thepetecom.blogspot.com: May 2007

Thursday, May 31, 2007

EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT TO BE TESTED ON PEOPLE WITHOUT CONSENT

OK, so, there are these tests doctors want to do to determine better ways to resuscitate people after their hearts suddenly stop, due to shock, trauma, etc. The thing is, these doctors are idiots. "Well, the only way to see if it works on humans is if we try it. But how can we get their permission first if we have to wait until their heart stops to ask them?" is what I imagine Dr. Moron asking Dr. Dipshitz. "You're right! Let's subject them to a potentially fatal test and not give any further thought to it!" replies Dr. Dipshitz. "LET'S!" Of course, they don't bother to even think about an alternative to violating human rights by publicizing that they need people to volunteer for the tests. And by "volunteering" I don't mean they should volunteer to have their heart suddenly stopped. If you thought that you're as dumb as Dr. Moron. What I mean is, publicize the hell out of this and get hundreds or even thousands of people to sign waivers saying "if I'm in a car accident, you can do the test on me." Car accidents happen all the time--it's highly likely that the doctors would get "lucky." I'd much prefer their research get delayed over them testing something that won't work on me, thank you very much. Read more about the specifics in [http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/nation/4839234.html|a May 26, 2007 article] from WashingtonPost.com but available at Chron.com.

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SHAVING CREAM SONG!

Ah, so, I was listening to the HuckleBug podcast (download it NOW at HuckleBug.Com) and I was reminded of a song I listened to over and over again as a kid that I knew only as "the Shaving Cream song". Some local morning radio show in New York played it a lot and it ended up on a mix tape of mine. Sadly, that mix tape has long gone the way of the dinosaurs. So, I decided to go googling for it. I found it and seeing as Wikipedia.org [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaving_Cream_%28song%29|says it was first recorded 1946 by Benny Bell] and hasn't exactly shown up on MTV's TRL, I'm going to guess it's safe to provide you with said mp3 here. So have a listen now! It's silly and fun and is a pleasant departure from the depressing stuff I usually blog about :) HUZZAH!

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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

VENEZUELA'S CHAVEZ ABRIDGES FREEDOM OF SPEECH

This is more proof that maybe governments aren't always out to protect us. In the past I've been a pro-Chavez kind of guy. He was elected on a populist platform which means he appealed to the majority of the people and gave them what they wanted. Ironically, the majority of Venezuela are what many of us white folks would call peasants. Poor people with no power. I call them peasants because that's what some guy on CNN called them over the weekend when these riots started. See, Chavez grabbed a corporation-run TV station and turned it all public-accessy and stuff. There were riots by what, I assume, are the rich folks. The CNN guy said something like: "this extends beyond the TV station, though, right? It goes all the way to Chavez seizing people's land and giving it to peasants." Isn't that neat how the good-looking, white, ethnocentric-as-fuck newscaster suggests there's a difference between "people" and "peasants"? ANYway, so Chavez nabbed this station and gave it over to "the people". The thing is, the rich folks are right on this one--Chavez is wrong to silence anyone. If he wanted to look like a good guy, he'd leave the corporate station alone and give the poor folks buckets of money to produce their own shows. Now he just comes off like a big brothery type guy who is only catering to the poor folks because they allow him to avoid fixing elections. As far as I know he's also still got the power to rule by decree. This power is supposed to run out after 18 months (I think) but it's only been like 6, if that. Since I've been a supporter of Chavez in the past, I knew it was a good idea to speak up and say that I'm not down with taking away ANYone's voice. Like I said if Hugo wanted to do some good, he shouldn't take away the rich guy's megaphone, he should just give a PA system to the poor folks. So what if this corporate station supported the 2002 coup against you, Hugo? You look really bad now--all Putiny and stuff.

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SOFT DRINKS MAY DABBLE WITH YOUR DNA

Yeah, I've got to admit bursting into a Charlton-Heston-in-Planet-of-the-Apes-style belly laugh when I read the following cutting from [http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2586652.ece|a May 27, 2007 article] at http://independent.co.uk :

A new health scare erupted over soft drinks last night amid evidence they may cause serious cell damage. Research from a British university suggests a common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA.

More and more, these days, I am finding that I am feeling more and more like Heston's character in the first PotA movie (NOT the one with Marky Mark). I feel like I'm the smartest one around--even if it's by accident. Hell I've been officially off the sugar-drinks since the spring of 2003 just because I had read that sugar might be reeeally really horrible for you. So, here it is, four years later and it looks like I may have avoided having my very DNA diced and sliced by a nasty chemical in my Mountain Dew Code Red. But what IS that chemical. Well, here's more from the article:

Concerns centre on the safety of E211, known as sodium benzoate, a preservative used for decades by the £74bn global carbonated drinks industry. Sodium benzoate derives from benzoic acid. It occurs naturally in berries, but is used in large quantities to prevent mould in soft drinks such as Sprite, Oasis and Dr Pepper. It is also added to pickles and sauces. Sodium benzoate has already been the subject of concern about cancer because when mixed with the additive vitamin C in soft drinks, it causes benzene, a carcinogenic substance. A Food Standards Agency survey of benzene in drinks last year found high levels in four brands which were removed from sale.

Zowie. Well, I don't think Code Red is available in the UK, where the study occurred, so after a quick visit to [http://mountaindew.com/about_dew/product_info/cr.php|the Code Red product info page] at MountainDew.Com, I discovered that, yes, in fact, Code Red does contain Sodium Benzoate, which may very well mess with your health on the most basic of levels. Here's a bit more from the above linked article, this cutting refers to the unfortunately named scientist name behind the study:

Now, an expert in ageing at Sheffield University, who has been working on sodium benzoate since publishing a research paper in 1999, has decided to speak out about another danger. Professor Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, tested the impact of sodium benzoate on living yeast cells in his laboratory. What he found alarmed him: the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the "power station" of cells known as the mitochondria. He told The Independent on Sunday: "These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether.

Sheeeit! That does sound pretty horrible, doesn't it? Well, let's not beat around the bush--HOW is it bad for you?

"The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number if diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of ageing."

And here I thought that perpetual fatigue I have felt since I was 23 was just a part of having a dayjob. Turns out there's a reason my energy level rose back in the spring of 2003. So, if you were on the fence about jumping off the soda wagon in favor of the water wagon, good GOD, man! JUMP!! JUUUUMP!!! JUMP FOR YOUR LIFE!!!

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Monday, May 28, 2007

AMERICAN MEDIA LETS US DOWN AGAIN

So, back on May 25, 2007, I noticed a distinct problem with the way CNN was covering a certain story. Basically, it was not the most important story out there. Check out this screengrab from CNN.com:

So, according to CNN, this extremist guy calling the US evil is the most important story. Meanwhile, Japanese news source, KyodoNews.co.jp reports:

Which do you think is more important? Some Iraqi militia leader guy calling names or NoKo firing test missiles at Japan? I'm thinking that you know what I'm thinking...

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DRUDGE: FALWELL NOT A BAD GUY

I meant to blog on this shortly after Falwell died but the screengrab got lost in the shuffle. Anyway, here it is, from DrudgeReport.Com:

So, the guy who said gays, liberals and abortionists were the reason 911 happened gets this kind of positive treatment. The dude was a bastard (my opinion) and a hate-monger (fact). All Drudge (and so many other "news" sources) can do is say good things about him. As I've been saying for years now, we are living on Bizarro World...

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CAUGHT BEFORE THEY COULD...

I meant to post this weeks ago. From DrudgeReport.Com:

My caption would be: "Caught Before They Could...Commit a Crime" I suppose it is illegal to plan to commit a crime? I suppose it's illegal these days to even think about committing a crime. Ah well...

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PIRATE'S OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END (2007)

Positive Experience/Entertaining? The worst movie I've seen since Spider-Man 3. This film edges out Pirate's 2 as being the worst in the series. Unlike said prequel, this movie is a yawner, through and through, with virtually nothing to write home about.
Technically any good? Almost everything good about the last two films was ignored and what was used in this film was used poorly. It felt as though the writers were bored with the concept and as a result, I think the script suffers. The acting was fine, but who cares? The same goes for the effects. Forget that they were gorgeous--the script was as muddled and confused as Spider-Man 3's script. Too many storylines going made for no clear throughline for us to grab onto. It was a serious mess that I couldn't even tell you about. Seriously, the plot is that muddy. It's NOT about bringing Jack Sparrow back from Davey Jones' Locker. It was about that, the East India Company trying to get the nine Pieces of Eight, Captain Barbosa releasing Davey Jones' ex-girlfriend from her fleshy prison, and uh... whether or not Will and Elizabeth should be together, and about Will trying to save his father, and.... you get the point.
How did it leave me feeling? Like I wasted the last 2 hours and 45 minutes of my life. Seriously, this movie could have been GREAT if it was forced to be 2 hours or less. I could have cut SO much to make this film better. What's sad is that, at the very least, the last two were crowd pleasers. While the last one was way more dumb than the first, this one completes the descent of the franchise. A fourth PotC movie? It won't be one I'll pay for.
Final Rating? DNS - Do Not See - Seriously. Netflix something. Seriously.

Orignal From: PIRATE'S OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END (2007)

BETTER OFF DEAD (1985)

[ASIN: B00005JKFA]

Positive Experience/Entertaining? OF COURSE! If you haven't seen this movie GO GET IT NOW! It really is one of the most brilliant comedies of all time.
Technically any good? While far from perfect cinema, this movie knows exactly what it's trying to do and it succeeds in doing it. There are definitely moments in the movie that needed second takes or better sound and even, very rarely, different cinematography. Still, the acting is spot-on, though it's not super challenging to pull off what this movie requires of its actors. Of course the comic timing that is required to pull a lot of the gags off is incredibly important and everyone nails it.
How did it leave me feeling? Incredibly entertained. After a really stressful week of all sorts of dumb, real-life stress, this was exactly the movie I needed to see. Special thanks to the fine folks at the NuArt for screening this movie at their Friday midnight show. If you're in LA, on the Westside and you're looking for a good midnight show, swing by the NuArt on Santa Monica Blvd, just west of the 405 freeway.
Final Rating? GSN!!! GO SEE NOW!! Or NETFLIX THIS PUPPY!

Orignal From: BETTER OFF DEAD (1985)

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Project365 day 147 2007 05 27

Project365 day 147 2007 05 27, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Me at this great little coffee house in Ventura called Latte 101. They've

got a great place that's the perfect middle ground between big and small,

they've got a huge and creative menu (Espresso Ice Blended!!!) and, of

course, free wifi. Check them out at Latte101.Com. I found them on

WifiFreeSpot.Com, which is where I found Boba Loca in Westwood Village,

where I've been going to for almost 4 years. If I lived up here I'd come

here all the time.

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Project365 day 146 2007 05 26

Project365 day 146 2007 05 26, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

TheWife and I after getting out of Dodge!! This is us in an Outback

Steakhouse in Oxnard.

See, In old westerns (usually taking place in an old western town called

"Dodge City") when the hero would get in trouble with the law or the local

band of gunslingers, they'd say "you've got to get out of Dodge!" So, when

ever I leave a city I spend way too much time in, I say the same thing. Of

course, an hour's drive up the 101 to Ventura doesn't fully count as getting

away from the big city, but it sure feels different up here!

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Project365 day 145 2007 05 25

Project365 day 145 2007 05 25, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Back at TheBean, but enshrouded in shadow! SHOOPER!!

That night we saw "Better Off Dead" at the NuArt's midnight show--bloody

brilliant film!! Netflix that puppy if you don't have it in your personal

video collection already!

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Project365 day 144 2007 05 24

Project365 day 144 2007 05 24, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

AGAIN with the blurry bottle! Well, in case you can't tell, that's a bottle

of Dr. Pepper. Boba Loca (where I am in the shot) sells this really cool

version of Dr. P that doesn't used refined sugar, but instead uses cane

sugar. Sure, it's still bad for you but not as bad as refined. It also

tastes hellabetter than regular Dr. P, which I like just fine, but it's

pretty damn sweet. I don't need so much sweet and this version gives it to

me. :)

This version of Dr. Pepper is becoming a Thursday night (payday) tradition!

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Project365 day 143 2007 05 23

Project365 day 143 2007 05 23, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Me, back in Boba Loca in Westwood Village. The ironic thing is that they

don't even serve Seattle's Best Coffee any more. :(

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Project365 day 142 2007 05 22

Project365 day 142 2007 05 22, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Wow, if there was earthquake right when I took this picture, I'd be dead

from coffee-mugs-to-the-head. That'd be a real sad way to go...

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Project365 day 141 2007 05 21

Project365 day 141 2007 05 21, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Ha-HAH! Here's a nice variation on the theme! I'm in a coffee house (my
favorite: Boba Loca, in Westwood) and I'm NOT ACTUALLY DRINKING A CAFFINATED BEVERAGE! I'm not even DRINKING a beverage that ISN'T EVEN CAFFINATED!!

I RULE!

Dig that blurry bottle!

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Project365 day 141 2007 05 21

Project365 day 141 2007 05 21, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Ha-HAH! Here's a nice variation on the theme! I'm in a coffee house (my

favorite: Boba Loca, in Westwood) and I'm NOT ACTUALLY DRINKING A CAFFINATED

BEVERAGE! I'm not even DRINKING a beverage that ISN'T EVEN CAFFINATED!!

I RULE!

Dig that blurry bottle!

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Project365 day 140 2007 05 20

Project365 day 140 2007 05 20, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Just me in the homecube. Have no idea what the hell I was thinking or why I

took this pic. I think I noticed my Applescript was kicking in so I just

smiled at the camera. Easy. breezy, cover girl--uh, boy!

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Project365 day 139 2007 05 19

Project365 day 139 2007 05 19, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Must... concentrate... on... SOMETHING... I don't remember this pic even

being snapped--I have an automatic script set up on my Mac now to snap a pic

with the built-in iSight every three hours, regardless of where it is or who

is in front of it. I must have been stressing about my website acting wonky

again.

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Project365 day 138 2007 05 18

Project365 day 138 2007 05 18, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Here's a nice switch from yesterday's picture of me in a coffee house. This

one is an image of me I'm way more sick of seeing than you, I bet--it's me

in my cube at work. Bleh. Booooring!! But hey, at least it's not a shot

of my on a bus or sucking down some caffeine, right? (Though I could have

used some caffeine there, in my cube!)

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Project365 day 137 2007 05 17

Project365 day 137 2007 05 17, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Tired of this shot yet?? Pics of me sucking on some sort of caffinated

beverage are becoming the new version of pics of me on a bus. ENOUGH

already!

Oh, who am I kidding. I LOVE COFFEE!!

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Project365 day 136 2007 05 15

Project365 day 136 2007 05 15, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

TheWife and I at a performance of "Yellow Face," a new play by the guy who

wrote M. Butterfly. It was VERY good and don't worry, it's written by an

Asian dude so we're not allowed to be offended by the title ;)

Seriously, aside from the overly preachy ending (which really did NOT have

to be preachy at all) this play was very cool and very much worth checking

out if you happen to have a chance to see it. We saw it at the Mark Taper

Forum in Los Angeles.
http://www.centertheatregroup.org/tickets/productiondetail.aspx?id=506">Check

out the play's web page at MarkTaperForum.com. It's performing until

July 1, 2007.

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Project365 day 133 2007 05 13

Project365 day 133 2007 05 13, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Don't know what the hell was up with this pic--I think I was getting ready
to go rollerblading or something. That's pretty much the only time I wear a
hat... I gotta start uploading these pics a bit closer to when I take them!

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Project365 day 135 2007 05 14

Project365 day 135 2007 05 14, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

"Hey there...You come here often?"

Yep, that's me, back at TheBean for lunchtime web-work. Yippeee!!

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Project365 day 134 2007 05 14

Project365 day 134 2007 05 14, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

"Marketed Self-Portrait"

Yeah, here's me in the reflection of a "clever" bus stop ad for the french

store. This bus stop is located on Le Conte, right across from the Best Buy

and Ralph's and right on the southern edge of UCLA, just in case you cared.

:)

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Friday, May 25, 2007

US ALREADY IN IRAN, SAYS CBS NEWS

When ever the US goes to war with a country, we like to send some guys in early to suss out the joint and see what the place is like before we go in guns blazing. Sometimes, like in Cuba, our guys go in and actually mess up the place a bit in order to weaken them before we hit or to help us avoid having to go in at all. The point is, if the guy in the White House starts spouting off about a new country threating America and there are plans drawn up by the Pentagon (as in Iran's case) odds are someone with American blood is already inside said country. CBSNews.com is [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/23/eveningnews/main2843582.shtml|reporting] that not only do we have guys inside Iran, but they're mucking up the nuclear works. Here's a cutting:

CBS News has learned that Iran is continuing to make progress on its expanded efforts to enrich uranium — in spite of covert efforts by U.S. and other allied intelligence agencies to actively sabotage the country's nuclear program. "Industrial sabotage is a way to stop the program, without military action, without fingerprints on the operation, and really, it is ideal, if it works," says Mark Fitzpatrick, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Non-Proliferation and now Senior Fellow in Non-Proliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

So, yaaay. I mean, wait--the sabotage isn't working, so the Iranian "nuculer" program (as too many people are calling it) is moving on. Forget that I've heard Iran is still 4 or 5 years away from having enough weapons grade radioactive stuff to make a bomb (let alone the time to make the bomb itself). Forget that the Iranians keep telling us they only want nuke energy not nuke weapons. No, Iran is clearly a threat--or at least, that seems to be what the Bushies want us to believe. This is why CBS got the info about the US folks inside Iran dropping some monkeys into the wrench factories (how else do you make monkeywrenches??). Doesn't this all seem wonderfully familiar?

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iPOD FANATICS? START SAVING!!

Well, my dad once accused me of having to buy every cool new gadget that comes out the minute it hits store shelves. I told him that I simply am not that way. I just like to buy the exceptionally cool gadgets the minute they hit store shelves. That said, I will not be buying an iPhone. Not unless they up the storage or drop the price dramatically. I have two phones that do the same stuff the iPhone does and they both have a tactile keyboard/pad. That said, the next new iPod is much more likely to be the next gadget I buy. WHAT new iPod, you ask? The one that PiperJaffray is predicting, according to [http://www.tuaw.com/2007/05/24/piperjaffray-analyst-predicts-autumn-6g-ipod/#comments|a May 24, 2007 post] at TUAW.com. [http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=9482|The article] the TUAW blog post references doesn't mention any specifics beyond the wide, touchable screen and a $399 pricepoint (duh) but I'm going to have a hard time saying no to this one. A wide screen iPod? Damn, if it recorded mp4 video for immediate playback I'd sell an organ to buy it if it came out tomorrow. However, I'll just be sitting tight, saving my pennies starting now.

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Wednesday, May 23, 2007

TOP 5 ANNOYING PEOPLE THIS WEEK (December 3, 1998)

1. THE TV NEWS - For not covering the first link-up of the new International Space Station. 2. ANYONE WHO LISTENS TO CHRISTMAS MUSIC THIS EARLY IN THE MONTH - You KNOW by the 25th you'll be sick of those damn carols! 3. MARIAH CARREY - You know, I'm just WAITING for her to just cough up her vocal cords! 4.Little Ricky Shroder - Oh, I'm sorry - it's RICK... 5.Oprah Winfrey - I saw her on TV AGAIN and this annoyed me. Again.

Orignal From: TOP 5 ANNOYING PEOPLE THIS WEEK (December 3, 1998)

TOP 5 ANNOYING PEOPLE THIS WEEK (November 30. 1998)

1. Gus Van Sant - Read [http://thepete.com/dont-go-crazy-for-psycho/|this] if you don't know why. 2. KEN STARR - I LOVED you on 20/20, you hypocrite! 3. AOL - First ICQ and now Netscape - MS, look out! 4.Adam Sandler - I bet this guy's really big in France. 5.Oprah Winfrey - I saw her on TV AGAIN and this annoyed me.

Orignal From: TOP 5 ANNOYING PEOPLE THIS WEEK (November 30. 1998)

DON'T GO CRAZY FOR PSYCHO!

PLEASE! I BEG OF YOU! BOYCOTT THE NEW VERSION OF PSYCHO! WHY? Because it's not a remake, it's a RIP-OFF!!! Rather than trying to take an old idea and reinvigorate it with new ideas, he's making a shot-for-shot recreation. Why do this? Here's a quote from the movie's "director" Gus Van Sant at the movie's web site: "I felt that, sure, there were film students, cinephiles and people in the business who were familiar with Psycho but that there was also a whole generation of movie-goers who probably hadn't seen it," So, therefore we should rip-it off, shoot it again and market it as a new thing? I guess so. But he continues. "I thought this was a way of popularizing a classic, a way I'd never seen before. It was like staging a contemporary production of a classic play while remaining true to the original." Yeah, right - when you stage a new version of an old play, you don't block it EXACTLY the same way - using the same props, the same movements but different costumes and a tweaked script. I mean WHY DO THIS?!? If it's an experiment, than make it a LITERAL COPY - shoot it in black and white, with the same music, the same shots, the same props, the same EVERYTHING - even the script, complete with all of the dialog intact. If it's not an experiment MAKE A WHOLE NEW FILM. Take the old script and REWRITE IT! Add new things to it! Remake it - put a new slant to it. MAKE IT NEW, don't sorta do a remake that only tries to change a few convenient things. I mean - if Van Sant REALLY wanted to re-introduce the classic near-perfection of PSYCHO, then why not get behind a movement to rerelease the original?? Wouldn't that be a better way of showing people how great the film is? Instead of doing that, Van Sant decides to TAKE COMPLETE ADVANTAGE of the CLASSIC NAME of PSYCHO and USE it to make money. What this amounts to is highway robbery. If Van Sant had any true talent, he'd make a movie that HASN'T been seen before and that would have just as big an effect on the American film-going public. If all he's interested in doing is reintroducing a classic, why not get Universal to rerelease it? With the right marketing campaign it could do pretty well - you know they didn't remake Wizard of Oz - THEY RERELEASED IT! This act has earned GUS VAN SANT the first BIRD AWARD EVER!!

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Tuesday, May 22, 2007

CO2 JUMPS SINCE 2000 3 TIMES AS MUCH AS 1990s

DemocracyNow.Org is [http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/22/1412217|reporting] that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has jumped a LOT since 2000--three times the rate recorded in the 1990s. Here's what they said:

Scientists: CO2 Emissions Unexpectedly Soared Since 2000
Meanwhile in related news, a team of international scientists reported on Monday that worldwide carbon dioxide levels have taken a sudden and alarming jump since the year 2000. The scientists found that CO2 emissions from fossil fuels are increasing at three times the rate experienced in the 1990s.

Don't worry, [http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/CO2-emissions-sped-up-after-2000-study/2007/05/22/1179601366748.html|Sydney Morning Herald is reporting the same thing]. Here's what they say about the study that found the numbers DN reported on:

"This paper should be a rallying cry," said Chris Field, a co-author of t! he study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Noting recent media reports about countries and companies making serious commitments to combat climate change, Field said: "This basically says what the challenge is, how serious they need to be."
Field, of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology in Stanford, California, said the study found that between 2000 and 2004, worldwide carbon dioxide emissions increased by 3.1 per cent a year, about three times as fast as the 1.1 per cent rate of increase in the 1990s.
In addition to energy intensity, the speed-up is also due to a rise in how much carbon it takes to make the energy people use. Other factors include growth in world population and individual gross domestic product, the study said.
Field noted the scientific consensus that carbon emissions contribute to global climate change.
Much of the accelerated carbon dioxide emissions come from China, where a fast-growing economy is powered largely by coal-fired energy.

So, there ya have it. It's time to stop looking for a single solution to oil and just start using SOMEthing other than it for everything. Ethanol, solar, wind, hydro, hydrogen, ANYthing other than oil.

No single thing will replace oil, but we've got to start diversifying.

Orignal From: CO2 JUMPS SINCE 2000 3 TIMES AS MUCH AS 1990s

Monday, May 21, 2007

TOP 5 ANNOYING PEOPLE THIS WEEK (November 18, 2007)

1. Saddam Hussein - Why do I think we haven't heard the last of him? 2. Bruce Willis - The US Government just asked him to save NYC. Is he going to say no? God, I hope so! 3. George Lucas - For making such a COOL trailer - I can't wait until MAY!! 4.People with those annoying laser pointers - You know, pointing a red dot at movie screens is just NOT cute anymore. 5.Oprah Winfrey - So, when's BELOVED out on video?

Orignal From: TOP 5 ANNOYING PEOPLE THIS WEEK (November 18, 2007)

MINIBITCH: STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE

I STILL hate that title!

Orignal From: MINIBITCH: STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE

FINALLY SOMETHING THAT MATTERS WITH MONICA

After way too long a wait, the tapes Linda Tripp recorded of Monica have been released. Why do I say they should have been released sooner? Because they seem to be the only things that really made a case against our good old Prez. I was annoyed at how at this point in all of this the tapes are looked at as more of the same old crap. But FINALLY, here is our opportunity to hear how Monica really talked about her sorta-kinda-boyfriend - in her own words - in her own voice - spin-doctor free. Now, I tried listening to the tapes at cnn.com, but of course, their server was jammed so every thirty seconds my Real Media Player would pause thanks to net congestion. So, instead of listening to the tapes and interpretting Monica and Linda's words as their own, I was forced to trust various news organizations to play me the crucial, important parts on TV. Of course, they only played the sensational bits. The bits where Monica talked about how she fell in love with Clinton and how she ca! lled him a butthead. To his face. The excerpts, while amusing and even entertaining at times, were just another obvious grab at ratings as opposed to a genuine attempt to deliver reasonably objective reporting of the news. Am I REALLY expecting too much here? Why is it that the real news-people of the world are either dead or long-since-sold-out. You think Kronkite covered John Glenn's latest space flight for CNN because he wanted to meet the voice of Darth Vader? I bet Edward R. Murrow is about ready to tear off his wings and come back down to Earth to show us all how it's done! I wish he would! PS As I type this, it's 3:15am on 11/18 - I am making more attempts to listen to Linda and Monica's greatest hits with just slightly larger success. I am still dealing with mucho net congestion - even at this time of the night! So much for the information super-highway. More like the information super-bike-path.

Orignal From: FINALLY SOMETHING THAT MATTERS WITH MONICA

Sunday, May 20, 2007

MY WORK FEATURED ON CustomToyLab.Com

Ah, this is cool. There's no major application process or anything, but it's still neat when another website features something you did, you know? Also, CustomToyLab.Com features some really amazing work from artists around the world. Even if you're not into toys or urban vinyls, if you like any kind of sculpture or modern art, you should check out CustomToyLab.Com. Of course, the main reason you should pay a visit to CustomToyLab.Com right now is that OUR OLD PAL CHALKY IS FEATURED!! Check out the link below and be sure to leave a comment on how cool you think he is!! http://www.customtoylab.com/2007/05/20/chalky-munny-thepete/ In case you don't remember who Chalky is, here's a refresher:

Awww, isn't he adorable? Don't you just want to hug him and wipe all of that chalky goodness onto your shirt?

Orignal From: MY WORK FEATURED ON CustomToyLab.Com

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

CRIMINAL ENVIRONMENTALISTS EQUAL TERRORISTS??

Well, here it is, folks! The slippery slope being slowly slid down. I'm all for gay rights, equal rights for women and minorities, I'm for animal rights, a people's sovereign rights, religious rights, reproductive rights and anything else that guarantees a basic level of stasis for humanity. One thing I'm against is hate crime legislation. To me, it's a form of prosecution that George Orwell called "WrongThinking". In his novel, 1984, people are punished simply for thinking certain things. This is obviously bad. However, are laws that punish you more for a hate crime any different? It's not like you killed a person more than you would have if you didn't hate them for being gay or black or whatever. I mean, dead is dead. What difference does it make why I did it? All that matters is that I did it. Of course, the defense is that these laws are trying to discourage these kinds of crimes from happening. It's less bad to kill for greed or jealousy's sake, but kill a man because he likes other men and that's worse? Basically, the people behind these laws are trying to legislate thought. Essentially outlawing these kinds of thoughts. I think it's a slippery slope to arresting people for what they think. Now, DemocracyNow.Org reports in [http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/16/140212|today's headlines] that we're inching a bit further down that slippery slope in naming environmentalists who commit crimes terrorists. Here's how DN reported it today:

Prosecutors Environmental Activists to Be Sentenced as Terrorists Federal prosecutors in Oregon said yesterday that a group of 10 environmental and animal rights activists should be considered terrorists for their involvement in a series of politically-motivated arsons. One attorney for the Bush administration likened the activists to the Ku Klux Klan. Attorneys for the activists condemned the government's move. Lauren Regan of the Civil Liberties Defense Center: "The government in this case is seeking to apply the terrorist enhancement to individuals who are accused of environmentally motivated property crimes alone. This is the first time in the history of our country that the government is seeking this enhancement for crimes did not involve the murder or the attempted murder of humans. The reason is obviously political." Sentencing for the activists is scheduled to begin next week. If the judge determines the activists to be terrorists it could add 20 years to their prison sentences.

So, now setting an empty SUV on fire is equivalent to suicide bombing and crashing planes into buildings. See what happens when you let the motivation for a crime determine how serious it is? How serious a crime is should be based on the act, itself. If a guy cuts off a man's head with a hatchet, that's much more barbaric than simply shooting a man in the chest. Do this any other way and we get into determining what should and should not legally go on in someone's head. Hence, the coming of wrongthinking as a crime. 1984 may be still yet to come, folks. However, we can stop it if we just pay attention and keep questioning.

Orignal From: CRIMINAL ENVIRONMENTALISTS EQUAL TERRORISTS??

Monday, May 14, 2007

28 WEEKS LATER (2007)

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Wow, not really at all. I didn't really have any expectations for this film, I only saw it because TheWife wanted to see it. Boy, did I waste my time. In fact, that was my thought through most of it: "I've got stuff to do!"
Technically any good? The acting was about the only thing I liked--not that they got to do much more than play believable people running from zombies. The script was littered with contrivances, including one that made the whole movie go. Without it, the film has no story. And, like I said, similar contrivances were everywhere. The script was also very ham-fisted and manipulative. The fell back on every trick in the book to get the audience to feel sympathy ASIDE from actually creating interesting and dynamic characters. They cast good looking people in all of the lead roles (unlike 28 Days Later), they cast kids that are no more interesting than Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace and the camera/sound techniques that worked were stolen from the the film's prequel. Then there were the stupid characters doing stupid things. I could go on, really, I could. The zombie FX and gore were reasonable enough but without a decent story,! who cares?
How did it leave me feeling? UNsatisfied, for sure. Just more of the same from the first film, without the cool social commentary and BASIC LOGIC that made 28 Days Later as good as it was. Seriously, as the premise of the film slowly became clear, I found myself wondering "why the hell do they want to do that??" As in: "Why do these people want to move back to London just 28 weeks after a virus drove everyone mad??" Seriously, it made no sense. If that happened to Los Angeles, I'd never go back.
Final Rating? DNS - Do Not See

Orignal From: 28 WEEKS LATER (2007)

Al Qaeda Job Application?

It's true--ABCNews.com is now [http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=3170794&page=1|reporting] that Al Qaeda has a job application. Check out a cutting from [http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=3170794&page=1|a May 14, 2007 article]:

Here is a key piece of evidence in the case against American-born Jose Padilla, whose federal trial begins Monday in Miami — an Al Qaeda job application form. (Click [http://abcnews.go.com/images/TheLaw/padilladoc.pdf|here] to read an English translation of the Al Qaeda application, as well as the original Arabic.) The application — obtained by ABC News' Law & Justice Unit — provides a window into a highly sophisticated organization with a corporate structure that resembles that of large American companies. "It's a membership application — just the way you or I would fill out an application for a credit card company,'' said Jack Cloonan, former head of the FBI's Osama bin Laden squad in New York and now an ABC News consultant, who reviewed the document. "They're no different.''

Uh-huh. A job application. You have got to be shitting me. You can't expect us to believe this! How absurd is the idea that AQ would need you to fill out an application. THEY'RE TERRORISTS!! And what an incredibly absurd thing for that ABC News consultant to say: "It's a membership application - just the way you or I would fill out an application for a credit card company, They're no different." Yeah, except that the credit card doesn't authorize you for jihad! WTF! But here are some problems I have with the application itself: 1) First off, it doesn't say that it's an Al Qaeda application anywhere. The header on the first page proclaims "IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MERCIFUL, THE COMPASSIONATE, Mujahideen Data Form, New Comers Form" See? It makes no reference to being a form used by the AQ Human Resources department. It's simply a form for freedom fighters (that's what Mujahideen means). Seriously? This form could be for any group, even a few that aren't terrorists. Think I'm kidding about the AQ Human Resources department? Keep reading. 2) Below the header, it actually claims that the form is from "The Military Administration, Personnel Branch". So, according to people claiming this form is legit, AQ does, in fact, have an HR department. 3) This form is supposed to be hypothetical Jose Padilla's application to sign up with AQ and yet it's far from completely filled out. If this guy can't fill out a fracking form how do you think he's going to whip up a dirty bomb to use on innocent folks?? 4) The form actually asks the question "Who referred you to us?" What's even funnier than a terrorist organization asking for the name of the guy who told you about this "way-cool terror group that's fightin' America" is that Padilla answered the question. How do we expect people so stupid as to not cover their tracks to actually threaten us? 5) There's even a section labeled "for administration use." Come on, guys! These are TERRORISTS. Does ANYone really think this application form is legit? I seriously don't. This seems like a fake, to me. Though I'm surely no expert.

Orignal From: Al Qaeda Job Application?

NOTES ON A SCANDAL (2006)

[asin: B000NIVJFY]

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely. While it's not my regular cup of tea, there are reasons to see, enjoy and admire this film.
Technically any good? The script was about as solid as it could be. There were a couple moments I would have changed, but these were not big enough to be any really mistakes, in my mind. The acting was, well, how do you think the acting was with Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench in the leads? About the only actor I thought could have done a better job was the kid but since he wasn't in the film all that much, I was OK with it. Oh and Bill Nighy was brilliant as always.
How did it leave me feeling? Very satisfied. I would have liked a more satisfying ending, but I think it's perfectly reasonable to end the film the way the director ended it. If you like great acting without a lot of complex plot machinations, check out this movie. It's not overly simple or anything but it doesn't over-think things either. As the Brits say, it's "spot on."
Final Rating? SIYL - See If You Like - Just a good, solid film.

Orignal From: NOTES ON A SCANDAL (2006)

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Project365 day 132 2007 05 12

Project365 day 132 2007 05 12, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Me at the Groundwork coffee house in Hollywood, chatting with my fellow

writer Chris (he's on the other side of the table, but trust me! He was

there!!).

Orignal From: Project365 day 132 2007 05 12

Project365 day 131 2007 05 11

Project365 day 131 2007 05 11, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Ooooo, I'm enshrouded in shadow at the Playa Park Coffee Bean on my lunch

hour!! Soooo spoooky!!!

Orignal From: Project365 day 131 2007 05 11

Project365 day 130 2007 05 10

Project365 day 130 2007 05 10, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Me doing one of my rare health-splurges. Here I am drinking classic Dr.

Pepper--but it's a special recipe. It's made with cane sugar instead of

regular refined sugar. Your body has an easier time digesting it (in

theory) because it's not as refined as the sugar you normally find in Dr.

P. It tastes a little better than regular Dr. P, too.

Orignal From: Project365 day 130 2007 05 10

Project365 day 129 2007 05 09

Project365 day 129 2007 05 09, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Not sure what the hell's up with this pic. It's me in the homecube, but I'm

not sure what's going on inside my head. But that's what most people say

about me. :)

Orignal From: Project365 day 129 2007 05 09

Project365 day 130 2007 05 10

Project365 day 130 2007 05 10, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Orignal From: Project365 day 130 2007 05 10

Friday, May 11, 2007

Niceness is Cool

So, I tend to often bitch and moan about how sucky we humans are to one another but I never really talk about the nice things I see people do from time-to-time. So, here's a post about nice things. Yesterday evening, I'm walking from my dayjob to the bus stop and this Latino dude walking in the opposite direction smiles at me and holds out a day pass for the bus. "Hey, do you need this?" He wasn't some freaky idiot or anything. He was a dude who recognized me from the bus--I didn't recognize him at all (even now, sadly), but I'm one of the only bleach-blond white guys that takes a bus in LA, so I can understand why he remembered me. Regardless of any of that, I was really struck by how this dude's natural instinct when he realized he no longer needed a day pass was to find someone else who might need one. I had to turn him down because I already have a monthly pass. However, it was still pretty cool of him to offer. OK, now I'd like to do some armchair cultural analyzation. This analyzation will be based solely on stereotypes since any Latinos I know are much more assimilated into "white" culture and this guy looked and sounded like he was just smuggled in. Though to be honest I have no idea if he was an illegal. All I know for sure is that he was real nice. But the assumption that jumped into my head was that he was pretty seriously Christian (as the Mexican stereotype suggests). It was Christianity that taught him that being nice to total strangers is good. Funny how white folks who are Christian aren't always that nice. It makes you wonder how different the two "colors" of Christianity are. Or perhaps the Mexican takes his religion more seriously than us white folks do. Just some random musings, I guess. Then, last night, I dashed out of my favorite Internet cafe to see (by total coincidence) TheWife's car passing directly in front of me and stopping at a light. She saw me, and after the light change, pulled over and picked me up. At the next light she handed one of those small, plastic shopping bags. "An early birthday present," she said. I looked inside the bag--there were two cans of [wiki: Haggis]!! I love Haggis and I had been talking about going to this British shoppe (their spelling, not mine!) in Santa Monica to pick some up. Turns out she was in SM yesterday so she decided to pick up a couple cans for us to have a special Scottish dinner tonight. Now, it wasn't just that people were nice to me, but I was nice to TheWife, too. I picked up a little anime-themed trading figure for her. So, three nice things in just one day, in just one person's life. If we could all just only do nice things for people (and ourselves) the world would be a much happier place. Sad, really...

Orignal From: Niceness is Cool

SPIDERMAN 3

Positive Experience/Entertaining?Uhhhh no. Wait...there was that one moment with Sandman and Venom was cool towards the end...Oh! Bruce Campbell is funny! Besides that? Uhhh....eeee.....no. Most of it was embarrasing to watch, klunky choices all around, convoluted and had absolutely no pacing or understanding of the passage of time. Oh, and remember that cool villain in black that is on all the billboards and posters and trailers here in LA? He shows his ass very late in the movie, almost as a "oh yeah, he's supposed to be somewhere in here." And Mary Jane is bitchy as all getout.
Technically any good?Someone should give Hayden Church (Sandman) the award for "most simple acting job for a Sam Raimi movie". While the character was two dimentionally written, his depiction of Sandman was the only one who touched me in any way, a! nd the animators really captured his plight. Thought the Venom and Sandman CG was really well done, but the action sequences were frenetic...or maybe I'm becoming old and crotchity.
How did it leave me feeling?I want to sit Sam Raimi down and explain to him that sometimes scripts need to have a few more edits before being brought to set, and to concentrate more on reality when it comes to a Spiderman movie. Oh, and to tell him that putting obvious eyeliner on a character and mussing his hair is a very poor way to show that he's become EVIL! EVIL I SAY!
Final Rating? DNS - or at best catch it on FX while you're sitting on your couch at home, eating or making paper airplanes, or myspacing on your laptop. Then you can work while the dialogue is happening, mute it during the dance number, and look up just to watch the action sequences.

Orignal From: SPIDERMAN 3

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

KEEPING FEAR ALIVE

So, one of the big axioms of the war on terror is that there are terrorists living among us. This is very similar to the Cold War concept of Commies living among us. Of course, the Cold War is long over and those Commies haven't come out of hiding, or it might be that they never existed in the first place.

Of course, the defender of the USG's fear-mongery would point out the recent arrest of some guys in New Jersey who were planning on killing some folks at Ft. Dix, an army base in New Jersey (I actually did some training there myself, back in my ROTC days as a wee Jersey boy). But like those religious loonies down in Florida last year, these guys don't exactly seem like a grave threat to America, let alone anyone at Ft. Dix.

First off, these guys had no major weapons. They were trying to get them, but they didn't have any. According to [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21702283-663,00.html|a May 10, 2007 article] at http://News.Com.au they:

spent nearly 16 months hatching the plot, which included firearms training, reconnaissance trips to the base at Fort Dix, and making arrangements to buy weapons such as assault rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

The last time I checked, it's not illegal to own a firearm or undergo "firearms training" in the US. Nor is it illegal to talk tough on video tape, which is what really got them in trouble. More from the article:

"My intent is to hit a heavy concentration of soldiers" at Fort Dix, one suspect allegedly told a co-operating witness.
"This is exactly what we are looking for. You hit four, five or six Humvees and light the whole place (up) and retreat completely without any losses."
Bravado and a desire to videotape themselves preparing for the attack, had led to the suspects' undoing, authorities said.
A videotape of a training session and an alert store clerk got the FBI on the case.

So, they puff up their chests in a video where they shoot guns and talk about killing some people inside an army base and this means they're criminals and terrorists? Dude, THIS IS AN ARMY BASE, we're talking about here.

There's this little thing called... SECURITY.

These guys weren't even affiliated with Al Qaeda and we're supposed to think that they were threats?

New Jersey attorney Christopher Christie said the suspects, who range in age from 22 to 28 and came to the United States from Jordan, Turkey and the former Yugoslavia, were not part of any international terrorist organisation.
"Terrorist attacks are not always on a grand scale," Mr Christie said after the six were formally charged.
He described the group as serious, capable of carrying out the plot and the "model" for a new type of terrorism. "It could have been a disaster," he said.

So, an attack on soldiers at a US army base INSIDE of America is not an attack on a grand scale?

Guess what, bright eyes! It'd have to be on a grand scale to get past the security at that base.

This is one of the grand ironies, here. So, these guys are trumped up as a big threat--so, a handful of guys with guns could have caused a "disaster"? Doesn't that sell our troops and their security a bit short? Who's not supporting the troops now? So, our troops can't defend themselves against SIX MEN with no actual connection to Al Qaeda?

This is just more crap, folks. More bullshit meant to keep us quaking in our boots against our darker-skinned neighbors.

Another grand irony here is that the more of these kinds of arrests that the United States Government performs, the more people will get pissed at them for it. These extremists already point at the USG and call it imperialist, fascist and tyrannical. A great way to encourage that sentiment is to prove them right by arresting people for things they haven't done yet.

If you're still not convinced that this is intentional fear mongering, check out the last paragraph of the above-linked article:

"Today we dodged a bullet," added Jody Weis, special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia office. "They were forming a platoon to take out an army."

It's as though they don't even realize how their poor choice of words will alarm people.

SIX guys were forming a "platoon" ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platoon|usually 30 to 50 men]) and were going to "take out an army"?

Orignal From: KEEPING FEAR ALIVE

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

GOOD THING WE GOT RID OF THE IRAQ PROBLEM!

Of course, now we have a Kansas Problem. Check out the below screengrab:

Sometimes I think we have Homer Simpson in the White House. Most of the time I think we have a sociopathic idiot in there.

Orignal From: GOOD THING WE GOT RID OF THE IRAQ PROBLEM!

Project365 day 125 2007 05 07

Project365 day 125 2007 05 07, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Here I am beneath the Los Angeles Federal Building. My post office is

also beneath it (to my right, though not in the shot) and I had just

checked my PO box. No fan mail today :(

Orignal From: Project365 day 125 2007 05 07

Project365 day 125 2007 05 06

Project365 day 125 2007 05 06, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

On my way back from a toy show in Pasadena. Didn't buy anything, but I did

get to take the subway to and from. This is me feeling weird being in a

subway in Los Angeles, instead of DC or NYC or London...not that I was

scared of earthquakes. Talk about living in fear.

Orignal From: Project365 day 125 2007 05 06

Project365 day 123

Project365 day 123 2007 05 04, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Here's me actually a bit excited to see Spider-Man 3. How disappointed was
I? Well, I walked out . Haven't done that since "Family Business" starring
Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman and Matthew Broderick. That glowing phallic
symbol behind me is the Fox Village tower atop the Mann's Village Theater we
saw SM3 in. The line was all the way around two corners, so that tower is on the opposite side of a square block. And all for SM3. What a bunch of suckers!!

Orignal From: Project365 day 123

Project365 day 124 2007 05 05

Project365 day 124 2007 05 05, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Yes, you must obey me and yep, it's Saturday so I'm back at Groundwork in

Hollywood trying to work on my novel. Of course, I still haven't gotten

everything up to speed on my new laptop, so that's what I spent three or

four hours doing. Also, my good friend Andrew stopped by and we talked

about Spider-Man 3, which he hadn't seen yet.

Orignal From: Project365 day 124 2007 05 05

Yes, you're sensing a theme here. I like to surf at the Playa Park on my

lunch hour! It's just COOL!

Orignal From: Project365 day 122 2007 05 03

Project365 day 121 2007 05 02

Project365 day 121 2007 05 02, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Ah, man! I LOVE my new laptop! The iSight camera that is built in to this

puppy is BRILLIANT! This is me surfing at the Playa Park during my lunch

hour. SWWWEEEEET!

Orignal From: Project365 day 121 2007 05 02

Project365 day 120 2007 05 01

Project365 day 120 2007 05 01, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Me being dorky in the homecube.

Orignal From: Project365 day 120 2007 05 01

Project365 day 119 2007 04 30

Project365 day 119 2007 04 30, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

TheWife is giving me a massage after a long, hard, soul-crushingly boring

day at the desk....I needed it bad!

Orignal From: Project365 day 119 2007 04 30

Monday, May 07, 2007

ThePete's PG rated Spider Man 3 Review

SPOILER ALERT: Some mild spoilers ahead! However, [http://thepete.com/thepetes-r-rated-review-of-spider-man-3/|unlike my last post on this film], there are no swear words. Try to enjoy it anyway. OK, so I know I said I wouldn't say much more about this movie, but I felt like I wanted to be a bit more specific and profanity-free. Now on to the review! Uuuum, Spider-Man 3 sucks beyond suckage. It's got 5 subplots and no actual main plot. Sure, Spider-Man is the title character, but the film constantly shifts focus away from him to one of the supporting characters and from them onto another and so on and so on so that every time you start to care for someone you get jerked around to another set of characters. Back on MST3k, Joel/Mike and the 'bots would be referring to each subplot as it's own movie. "Meanwhile, in yet another movie." Of course, each subplot deserved to be its own movie, frankly, since all of the bad guys were definitely interesting enough to merit their own 120 minute spectacle opposite the hero who suffers from more contrived character motivations than the last movie he was in. In the first Spider-Man movie, I found myself 90 percent happy with director Sam Raimi's choices. Over all, I felt that it was a Spider-Man Movie in a proper sense. The spirit of the character and the comic were both captured on screen. The second Spider-Man movie was fine, but it wasn't a proper Spider-Man movie. It was a typical Sam Raimi movie. As I recall, it was filled with a lot of cute screaming girls and scariness with a lot of absurd action and plot directions lacking motivation. Peter Parker has trouble feeling like he's living up to his Spider-Powers so he loses them. It's not Doc Ock that steals them from him, like in an actual comic--noooo! It's his own psyche--makes no sense. When he finally realizes he has to live up to his great power equalling responsibility, he simply decides to make his powers come back. They do and voila, the end of the movie can happen. Idiotic. Likewise Spider-Man 3 is littered with plot devices and plot points that seem to be there solely to keep the plot going and do not exist through any inherent logic. Like the meteorite that delivers Spidey's black costume. For no apparent reason, the costume goes to great lengths to target Peter Parker. Of course, if Sam Raimi had Peter examine the meteorite as part of a class experiment, the costume leaping from the meteorite onto him would have made sense. Instead, the film has the costume, in its goo form, leap onto the back of Peter's moped as Peter drives MJ home. It remains in hiding for a quite a lot of screen time before it finally jumps on Peter. Elsewhere in the film, fashion model, lab partner to Peter, daughter of the police chief, and MAJOR character from the comic Gwen Stacy, is doing a modeling gig in a sky scraper when a nearby construction crane goes out of control, seemingly targeting her. She is the ONLY person to fall from the building when the crane tears two holes in the 'scraper and no other buildings are harmed by the rabid crane. Spidey saves her and knowing that she's such a major character from the comic, one naturally assumes that she'll be a major character in the rest of the movie. NOPE. She could be any woman. The only reason she is Gwen is because Sam Raimi and his co-writers wanted her to be Gwen Stacy. The few critics that like this film cite the action scenes as being incredible. I beg to differ. While most of them looked realistic, as with the last Spider-Man movie, I found them physically unbelievable. Sure, it's a comic book movie, so it's supposed to be fake, but not fakey. The Spider-Man comic is best known for being very realistically written. Peter Parker isn't Clark Kent. When Spider-Man has to fight crime in a bad rain storm, he can't just fly above the clouds like Superman. He's got real problems too, like rent and his job and his studies and MJ. The whole point of seeing a live-action Spider-Man movie is to see it more real than it is in the comic--not less real. We want realistic action, not cartoon action. Sadly, it's all so horribly fake and out there (but not very clever or interesting) that you just know that things are going to work out so you sit back and wait for them to do exactly that. Then there's the dance number. See, while the costume in the comic only changed Peter's personality in that he was more violent and loved web-swinging more, the movie had to dumb it down. The costume makes Peter evil--of course, Sam Raimi defines evil as basic douchebaggedness and comic relief, too. In Jar-Jar Binks, case, I'd say comic relief characters CAN be truly evil in film, but when you make your hero do simply embarrassing things on top of things that are just absurd, inside the confines of a super-hero action movie, you're violating the trust of the people who paid to see your movie. This is why (and when) I walked out. Sure, action movies can be funny, but don't ask me to like a character that shames himself and don't ask me to like a movie that suddenly becomes a movie I'd have never paid for if I had known it was that kind of movie (a musical). I brought up Jar-Jar Binks for another reason. This film reminds me of Phantom Menace in that it's just horrible. There are snippets of good stuff (as with TPM), but generally speaking, it's atrocious on par with George Lucas' First Big Mistake. As friend of ThePete [http://thefelties.blogspot.com/|Andrew Moore] put it, Sam Raimi Schumachered it, taking an otherwise reasonable franchise and making it so comedic, absurd and cartoony as to repulse any reasonable adults from theater seats.

Orignal From: ThePete's PG rated Spider Man 3 Review

Saturday, May 05, 2007

ThePete's R Rated Review of Spider Man 3

PLEASE NOTE: This is not a Pocket Reivew. I'm going to ask TheWife to PokeRev this one because I just have too much to complain about. WARNING: This review of Spider-Man 3 is VERY R-Rated and should not be read by people who don't like foul language, graphic descriptions of unpleasant things (I'm looking at you, Mom!) or commentary that tears Sam Raimi a new one. Oh and don't read any further unless you are looking for a reason not to see this movie or would like to be warned away from seeing it if you'd rather not waste your time on a movie that should really have been much better. OK, here's the review: I haven't walked out of a movie since 1989. Usually I only review films that I've seen all the way through. BUT since I just couldn't stomach the entire thing, I walked out, leaving TheWife behind to sit through the rest of it. Obviously, she's easier to please than I am when it comes to movies. Now, the actual film that was used for the movie was not made of celluloid. The film stock used to shoot this movie was made with a special process that Sam Raimi has, indeed, perfected. Here's how it works. First, Sam Raimi ejaculates onto a metal anvil, like the kind they pound swords on to make them really flat. Instead, the anvil is heated and the semen is pounded on with a hammer until it's a flat, transparent, and very brittle film. Then, thousands of immigrant workers are hired on Raimi's Hollywood estate to poke the sprocket holes into it. Once this process is done, and only when it is done, is Sam Raimi ready to start shooting! However, before shooting can commence, contrary to what many Hollywood producers think, you need a script! Now, to write the script, good old Sam used regular old paper, but the ink (the INK!) was what made the script to Spider-Man 3 different! You see, before printing the script out, he took a wide paint spatula and shoved it up his ass, scraping the decades old left over fecal matter from inside his rectum and then mixed it with more of his semen. He then took the decades old fecal mixture and had it poured (this time by Chinese sex slaves) into ink jet cartridges he then used to print out his beloved script. You want to know how I know all of this? Because the script is shit and watching the movie made me feel like Sam Raimi was masturbating all over me. Now for some actual meat--be warned spoilers abound and believe me, you'll thank me for exposing everything I'm about to expose. Let's see how many subplots there are! 1) Peter and MJ life on the rocks--MJ deals with being a sucky actor and Peter deals with being a successful super-hero. 2) Flint Marko escapes from prison, where he was sent for some sort of robbery, though police now believe he was the real killer of Uncle Ben. 3) Harry, Peter's best buddy from high school is taking over for his dead dad as the Green Goblin, only he's not wearing any cool goblin mask, he's just wearing a kind of robotic, CG ski mask. 4) Eddie Brock, is a sleaze bucket photojournalist trying to muscle in on Peter's turf as the Bugle's official Spidey-picture-getter. 5) A meteorite just happens to crash near Peter and MJ one night in central park and a black little goo follows them home, eventually jumping on Peter, replacing his costume and making him evil, EVIL! Or really just Emo-Spidey--complete with gothy hairstyle and eye-liner. Now, five plots is a lot for brilliant filmmakers to deal with. How much you want a bet that I don't consider Sam to be up there with David Lean? HOLY CHRIST, this movie was a mess. No sooner did you think one character was the lead when another character came along and completely stole the focus away from the previous lead character. In the opening few scenes everything was so idyllic that it was nauseating. Then the meteorite hits the ground just yards away from whom we think are our lead characters. The goo slurps out of the meteorite and for some reason that wasn't explained before I walked out of the theater, jumped onto the back of Peter's moped. Does the costume attack Peter and MJ then? NOPE. Peter drops MJ off and visits Aunt May to tell her he's going to propose to MJ. He gets back on the moped and STILL no black goo attack. Then, literally out of nowhere, the plot takes a violent left turn as Harry, flying on one of his dad's flying snowboards, snatches Peter from the back of his moped. For the next ten minutes we're treated to an absurdly complicated chase/fight sequence that, like the rest of the plot, starts off by focussing on Peter (still out of costume, mind you) but then suddenly shifts to Harry, where it stays for most of the chase. Why hang with the bad guy when we care about the good guy? Beats me. Remember? The script is shit. Then we've got the Gwen Stacy plot stapled in there, too. I'm not sure where it goes, so I'll just jump to Sandman next. So, here's Thomas Haden Church putting in the best performance of the film (or at least what I could stomach of the film). He plays Flint Marko who is a very sympathetic dad who stole money to help his daughter get medical treatment. He has broken out of jail and when cops chase him, he "accidentally" stumbles upon some random, completely unexplained physics experiment that turns him into sand. The scene where he rebuilds his body out of sand was really neat, actually. Sadly, it was such obvious plot machinery (it was only there to make the plot go and was never adequately explained) that I just shook my head. Luckily for the movie, I now cared more for Sandman than I did for Peter, or MJ or Harry. Meanwhile, Peter has brought Harry to a hospital for treatment after Harry bonked himself on the head during that Harry-centered chase sequence. Harry now has amnesia and can't remember that he hates Peter or that Peter is Spider-Man. Harry smiles, he is happy for the first time in a movie-and-a-half. His smile makes the audience I saw the movie with laugh nervously. OK, now I can't remember what happens next--as you can tell, there's no real throughline. At some point, Aunt May and Peter are called to the police station to be told the news that it turns out the guy who Peter thought killed his Uncle Ben didn't, it was Sandman. This causes Peter to start having nightmares about the guy who really killed his dad-figure. Forget the concern that if this is true it upsets the very core of why Peter Parker is Spider-Man. (See, Spidey let a thief get away with money. The thief would later kill his uncle--Peter had the power to stop a bad guy but didn't. Of course, if that bad guy didn't kill his uncle, then his choice to not get involved in stopping the thief wasn't as bad a choice as it initially was, taking the steam out of him being a hero). So, while Peter's having nightmares (he's sleeping in his costume for some reason), the black goo from the meteorite makes a return appearance. We watch as it leaps on top of him and slowly slithers all around him. Finally, he wakes up, hanging from a building in a costume that looks like a gray version of his regular red-and-blues. This costume is the least cinematic costume of all time. There's nothing less inspiring than watching a gray blob swing from webs around New York City. The thing is, when he wears the black costume it changes his personality. In the comic, it just made him more aggressive, in the movie, it makes him a douche bag. Literally, he starts coming on to every chick on the street, he's randomly dancing around on the sidewalk, and he's got an emo-hairstyle. OH and he's got eye-liner on now. Think Superman 3, only less realistic. OH yeah and then there's his lab partner in college, Gwen Stacy, who just happens to be a model that Spidey saves (earlier) when she falls from a skyscraper. Turns out her dad is the chief of police and so the CoP decides to give Spidey a parade and the key to the city. However, once Spidey has his black costume on (even though it's really gray), he goes after Sandman whom he defeats after an absurdly unrealistic fight scene culminating in a blast of water that washes Sandman away. Gee, Sandman's weakness is water. I never would have guessed. Meanwhile, Harry's gotten his memory back and tells MJ that if she doesn't break it off with Peter he'll kill her and Peter. She does what he says and dumps Peter. Now in the black costume again, he decides to be really slimy and asks out Gwen and takes her to the jazz bar MJ works at now as a sing waitress. See, he's being a dick. In the jazz bar, MJ is asked by one of the members of the jazz band to come up and sing. Before she can emit a single note, Peter jumps up and starts playing music and singing. Then he's dancing. This is where I walked out. This movie is utter shit, through and through. Sam Raimi should be ashamed of himself and he should be forced to go back to film school. He used to be a good storyteller. Hell, I really liked the first Spider-Man film. While I didn't care for the second Spidey film, this new one makes Spidey 2 look like The Bridge On the River Kwai. It was such a total mess and the plot machinery was so incredibly obvious and overt I was embarrassed for the people who made this movie but somehow didn't get that the movie was so unbelievably retarded. Seriously, the plot machinery was so bad--from the meteor landing and chasing Peter home but not doing anything until the plot called for it to do something, the random calls from Doc Conner explaining what the goo is, to Sandman showing up at just the slow moments in the plot. OH damn and I totally forgot to mention how insipid Topher Grace was as Eddie Brock. I mean, what the hell? This guy was a total sleaze bag loser. And, compared to Sandman, I wondered why/how he could be such a weak character. But I didn't care. This movie had Peter Parker singing and dancing and being a general douche to people. That, on top of the multiple plot lines that made Short Cuts seem tight and concise, and the random, out of place, humor (which I forgot to mention), this movie is just shit. I go so far as to say it's shit with corn in it. Stay away from this movie. Don't even watch as much as I did. You'll need a whole box of Kleenex to get the cinematic cum off of you. Bleh... gross... I'm going to go shower and tomorrow I'm going to go down to the LA Free Clinic and get tested--I want to make sure I didn't catch any STDs from Spider-Man 3.

Orignal From: ThePete's R Rated Review of Spider Man 3

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

STUDENT REMOVED FOR VIRTUALIZING SCHOOL GROUNDS

So, this kid, he's a bit of a software/video game geek, right? And he's thinking it would be cool to re-create his high school in a virtual world.

What do you want? He's a nerd! I think this way, too. Only I think it would be cool to squeeze a PC into my toy R2-D2. Anyway...

So, this kid uploads a digital version of his campus and let's people explore it online. Let me let [http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/02/student-arrested-for-making-a-map-of-his-school/|a May 2, 2007 post] at Joystiq.com explain the rest:

A Chinese student was removed from Clements High School in Fort Bend, Texas after parents complained he had re-created the school grounds in a game and uploaded the map for his friends to play. The boy was placed in the district's alternate education school and later arrested, as the police considered him a "terroristic threat".

The post goes on to explain that while no charges will be filed the kid won't be able to attend his ! graduation.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention before the excerpt that he's a Chinese student. I have no idea why that is relevent. The point is, he was assumed a criminal, a "terroristic" person, just because he translated his school campus into ones and zeroes.

Can someone PLEASE tell me how this could be viewed as a "terroristic" threat?

Did they think he would do a virtual dry run of a VT-style massacre inside the cyber-school? What's to stop EVERY student from using the real school to do the same?

This is just a classic case of people letting their fears get the better of them.

It is this kind of moronic behavior on the part of the "concerned" parents and school officials that is exactly what FDR warned us against when he said that we have nothing to fear but fear itself.

Come on, folks. Grow up and smell the fact that you are SERIOUSLY more likely to die in your car today than you are to be killed in a high school massacre.

Orignal From: STUDENT REMOVED FOR VIRTUALIZING SCHOOL GROUNDS

09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0

Just saying:

09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0

And, uh, also:

09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0

Did I mention, "09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0"?

Oh yeah and HD-DVD stands for "High Definition Digital Versatile Disc" and the creators of this format of disc say it is perfectly secure from digital pirates.

Arrrr!

09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0

Not that I'm a digital pirate. I wouldn't know how to use a bunch of numbers and letters to crack encryption. I'm much more low rent. If it doesn't have a GUI, I'm useless.

09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0

For instance, that number just right there, above, (here it is again in case you missed it: 09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0), I wouldn't know what to do with a number like that.

Of course, the government doesn't want you or anyone else to see the number "09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0".

Now that you've seen it, don't you feel dangerous?

Can you feel civilization falling apart?

I can.

Orignal From: 09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0

BUSH SUPPORTING THE TROOPS IN HIS OWN WAY

Haha... this is funny. So, Bush goes on and on about how anti-war folks are not supporting the troops. Yet, when the Dems pass a bill that gives troops more cash, Bush vetoes the bill because it has a non-binding date for the troops to start pulling out of Iraq.

That's a pretty funny way of showing support for the troops, Bush.

You want to give them money, but you don't want them out of harms way.

Good plan, George. Can you at least tell us how many American GIs will have to die before you change your mind?

My kingdom for a reporter who would ask that question of him!!

Seriously, I'll give this month's rent to the person who asks that question to Bush's face and gets some sort of response.

Orignal From: BUSH SUPPORTING THE TROOPS IN HIS OWN WAY

Project365 day 113 2007 04 24

Project365 day 113 2007 04 24, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Orignal From: Project365 day 113 2007 04 24

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

IMPEACHMENT BACK ON THE TABLE!!

WAHOO!!!

The following comes to us from [http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Murtha_revises_Impeachment_on_table_0430.html|an April 30, 2007 article] at RawStory.Com and it is hopeful, if not good, news:

Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) revised the much publicized statements he made yesterday and told National Public Radio late on Monday afternoon that impeaching President George W. Bush was "on the table."
"I'm just saying that's one of the options that Congress has on the table, I'm getting more and more calls from the public about impeachment," the long-time Congressman, who is a veteran of the US Marines, told NPR's Melissa Block on the program All Things Considered.

I know it doesn't sound like much, but THEY SAID THE "I" WORD!!

SWEET!

And check it out!! PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY CALLING MURTHA ABOUT IMPEACHING BUSH!!

NICE!

Do you live in Pennsylvania? CONTACT MURTHA, DAMMIT! Do it by clicking below:

http://www.house.gov/murtha/write.shtml

Not living in PA? Well, contact your local rep!! Check out the link below to do it now and tell your local rep that you want to see Bush IMPEACHED:

http://www.house.gov/writerep/

After ALL of the lies, it takes so little effort to express your frustration and help save the planet Earth from any more of Bush's mess!

If you do it, I'll thank you! Your country will thank you and probably most of hte world will, too!!

Orignal From: IMPEACHMENT BACK ON THE TABLE!!