Written by Neil Gaiman, and directed and created by artist Dave McKean, this is the story of Helena Campbell, a girl whose parents run a circus but who would love to run away to join the real world, inverting the fictional convention of children who want to run away to join the circus. The night Helena and her mom has an argument, her mom falls sick and has to be taken away to the hospital. Helena then enters a fantasy world where she has to find out why she's there, what's happening, and how to rescue herself and her mother.
Visually, the film looks very pretty, though there's quite a lot of computer generated graphics that obviously look out of place, the effects aren't at all crude and the actors are OK. The story is full of little things that I'm stealing for my next game of Grimm.
The DVD has a great making of feature that's worth watching (especially since I've never met Dave McKean). Be warned though, if you don't enjoy Dave McKean's art, the entire movie is going to look horrid to you. I'm not the world's greatest fan of Dave McKean, but I found the look tolerable.
While not the most earthshaking work I've seen, it's worth viewing on DVD if you get a chance. (I checked my copy out of the Mountain View library)
[Update: Googler Tom Galloway can be heard in the DVD asking the question, "How did the two of you meet?"]
Sunday, October 08, 2006
San Jose Rock & Roll Half Marathon
1:56:19
That's my time for the 1/2 marathon. I actually started with the 2 hours 15 minute group thinking I'll have a hard time keeping up with them...but once the race started, I felt really good at mile 1 and decided to go off on my own (they were going a little slower than I usually do). Around mile 10, I caught up with the 2 hour group (the group I originally signed up for, but didn't feel good enough the morning of...), and later on passed them, hence my slightly better than 2 hour time.
I ran the whole race with a relatively full bladder, thinking I should go pee around mile 2...it never got very bad though and I think having the bladder somwhat urgent kept me running rather quickly instead of relaxing, which isn't bad. Definitely something to think about.
One thing I underestimtaed was how much harder my regular training runs were...my regular training run involves basically running laps of 2.3 miles multiple times. The lap however is on a slight incline with one small hump and then some regular downhill sections which makes the training a little tougher than that of a treadmill or running on a flat path. The San Jose RnR was on a really flat course which I think contributed in no small part to my running the fastest time I've ever done for 10 miles, or less.
The last 1/2 mile was finished with some rather strong kicks, and all in all, I cannot say I'm at all unhappy with my results. Quite the contrary. =)
The painful part was catching a flight 1 hour after my run...sitting one hour on the plane and having to fight very hard to get up after the 1 hour (joints appeared to be locked up a little....)
Next target, a full marathon!
I'll post pics the moment I have some from the professional photographers.
That's my time for the 1/2 marathon. I actually started with the 2 hours 15 minute group thinking I'll have a hard time keeping up with them...but once the race started, I felt really good at mile 1 and decided to go off on my own (they were going a little slower than I usually do). Around mile 10, I caught up with the 2 hour group (the group I originally signed up for, but didn't feel good enough the morning of...), and later on passed them, hence my slightly better than 2 hour time.
I ran the whole race with a relatively full bladder, thinking I should go pee around mile 2...it never got very bad though and I think having the bladder somwhat urgent kept me running rather quickly instead of relaxing, which isn't bad. Definitely something to think about.
One thing I underestimtaed was how much harder my regular training runs were...my regular training run involves basically running laps of 2.3 miles multiple times. The lap however is on a slight incline with one small hump and then some regular downhill sections which makes the training a little tougher than that of a treadmill or running on a flat path. The San Jose RnR was on a really flat course which I think contributed in no small part to my running the fastest time I've ever done for 10 miles, or less.
The last 1/2 mile was finished with some rather strong kicks, and all in all, I cannot say I'm at all unhappy with my results. Quite the contrary. =)
The painful part was catching a flight 1 hour after my run...sitting one hour on the plane and having to fight very hard to get up after the 1 hour (joints appeared to be locked up a little....)
Next target, a full marathon!
I'll post pics the moment I have some from the professional photographers.
Fall bike parts inventory
2 Front Phil Wood 36 wheels
2 Rear Phil Wood Freewheel 36 spoke wheels
1 Tandem 48 spoke front Phil
1 Tandem 48 spoke rear Phil (Freehub)
1 spare Avocet 700x25
1 Avocet 700x28 (unmounted, blown off rim twice)
Hm... I seem to be running low on tires.
2 Rear Phil Wood Freewheel 36 spoke wheels
1 Tandem 48 spoke front Phil
1 Tandem 48 spoke rear Phil (Freehub)
1 spare Avocet 700x25
1 Avocet 700x28 (unmounted, blown off rim twice)
Hm... I seem to be running low on tires.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Review: The Polysyllabic Spree
This book by Nick Hornby is basically a collection of his monthly column about books from The Believer. The column illustrates why Hornby gets paid for his writing while the rest of us have to have day jobs. Here's an excerpt from his critique of Desperate Characters:
I know I'm wrong about this book, because everyone else in the world, including writers I love, thinks it's fantastic, but it Wasn't For Me. It's brilliantly written, I can see that much, and it made me think too. But mostly I thought about why I don't know anyone like the people Fox writes about. Why are all my friends so dim and unreflective? Where did I go wrong?
Toward the end of the book, Otto and Sophie, the central couple, go to stay in their holiday home. Sophie opens the door to the house, and is immediately reminded of a friend, an artist who used to visit them there; she thinks about him for a page or so. The reason she's thinking about him is that she's staring at something he loved, a vinegar bottle shaped like a bunch of grapes. The reason she's staring at the bottle is because it's in pieces. And the reason it's in pieces is because someone has broken in and trashed the palce, a fact we only discover when Sophie has snapped out of her reverie. At this point, I realized with some regret that not only could I never write a literary novel, but I couldn't even be a character in a literary novel. I can only imagine myself, or any character I created, saying, "Shit! Some bastard has trashed the ouse!" No ruminations about artist friends---just a lot of cursing, and maybe some empty threats of violence.
Even great books of literature, such as David Copperfield receives such treatment. Hornby is irreverent, clearly enjoys reading as well as pricking holes in pretentious authors, and extremely entertaining. Not even his hosts escape his sarcastic wit:
The Spree's idea of a good time was to book tickets for a literary event---a reading given by all the nominees for the National Book Critic's Circle Awards---and sit there for two and a half hours. Actually, that's not quite true: they didn't sit there. Such is their unquenchable passion for the written word that they were too excited to sit. They stood, and they wept, and they hugged each other, and occasionally they even danced---to the poetry recitals, and some of the more up-tempo biography nominees. In England we don't often dance at dances, let along readings, so I didn't know where to look. Needless to say, drink, drugs, food, and sex played no part in the festivities. But who needs any of that when you've got literature.
One of the things I try to do when I read a book is to provide an excerpt from it in the blog entry, as an attempt to capture the atmosphere of the book in a little snippet. I regret to say that Hornby does me one better. He reproduces a good page of the book as his snippet, and the selection is quite good, usually something he referenced in his review of the book.
If there's anything with The Polysyllabic Spree, it is that at no point did I want to get off my couch and order one of the books he's read, or even place a hold on it in the library. All I want to do is to find more Hornby and read him.
Highly recommended!
I know I'm wrong about this book, because everyone else in the world, including writers I love, thinks it's fantastic, but it Wasn't For Me. It's brilliantly written, I can see that much, and it made me think too. But mostly I thought about why I don't know anyone like the people Fox writes about. Why are all my friends so dim and unreflective? Where did I go wrong?
Toward the end of the book, Otto and Sophie, the central couple, go to stay in their holiday home. Sophie opens the door to the house, and is immediately reminded of a friend, an artist who used to visit them there; she thinks about him for a page or so. The reason she's thinking about him is that she's staring at something he loved, a vinegar bottle shaped like a bunch of grapes. The reason she's staring at the bottle is because it's in pieces. And the reason it's in pieces is because someone has broken in and trashed the palce, a fact we only discover when Sophie has snapped out of her reverie. At this point, I realized with some regret that not only could I never write a literary novel, but I couldn't even be a character in a literary novel. I can only imagine myself, or any character I created, saying, "Shit! Some bastard has trashed the ouse!" No ruminations about artist friends---just a lot of cursing, and maybe some empty threats of violence.
Even great books of literature, such as David Copperfield receives such treatment. Hornby is irreverent, clearly enjoys reading as well as pricking holes in pretentious authors, and extremely entertaining. Not even his hosts escape his sarcastic wit:
The Spree's idea of a good time was to book tickets for a literary event---a reading given by all the nominees for the National Book Critic's Circle Awards---and sit there for two and a half hours. Actually, that's not quite true: they didn't sit there. Such is their unquenchable passion for the written word that they were too excited to sit. They stood, and they wept, and they hugged each other, and occasionally they even danced---to the poetry recitals, and some of the more up-tempo biography nominees. In England we don't often dance at dances, let along readings, so I didn't know where to look. Needless to say, drink, drugs, food, and sex played no part in the festivities. But who needs any of that when you've got literature.
One of the things I try to do when I read a book is to provide an excerpt from it in the blog entry, as an attempt to capture the atmosphere of the book in a little snippet. I regret to say that Hornby does me one better. He reproduces a good page of the book as his snippet, and the selection is quite good, usually something he referenced in his review of the book.
If there's anything with The Polysyllabic Spree, it is that at no point did I want to get off my couch and order one of the books he's read, or even place a hold on it in the library. All I want to do is to find more Hornby and read him.
Highly recommended!
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Neil Gaiman Talk @Google
My second time attending an Authors@Google talk.
He was at Google to give a short signing/reading tour (more reading than signing, as he puts it) of his short story collection, Fragile Things. As with every Authors@Google, copies of his new book was given out and I got one of them.
The Talk was fabulous and I enjoyed it very much. He was every bit as funny, irreverant and entertaining as one would expect from an author/writer as diverse as he is. I still think his graphic novels represent the epitome of his career, and his books suffered the same symptoms that his longer story arcs in his comics did, but he's still quite the talespinner.
The reading was nice, though not quite as interesting as the rest of the talk. He gave a reading on a variation of how the Arabian Nights came to be, describing it as how authors/writers work: often on threat of death, or the semblance of it.
Some choice quotes from his talk today (all from memory...so forgive if I got some of it wrong)
In Reference to working with Hollywood:
He was at Google to give a short signing/reading tour (more reading than signing, as he puts it) of his short story collection, Fragile Things. As with every Authors@Google, copies of his new book was given out and I got one of them.
The Talk was fabulous and I enjoyed it very much. He was every bit as funny, irreverant and entertaining as one would expect from an author/writer as diverse as he is. I still think his graphic novels represent the epitome of his career, and his books suffered the same symptoms that his longer story arcs in his comics did, but he's still quite the talespinner.
The reading was nice, though not quite as interesting as the rest of the talk. He gave a reading on a variation of how the Arabian Nights came to be, describing it as how authors/writers work: often on threat of death, or the semblance of it.
Some choice quotes from his talk today (all from memory...so forgive if I got some of it wrong)
In Reference to working with Hollywood:
"You remember how in those stories with elves, and you work very hard for them, and they give you a bag of gold, but in the morning that bag of gold has turned into leaves and the leaves blow away with the wind? Well, Hollywood is like that too, except with a little twist. You work very hard for them, and they give you that bag of gold, but in the morning, your work turn into leaves and blows away and you're left with your bag of gold"In Reference to why Roger Avary is not directing the Beowulf Movie:
"Bob Zemeckis asked Roger if he could make a film based on our script, and Roger said "No, I'm going to direct this movie."All in all, a most excellent talk, and I even got my copy of Fragile Things signed.
"How about if we gave you this wheelbarrow full of cash?"
"No, I'm going to direct this movie."
"How about if we gave you two wheelbarrows full of cash?"
"oooh......no no...I want to direct this movie."
"How about if we gave you one wheelbarrow full of cash, another wheelbarrow full of cash for Neil, and a third wheelbarrow of cash for you to do whatever you want with it?"
"Sure! You can do the movie!"
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Pigeon Point 2006
This year's pigeon point run was a lot of fun. Thanks to Lisa's contacts, we managed to get 12 people from work to ride over there for an overnight trip. Most had never done any overnight cycling trips before, but Tanya even volunteered to run a SAG wagon for us, so those who didn't want to didn't have to carry any overnight gear.
Thanks to one of Lisa's friends, Teresa, we even managed to get the sunset spot for the hot tub prebooked before we arrived, and everyone got a chance to enjoy the beautiful hot tub. Despite 3 flat tires, and a few spills, I think it's safe to say that everyone had a good time.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Are human lives too short?
This idea came to me while we were having dinner during our Coast to Coast walk. Human beings live for too short a time. As a result, we are tempted to pass on many of our problems to the next generation, because we know we won't have to deal with them in our short lifespans. The budget deficit, global warming, environmental deterioration --- if your lifespan was measured in hundreds of years, you'd know that there's no escape from the greenhouse gasses you emit, and any "tax cut" you got right now would have to be paid back later with interest by tax increases. You'd have time to educate yourself on issues, and time to make mistakes.
Unfortunately, the practicality of radical life extension is much less than many optimists would assume.
Unfortunately, the practicality of radical life extension is much less than many optimists would assume.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Review: Smallville Season Two
My big criticism of Season One was that it felt very much like the monster of the week. There was relatively little plot continuity, and while the show was mostly good, it would have gotten old really quickly had season two continued along the same vein.
Thankfully, it did not. We start to have a story arc, with Clark quickly finding more about his powers, and his relationship with the women of his life take on a more central role in the show. The writers give Clark's parents more of a role to play, and Mike Rosenberg who plays Lex Luthor steals every scene he is in. The special effects are fantastic, and the show's cinematography is so good that I have to remind myself that this is a TV series and not a very long movie.
My criticisms: the relationships between Clark Kent and the female characters aren't very realistic --- I find it hard to believe that even teenagers can be this dumb. Nevertheless, I understand that if a couple ever becomes happy on TV the ratings will drop, so TV series can never portray happily matched couples.
Overall, a well written show worth watching. I look forward to Season Three.
Thankfully, it did not. We start to have a story arc, with Clark quickly finding more about his powers, and his relationship with the women of his life take on a more central role in the show. The writers give Clark's parents more of a role to play, and Mike Rosenberg who plays Lex Luthor steals every scene he is in. The special effects are fantastic, and the show's cinematography is so good that I have to remind myself that this is a TV series and not a very long movie.
My criticisms: the relationships between Clark Kent and the female characters aren't very realistic --- I find it hard to believe that even teenagers can be this dumb. Nevertheless, I understand that if a couple ever becomes happy on TV the ratings will drop, so TV series can never portray happily matched couples.
Overall, a well written show worth watching. I look forward to Season Three.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Wheelbuilding with the Park TS-2
I had a sinus infection (on my birthday, no less!), so no riding this weekend. But thanks to my brothers and Lisa, I got a Park Truing Stand TS-2 with the tilting base, so I could finish building a wheel I'd started ages ago. I'd been using a Minoura/Performance Truing stand, but what a world of difference. Despite having to relace the wheel, the tensioning and truing phase took less than 4 hours (interspersed while watching Smallville), and the result was excellent! There's no doubt in my mind that good tools are really worth while.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Guest Poster
My brother is now guest posting on this blog with movie reviews, etc, so if you see sudden changes in tone check the posted by line. Welcome aboard, Sy.
A Moment With You movie Review
I watched the Google screening of this yesterday. My initial reasons to watch this was that it had a really cool poster, paper airplanes essentially in primary colours, with the tag line, "a love story...as honest as it can be". Very simple, very attractive, at least to me, except for the tagline, but I can forgive that.
My thoughts of it after I watched it is that the website lies. On the website, it states,
This rule of no complicated schemes and gimmicks fail almost immediately 5 minutes into the film. How many of you have had an attractive girl knock on your door, let herself in, and demand that you pay attention to her? Or if you're a girl, reverse it with an attractive guy, I suppose. Although, if you're a girl and a guy knocks and demands to be let in, I hope you call the police no matter how cute he may seem.
Aside from that, the film plays out to be a rather sophmoric love story and does not explore anything new or unique. I suppose as a sophmore film attempt by the directors, it is passable, but they do not really succeed at making this a fresh and interesting take.
Other gripes was that one of the male leads clearly had no acting experience, and to have the directors exclaim he was perfect in the Q&A after the movie was sort of a shock.
Other cute tidbits, they made the film for under 2,000 dollars and filmed it all in San Diego. Having lived in San Diego for two years, it was a real kick to see the locations they used and that I recognized. The soundtrack was decent and was mostly friends and family contributing to it.
Some other unrealistic parts...neither of the male leads had computers or seemed to use them. One of them is an architect grad student.....you do the equating yourself =).
All in all, it was a funny movie if you allow yourself to go with a few of the unbelievable premises. Sometimes it is unintentionally funny, but hey, you take what you can get right?
Those looking for a good use of 100 minutes can probably find something better, but for a free screening, I'm not complaining *too* much.
My thoughts of it after I watched it is that the website lies. On the website, it states,
Often in Hollywood and typical romantic movies audiences are presented with a nice tale to fantasize about. But rarely can a film honestly represent love the way most of us know it as. Most people do not experience war torn, disease ridden, epic love stores. And by the same token, we do not live out fairytales involving complicated schemes and gimmicks to fall in love.
This rule of no complicated schemes and gimmicks fail almost immediately 5 minutes into the film. How many of you have had an attractive girl knock on your door, let herself in, and demand that you pay attention to her? Or if you're a girl, reverse it with an attractive guy, I suppose. Although, if you're a girl and a guy knocks and demands to be let in, I hope you call the police no matter how cute he may seem.
Aside from that, the film plays out to be a rather sophmoric love story and does not explore anything new or unique. I suppose as a sophmore film attempt by the directors, it is passable, but they do not really succeed at making this a fresh and interesting take.
Other gripes was that one of the male leads clearly had no acting experience, and to have the directors exclaim he was perfect in the Q&A after the movie was sort of a shock.
Other cute tidbits, they made the film for under 2,000 dollars and filmed it all in San Diego. Having lived in San Diego for two years, it was a real kick to see the locations they used and that I recognized. The soundtrack was decent and was mostly friends and family contributing to it.
Some other unrealistic parts...neither of the male leads had computers or seemed to use them. One of them is an architect grad student.....you do the equating yourself =).
All in all, it was a funny movie if you allow yourself to go with a few of the unbelievable premises. Sometimes it is unintentionally funny, but hey, you take what you can get right?
Those looking for a good use of 100 minutes can probably find something better, but for a free screening, I'm not complaining *too* much.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
S&S couplers revisited
In the year and a half since I wrote the article, S&S couplers considered harmful, I've really been vindicated. One of my co-workers even admitted as such on an internal mailing list the his S&S single bike (an otherwise beautiful Rivendell marred by the cancerous looking couplers) just was so much of a hassle to break apart and ship that he found himself using my cardboard box method of shipping.
Another couple I heard from recently also switched away from S&S couplers back to an uncoupled bike --- the hassle and time taken to take apart a bike was simply not worth the extra costs to them. There have also been recent reports of airlines now charging to ship a bike, whether it's been uncoupled and packed into separate cases or not, which really eliminates any cost advantage they might have had.
I can't say that the public opinion has completely come around to my point of view, but the trickle of real world experience reports are definitely a far cry from the S&S hype and marketing machine that greeted my first expressed opinions of the couplers with both derision and scorn. Let me say it here once and for all, except for a select few, S&S couplers are a solution in search of a problem.
Another couple I heard from recently also switched away from S&S couplers back to an uncoupled bike --- the hassle and time taken to take apart a bike was simply not worth the extra costs to them. There have also been recent reports of airlines now charging to ship a bike, whether it's been uncoupled and packed into separate cases or not, which really eliminates any cost advantage they might have had.
I can't say that the public opinion has completely come around to my point of view, but the trickle of real world experience reports are definitely a far cry from the S&S hype and marketing machine that greeted my first expressed opinions of the couplers with both derision and scorn. Let me say it here once and for all, except for a select few, S&S couplers are a solution in search of a problem.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Time to plug the gtags internship again
Those of you who've read my blog before will note that I was looking for an intern for gtags a while ago. Well, my blog doesn't get read by many people, so I got one applicant (who did not get hired) out of it.
I did, however, end up getting 2 interns through other sources. Both interns now have job offers from Google at the end of their internship with me. I can't guarantee that a gtags internship is an easy way to get an offer from Google (since both my interns were brilliant, motivated and worked very hard), but you can't argue with the track record of 100% success.
So if you're interested in an internship on gtags, go ahead and submit your application, and in particular note on your application that you want to be considered for a gtags internship. (The internship will be in Mountain View, so make sure you flag that) Leave a comment here as well so I can make sure I look for your resume. I can't say that you'll get an interview just because you applied, but you definitely won't get an interview if you don't.
I did, however, end up getting 2 interns through other sources. Both interns now have job offers from Google at the end of their internship with me. I can't guarantee that a gtags internship is an easy way to get an offer from Google (since both my interns were brilliant, motivated and worked very hard), but you can't argue with the track record of 100% success.
So if you're interested in an internship on gtags, go ahead and submit your application, and in particular note on your application that you want to be considered for a gtags internship. (The internship will be in Mountain View, so make sure you flag that) Leave a comment here as well so I can make sure I look for your resume. I can't say that you'll get an interview just because you applied, but you definitely won't get an interview if you don't.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Review: Smallville Season One
One of the best things about the TV format for a series is that you can really take your time to explore the subject. In this particular case, it's the development of Clark Kent into our favorite Superman.
What I really enjoy about this series is that the writers really make use of the audience's meta-knowledge, while perverting other expectations. For instance, the series introduces Lex Luthor not as the arch-nemesis of Clark Kent, but as his best friend. In one of the episodes, they talk about their friendship, and Clark wonders if they'll ever have a falling out. Luthor says, "Clark, our friendship will be the stuff of legends." In a few other places, the girls in the show tell Clark that "red looks good on you." References to "putting on a uniform and saving the world" abound.
The setup is really well done, as we Clark starts the series with limited powers. Superspeed, strength, but no X-ray vision or Heat-vision or Superbreath. He can't fly, so the show's writers can challenge him with more than just kryptonite. Being the place where Clark landed in his space-ship, Smallville is full of meteorites, so the fact that it's common is quite believable. We get to watch Clark develop his powers and his reactions to them. I really enjoy the depiction of X-ray vision, by the way.
There's a romantic triangle setup between Clark, Lana, and Chloe. Chloe is the spunky female reporter that the viewers clearly are supposed to root for (though despite her perceptive nature, she doesn't realize how special Clark really is) --- she gets into trouble, but rather than wait passively for someone to rescue her, she always takes the proactive approach. Lana, on the other hand, is always the damsel in distress, but of course, she's the one that Clark has his eye on (and as long time fans of Superman we all know that Lana eventually finds out Clark's secret identity, even though we don't know how). The triangle doesn't quite dominate the show, which is nice --- it's good to show Clark having concerns other than his romantic life.
The special effects are really great. I'm very impressed that this is a TV show at all. There's none of the cheesy stuff that's part of early Buffy (my benchmark for good TV shows), and a lot of breath-takingly good scenes.
I do have a number of nits to pick about the show: as with all high school shows, it seems like everyone in high school is really pretty or otherwise good looking. Would it really hurt to have a few plain looking extras? Sure, it's Smallville, and everything's supposed to be larger than life, but too many shows are just overdoing it. Too many times, the show feels a lot like the wierd event of the week that characterizes the first season of Buffy. Given that Smallville happened much later than Buffy, there's no excuse. I hope later seasons improve on this.
The season does end with an obligatory cliff-hanger. All in all, though, a faithful interpretation of the Superman mythos that earns its stripes in spectacular fashion. Highly recommended.
What I really enjoy about this series is that the writers really make use of the audience's meta-knowledge, while perverting other expectations. For instance, the series introduces Lex Luthor not as the arch-nemesis of Clark Kent, but as his best friend. In one of the episodes, they talk about their friendship, and Clark wonders if they'll ever have a falling out. Luthor says, "Clark, our friendship will be the stuff of legends." In a few other places, the girls in the show tell Clark that "red looks good on you." References to "putting on a uniform and saving the world" abound.
The setup is really well done, as we Clark starts the series with limited powers. Superspeed, strength, but no X-ray vision or Heat-vision or Superbreath. He can't fly, so the show's writers can challenge him with more than just kryptonite. Being the place where Clark landed in his space-ship, Smallville is full of meteorites, so the fact that it's common is quite believable. We get to watch Clark develop his powers and his reactions to them. I really enjoy the depiction of X-ray vision, by the way.
There's a romantic triangle setup between Clark, Lana, and Chloe. Chloe is the spunky female reporter that the viewers clearly are supposed to root for (though despite her perceptive nature, she doesn't realize how special Clark really is) --- she gets into trouble, but rather than wait passively for someone to rescue her, she always takes the proactive approach. Lana, on the other hand, is always the damsel in distress, but of course, she's the one that Clark has his eye on (and as long time fans of Superman we all know that Lana eventually finds out Clark's secret identity, even though we don't know how). The triangle doesn't quite dominate the show, which is nice --- it's good to show Clark having concerns other than his romantic life.
The special effects are really great. I'm very impressed that this is a TV show at all. There's none of the cheesy stuff that's part of early Buffy (my benchmark for good TV shows), and a lot of breath-takingly good scenes.
I do have a number of nits to pick about the show: as with all high school shows, it seems like everyone in high school is really pretty or otherwise good looking. Would it really hurt to have a few plain looking extras? Sure, it's Smallville, and everything's supposed to be larger than life, but too many shows are just overdoing it. Too many times, the show feels a lot like the wierd event of the week that characterizes the first season of Buffy. Given that Smallville happened much later than Buffy, there's no excuse. I hope later seasons improve on this.
The season does end with an obligatory cliff-hanger. All in all, though, a faithful interpretation of the Superman mythos that earns its stripes in spectacular fashion. Highly recommended.
My 15 Minutes of Fame
Piaw Na, another engineer, stopped by to browse. He bikes to work from his home in Sunnyvale and can never make it to the library before it closes. When the library started visiting campus, he said, ``I got everyone in my office to sign up.''
Yep, I got everyone in my office (all 4 of us) to sign up for the mobile library. Clearly, my 15 minutes of fame is going to forever link me with nerdiness. I can't complain. I knew that was going to happen when the journalist cornered me when I stepped out of the library.
Yep, I got everyone in my office (all 4 of us) to sign up for the mobile library. Clearly, my 15 minutes of fame is going to forever link me with nerdiness. I can't complain. I knew that was going to happen when the journalist cornered me when I stepped out of the library.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
At the foot of the cables at Half-Dome
A far cry from last year's image. The difference? This year's image was taken at 6:30am on a Sunday.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
The Economist does an about face
The Economist used to be a climate skeptic, gleefully publishing article after article claiming that of all the good things you can do with money, everything else (disease, famine, healthcare, AIDs, etc) was much more important than climate change. This obviously lopsided stance (along with its ridiculously indefensible support of George Bush) prompted me to stop renewing my subscription.
In the latest issue, it appears as though this magazine has done an about face. Suddenly, the climate crisis is worthy of attention and the evidence supporting it is now worth publishing in its august pages. It might very well be too late.
I'm hoping that this turnabout signals the gradual realization amongst the wealthy class that if the planet becomes uninhabitable for human beings, it's not going to matter how many billions of dollars you have --- you'll be just as dead. But I'm not holding my breath.
In the latest issue, it appears as though this magazine has done an about face. Suddenly, the climate crisis is worthy of attention and the evidence supporting it is now worth publishing in its august pages. It might very well be too late.
I'm hoping that this turnabout signals the gradual realization amongst the wealthy class that if the planet becomes uninhabitable for human beings, it's not going to matter how many billions of dollars you have --- you'll be just as dead. But I'm not holding my breath.
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