breather – no time to build up anticipation. That was definitely the case for me. I wasn’t even going to watch it tonight, but I broke down and gave it a try anyway.

Well, the no food and water thing was intriguing – for about a minute. I nicknamed the tribes “The Ugly Tribe” and “The Good-Looking Tribe” right away. Then I felt sort of numb for the rest of the hour. When we got to tribal council, I smiled a half-smile about the “tribal marker” they use to write down people’s names. Then it was over.

I don’t think I’ll be watching this one any more.

Had lunch at your basic Poor Man’s Planet Hollywood chain restaurant today. Just as we had been served our food, some unlucky sucker at the next table was having a birthday.

I think you know where this story is going.

It happened that the staff member who was bellowing out the military-themed birthday greeting, alongside 40 or so of his compadres, was standing right next to me. So he was essentially shouting into my ear. And don’t forget the clapping. Ugh. “There should be a law,” indeed.

My two reactions to this event, in order, were:

1. We should get our lunch for free.

2. If I were the guy who had to shout out birthday greetings, I would get a different job or kill myself.

Recently some friends and I have been playing Dungeons & Dragons.

[pause to let snickering die down]

Well, snicker all you want, but it’s been incredibly fun. Playing a game like this, which is all marks on paper and your own mind, makes you realize how little imagination we are called on to use in our everyday lives. We have so much entertainment in this society, we are drowning in it. But 99 percent of it requires no imagination whatsoever – it’s just poured over you like syrup on a pancake. You only have to look at the toy aisles to see what I’m talking about. There’s still a huge Lego aisle, for example, but they’re all pre-measured kits that make a Star Wars figurine or some such. Try to find just a big box of regular Legos, with maybe some of those green platforms to build things on. It’s harder than you think.

Yes, I am a grumpy old man. Let’s move on.

I played D&D a little in high school, and getting back to it has been a mind-expanding experience, especially with the imaginative group we have going. They’ve been pressuring me to be the dungeon master next time. I have some ideas about an enchanted cathedral, with a dark side (all ebony and black marble) and a light side (all glass and pearl).

After all, how bad can a game be that lets you command monsters like the black pudding and gelatinous cube?

Watched Fox’s “24” for the first time tonight (yes, I’m woefully behind the times with pop culture these days). I thought it was pretty much a standard action series, with way too many portentous looks and pounding music at every turn. Maybe I just missed my chance to enjoy it, since 12 “hours” have already gone by in the story. But does it strike anyone else that Kiefer Sutherland’s wife seems more the age of his mother, and his daughter more like his girlfriend? Just wondering.