thepetecom.blogspot.com: March 2009

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

12seconds - The reason I do ...

12seconds - The reason I *do* want to do Script Frenzy... http://tiny12.tv/WT0TE

Orignal From: 12seconds - The reason I *do* ...

Tip to new Twitterers: Tweet m...

Tip to new Twitterers: Tweet more than twice before following 860 people. Otherwise you're not giving us a reason to follow back, moron.

Orignal From: Tip to new Twitterers: Tweet m...

Monday, March 30, 2009

12seconds - This was pt2 of th...

12seconds - This was pt2 of the elevator ride down from the top of the Rockefeller Center. How stupid is this? http://tiny12.tv/REX4D

Orignal From: 12seconds - This was pt2 of th...

toys.thepete.com: PARKOD: Pretty Angry Robot Killer of Dogs

toys.thepete.com: PARKOD: Pretty Angry Robot Killer of Dogs, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

I hoped to get this posted yesterday, but TheDad was in town, so my

time was limited. Anyway, here's a fairly recent piece that I more

did more as an experiment than anything else. His name is PARKOD.

What the hell does PARKOD mean? It's an acronym:

Pretty

Angry

Robot

Killer

Of

Dogs

PARKOD started off life as a clear-with-sparkles-in Toy2R Dog Qee that

I covered in black Sharpie ink, leaving 4 areas uncovered--his hands,

his eyes and his nose. This was so I could experiment with light

passing through the clear plastic body.

I did color his eyes and nose red, though the red glowing effect was

achieved by aiming a laser pointer at it. The blue glow effect was

reached by aiming an ultraviolet penlight at it. The last shot is a

light-up plastic "icecube" that I hoped would cast light up,

through the head, and out his eyes and nose. Only kinda worked. :(

Still, I think I've got a good idea to expand this project, though I'm

not sure I'll have enough skill to make it work. We'll see!

Check out the full Flickrset here:

www.flickr.com/photos/thepete/sets/72157616022709421/

And you can always check out more of my custom toys at toys.thepete.com

Orignal From: toys.thepete.com: PARKOD: Pretty Angry Robot Killer of Dogs

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Jay TheVlog for March 28, 2009 (now with sexual tension!)

Sorry this is late! YouTube rejected it because it was a whopping 1m15s too long, so I had to upload it to Vimeo instead. Anyway, here it is! All of Jay ThePal's clips from the past week in one easy-to-consume 11-minute video! ENJOY:

Jay TheVlog for March 28, 2009 from thepete on Vimeo.

I'll be adding an mp4 version that you can download in the next day or so.

Orignal From: Jay TheVlog for March 28, 2009 (now with sexual tension!)

QIK|Streaming video right from...

QIK|Streaming video right from your phone http://ff.im/1MZFz

Orignal From: QIK|Streaming video right from...

Saturday, March 28, 2009

thepete.com is a darkened site in honor of Earth Hour 2009

I've also darkened my Twitter page, too.

Check out EarthHour.org for more info!!

Or go here: http://thepete.com/my-earth-hour-commercial-on-12secondstv

Or watch these:

12seconds Earth Hour Commercial on 12seconds.tv

12seconds Earth Hour Commercial on 12seconds.tv

Orignal From: thepete.com is a darkened site in honor of Earth Hour 2009

OK, now to shower, dress & hea...

OK, now to shower, dress & head down to John's Pizzeria on 44th for another birthday dinner w/ @siskita--this time w/friends--including Jay!

Orignal From: OK, now to shower, dress & hea...

Man, FINALLY getting to work o...

Man, FINALLY getting to work on this week's Jay TheVlog. Social Networking is lots of work--and I'm social networking for two!

Orignal From: Man, FINALLY getting to work o...

Friday, March 27, 2009

@CK67 you are legendary, sir!!...

@CK67 you are legendary, sir!! You bleed for your art!! And it works out well. Maybe you should hurt yourself before you take every pic?

Orignal From: @CK67 you are legendary, sir!!...

Re: my time-available/crap-on-...

Re: my time-available/crap-on-my-to-do-list-today ratio disparity--apologies if anyone is waiting for a reply from me. Expect 1 after monday

Orignal From: Re: my time-available/crap-on-...

@Artmaker I think it's no surp...

@Artmaker I think it's no surprise that showbiz types might hire folks to Tweet for them, but Guy Kawasaki? Isn't that false advertising?

Orignal From: @Artmaker I think it's no surp...

@Artmaker I have to be honest....

@Artmaker I have to be honest. I've had an out of work writer tweeting for me for years now. Oh wait, that IS me. Damn!

Orignal From: @Artmaker I have to be honest....

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Google Voice Transcription Service Cool, but not quite there yet.

So, I was a GrandCentral.com member since way back. In case you
weren't aware, GrandCentral was a service that gave you a free phone
number that aim at all of your phones--work, home, mobile, Skype, etc.
So, all of your contacts call one number and voila, which ever phone
you're at will ring. Bestest service EVER!

Shortly after I signed up with them, they were bought by Google. After years of no improvements whatsoever, GrandCentral was finally folded into Google and were then reborn as "Google Voice." Very exciting! They even had new features and services. My favorite is that I can tell calls from some people to go straight through to my phones without me having to answer my phone and then approving the call. YES. Simple = good!

One feature I didn't ask for, but do think is pretty cool none the less, is voicemail transcription.

The idea is this: you can miss a phone call that then gets sent to voicemail, but maybe you're busy in a meeting or (like me) on a subway and can't call to get your messages. So, Google Voice will transcribe them and then email them to you. Pretty neat, huh? The only catch is, their voice recognition software, as you might expect, isn't quite there yet.

This afternoon after leaving her temp job, my wife left me this message. Well, according to Google Voice, my wife left me this message:

hey it's mike i am just now getting out of the library
and i'm slightly calling the right but i will jump on the a from with
united soon i love you and i hope to be home around six forty five
seven operator love you bye bye

Yeah, I didn't know my wife's name was "Mike" either. Not sure why she'd be "calling the right slightly" unless she's curious about converting from the Democrats. "The a" is a reference to the A-Train, so that makes sense, but why she'd do it "with united" is not a question I can answer. Nor can I tell you why the operator might love me.

So, sadly, Google Voice's transcriptions end up reading a bit like a poorly translated VCR manual.

Ah well, Google knows they own my soul, and I know all my base belongs to them.

Posted via email from thepete's posterous

Orignal From: Google Voice Transcription Service Cool, but not quite there yet.

Google Voice Transcription Service Cool, but not quite there yet.

One feature I didn't ask for, but do think is pretty cool none the less, is voicemail transcription.

This afternoon after leaving her temp job, my wife left me this message. Well, according to Google Voice, my wife left me this message:

hey it's mike i am just now getting out of the library
and i'm slightly calling the right but i will jump on the a from with
united soon i love you and i hope to be home around six forty five
seven operator love you bye bye

So, sadly, Google Voice's transcriptions end up reading a bit like a poorly translated VCR manual.

Ah well, Google knows they own my soul, and I know all my base belongs to them.

Posted via email from thepete's posterous

Orignal From: Google Voice Transcription Service Cool, but not quite there yet.

Google Voice Transcription Service Cool, but not quite there yet.

One feature I didn't ask for, but do think is pretty cool none the less, is voicemail transcription.

This afternoon after leaving her temp job, my wife left me this message. Well, according to Google Voice, my wife left me this message:

hey it's mike i am just now getting out of the library
and i'm slightly calling the right but i will jump on the a from with
united soon i love you and i hope to be home around six forty five
seven operator love you bye bye

So, sadly, Google Voice's transcriptions end up reading a bit like a poorly translated VCR manual.

Ah well, Google knows they own my soul, and I know all my base belongs to them.

Posted via email from thepete's posterous

Orignal From: Google Voice Transcription Service Cool, but not quite there yet.

Google Voice Transcription Service Cool, but not quite there yet.

One feature I didn't ask for, but do think is pretty cool none the less, is voicemail transcription.

This afternoon after leaving her temp job, my wife left me this message. Well, according to Google Voice, my wife left me this message:

hey it's mike i am just now getting out of the library
and i'm slightly calling the right but i will jump on the a from with
united soon i love you and i hope to be home around six forty five
seven operator love you bye bye

So, sadly, Google Voice's transcriptions end up reading a bit like a poorly translated VCR manual.

Ah well, Google knows they own my soul, and I know all my base belongs to them.

Posted via email from thepete's posterous

Orignal From: Google Voice Transcription Service Cool, but not quite there yet.

Google Voice Transcription Service Cool, but not quite there yet.

One feature I didn't ask for, but do think is pretty cool none the less, is voicemail transcription.

This afternoon after leaving her temp job, my wife left me this message. Well, according to Google Voice, my wife left me this message:

hey it's mike i am just now getting out of the library
and i'm slightly calling the right but i will jump on the a from with
united soon i love you and i hope to be home around six forty five
seven operator love you bye bye

So, sadly, Google Voice's transcriptions end up reading a bit like a poorly translated VCR manual.

Ah well, Google knows they own my soul, and I know all my base belongs to them.

Posted via email from thepete's posterous

Orignal From: Google Voice Transcription Service Cool, but not quite there yet.

@thesolster the bittersweet th...

@thesolster the bittersweet thing is I never counted how many people I knew who had cancer in my life until you guys did that challenge.

Orignal From: @thesolster the bittersweet th...

@tomzer1 Haha, well, I think R...

@tomzer1 Haha, well, I think Rogan is funny, but $12.50 admission ticket funny? Not compared to the negligible cost of Netflixing him.

Orignal From: @tomzer1 Haha, well, I think R...

@tomzer1 like anything Seth Ro...

@tomzer1 like anything Seth Rogan makes never seems worth it 2 me to see it in the theater. 12.50 to laugh? I can laugh for MUCH less @ home

Orignal From: @tomzer1 like anything Seth Ro...

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

SLEEP DEALER (2009) (Preemptive Strike)

watch the trailer

FIRST OFF: THIS TRAILER CONTAINS SPOILERS! BE WARNED. I watched it and was annoyed seeing, or rather hearing, what sound like major plot points given away in the cheesy voice over.

OK, now on with the pocket review:

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Well, if you've seen enough trailers you can spot the ones made on a budget. This trailer felt like one of those and sadly, I think once you see past all the cheesy overproduction of the trailer you can see something that might be a good movie. (Sadly because most people won't bother to see past the cheese to the very meaty concept.)

Technically any good? First off, I think this is what we, in the US, would call a b-movie. As in, low budget. It's from Mexico and based on the fact the trailer allowed not a single line of dialog to be heard, I'm guessing it's in Spanish. That's what bugged me the most about this trailer--we have no idea if the film is even in English.

NOTE TO MARKETING PEOPLE: If people are going to be turned off by a non-English-language movie, they won't likely stick around for the whole film once they realize it's not in their mother tongue. SO TELL US NOW.

FX-wise, this movie looks pretty reasonable. Acting wise, it's hard to tell since so much of the trailer is just FX shots. From what the trailer does show us, I'm pretty damn intrigued by it. Generally speaking, it looks like this might be evidence that talented people are finally getting some of that cheaper filmmaking technology.

How did it leave me feeling? Frustrated with the state of trailer-making. If I were a marketer I'd do this film much better justice. Of course, while I'm enthralled with the concept--I can't tell if the movie is any good since the trailer was cornball and ruined bits of the movie. But it looks interesting if nothing else.

Final Rating? NFI - NetFlix It. Definitely looks like a fun scifi flick even if it doesn't quite live up to it's Phillip-K.-Dickishness qualities.

Sleep Dealer opens here in the US on April 17, 2009. Click the poster image above to see the trailer.

Orignal From: SLEEP DEALER (2009) (Preemptive Strike)

Monday, March 23, 2009

@jess3 will definitely look ou...

@jess3 will definitely look out for "Sleep Dealer"-- very Dickish--Phillip K. Dick-ish ;) Seen better trailers, though the movie looks cool.

Orignal From: @jess3 will definitely look ou...

Every Day Should Be World Water Day!! (But officially it was yesterday :( )

Water, it's that's stuff you're living in!

Yep, if you're reading this, odds are you already know that a huge amount of your body is made up of water. The overwhelming majority of our planet is covered in water. Every beverage we drink has at least some amount of water in it.

But what happens if that water isn't clean?

People get sick, that's what.

Now, in way-cool "hip" countries like the US, UK, and other "in" places we've got stuff like cholera and typhoid taken care of but this is not the case in countries that couldn't care less about Brangelina or reality TV. Last fall, over in America's 51st state (Iraq), they suffered an outbreak of cholera that killed quite a few Iraqis, sadly. Via a post on WWD at LeslieBradshaw.com, here's a nice illustration demonstrating where cholera is hitting Earth the most.

So, clean drinking water is clearly a problem and it's something we can all help raise awareness about. How can you help more folks know about issues regarding clean drinking water? For starters, you can blog about it yourself. You can tell your friends and family about it. Or you could do something as simple as joining the World Water Day Facebook group. You can follow WorldH2O and Chlorine on Twitter. For each person who joins the Facebook group, follows WorldH2O and Chlorine, the American Chemistry Council will contribute five chlorine tablets designed to disinfect 100 liters of water to areas of the world that are struggling to find clean drinking water.

Easy!!

So, just do it and help! As of two days ago, people who have joined the FB group, and followed both WorldH2O and Chlorine on Twitter have helped donate enough chlorine tablets to clean over 180,000 liters of water--that's over 47,000 gallons of water.

YEAH.

In case you're curious, cholera causes diarrhea. Diarrhea can cause massive dehydration pretty quickly (sometimes within hours). Dehydration means your body is losing water. Remember your body is mostly made of water. Lose that and most of what keeps you alive is gone--and so are you.

Don't believe me? Watch this awesome vid from good.is:

Special thanks to TheLeslie at LeslieBradshaw.com for informing me about Word Water Day. I wish I knew how she hears about these things!! :) Sorry this is a day late, but hey, shouldn't every day be a day we think about clean water?

Orignal From: Every Day Should Be World Water Day!! (But officially it was yesterday :( )

My Earth Hour Commercial on 12seconds.tv

Buy it!

At 8:30pm on March 28, 2009, Earth Hour will be held. What's Earth Hour? Well, it's when people around the world, for one hour, turn off all of their lights to help draw attention to just how much we rely on light and the energy that creates it. Though, let me let EarthHour.org explain it:

For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.

So, over at http://12seconds.tv they're helping with the cause by encouraging folks to do 12 second clips promoting the whole Earth Hour thing. Check out what folks have been shooting here: http://12seconds.tv/tag/EarthHour09

Though first, watch the one I shot with Siskita:

12seconds Earth Hour Commercial on 12seconds.tv

And here's Jay ThePal's:

12seconds Earth Hour Commercial on 12seconds.tv

I think both are pretty good. :)

So, there ya have it! At 8:30pm, your local time, THIS SATURDAY please turn out every light in your home for one hour!! Make sure to tell people you're doing it, too! Post a Tweet, a 12second video, blog about it, send an email, or just post a comment right here!

The Earth will thank you for it!

All right, not really, but future humans should be thankful!

Orignal From: My Earth Hour Commercial on 12seconds.tv

Jay TheVlog for March 21, 2009

Here it is! Jay ThePal's latest vlog post!! Enjoy and be sure to let us know what you think!

Orignal From: Jay TheVlog for March 21, 2009

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Damn, was hoping to have Jay's...

Damn, was hoping to have Jay's new vlog up before I crashed tonight, but it's not happening. Watch for it tomorrow!

Orignal From: Damn, was hoping to have Jay's...

My Reaction to the Actual Battlestar Galactica Series Finale (no spoilers)

Two weeks ago, I had the idea that I probably wouldn't like the finale
of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. So, I decided to write my
own. I did the same with Star Wars: Episode 3 and it helped
me avoid therapy.

Earlier tonight I watched the BSG series finale and let's just say I'm glad I wrote my own first. I'm not saying mine was perfect, but as a first draft it rocked the pants of the one that got made.

Anyway, so, here's a spoiler-free sampling of my immediate feelings in the hour after watching it:

I tweeted my first post-viewing reaction to the Battlestar Galactica series finale about ten or fifteen minutes later:

Just finished the Battlestar Galactica finale (the
actual one). Did M. Night Shyamalan direct it? Because I hated it like
he did.

The following wasn't anything I wrote, but it also encapsulates my
feelings. It comes from Twitter-user Tim3PO who Tweeted:

Hey Ron Moore (aka George Lucas Junior), if your goal
was to destroy all that made BSG amazing, within one 3 part story.
Congrats A-hole

And then I went over to Battlestar Galactica composer, Bear McCreary's Battlestar blog to see if he had any release date for the season 4
soundtrack, which is all I'm really interested in at this point. Not
seeing any info, I took a gander at the comments on his "discuss the Battlestar finale" post. After reading mostly glowing, blindly
fanboyish reviews, I had to post something. Here's what I posted about the Battlestar Galactica series finale:

My wife and I watched the last two episodes
back-to-back earlier this evening. While watching the last two
episodes, I just kept thinking to myself: "I just want to know when
the season 4 soundtrack is out."
So, no offense to Bear, his music is brilliant, but his music was the best thing about the finale–sadly, that's not saying much. Completely disappointed in it (the finale). Not one resolution did I like. I'm glad I spent the last two weeks of my life writing my own finale, yes, just for fun (I'm a writer, so it's not a big deal–to me, the show is a big deal so I thought it was worth it).
Anyone who wants to enjoy how I'll pretend BSG ended can check out my website. It's not a perfect finale, but if you wait a few months for Bear's score to come out, you can listen to his music while you read it. Just add a ".com" to my user name and you're there.
Sorry for the shameless plug, but for crying out loud, I'm disappointed. -ThePete (a fellow huge fan of BSG who also loved it for the morally centered ambiguity.)

SIGH. I feel like I need to share my scripts as a form of support for those of us who feel like we deserved a better ending than we got. Or really, for those of us who are old enough to remember the last disappointing Battlestar Galactica series finale--the monstrosity that was Galactica 1980.

It's like us Battlestar fans just can't cut a break!!

Maybe that can change, in a small way, at least, with my scripts. Here are the links and you can decide for yourself (remember they're first drafts):

Part 1 (57-page 163k PDF)

Part 2 (55-page 155k PDF)

And, if you're not reading this on thepete.com, please go there and click on the "page 2" link to read my spoilerish comments regarding the series finale, assuming you want to read them. I think you might. You might also want to read more about my very own Battlestar Galactica finale script. Or not. But just know that I wrote both scripts over 2 weeks, before watching either of the two final episodes.

Posted via email from thepete's posterous

Orignal From: My Reaction to the Actual Battlestar Galactica Series Finale (no spoilers)

Friday, March 20, 2009

Duane Dibbley on America's Top Model

Duane Dibbley on America's Top Model, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Orignal From: Duane Dibbley on America's Top Model

@spam another one from @JayThe...

@spam another one from @JayThePal's Twitter: @JasonS752 SPAMMING A PUPPET IS WRONG PEOPLE!!!

Orignal From: @spam another one from @JayThe...

thepete.com: My Own Battlestar...

thepete.com: My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Part 2 COMPLETE): http://s3nt.com/d8aw

Orignal From: thepete.com: My Own Battlestar...

My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Part 2 COMPLETE)

My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Part 2 COMPLETE), originally uploaded by thepetecom.

IT IS DONE!

Two weeks ago, I began to worry that I wouldn't like how my favorite

show currently on TV would end, so I made sure to avoid that by

writing my own damn two-part finale.

Note the start and finish dates listed up there in that cover image.

I started this 55 page script on the 17th of March. It's now the

20th. Now read it and tell me it reads like something written over

three days. OR tell me it DOES read that way and I'll tell you to

find me someone who can write something as good as that is in the same

amount of time.

OK, /grandstanding.

Now, for the good stuff!

Here is the 57-page script for part 1 in PDF format (163k):

snurl.com/bsgthebigendpt1

Here is the COMPLETE (just finished) 55 page first draft of part 2

(including the teaser and five acts) in PDF format (155k):

snurl.com/bsgthebigendp2

As promised, I had acts 4 and 5 of part 2 done by Friday morning

(right now!), well ahead of the airing of the actual final episode of

Battlestar Galactica, tonight on the SciFi Channel.

BOILER PLATE STUFF:

Battlestar Galactica is (c) Universal Studios. HOWEVER, the

specific story, settings, structure and even a couple characters are

(c) ThePete (ME). That said, if UniStu wants the scripts, they're

welcome to them--I just ask for some pitch meetings in return (don't

know why they'd want them since the series is over, but what the

hey).

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ACTUAL SERIES FINALE OF THE BATTLESTAR

GALACTICA REMAKE. It's just the finale I'd like to see (as of this

writing I haven't seen either of the finale episodes). As the final

few episodes aired (and before the 2-part finale began), I found

myself kind of disappointed with the convoluted plot and taxing

expectations of the series. I found myself wondering about the odds

I'd actually like the finale. Then I decided to jam out my own

finale. It picks up right where the real finale begins, two episodes

before the end of the series.

PLEASE REMEMBER: Both of these scripts are first drafts. They contain

mistakes of both a grammatical and technical nature because when

you're jamming out a script, the best way to do it is

Bushido--samurai-style--straight through, stopping for as little as

possible. So, newsflash, I'm not Mozart. I want to hear what you

think, but don't expect a polished script.

And thank you so much for reading! We writers get immense energy and

focus knowing that our work is being read (even if it isn't being

liked). So, thanks so much for downloading and reading. I do hope

you enjoy it. Whether it'll be better than Ron Moore's version or not

will be interesting to see, but not my main concern. I just want the

series to end the way I want it to end. I still think Ron Moore is

one of the best TV writers who ever lived.

Orignal From: My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Part 2 COMPLETE)

thepete.com: Ballpoint Adventu...

thepete.com: Ballpoint Adventures for March 20, 2009 We've GOT a Bigger Ax!!: http://s3nt.com/d72s

Orignal From: thepete.com: Ballpoint Adventu...

Ballpoint Adventures for March 20, 2009 We've GOT a Bigger Ax!!

Ballpoint Adventures for March 20, 2009 We've GOT a Bigger Ax!!, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

thepete.com/ics

Orignal From: Ballpoint Adventures for March 20, 2009 We've GOT a Bigger Ax!!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Part 2 Up to Act 3)

My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Part 2 Up to Act 3), originally uploaded by thepetecom.

If you are curious why I am writing my very own Battlestar Galactica

series finale script read below. If you just want to read my very own

Battlestar Galactica series finale script, check out the PDF links

below.

Here is the 57-page script for part 1:

snurl.com/bsgthebigendpt1

Here is up to page 37 of the script for part 2 (including the teaser

and Acts 1-3):

snurl.com/bsgthebigendpt2t123

I hope to have acts 4 and 5 done by Friday morning, well ahead of the

airing of the actual final episode of Battlestar

Galactica.

BOILER PLATE STUFF:

Battlestar Galactica is (c) Universal Studios. HOWEVER, the

specific story, settings, structure and even a couple characters are

(c) ThePete (ME). That said, if UniStu wants the scripts, they're

welcome to them--I just ask for some pitch meetings in return (don't

know why they'd want them since the series is over, but what the

hey).

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ACTUAL SERIES FINALE OF THE BATTLESTAR

GALACTICA REMAKE. It's just the finale I'd like to see (as of this

writing I haven't seen either of the finale episodes). As the final

episodes aired, I found myself kind of disappointed with the

convoluted plot and taxing expectations of the series. I found myself

wondering about the odds I'd actually like the finale. Then I decided

to jam out my own finale. It picks up right where the real finale

begins, two episodes before the end of the series.

PLEASE REMEMBER: Both of these scripts are first drafts. They contain

mistakes of both a grammatical and technical nature because when

you're jamming out a script, the best way to do it is

Bushido--samurai-style--straight through, stopping for as little as

possible. So, newsflash, I'm not Mozart. I want to hear what you

think, but don't expect a polished script.

And thank you so much for reading! We writers get immense energy and

focus knowing that our work is being read (even if it isn't being

liked). So, thanks so much for downloading and reading. I do hope

you enjoy it. Whether it'll be better than Ron Moore's version or not

will be interesting to see, but not my main concern. I just want the

series to end the way I want it to end. I still think Ron Moore is

one of the best TV writers who ever lived.

Orignal From: My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Part 2 Up to Act 3)

Ballpoint Adventures for March 19, 2009 Billy's Not Going to Kill Anyone With that Ax

Ballpoint Adventures for March 19, 2009 Billy's Not Going to Kill Anyone With that Ax, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

thepete.com/ics

Orignal From: Ballpoint Adventures for March 19, 2009 Billy's Not Going to Kill Anyone With that Ax

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

@CK67 Great question, man! Inq...

@CK67 Great question, man! Inquiring minds wanna know! I will pass it on to Jay and he'll answer it tomorrow.

Orignal From: @CK67 Great question, man! Inq...

Princess and the Warrior (2000)

Buy it!

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Geh... kind of. I guess. But annoying as hell, too.

Technically any good? ARG! NO! It meanders all over the place and is frustrating at every turn. The characters in the movie do everything against logic yet somehow (duh, because the writer wants it) they are able to get away with their rock-stupid choices.

Seriously, at almost every point of this movie, there is a character that is doing something ill-advised, illogical, or downright STUPID and yet, fate (the writer) allows things to generally work out for the characters in the end.

I think the film was trying to be some sort of fable, but ends up being very uneven and contrived.

The acting was perfectly reasonable, but no amount of good acting could undo the rest of the flaws of this film.

How did it leave me feeling? FRUSTRATED. I had to have one of my venting sessions afterwards because it was just a mess. I really like Tom Tykwer as a director--I loved Run Lola Run and enjoyed Winter Sleepers quite a lot. However, The Princess and the Warrior was just annoying as hell to sit through.

Orignal From: Princess and the Warrior (2000)

My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Part 2 Teaser + Act 1)

My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Part 2 Teaser + Act 1), originally uploaded by thepetecom.

If you are curious why I am writing my very own Battlestar Galactica

series finale script read below. If you just want to read my very own

Battlestar Galactica series finale script, check out the PDF links

below.

Here is the 57-page script for part 1:

snurl.com/bsgthebigendpt1

Here is the first 15 pages (Teaser + Act 1) of part 2:

snurl.com/bsgthebigendpt2t1

I hope to have acts 2 and 3 done by Thursday morning and then acts 4

and 5 done by Friday morning, in time for the actual final episode of

Battlestar Galactica to air.

Battlestar Galactica is (c) Universal Studios. HOWEVER, the

specific story, settings, structure and even a couple characters are

(c) ThePete (ME). That said, if UniStu wants the scripts, they're

welcome to them--I just ask for some pitch meetings in return (don't

know why they'd want them since the series is over, but what the hey).

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ACTUAL SERIES FINALE OF THE BATTLESTAR

GALACTICA REMAKE. It's just the finale I'd like to see (as of this

writing I haven't seen either of the finale episodes). As the final

episodes aired, I found myself kind of disappointed with the

convoluted plot and taxing expectations of the series. I found myself

wondering about the odds I'd actually like the finale. Then I decided

to jam out my own finale. It picks up right where the real finale

begins, two episodes before the end of the series.

PLEASE REMEMBER: Both of these scripts are first drafts. They contain

mistakes of both a grammatical and technical nature because when

you're jamming out a script, the best way to do it is

Bushido--samurai-style--straight through, stopping for as little as

possible. So, newsflash, I'm not Mozart. I want to hear what you

think, but don't expect a polished script.

And thank you so much for reading! We writers get immense energy and

focus knowing that our work is being read (even if it isn't being

liked). So, thanks so much for downloading and reading. I do hope

you enjoy it. Whether it'll be better than Ron Moore's version or not

will be interesting to see, but not my main concern. I just want the

series to end the way I want it to end. I still think Ron Moore is

one of the best TV writers who ever lived.

Orignal From: My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Part 2 Teaser + Act 1)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Getting started writing a bit ...

Getting started writing a bit early tonight. Had to do another outline--tying up Battlestar Galactica to my liking is a serious P.i.t.A.

Orignal From: Getting started writing a bit ...

WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE (1995)

Buy it!
Watch it online!

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Well, I enjoyed it, but you might not. To say this movie is dry is an understatement (but I like dry).

Technically any good? I think it manages to do exactly what it tries to do. It's a little meandering, but not in any way that really harms the film. Don't expect a clear plot, though--it doesn't have one. It's more like a series of events in this young girl's life mashed into the span of a few days. If you've heard of the absurdist genre, then you've found one of the few films in existence that can be called absurdist. Think parody without being funny and you kind of know what absurdism is.

The acting is spot-on from the cast--though I can't say being boring, whiny, suburban types is that difficult to play. Heather Matarazzo is pretty amazing as the lead.

How did it leave me feeling? Entertained, but dryly so. You might say that if William Shakespeare had grown up in the modern suburbs and was Woody Allen, this would be one of his tragedies. Nothing epic, mind-blowing or tremendous, but a bitingly accurate commentary of modern suburban life where everyone suffers and there's no happy ending.

Final Rating? SIYL - See If You Like. It's VERY dry.

Orignal From: WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE (1995)

Ballpoint Adventures for March 17, 2009 Watch Out Businessmen! Billy's Got an Ax!

Ballpoint Adventures for March 17, 2009 Watch Out Businessmen! Billy's Got an Ax!, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

thepete.com/ics

Orignal From: Ballpoint Adventures for March 17, 2009 Watch Out Businessmen! Billy's Got an Ax!

Monday, March 16, 2009

TERMINATOR SALVATION (2009) (Preemptive Strike)

Watch the trailer.

Positive Experience/Entertaining? I guess watching the trailer was a positive experience. Honestly, Terminator 3 was such crap I really am not expecting much from Terminator 4. So, with that in mind, it sure looked better than the last one.

Technically any good? The FX look amazing. The FX are at the level I've always wanted them to be at for a Terminator film that takes place in the dark future the first (and best) movie in the series originally predicted. Everything looks great--the robots, the ships, the nuclear leftovers that were once America's cities--it all looks pretty awesome.

It's very sad that Stan Winston isn't around to see his Terminator design used so effectively. :(

Story-wise, I had some problems, however. Based on the trailer, the movie shows in detail what the first film only talks about--the moments that lead up to the first Terminator being sent back in time. With that in mind, don't we know how this movie will end already? And then there's a moment in the trailer that strongly reminded me Battlestar Galactica. So much so that I'm wondering if this couldn't be a prequel to that show.

How did it leave me feeling? Definitely curious and definitely interested, is how it left me feeling. However, in today's world of $12.50 ticket prices and a lousy economy, I'm probably not going to be rushing out to see this film. I'll definitely catch it once it hits Netflix, however.

Final Rating? NFI - NetFlix It for sure--it looks like it'll be a fun romp. However, I'd rather spend my $12.50 on six subway rides and a bag of Fritos.

That's another sad thing--when Terminator 2 came out, I remember thinking how unimpressive the premise was. I remember wishing they had just made a prequel instead of a sequel. Now that they have I guess I'm sad that they couldn't do more to convince me in the trailer that this would be worth my money. It's the only other Terminator film I've wanted them to make.

Orignal From: TERMINATOR SALVATION (2009) (Preemptive Strike)

BSG The Big End pt1 By ThePete...

BSG The Big End pt1 By ThePete http://ff.im/1y1e6

Orignal From: BSG The Big End pt1 By ThePete...

@knatchwa Haha, yeah--a CA to ...

@knatchwa Haha, yeah--a CA to NYC bike trip would be tough. Hey, are you aware that @followbike keeps retweeting your bike tweets to me?

Orignal From: @knatchwa Haha, yeah--a CA to ...

Ballpoint Adventures for March 16, 2009 Who Wants to Hire a Social Critic with an Ax?

Ballpoint Adventures for March 16, 2009 Who Wants to Hire a Social Critic with an Ax?, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

thepete.com/ics <-- much funnier Ballpoint Adventures comics here.

Orignal From: Ballpoint Adventures for March 16, 2009 Who Wants to Hire a Social Critic with an Ax?

My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Part 1 Complete!)

WHEW. Done with Act 5 and it's only ten pages too long!! Not bad for a first draft, I should think!

To my credit, I wrote 21 pages today then cut three out but still ended up with a 57 page script. Not bad for a week's work.

Don't know what the heck I'm talking about? You should probably read my blog post that explains why I am writing my very own Battlestar Galactica series finale script.

In the meantime, here it is! My complete part 1 of a 2 part series finale of Battlestar Galactica written by me:

Direct link to PDF

I'm no longer going to use the Scribd embed from Drop.io since they're flaky. The last time I used one it only displayed the first 7 pages of the PDF and the previous embeds just vanished after a few days. Not sure what's up with that, but I'm definitely going to complain to Drop.io. I am a paying customer after all.

AS USUAL, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is (C) Universal Studios! The script itself is (C) ThePete! But UniStu can have it if I can come into pitch. Fairnuff, methinks.

NOTES FOR THIS SCRIPT: Not much to say except I'm pretty happy with it so far. I keep wracking my brains for any characters or plotlines I may have missed that need to be tied up, but I think I've managed to include them all or will include them in part 2.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a first draft script--I have not reread the entire thing and have not proofread it! THERE ARE MISTAKES, just chill. I'm not Mozart. However, I think if the story is good, who cares about the FX, right?

Orignal From: My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Part 1 Complete!)

@knatchwa haha, yeah, I don't ...

@knatchwa haha, yeah, I don't doubt it. Where are you again? I'm right in Manhattan, but like I said, the event was sold out.

Orignal From: @knatchwa haha, yeah, I don't ...

Just realized I can sip at my ...

Just realized I can sip at my chicken soup while writing. DAMN there goes my break! Almost done with Act 5, BTW! Then I start on part 2!

Orignal From: Just realized I can sip at my ...

Sunday, March 15, 2009

All Right, I'll Get Mad, Too: AIG Gives Bonuses After Getting Bailout

Now, I almost decided to not blog on this. It's obvious, and
Americans are plenty pissed about this story, already. It's utter
horseshit and everyone knows it.

The thing is, I think this points to another disturbing trend:

For the last 8 years, government proved itself completely unreliable as a leadership structure for the average American citizen and now, big business is proving the same thing true about itself, too.

There are some who actually believe corporations need less regulation--but I can't imagine how the completely corruptionist behavior of even a few bad apples suggests that complete deregulation would work. It would likely result in a complete and utter breakdown of society.

Now, I've been wrong before, but I can't help but see a system that would give itself rewards where none are deserved is, by definition, letting everyone else down.

Corporations were originally intended to benefit humanity, not be put in front of humanity. Now, people like me struggle to find work and make enough money to survive with while these assholes on Wall Street think they deserve adequate compensation for the efforts that have, in part, helped sink the American economy.

People like me did nothing to help destroy our economy yet they're getting "retention payments" according to the CNN article capped above. RETENTION payments.

Tell me, WHY would any business want to retain fuckheads who make choices so immensely WRONG that they destroy the American economy?? Just THINK about that for a moment.

"We don't want to lose our staff of greedy bastards so we pay them bonuses to keep them from finding work elsewhere."

YOU ARE ON CRACK, HYPOTHETICAL SIR!

Now we learn that We, The People, are not even getting stimulus checks. Instead we're getting tax cuts! How will that benefit people who have been out of stable work for longer than a year?

Now our government spends more on bailing out businesses than they do on cancer research.

So, while big businesses make choices that endanger our health, ruin our economies, squelch rights and are otherwise shitty to us regular folks, we keep buying their shit, keeping our money in their banks and otherwise propping up their asses.

I'd love to have someone give me one good reason why the current system of corporations and government should not be replaced.

Posted via email from thepete's posterous

Orignal From: All Right, I'll Get Mad, Too: AIG Gives Bonuses After Getting Bailout

thepete.com: toys.thepete.com:...

thepete.com: toys.thepete.com: CyniCat (3" Cat Qee from Toy2R): http://s3nt.com/d1sx

Orignal From: thepete.com: toys.thepete.com:...

toys.thepete.com: CyniCat (3" Cat Qee from Toy2R)

toys.thepete.com: CyniCat (3" Cat Qee from Toy2R), originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Completed in April of 2007, this was my second ever custom toy design.

He was painted with Sharpies and began life as a blank Cat Qee from

Toy2R. I'm definitely a cat-person, in general, so I knew I had to

pick up this blank up. :) And since I am very cynical, the design

made sense, too. Annoyingly, I applied the clear coat too heavily and

his hairline bled a little :( Not bad for number 2, though.

Working on 3 inch figures is particularly tough, in my opinion. I

don't recommend it using regular-sized Sharpies. I wish I had the

super-fine-tipped ones for this piece.

Check out my Flickrset for all the pics of CyniCat here:

www.flickr.com/photos/thepete/sets/72157600092707667/

Orignal From: toys.thepete.com: CyniCat (3" Cat Qee from Toy2R)

My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Act 4)

Yep, it's the middle of the night, here in NYC, what ELSE could I be posting, HM?

It's another updated version of part 1 of my very own Battlestar Galactica series finale script!

This edition has up to the end of Act 4. I've made no changes to the previous acts, so you can skip directly to the beginning of Act 4 if you've been keeping up with me as I've been writing. THANK YOU for doing so, if you have! It's a big help to know that people are reading my stuff as I go (it's how I read it!).

New to my site or don't know what the heck I'm talking about? You should probably read my blog post that explains why I am writing my very own Battlestar Galactica series finale script.

Without further babbling from me, here's the link to the Drop.io-housed PDF:

http://drop.io/thepetecom/asset/bsg-the-big-end-20090315-pdf#

And here is the requisite Scribd window if you just want to read it right here:

Battlestar Galactica is (c) Universal Studios, etc, etc. But the script is MINE, but I'll trade UniStu for it in exchange for some pitch meetings. :P

Not much to say about this one. It did run a bit long again and there's a scene I didn't write (basically left out the B plot--whoops! But really it's sort of in there), but generally everything went fine and I even surprised myself and veered away from my outline a bit.

That's always the big worry for some writers (like me)--we're afraid if we do an outline before we start writing it'll dominate and limit what we write. For me, in this instance, that's not happened. So, YAY!

One more act to write and then it's on to part 2 of my very own Battlestar Galactica series finale script!

I've got just about six days to get this thing done! Wish me luck and feel free to hurl encouraging words at me! They really help!

Orignal From: My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Act 4)

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Email Spam Just Isn't Going to Last

Like it or not, every industry has a cycle--a series of stages it goes through before it does one of two things:

1) Starts over and performs the cycle again

2) Dies forever

I've been online since 1995. I've seen all manner of email spam. I won't even bore you with those deets since I know you know what I mean. One thing I have NOT seen is innovation from email spam. I mean, "evolve or die," right? Well, check out the email I got earlier today:

FINAL NOTIFICATION

from DELL PROMOTION
reply-to dell.headquarter@btinternet.com
to dell@winners.com
date Sat, Mar 14, 2009 at 12:36 PM
subject FINAL NOTIFICATION
12:36 PM (3 hours ago)

You have just been awarded,the sum of £750,000GBP in the DELL Award 2009, Anniversary Bonanza. held on March. For Claims email your details to: dell.headquarter@btinternet.com

Names:............
Address:..............
Country:................
Age:..........
Sex:..............
Phone/cellphone........

regard
Mrs. Rose Wood

Now, I'm sure some people out there would still fall for this and I understand how cheap it is to send millions of emails in a heartbeat. But is this REALLY worth their time?

In order for this scam to work, the sucker would have to give all the personal data (but no SSN??), answer the phone when the spammer called back and THEN be dumb enough to give up their bank account number when the spammer says "the only way to get your money is if we wire it to you."

Uh-huh.

Now, don't get me wrong--I'm as cynical as the next guy--I'm sure a few people still fall for this stupidity, but, really spammers? Is this the BEST you can come up with after nearly fifteen years of scamming people via email?

What has happened to American innovation?!?!

And it's not like it takes any effort to suss you fools out. I Googled the first sentence from that email and found this:

http://candyinn.blogspot.com/

It's a blog featuring nothing but email spam that includes many similar emails in its content stream.

You spammers are so predictable there's someone blogging about you.

Pitiful.

Orignal From: Email Spam Just Isn't Going to Last

My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Act 3)

As I said in my lifestream a few minutes ago: Wow. Heavy Act 3. Didn't expect that to effect me the way it did. Ran a little long, too.

Curious what the heck I'm talking about? I've just finished writing Act 3 (of 5) of part 1 of my very own Battlestar Galactica series finale. Click here to read my original post that explains all about the why's and wherefore's behind me writing my own Battlestar Galactica series finale.

FOR THE RECORD: I am avoiding both parts of the real 2-part BSG series finale until I am done with mine. No sense being influenced by the writing of the guys that got us this messy-ass plot in the first place, right?

ALSO: The goal is to have part 1 and part 2 done by Friday, March 20, when the real part 2 of the actual Battlestar Galactica series finale airs. Yep, so I have 2 more acts to write in part 1, then a teaser and five more acts after that to finish in about seven days. Good thing I write fast. Do I write good--er--well? Why not judge for yourself?

Here is the teaser and Acts 1-3 of "The Big End" part 1:

PDF on Drop.io:

http://drop.io/thepetecom/asset/bsg-the-big-end-20090314-pdf

And here is the Scribd window with the PDF in it:

Battlestar Galactica, the characters, settings and so on, are all (c) Universal Studios, blah-blah-blah. HOWEVER, this is my script. UniStu can HAVE it if they want it, but in exchange, I get to come in and pitch some stuff. That's a fair deal, I think.

I don't have any other notes aside from that I did get one bit of feedback from Shindo of http://shindotv.com asking about Cavil and Co. It was a great point and while I still haven't addressed it in Act 3, I will in Act 4. I almost did it in this act, but it was just too long anyway. Oh and thanks for the shoutout in your recent iPod Shuffle-slam post, Shin! We seem to agree on a few things, don't we?

Orignal From: My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Act 3)

Just about to post my Battlest...

Just about to post my Battlestar Galactica finale script in-progress (now up to Act 3). After that, I'm checking in at Hotel Unconscious.

Orignal From: Just about to post my Battlest...

What neither Cramer or Stewart...

What neither Cramer or Stewart mention is that the media is supposed to be the watchdog of government & biz. Most folks don't know that.

Orignal From: What neither Cramer or Stewart...

Friday, March 13, 2009

My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Act 2)

All right, so I just finished up Act 2 of my very own Battlestar Galactica series finale script--well, part 1 of the finale, anyway (my finale, like the real one will actually be two episodes long). I'm very happy with my second act and I'm shocked it went as smoothly and as quickly as it did. Maybe outlines really ARE a good thing?

Anyway, so here it is in two forms for easy reading:

1) The below link will send you to a Drop.io page with a direct link to a PDF of the entire script so far (sorry, it's just easier to include the previous work with the new):

http://drop.io/thepetecom/asset/bsg-the-big-end-20090313a-pdf

2) You can read it below in a Scribd window:

Battlestar Galactica is (c) Universal Studios. As I said last night, the story elements in this script are (c) ME, but if Universal Studios wants the thing, they can have it. Just give me credit and let me come in and pitch some series ideas I have. ;)

No big notes here. I wish I could include more of the extracurricular characters but I want to tie the major plots up and I don't want to shortchange them by getting distracted.

Don't know what the heck I'm talking about or want to read the original teaser and Act 1 (I've rewritten both) from my very own BSG finale script? Go to my original post on it.

Orignal From: My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (Act 2)

@caliblondie glad you liked Ja...

@caliblondie glad you liked Jay's Vlog! Sorry that last "Yeah!" startled you though. That's good though since it got your attention.

Orignal From: @caliblondie glad you liked Ja...

thepete.com: TheJayVlog for Ma...

thepete.com: TheJayVlog for March 13, 2009: http://s3nt.com/dy5e

Orignal From: thepete.com: TheJayVlog for Ma...

TheJayVlog for March 13, 2009

Jay ThePal delivers his Message of the Day to the world on 12seconds.tv. Of course, with the 12-second limit of video Jay has a little trouble.

More editions of TheJayVlog coming soon!

Orignal From: TheJayVlog for March 13, 2009

Just took my 193rd mugshot! ht...

Just took my 193rd mugshot! http://www.dailymugshot.com/main/show/421

Orignal From: Just took my 193rd mugshot! ht...

BUBBLEGUM CRISIS (1987) (anime)

Buy it!

Positive Experience/Entertaining? DEFINITELY. This is among the most classic of classic anime. Bubblegum Crisis, I feel, can be credited with one-third of the inspiration behind the cyberpunk/technoir movement (the other two-thirds are Blade Runner and Terminator).

Technically any good? Some people complain about the abrupt ending of the original BGC series. I don't know what they're talking about. The final episode is just the final episode. Granted there is no grand resolution that so many anime series have these days, but it doesn't really effect the quality or enjoyment of the anime.

All the high-standards are represented, quality-wise. Great acting, great animation (downright stunning for the time period), incredible mecha designs from Kenichi Sonoda and very tight stories. There were only a few times when I had to shrug off a contrived moment or two. The violence level is high, but the themes in Bubblegum Crisis are pretty mature, so kids won't get much braintertainment out of the series, anyway.

However, the pretty ladies in the robot suits might look attractive to them, so if you're a parent, don't let them have access to this series. There is nudity (not excessive) and violence (fairly excessive).

How did it leave me feeling? Very happy. Bubblegum Crisis is the reason I fell in love with anime in the first place. Something about the no-holds-barred atmosphere of it makes it really stick to your ribs. It was great to watch it again for the first time in about fifteen years (only saw it the one time in college).

Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now! If you like robot anime or hot women in robot suits anime, see this series. Hell, even if you just like anime, you should see this historic series.

Orignal From: BUBBLEGUM CRISIS (1987) (anime)

My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (New Act 1)

OK, so, I spent a couple days fleshing out the plot of the 1st half of my idea of what the Battlestar Galactica series finale should be. This was mainly because I knew the first Act 1 I had written was sucky. So, tonight, I rewrote it and a bit of the teaser, too. So be sure to re-read the last couple pages of the teaser before you read the new Act 1.

Don't know what the frack I'm talking about? Read all about my own Battlestar Galactica series finale script.

So, you can download the PDF of the script so far from this link:

http://drop.io/thepetecom/asset/bsg-the-big-end-20090313-pdf

Or you can read it below in the Scribd Flash window. Check out below the Scribd window for some notes about this project.

First off, Battlestar Galactica is (c) Universal Studios. I mean, duh. The story elements in this ep are (c) ME, but if Universal Studios wants the script, they can have it. Just give me credit and let me come in and pitch some series ideas I have. ;)

One thing I realized while writing up my story notes on this project is that I wasn't going to be able to tell the BSG finale story I wanted to tell in 45 pages (the average length of an hour TV script). Then I remembered that the actual finale will be two episodes long, so I decided to stretch mine into a second episode, as well.

Now, this means there's no way I'll have it done by, uh, tonight (Friday, March 13). Duh award to me. In fact, the only way I'll be able to finish before the actual series finale airs on March 20, is if I can manage to pump out 15 pages of script a day for the next week.

I know I can do that, but the question of "will I?" is appropriate to wonder about.

I can say this: if you read this, (even well after the real finale airs) please let me know what you think. Whether you like what I write or not, it will help me a LOT. So, please, leave a comment.

We writers rarely get audiences clapping for our work... or audiences for our work at all.

Orignal From: My Own Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Script (New Act 1)

Ballpoint Adventures for March 13, 2009 Fox Who Broke Into the Henhouse? Fix the Hole!

Ballpoint Adventures for March 13, 2009 Fox Who Broke Into the Henhouse? Fix the Hole!, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

thepete.com/ics <--more stick figure fun! Check it out!

Orignal From: Ballpoint Adventures for March 13, 2009 Fox Who Broke Into the Henhouse? Fix the Hole!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

How Much Bailout Should Your Blog or Twitterstream Get?

I don't often go in for goofy "which host of The View are you?" style web memes, but this was actually kind of clever. With all of these big businesses begging the USG for bailout cash, what about us small-business-types who live our lives around our blogs and/or Twitterstreams? Well, if you are one of us, head over to MoneyPath.com/Bailout.html to find out how much you should arbitrarily get for your blog or Twitterstream.

Of course, this isn't real, if it were, our government would be fair and just. :)

Here's how thepete.com did:

MoneyPath

My blog deserves
$189,911
of bailout money.

How much do you deserve?

Oh man, check out how well my Twitterstream did:

MoneyPath

@thepete deserves
$6,768,370
of bailout money.

How much do you deserve?

BE CAREFUL. MoneyPath is a FINANCIAL SERVICES website!! They try to make money off of you while "helping" you find a loan. MONEY PEOPLE CANNOT BE TRUSTED. Who do you think got us into the economic mess we're in now? It wasn't you and me, that's for sure!

Orignal From: How Much Bailout Should Your Blog or Twitterstream Get?

Ballpoint Adventures for March 12, 2009 Trust the Rich, They're Richer than You.

Ballpoint Adventures for March 12, 2009 Trust the Rich, They're Richer than You., originally uploaded by thepetecom.

thepete.com/ics

Orignal From: Ballpoint Adventures for March 12, 2009 Trust the Rich, They're Richer than You.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Weee! B/c of the crappy econom...

Weee! B/c of the crappy economy I have to spend time changing my payment info with 12 different places. Ripple-effects upon ripple-effects!

Orignal From: Weee! B/c of the crappy econom...

As if he needed to look worse:...

As if he needed to look worse: Jim Cramer Shorting Stocks, Manipulating Markets, Saying The SEC Doesn't Understand (http://ping.fm/62HXS)

Orignal From: As if he needed to look worse:...

As if he needed to look worse:...

As if he needed to look worse: Jim Cramer Shorting Stocks, Manipulating Markets, Saying The SEC Doesn't Understand (http://ping.fm/62HXS)

Orignal From: As if he needed to look worse:...

Apple Jumps the Shark with New iPod Shuffle

OK, for years now, it's been easy to see why Apple does so well. The
only time I've ever really wondered what drugs they were on was when
they introduced the first iPod Shuffle. With no display screen I was
puzzled as to just what I was supposed to do with the thing. Years
later, a friend gave me his since he wasn't using it and I realized
that, for me, it was perfect for listening podcasts. Who needs a
display when you can listen to the podcast and know what you're
listening to? Songs, however, are a different story--but now Apple
wants to think it has that problem beaten--by having the iPod Shuffle
talk to you. That's all fine and good, but wouldn't it have been
cheaper to just throw a display on it? And how the hell do you hit
play? And what's with the posing of the hand model in the pic on
Apple's main page right now (see above)?? The way the hand is holding
the super-smooth Shuffle with it's rounded edges suggests the form
factor of a suppository.

Seriously, Apple has taken a cute little player with personality and made it a faceless, boring slab that could easily be mistaken for a tampon (ladies, back me up on this!).

So, sad. Please get better soon, Steve Jobs!

Posted via email from thepete's posterous

Orignal From: Apple Jumps the Shark with New iPod Shuffle

QUEEN, THE (2006)

Buy it!

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely! It put a human face on these people we know only from the news.

Technically any good? Everything was very solid. The acting was incredible. The script was tight and the story was believable. The only "however" I have here is that the title suggests the movie is actually about the Queen of England. It really isn't. It's only about a part of her life. As such, I found it disappointing.

Maybe it was because I was alive and paying attention during the time period the movie takes place and as a result I didn't need the review of events the film puts its viewers through. That's not to say it wasn't a nicely done review, I just wanted to know more about her life. I mean, of all of the incredible things Queen Elizabeth II has lived through, they picked how she dealt with (former) Princess Diana's death. It was an interesting period, but surely, World War II, or the Falklands, or even the build-up to the Iraq War would have made for better cinema.

How did it leave me feeling? Definitely happy that I saw such wonderful performances from Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen, but ultimately disappointed that we didn't get more of a history lesson. I won't even go into how it was definitely a pro-British-Royalty propaganda movie. (Talk about white-entitlement issues! SHEESH!)

Final Rating? NFI - NetFlix It. Worth seeing for the good acting, but ultimately, I don't think it's really that worth seeing.

Orignal From: QUEEN, THE (2006)

@MariAdkins yeah, except he ha...

@MariAdkins yeah, except he had jury duty this morning at 8:45 so we couldn't hang as long as we would have liked. But what are ya gonna do?

Orignal From: @MariAdkins yeah, except he ha...

Ballpoint Adventures for March 11, 2009 Buffett-Shmuffet!!

Ballpoint Adventures for March 11, 2009 Buffett-Shmuffet!!, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

more Ballpoints at thepete.com/ics

Orignal From: Ballpoint Adventures for March 11, 2009 Buffett-Shmuffet!!