Month: June 2012

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Quote of the Day

"Why don't I believe in God?  No, no, no…why do you believe in God? Surely the burden of proof is on the believer. You started all this. If I came up to you and said, 'Why don't you believe I can fly?' you'd say, 'Why would I?' I'd reply, 'Because it's a matter of faith.' If I then said, 'Prove I can't fly. Prove I can't fly. See? See? You can't prove it, can you?' You'd probably either walk away, call security, or throw me out the window and shout, 'Fucking fly then, you lunatic!'" ~ Ricky Gervais

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The Origin of Species

I can't tell you how long it's been since I last paid full price for a ticket, queued up and waited with antici…pation to see a movie on opening day, but that's exactly what I did last night for Prometheus. (And I wish to extend my utmost appreciation to Ben for accompanying me, as I don't think this was on his "must see" list.) Of all the summer movies that were announced, this was the one film I have been most looking forward to, and now that I've seen it, one of the very few in recent years that I want to experience for a second time.

To be honest, before I saw the film I wondered if it would it be a stroke of genius from the man who brought us the original Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator, or would it be—as so many films have been of late—a total mind fuck, leaving me feeling like someone had reached in and plucked ten dollars out of my pocket?

At the end of the movie last night I walked out of the theater thinking, "Meh. 7 or 8 out of 10 on the live-up-to-its-hype scale," but the more I've thought about it since (and it is one of those films that stays with you long after you've seen it), I now think—despite some glaring plot holes—it was the one of the best sci-fi films I've seen in the last ten years.

The story was engaging and made you think. The acting was decent. I cared about the fate of the characters. The cinematography was sumptuous. I wanted to see more. The score was amazing; it's all I've been listening to for the last week.

Like all good movies of this type, Prometheus raises more questions than it will ever be able to answer. But the answers it does provide to some long-standing questions about the universe of Alien—like who the Space Jockey was and where the Xenomorph actually originated—are satisfying. Ultimately it allows you to form your own interpretations, probably the best thing any piece of art can do.

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

The biggest complaint I have with the film is with the editing. While I understand the filmmakers are constrained by time limits, I think too much was left on the cutting room floor. Early on in the film I found the transition between the discovery of the cave paintings and the arrival of Prometheus at LV-223 especially jarring. I would've loved to have seen more interaction between Weyland and the two lead scientists and what they said or did to convince Weyland Corporation to finance the expedition.

There are countless theories as to who the Engineers really were, and I confess I have no definitive ideas to add to the discussion. Was the Engineer who appeared at the beginning of the film a rogue, who created humanity against the wishes of his brethren (à la the real Prometheus from Greek mythology), or was he simply performing his role as an Engineer.  Were they truly the creators of mankind, and if so, why had they been planning on returning to earth and wiping us out before those plans were sidelined by whatever they were running from in the hologram? (A creature we never saw; one of those plot holes that demand explanation.)

What is the black goo? Is it something the Engineers created, or did it create the Engineers? Did the goo change the worms into the Hammerpede, and what ultimately happened to that creature after it had entered the biologist's body? Why did the goo affect the individuals who encountered it so differently?

Naturally, there is quite a bit of buzz about this film on the Internet. A writer on one site raised some obvious questions, but ultimately I think the most thought-provoking discussion of the deeper meaning of Prometheus can be found here.

Ridley Scott's explanation of how humanity came to be—even though entirely fictitious—makes about as much sense as any other, and is a topic I hope to explore in a subsequent post.

All I know for certain at this point is that I will be seeing Prometheus again, and will be eagerly awaiting the Director's Cut…

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Quote of the Day

He pulled the words right out of my mouth.

"People are increasingly lousy drivers—which I think goes hand in hand with people becoming increasingly lousy human beings.  America's litigiousness is a reflection of a larger entitlement problem in this country—everyone thinks they're oppressed, and acts accordingly.  And not oppressed in the civil rights way, but in the Republican way.  For Republicans, oppression is 'not getting your way 100% of the time, to hell with how your desires impinge on the rights of others.'  It's selfish.  And it's destructive.

"It also doesn't help that popular culture glorifies some of the worst dregs of society, that glorifies destruction—be it couples acting violently to each other on TV, or thugs being violent to their women, towards gays, and more.  The trash who go on Judge Judy or Jerry Springer come to mind.  Though Fox News and Limbaugh and the GOP play their part as well in teaching Americans to hate pro-actively.

"Starting around 2004, in the middle of the Bush years, I started to become increasingly concerned about the future of our country.  My concerns haven't lessened nearly enough with the Obama years.  There's a trashiness (and a meanness) to our culture, our politics, our driving, our health care system, and, more generally, the way we treat, and mistreat, each other." ~ John Aravosis, AMERICAblog

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Five Questions

    • What's a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

John Davis and the Monster Orchestra: Love Magic.

    • What is the single best decision you have made in your life?

Accepting Ben's initial invitation to meet in person over coffee.

    • How can I win your heart?

You can't. It's already occupied. (See above.)

    • What would you want to be written on your tombstone?

I'm not planning on having a tombstone. I want my ashes scattered.

    • If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

I only get one? That's not fair!

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Regarding Wisconsin

Well Wisconsin, you really stepped in it, didn't you? Thankfully you managed to put a Democratic State Senator in place to put the brakes on your governor's fascism. But seriously, guys. WTH?

And when the shit hits the fan because thousands of Democratic voters were too lazy to get off their asses? Linda Clifford's 1983 hit, "Don't Come Cryin' to Me" comes to mind.

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Seriously?

There are days I wonder how some of the people I support at work manage to get out of bed and dress themselves without assistance.

We have a dedicated laptop and projector for use with company presentations. The laptop has a local account called Presenter. There is a sticker on the machine, right below the keyboard, that has that user name and its password clearly displayed.

I set up the equipment this morning for a meeting. I logged in and made sure everything was working properly, like I always do.

A half hour later I received a panicked call stating that they couldn't get into the system.

WTF?

The automatic screen lock (that I had to pull teeth to get approved, even though it's a HIPAA requirement) had activated and no one knew the password.

Seriously? NO ONE KNEW THE PASSWORD.

I walked into the conference room, pointed out that the password was right there in front of their faces, logged the machine back in and left.

It is now abundantly clear why our country is moving in the direction it is.

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I Wonder…

…if what I feel when I see this is anything like what the Romans felt as they watched their civilization collapse.

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There's No Difference Between the Democrats and Republicans?

Oh, I don't think so.

  • Democrats haven't banned the teaching of Mexican history (Arizona).
  • They didn't call a young lawyer who spoke before Congress a "slut" (Limbaugh).
  • They don't question the findings of 97% of the world's scientists that global warming is real.
  • They aren't trying to suppress voters.
  • They don't believe child labor is a fine idea (Gingrich).
  • They don't consider ketchup (Reagan) or pink slime a "vegetable" in school lunches.
  • They don't support the idea that women shouldn't receive equal pay for equal work. (Republican Congress).
  • Or that women should be forced to have ultrasounds or other medical interventions before choosing to have an abortion (Texas).
  • They don't believe anyone who looks Hispanic should be stopped in the street and forced to show papers (Arizona).
  • They don't think privatizing Social Security will be a "great deal" for the elderly (Romney).
  • They don't think gay people are destroying traditional marriage.
  • They don't believe corporations are people (Supreme Court).
  • They don't think any one faith should take precedence over another (Religious Right).
  • They don't believe that creationism (a religious belief) should be taught side-by-side with natural selection (science).
  • They don't think all taxation is bad (Tea Party).
  • They don't think ILLEGAL Wall Street shenanigans should go unpunished.
  • They don't see the benefits of empty "trickle-down" promises that have NEVER been realized.
  • They don't believe women who've been raped should be forced to carry a child that results from that rape (Santorum).
  • They don't think it's wise to open National Parks to developers looking to make a buck.
  • They don't think that parking American corporate profits overseas to avoid paying taxes shows much dedication to America.
  • They don't think teachers are overpaid.
  • They don't think it's wise to allow people to carry guns and use them unless there's a damn clear reason.
  • They don't like the idea of unregulated industry, given that it's recently brought us to the brink of Depression.
  • They remember what dangerous, shoddy products existed before there were laws for safety.
  • They don't think college students should be burdened with high-interest loan rates.
  • They don't think people protesting should be sprayed and beaten.
  • They don't resent the poor.
  • They don't think Obama is a Muslim.
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Five Questions

    • Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

I've had a lot of unexplainable things happen during the course of my life. When I was in high school, we lived in a new, never-before-occupied house that I swear must have been built over an Indian Burial Site. Many times we'd all be downstairs and doors would slam upstairs—with all the windows in the house closed. Later, when I was away at college my mom would often sleep downstairs in my room because of my dad's snoring. That stopped the one night the bed started shaking. More recently, I was working on the deserted fifth floor of Phoenix Memorial Hospital in a room that had been created for the unboxing and prepping of new computers. The door was closed, and I was happily absorbed in my work when I heard a loud knock at the door.  I opened the door and no one was there. I looked out at the length of the hall. Not a soul in sight (and no one could've run away between the time I heard the knock and when I answered the door). It was shortly after that I learned the floor had at one point been the psych ward and that one of the patients had hanged himself there. Since that point the floor had a "reputation" for being haunted. Ghosts? I don't know. I prefer the term, "Unexplained Phenomenon."

As far as aliens are concerned, I believe there is definitely life—intelligent and Republican otherwise—out there; I just don't believe they would travel tens or hundreds of light years to come here unless it was to simply observe a dominant planetary species gone insane.

    • Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

Air. And Air.

    • Smell the air. What do you smell?

Desperation.

    • What's the worst place you have ever been to?

The inside of a church. ANY church. Absolutely makes my skin crawl. Of course I have the same reaction when entering a WalMart or just about any airport after the TSA was formed.

    • Choose East Coast or West Coast?

I'm definitely a West Coast boy!

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Betty White is to Golden Girls as Robert Clary is to…

You know what's sad? Learning that all but one of the actors in one of your favorite TV shows from childhood are dead.

There was absolutely nothing on the television machine at all last night, so Ben and I started channel surfing and came across reruns of Hogan's Heroes. Good lord, I grew up with Stalag 13.

"I see noth-thing! I know noth-thing! "

  • Bob Crane (Hogan) – dead 1978, age 49
  • Werner Klemperer (Klink) – dead 2000, age 80
  • John Banner (Schultz) – dead 1973, age 63
  • Richard Dawson (Newkirk) – dead 2012, age 79
  • Larry Hovis (Carter) – dead 2003, age 67
  • Ivan Dixon (Kinch) – dead 2008, age 76
  • Robert Clary (LeBeau) – age 86, the only surviving cast member

In Internet parlance, "I has a sad."

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Peace Out

Ray Bradbury, 1920-2012

Thank you Mr. Bradbury, for taking my gaze outward and upward when I was but a wee young thing. From The Martian Chronicles to The Illustrated Man to Farenheit 451 to I Sing the Body Electric and countless others, you had a profound influence on my life and will not be forgotten.

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I've Seen Things…

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time…like tears in rain." ~ Roy Batty, Blade Runner

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The One That Got Away

When you were a kid, was there ever one toy that you wanted with all your heart and soul that Santa never brought you?

With me it was this:

That Christmas I implored the big fat man in the red suit to bring me this thing. Point a colored laser at your target, hold down the trigger and watch the thing disappear:

How cool is that? If only it really worked that way.  Of course it wasn't a real laser, and just because your target didn't actually blow up made no difference to the imagination of a nine year old.

The fact that I never got this cool gun is one of those weird little things that stayed with me for years afterward. The fact that my parents absolutely lavished gifts on my sister and I that Christmas—and for many, many subsequent ones—never quite offset the disappointment of not finding a Plazer waiting under the tree.

Until a few weeks ago, I had completely forgotten about the Plazer, but then I stumbled across this site, and it all came rushing back. (And to be honest, rediscovering a hell of a lot of other toys that I did get that I'd completely forgotten about.) Further Googling led me to this—which probably explains why I never got the gun. I'm sure my folks tried it out in the store, discovered it was a piece of crap, and refused to throw away the $8.88 (which was a decent chunk of change back then) on something that didn't work to begin with.

Santa, you're forgiven—and thanks again for all the other amazing stuff you did bring me over the years.

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Another Lesson in Fucked Logic

Why is it that all the elevators at my office are set to "rest" on the uppermost floor first thing in the morning (when people are arriving at work) and then "rest" on the lobby level in the afternoon (when people are leaving)?

If it's to encourage stair use, it ain't working.

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MIB 3

Wow. For the first time this summer I've left a movie not feeling like I'd been forcibly penetrated.


MIB 3 was a very fun romp, with an tear-at-your-heartstrings ending that was just about perfect. This is the type of movie that CGI was made for. It's unobtrusively there to help tell the story, but not be the story. (Are you listening, George Lucas?)

Casting Josh Brolin as a young Tommy Lee Jones was sheer genius.

All I can say is go see it—especially if you liked its two predecessors.