Just too much stuff to keep to myself.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Monday March 7, 2011
I'm always a sucker for a good photo essay...this one is from Salon, Ruins of the American Dream, a slideshow of abandoned mines.
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Because I'm starting out on Salon...Mary Elizabeth Williams has a complaint about 80s nostalgia movies (triggered by Take Me Home Tonight) complaining that they "sell a cheery misrepresentation of a feel-bad time". She specifically cites that the movie is set in 1988 and seems out of touch with the reality of that actual time...and I'll confess that from the examples she uses, it does seem like it needed to be set in...1984. Perhaps they didn't want to have a lot of self-referential jokes needing to be made.
My only suggestion would be that the movies are being made by people who were in their late teens-early 20s in that time period...because the reality is that if you weren't out in the big bad business world, it was a fun feel-good time period. Probably much like every decade not involving a world wide war or massive depression would be. Young adults find a way to have fun and party before they become responsible adults. And whichever decade you did that in seems a little brighter and a little more fun than the decade in which you find yourself worrying about your retirement fund, a new roof for your house and whether your kid's teacher is going to phone to complain about your child's lack of homework.
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Say "Cyndi Lauper" and notice if you just started grinning a bit...if you grew up with her music, it's impossible not to have a residual fondness for her no matter how many times you heard Time after Time and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Check out video of her leading a singalong of the latter at Buenos Aires airport--allegedly to calm angry stranded passengers.
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Sunday, March 6, 2011
Sunday March 6
So, today was Will Eisner's birthday and Google decided that was something to make note of...so today's Google graphic (is there a cutesy name for them?) is in honour of Mr. Eisner.
One of the proudest possessions of my eldest boy would be the sketch Will Eisner did for him...and signed it scrawling, "And your dad's a great artist, too!" (Okay, The Guy was pretty proud of that, too).
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Sometimes, when I wander the internets in the morning, my tired eyes play tricks on me (for example, on HuffPo today when I was sure the caption on a picture read, "Why Huckabee dressed Natalie Portman"), so I had to read the following a couple times to actually make out the meaning of the words:
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Watched The Secret of Kells with one of my boys yesterday. What a completely unbelievably beautiful movie that lives up to its inspiration. And in the world of computer animation, to see all that gorgeous hand-drawn illustration--gives me goosebumps. If you're a fan of animation, give it a look. And there's lots of other animated movie previews on the DVD I rented, including NFC gems--would be the first time I've not fast-forwarded through all the previews since...oh, ever, I believe..
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ALSO watched Easy A. Struggling with a completely age-inappropriate crush on Emma Stone, not helped by the fact that my 15 year old is now struggling with a completely age-inappropriate crush on Emma Stone. She's gorgeous, she has a voice like that which made Kathleen Turner instantly famous once-upon-a-time, and she can act. The movie was good but not great (really required some explanation as to why guys weren't beating down her door to ask her out--was it because she has crazy artistic parents? Why doesn't she have friends?) The acting was inconsistent too--all the adults were amazing (LOVED Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci as her parents) but the kids were less so. Still a good watch.
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And finally...a story from HuffPo about Roger Ebert, talking about how the web has saved his sanity. Whether you agree with his reviews or no, he always has something interesting to read. His Facebook fan page is filled with photos he's taken at film festivals, recipes, links to specials on Amazon.com...I'm always amused by the fan who announces that "enough is enough" that they thought they were only going to get links to film reviews from Ebert and that this is Too Much and now, they're "un-friending" him. Gotta love the folks who decide for you what your Facebook account is...(I always liken it to the idea that someone would engage you in an actual conversation and spend the whole time telling you what you got to say to them).
Ebert is also a faithful tweeter and has as much to say there as well. The HuffPo article is about a talk Ebert gave at TED about how the technology has helped him connect with the world. It's a good read.
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Sometimes, when I wander the internets in the morning, my tired eyes play tricks on me (for example, on HuffPo today when I was sure the caption on a picture read, "Why Huckabee dressed Natalie Portman"), so I had to read the following a couple times to actually make out the meaning of the words:
ABC casts a sexy Edgar Allan Poe--PHOTOI'm not the only one who takes a few seconds to process that, right? Anyway, that's the claim--the alleged proof is over at EW.com
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Watched The Secret of Kells with one of my boys yesterday. What a completely unbelievably beautiful movie that lives up to its inspiration. And in the world of computer animation, to see all that gorgeous hand-drawn illustration--gives me goosebumps. If you're a fan of animation, give it a look. And there's lots of other animated movie previews on the DVD I rented, including NFC gems--would be the first time I've not fast-forwarded through all the previews since...oh, ever, I believe..
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALSO watched Easy A. Struggling with a completely age-inappropriate crush on Emma Stone, not helped by the fact that my 15 year old is now struggling with a completely age-inappropriate crush on Emma Stone. She's gorgeous, she has a voice like that which made Kathleen Turner instantly famous once-upon-a-time, and she can act. The movie was good but not great (really required some explanation as to why guys weren't beating down her door to ask her out--was it because she has crazy artistic parents? Why doesn't she have friends?) The acting was inconsistent too--all the adults were amazing (LOVED Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci as her parents) but the kids were less so. Still a good watch.
And finally...a story from HuffPo about Roger Ebert, talking about how the web has saved his sanity. Whether you agree with his reviews or no, he always has something interesting to read. His Facebook fan page is filled with photos he's taken at film festivals, recipes, links to specials on Amazon.com...I'm always amused by the fan who announces that "enough is enough" that they thought they were only going to get links to film reviews from Ebert and that this is Too Much and now, they're "un-friending" him. Gotta love the folks who decide for you what your Facebook account is...(I always liken it to the idea that someone would engage you in an actual conversation and spend the whole time telling you what you got to say to them).
Ebert is also a faithful tweeter and has as much to say there as well. The HuffPo article is about a talk Ebert gave at TED about how the technology has helped him connect with the world. It's a good read.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Friday! Yay, it's Friday! Friday March 4
Oh boy. End of week... possibility of actually sleeping tomorrow. Last weekend, had a sleepover party for the daughter and discovered that ten year old girls really can stay up all night long. Sure they then fall asleep when I send them home...my girl fell asleep (lying on her floor reading a book) at 5:30pm and slept until 8am. I think, a week later, I'm still trying to get over the lack of sleep myself!
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Salon's food writer, Francis Lam, was recommended to me only last year but has become one of my favourites. Today he has a slideshow of Toys that really cooked. I remember the excitement when I got an Easy Bake oven one Christmas and I was determined to pass that joy onto my daughter and got her one two years ago (they'd been unavailable for a number of years; they'd redesigned the ovens to look like microwaves...why I don't know as you don't bake in a microwave, but there you go...and the redesign unfortunately had some problem where little fingers could get stuck quite near the light bulb. One of two kids had to have fingers actually amputated after being damaged! Pretty gruesome thought for a fun toy). I think she ignored it for the longest time--then actually used up all the packages at once when an older cousin came over to play. The reality is that however fun it was to us, these kids are growing up with actual microwaves which they can easily use so there isn't that sense of kitchen-mystique.
(my oven was bright red. I loved it. My mother would give me a dollar and I would go to the store and buy a package of cake mix and eke it out over a week to make more little cakes. Eventually, I came home one day to discover that she'd given it away to a neighbour's daughter, Karin. I was heartbroken)
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Saw that a friend of my eldest child had posted these on his wall...check out the Batbling!
And...there's a whole collection, Noir for DC Comics!
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And, from my "The World is a Strange and Interesting Place" dept: Love affair doesn't void marriage contract, Judge rules
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Look at THESE! I think these are so amazing! Designed by Moshe Safdie, Golden Dream Bay Sky Garden Apartments. Being built in China to be finished by 2014, by water, with rooftop gardens, all the buildings interconnected. Click through to see the entire slideshow.
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We are living in the Anthropocene Era which is
National Geographic has a photoessay on it; Huffington Post has a slideshow of some of the photos.
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Salon's food writer, Francis Lam, was recommended to me only last year but has become one of my favourites. Today he has a slideshow of Toys that really cooked. I remember the excitement when I got an Easy Bake oven one Christmas and I was determined to pass that joy onto my daughter and got her one two years ago (they'd been unavailable for a number of years; they'd redesigned the ovens to look like microwaves...why I don't know as you don't bake in a microwave, but there you go...and the redesign unfortunately had some problem where little fingers could get stuck quite near the light bulb. One of two kids had to have fingers actually amputated after being damaged! Pretty gruesome thought for a fun toy). I think she ignored it for the longest time--then actually used up all the packages at once when an older cousin came over to play. The reality is that however fun it was to us, these kids are growing up with actual microwaves which they can easily use so there isn't that sense of kitchen-mystique.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Saw that a friend of my eldest child had posted these on his wall...check out the Batbling!
And, from my "The World is a Strange and Interesting Place" dept: Love affair doesn't void marriage contract, Judge rules
--------------------------------------------------------
Look at THESE! I think these are so amazing! Designed by Moshe Safdie, Golden Dream Bay Sky Garden Apartments. Being built in China to be finished by 2014, by water, with rooftop gardens, all the buildings interconnected. Click through to see the entire slideshow.
We are living in the Anthropocene Era which is
"a new name for a new geological epoch defined by humans' massive impact on the planet".
National Geographic has a photoessay on it; Huffington Post has a slideshow of some of the photos.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thursday March 3
So...I was wrong and the Northern Guard #2 wasn't out yesterday.
Move along...
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This one is pretty self-explanatory: Julie Taymor breaks silence on 'Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark'. (wow--that title just gets stupider every time I see it)
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Another writer weighs in on the idea that there's something so right about all the Charlie Sheen nonsense, this time choosing the word "refreshing" as in, What's weirdly refreshing about Charlie Sheen. Personally, I don't think there's anything refreshing about a guy who is charged more than ONCE with assaulting a woman--let alone one who gets away with it how many times now?
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Told The Guy about Diane Lane being cast as Ma Kent in the new Superman movie. He winced. "But Diane Lane--she's hot!" Heh. Diane Lane is our age. Diane Lane is the mother of a teenager...Diane Lane is in her 40s. She's now in Hollywood's magic "what do we do with a woman that old" bracket.
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Breathe easy, World!! Apparently, Donald Trump's consideration of a presidential campaign is actually an elaborate publicity campaign.
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A quickie article from The Daily Mail (yeah, yeah, I know!) about The Decade of the UFO...the 70s. That was the highpoint of sightings and it's been downhill since then...
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Only spotted this today, sorry... Brian Cronin of Comic Book Resources is doing a daily review/recommendation for Month of LGBT Comics.
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Cats prefer extroverts and think women are more fun: study
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Move along...
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This one is pretty self-explanatory: Julie Taymor breaks silence on 'Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark'. (wow--that title just gets stupider every time I see it)
-------------------------------------
Another writer weighs in on the idea that there's something so right about all the Charlie Sheen nonsense, this time choosing the word "refreshing" as in, What's weirdly refreshing about Charlie Sheen. Personally, I don't think there's anything refreshing about a guy who is charged more than ONCE with assaulting a woman--let alone one who gets away with it how many times now?
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Told The Guy about Diane Lane being cast as Ma Kent in the new Superman movie. He winced. "But Diane Lane--she's hot!" Heh. Diane Lane is our age. Diane Lane is the mother of a teenager...Diane Lane is in her 40s. She's now in Hollywood's magic "what do we do with a woman that old" bracket.
Breathe easy, World!! Apparently, Donald Trump's consideration of a presidential campaign is actually an elaborate publicity campaign.
A quickie article from The Daily Mail (yeah, yeah, I know!) about The Decade of the UFO...the 70s. That was the highpoint of sightings and it's been downhill since then...
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Only spotted this today, sorry... Brian Cronin of Comic Book Resources is doing a daily review/recommendation for Month of LGBT Comics.
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Cats prefer extroverts and think women are more fun: study
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Wednesday March 2
I haven't had official offical really official confirmation yet...but I'm almost pretty sure that The Northern Guard #2 is out today! Check out your Local Comic Book Store for a copy (and if they don't have one, ask them what's wrong with them? Haven't they seen the reviews?)
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The Guy is currently addicted to a YouTube video about a pig and a baby monkey. For the link, and a pic of the present he made based on the video, check out Ty Templeton's ART LAND.
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Lots of articles and excitement about one Ms. Amanda Hocking: frustrated with the lack of interest from traditional publishing houses, Hocking put her novels online herself. Over 900,000 downloads later, keeping 70% of the profits, she's feeling pretty proud of herself and her accomplishments--and with darned good reason. Read a quick article at Business Insider about her, a slightly more in-depth report via Huffington Post (which will leave you wondering where the first site got the photo that makes her look like a slightly Goth-wanna-be teenager and not a grown woman). Lastly, she has her own blog where she posts corrections for some of the information going 'round! (and the avatar is the photo used by the first site. I guess that looks like the person who would write these novels...)
It's a pretty interesting read, and quite the success story.
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A quick read from Jezebel: Girls Underestimate Their Own Intelligence.
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Every time I think I've seen the strangest idea for an ongoing series, Television pops up with something new to make me double-take...How about Extreme Couponing? It isn't a special--IT'S A SERIES.
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And finally...io9.com reports that Warner Bros., after releasing TWO sequels to The Lost Boys (the second starred Keifer Sutherland's lookalike younger half-brother), they are seriously (insert laugh track here) considering a FOURTH (again) movie and an ongoing tv series. I'm speechless. Are you speechless?
Actually, after Extreme Couponing, I guess anything is possible...
---------------------------------------------------------
The Guy is currently addicted to a YouTube video about a pig and a baby monkey. For the link, and a pic of the present he made based on the video, check out Ty Templeton's ART LAND.
---------------------------------------------------------
Lots of articles and excitement about one Ms. Amanda Hocking: frustrated with the lack of interest from traditional publishing houses, Hocking put her novels online herself. Over 900,000 downloads later, keeping 70% of the profits, she's feeling pretty proud of herself and her accomplishments--and with darned good reason. Read a quick article at Business Insider about her, a slightly more in-depth report via Huffington Post (which will leave you wondering where the first site got the photo that makes her look like a slightly Goth-wanna-be teenager and not a grown woman). Lastly, she has her own blog where she posts corrections for some of the information going 'round! (and the avatar is the photo used by the first site. I guess that looks like the person who would write these novels...)
It's a pretty interesting read, and quite the success story.
A quick read from Jezebel: Girls Underestimate Their Own Intelligence.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Every time I think I've seen the strangest idea for an ongoing series, Television pops up with something new to make me double-take...How about Extreme Couponing? It isn't a special--IT'S A SERIES.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
And finally...io9.com reports that Warner Bros., after releasing TWO sequels to The Lost Boys (the second starred Keifer Sutherland's lookalike younger half-brother), they are seriously (insert laugh track here) considering a FOURTH (again) movie and an ongoing tv series. I'm speechless. Are you speechless?
Actually, after Extreme Couponing, I guess anything is possible...
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Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Tuesday March 1
Salon has a slideshow, Ordinary folks changing the world. Pretty straightforward--and an interesting read.
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Ah, World--you amuse me sometimes: I have talked to completely intelligent, perceptive, thoughtful human beings...who happen to be white and middle-class and who happen to be terrified that now, "all the minorities" are getting the advantages of hiring practices and this means that "white people" will now lose out. I've tried to point out that all it means is that it's no longer that they are automatically front of the line--it's now more of a first-come, first-serve world, but there are those who have their suspicions...so here's a "white guy" who decided to do something about it; Concerned White Man Starts Scholarship for Guys Like Him
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So, 150,000 Gmail users found out--very much the hard way--that their accounts with all their lovely emails had been deleted on the weekend. Gmail is still investigating the whys and wherefores and trying to retrieve their emails for them. Here's a quick article and some advice to make sure it doesn't happen to you--and me!
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A wedding with Cartoon characters! The bride was Jessica Rabbit, the groom Clark Kent. Click through for more details.
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I would be broke for years if I tried to buy enough of the following for all the people who would want it--so I'm just putting up the link and they can get their own!!
Star Trek Bathrobes from Think Geek
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Ah, World--you amuse me sometimes: I have talked to completely intelligent, perceptive, thoughtful human beings...who happen to be white and middle-class and who happen to be terrified that now, "all the minorities" are getting the advantages of hiring practices and this means that "white people" will now lose out. I've tried to point out that all it means is that it's no longer that they are automatically front of the line--it's now more of a first-come, first-serve world, but there are those who have their suspicions...so here's a "white guy" who decided to do something about it; Concerned White Man Starts Scholarship for Guys Like Him
-------------------------------------------
So, 150,000 Gmail users found out--very much the hard way--that their accounts with all their lovely emails had been deleted on the weekend. Gmail is still investigating the whys and wherefores and trying to retrieve their emails for them. Here's a quick article and some advice to make sure it doesn't happen to you--and me!
-----------------------------------------
A wedding with Cartoon characters! The bride was Jessica Rabbit, the groom Clark Kent. Click through for more details.
I would be broke for years if I tried to buy enough of the following for all the people who would want it--so I'm just putting up the link and they can get their own!!
Star Trek Bathrobes from Think Geek
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