Rear Window

Rear Window rocks!

I watched it last night--a Christmas gift from my friends D. & R.. The movie takes its time setting up the suspense.

The premise is that a man (Jimmy Stewart) has a broken leg and is cooped up in his apartment awaiting recovery. As a way to pass the time, he becomes a bit voyeuristic watching his neighbors. One night he observes some strange goings-on that leads him to believe that a woman has been murdered. He tries to get his friends on his side, but they just think he's imagining things. The way the story is presented, you can't tell if he's imagining things or not.

Definitely worth a watch.

Lennie Briscoe Dies

FOXNews.com - Foxlife - 'Law & Order' Star Jerry Orbach Dies

15 years and Law & Order remains one of my favorite shows ever. Jerry Orbach played Lennie Briscoe for 12 of those years, giving the show part of its gritty flavor. He had left Law & Order for a different show this year; I had been looking forward to seeing it but obviously he won't be a part of it.

I for one will miss him.

BBC - Science & Nature - Human Body and Mind - Spot The Fake Smile

BBC - Science & Nature - Human Body and Mind - Spot The Fake Smile

I got 15/20 correct. How did you do?

Great Quotes Volume 6

Sir William Drummond:
"He who will not reason is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool; and he who dares not is a slave."

The Gods Must Be Crazy

I just watched "The Gods Must Be Crazy," on loan to me from M. in Atlanta. Hilarious. It's a very cleverly written film. I wish more people wrote comedy like this nowadays. sigh

I've been thinking a bit about my filmucation. I need to get ahold of the Alfred Hitchkock films. I saw North By Northwest and thought it was brilliant. I'd like to see what else that man came up with. In addition, I'd like to get some Sydney Poitier films. He's one of the few actors that, when he's on the screen, it's impossible to look at anyone else. His screen-presence is so powerful that it's not even a question of demanding your attention--there is nothing else for you to focus on.

Great link

Thanks Ice Scribe for the following link:
Liberty

There's nothing new for an Oist in this. What makes it great is the way in which it simplifies very complicated issues. My favorite parts are the Lockean description of Property, and the definitions of murder, slavery, and theft.

The Problem with Internet Dating

I'm in danger of having my geek-license revoked: I just watched the first half of the Extended Edition of The Return of the King and I have no idea what happened. I have no idea because I was distracted by searching a couple of internet dating sites.

I don't spend a lot of time on these sites for two reasons: 1) I'm not really very intent on starting another romance right now, and 2) internet dating sites have not really shown themselves to be of much value in finding another romance anyway.

The thing that intrigues me about these sites is how little of an idea people have about what they're looking for in a partner. I just leafed through 18 pages of search results of women in a 250 mile radius that supposedly match my criterion. The first problem I had was that the women didn't match my criterion: I specified religion should be Atheist, Agnostic, or Other, and I kept getting back results for Christian women. Jeez! Next, fully 3/4 of the women in the list had no idea what they were looking for. They had lot's of stuff listed about themselves, which I suppose is good--at least they know themselves well enough to state what they are. What I find interesting is that in the section where they are asked to identify what they're looking for in a mate they have "any" specified for most categories. What's more interesting is that they have "any" specified on categories that you might expect to be fairly important such as religion, career, smoking, and drinking habits. I close those profiles about as fast as I can open them--if she doesn't know what she wants, then it's not me.

So I guess my foray into internet dating is finished for another month or so. I go back every month or so because I don't want the reason I didn't meet my version of Michelle Dessler to be because I didn't look. But given my experiences so far, I don't suppose it's very likely I'll find someone that way.

Happy Holidays

I spent Christmas with my friends M. and C.. It's fun going to their house not only because they're great company, but because I can take the dogs. My boys are my family, so I don't like being separated from them for days at a time; especially not on holidays.

Toby unfortunately seemed to be anxious most of the time he was there. Toby is already the low-dog on the totem pole in our home--Samwise took over pack leadership the day he stumbled in the door--but being the low-dog on a totem pole with 3 other dogs was a bit much for him. He didn't seem to realize that when Idris nipped at him, she was just playing. He took it personally and went after her barking, teeth bared, and terror in his eyes that she might take up his challenge. Samwise on the other hand felt out the limits with the two doberman's, and quickly established that he wasn't going to take any other dog's BS. Not bad considering that Holly and Idris are each twice his size.

M. and C. are fabulous hosts. C. made a fabulous Christmas dinner which we all pigged out on. She also had lots of fab sweets and goodies to snack on in the meantime. M. got me started on a new drink--think Jack & Coke w/o with Maker's Mark instead. mmmmmmmm.

M. and I had a bad-movie contest. I brought The Forbidden Zone, and he had me watch Peter Jackson's Dead Alive.

What struck me most about my holiday was how much fun I had. M., C., and I discussed how it's very rare that families get together for the holidays and actually enjoy it. There's usually a lot of fighting and bickering--TV and Movies lie. There are families that are actually close and enjoy one another's company. I have friends that have that sort of relationship. It's quite a beautiful thing when it happens, but it's rare. What we did was much more fun than the typical reality--just 3 friends and their 4 dogs hangin' out and enjoying one another's company.

Here's hoping that the rest of you had as much fun as I did for Christmas. :)

Just Finished Season 3 of "24"

Reiko Aylesworth is one of my favorite things about seasons 2 and 3 of "24." She plays Michelle Dressler, a CTU agent. In this role, she embodies many of the things I'm looking for in a romantic partner--intelligence, style, cuteness, independence, integrity, emotional availability, and toughness. I like her.



Season 1 of "24" remains my favorite. It was such an original idea to film an entire season of a TV show in real time, and it was mostly executed extremely well. I didn't like Season 2 as well as Season 1, but I still enjoyed the show as it is much better than much of what is available on television. I feel much the same about Season 3.

One of my favorite things about the show is that it consistently defies "TV Rules." It seems like there must be a book of "TV Rules" somewhere, because you can almost always predict what's going to happen next on just about every TV show ever. The thing that "24" does brilliantly to lull you into believing you know what's going to happen next, and then doing a 180... followed by a 270 in the opposite direction. By the time the writers are done with you, you don't remember which way you were facing before.

Sometimes the writing can be a bit cheesy, but I don't believe that this seriously detracts from the show. It must be an extremely demanding job to write a story that takes place in 24 1 hour segments in real time where each 1 hour segment ends on a cliff-hanger. That said, the writers of the show chose to undertake that responsibility, so even though I can understand their occasional lapses into cliche writing, it doesn't excuse it. "24" has yet to be all it could be. Season 1 was closest.

The trailer for Season 4 was on the Season 3 DVD set. I'll not be watching Season 4 when it airs as I enjoy watching "24" in as few days as possible. Not knowing what I was putting into my DVD player when I was given Season 1 as a Christmas gift 2 years ago, I planned to simply watch a couple of episodes. As it turned out, I watched 16 episodes in one day. I haven't repeated that achievment, but not for lack of trying :)

To all the actors and writers of "24," thank you for the great storytelling. And a special "Thank you" to Reiko Aylesworth for dramatizing in Michelle Dressler my ideal woman.

Great Quotes Volume 5

This one is an original from a co-worker who wishes to remain anonymous--

"Mental illness doesn't so much strike as infiltrate."

Great Quotes Volume 4

Voltaire:

"...the safest course is to do nothing against one's conscience. With this secret, we can enjoy life and have no fear from death.

"A witty saying proves nothing."

"Anything too stupid to be said is sung."

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well."

"Every man is guilty of all the good he didn't do."

"It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."

Great Quotes Volume 3

Alan Corenk:

"Democracy consists of choosing your dictators, after they've told you what you think it is you want to hear.

Beer Drinkers Against the Mistreatment of Beer.com

Finally, a cause I can really get behind.


Beer Drinkers Against the Mistreatment of Beer.com

Great Quotes Volume 2

Quote Details: Ron Nesen: Nobody believes the official... - The Quotations Page: "Nobody believes the official spokesman... but everybody trusts an unidentified source.
Ron Nesen"

Great Quotes Volume 1

Here's a quote I really like.

Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance.
--Sam Brown:

I don't know anything about Sam Brown except this quote.

Failed Romantic Opportunity

So I'm at this Christmas party the other night for this company that I used to work for, which I now do contract work for. It takes me 20 minutes just to find a parking place, and it's two blocks away from the party. So when I get inside, I'm handed a little card to get a free drink. So I go up to the bar to get something, but I'm not sure what I want. Since it's someone else's dime, I figure I can be experimental-like, so I ask what I should get to warm me up.

The bartender--she's cute. Thick, dark, straight hair swept back in a pony-tail. Ovular face, narrow chin, thick but stylish glasses.

She recommends Jack & Coke. I've never had Jack & Coke before (my friends gasping in shock), so I say sure, why not.

Jack & Coke is good.

Did I mention that Jack & Coke is good? mmmmmmmm

Anyway, I go back to my table and chat with friends for an hour or so. About that time some other friends who don't drink ask who wants their drink card. After volunteering and obtaining the free drink card, I make my way back to the bar.

"I'll have another Jack & Coke, please."

"Sure. I thought you guys were going to be partiers. The CEO said you're all a bunch of partiers."

"Not me--I'm a computer nerd" I counter.

"I'm a book nerd," she says, "I get through about a book a week.

(Inner monologue: wow, she's cute and she can read!)

"I don't get through a book a week, but I average 100 or so pages a day. What kinds of stuff do you read?"

(More inner monologue: She's into me, I can tell. So this is what it feels like to know for sure that someone you just met is into you.)

"I like to read these books... I guess you can say they're kind of like romance novels, but with vampires."

(Still more inner monologue: I wonder if I can still run fast?)

"Okay. Thanks for the Jack & Coke. See ya'"

So I guess it was a good experience in the sense that I enjoyed knowing beyond doubt that an attractive woman was into me. But damn, is everybody into the stupid vampire thing? I mean, I like Buffy and all, but I don't have sexual fantasies involving dead people that want to drain the blood from my body. Jeez! Besides, Buffy isn't really about vampires. As my friend Michael is want to say, that's the setting, not the theme.

And she had such a gleam in her eyes when she "vampires." My dogs are more rational than that.

All I want for Christmas is a smart, cute, rational woman, connected to the real world, able to be honest with herself, financially secure and responsible, honest, career-oriented woman with good sense of style and a goofy sense of humor. Is that too much to ask?

Great Pro-Science Speech

Interesting Speech by Michael Crichton

Final Analysis of "Faith of the Fallen"

I finished "Faith of the Fallen" today. In the final analysis, I'm afraid to say that Goodkind did draw a bit too much from Rand. However, it is still a compelling and interesting story. Further, it does bring that personal connection to the hero back.

Put one down, pick up another I say: Staring book 7, "The Pillars of Creation" today.

More on "Faith of the Fallen"

Regarding my earlier criticisms of Goodkind's later books not have the personal connection to the hero that the first book had, that has all changed in Book 5. "Faith of the Fallen" so far is very personally focused on the hero, and his intellectual and moral struggle to figure out what role he should play in the events of the world.

For the first time though, Goodkind is being somewhat derivitive of Ayn Rand. The story if Nicci's childhood brings very strongly to mind the story of Hank Rearden in "Atlas Shrugged." That said, I am still enjoying the book very much. I don't think the story suffers too much for the derivation.

315 pages down, 370 to go...

Starting "The Faith of the Fallen"

I just finished "Soul of the Fire." It is as I expected. Goodkind brought the book to a resounding finish. I just started "Faith of the Fallen" and am already excited by some of what I'm reading. It's no secret that Goodkind is an admirer of Ayn Rand's, and "Soul of the Fire" shows that more than any other book I've read. He has not fallen to the trap of just quoting her in his books, substituting his character names for John Galt and Howard Roark. That said, here are some quotes from "Faith of the Fallen."

In the first one, Richard is explaining why he is abandoning his position as leader of the forces against The Order, a tyrannical regime threatening the world. He has just left Anderith, a kingdom that voted itself into the subjugation of The Order:

"Freedom requires effort if it is to be won, and vigilance if it is to be maintained... There are always some [people who value freedom before it is taken away], but most don't even understand it, nor do they care to... People mindlessly shrink from it without seeing the truth. The Order offers them a world... [with] ready-made answers to everything. Servitude is simple. I thought I could convince people of the value of their own lives, and of liberty... Forcing people to fight for their own freedom is the worst kind of contradiction... I must do what is best for us. I must be selfish; life is far too precious to be casually squandered on useless causes. There can be no greater evil than that. People can only be saved from the coming dark age of subjugation and servitude if they, too, come to understand and care about the value of their own lives, their freedom, and are willing to act in their own interest... I have been a leader too soon. It is not I who must prove myself to the people, but the people who must now prove themselves to me."

In this quote, Goodkind treads as close as he ever has to quoting Ayn Rand, but he still manages to make it his own:

"The only sovereign I can allow to rule me is reason. The first law of reason is this: what exists exists; what is, is. From this irreducible bedrock principle, all knowledge is built. This is the foundation from which life is embraced.

"Reason is a choice. Wishes and whims are not facts, nor are they a means to discovering them. reason is our only way of grasping reality--it's our basic tool of survival. We are free to evade the effort of thinking, to reject reason, but we are not free to avoid the penalty of the abyss we refuse to see.

"If I fail to use reason in this struggle, if I close my eyes to the reality of what is, in favor of what I would wish, the we will ... die in this, and for nothing."

To those who have read Ayn Rand, the above will be familiar reading. What I should endeavor to make clear is that Goodkind's character has reached these conclusions over the course of about 3000 pages of story. I stopped reading at this point to write this blog entry. I'm very excited right now. What is great about reading this is the fact that Richard has reached these conclusions only through the experience of a long and difficult journey--a journey the reader has traveled with him. I'm anxious to see where it goes next...

The Weekend

I had a good time this weekend. My friend Michael came up from Atlanta. He joined my D&D game on Saturday, and we spent Saturday night trading Metal Bands using the Rhapsody music service. I have a feeling I'm going to become an Iron Maiden fan!

Now I'm working on finishing Soul of the Fire, the 5th Terry Goodkind book in the Sword of Truth series. As I've progressed through the books, they have become less directly about the hero character. He is still the focal point of everything that's happening, but Goodkind seems to be taking more time and leisure to explore and color the world he has created. He's unleashed an epic series of events in the 3rd book, and even in the 5th there is no end in sight. It's both great and annoying--great because he's developing an epic tale of this hero trying to solve the world's problems; annoying because in going for the greater detail for the surrounding universe, Goodkind loses some of the personal warmth he generated for his hero in the beginning.

Still, I'm enjoying them. I'm looking forward to the 6th.