October 2005 - Posts

Pressfield's Last of the Amazons
Published 10-31-2005 3:53 PM | Mark
Usually, I am pretty good at picking out books. And if I fail to pick a good one, I am quick to discard it. Last of the Amazons presents me with something of a dillemma. I am 132 pages in and I have yet to reach a point where I care what happens in the...
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Civilization IV is here!
Published 10-28-2005 9:44 AM | Mark
After completing the release day ritual of game buying and taco bell, I have finally been able to play some Civ IV. I am loving it. The screenshots I've seen on the net don't do any kind of justice to the new engine. It's a beautiful game, and the mechanics...
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The most powerful man in the world?
Published 10-24-2005 7:47 PM | Mark
Few men on earth wield the kind of power that the Federal Reserve Chairman does. An unelected official, the Chairman has the power to print money and to enforce interest rates. If he doubles the money supply, he has effectively taken half of the money...
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Serenity has failed
Published 10-23-2005 4:47 PM | Mark
So far Serenity has brought in 24 million dollars , which means it has failed. It's direct competitor, the horrible piece of crap Flightplan , has made 77 million dollars. Its most recent genre competition, the horrible piece of crap Star Wars Episode...
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Lock picking guide
Published 10-23-2005 3:18 PM | Mark
You know you want to learn the art . Who doesn't dream of being Magnum P.I.? People say things like that, or the Anarchist Cookbook , or a guide to making nukes, or what-have-you, are dangerous and should be supressed. I disagree. First, as a principled...
Historical Fiction
Published 10-23-2005 2:15 PM | Mark
I have recently been on an ancient Greek historical fiction binge. I've read Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire , Tides of War , and Virtues of War . I've just finished Mary Renault's The King Must Die . Of the 4, Renault's novel is by far the best, a...
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Good bye productivity
Published 10-19-2005 10:08 PM | Mark
Civilization IV has gone gold. How sweet to say those words!
More on the Iraqi Constitution
Published 10-13-2005 7:15 PM | Mark
Both the Mainstream media and for the most part, the blogs, have failed to inform us on the subject of the Iraqi constitution. No one talks about it, there are no crossfire style debates, no comparisons made between it and the EU or Japanese or American...
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For the love of God, see Serenity already!
Published 10-08-2005 2:41 PM | Mark
It is unjust that it's not doing well at the box office. Universal realizes this, and have released the first 9 minutes of the movie online, free of charge, in a last ditch attempt to get people pumped. Also, re-read my review for a completely objective...
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Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
Published 10-08-2005 10:46 AM | Mark
In the conversation with my friend covered in the last post, I left off the bit at the end where I started waxing effusive about the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (my friends know that I am prone to long tirades about the glories of various video games, films...
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What a world we live in
Published 10-08-2005 10:31 AM | Mark
I am often filled with cynicism and bitter about the state of affairs in our nation and around the world. But it is good to reflect on just how great our country is. I was talking to a long lost friend last night and he asked me how the economy is in...
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Outrage!!!
Published 10-05-2005 10:47 PM | Mark
This story should be plastered on every front page. I want to see Assemblyman Joseph Cryan under the fucking spotlight. I want to see him squirm.
A tiny example of modern class-envy
Published 10-04-2005 7:38 PM | Mark
Most people I meet have some level of ingrained hatred of the rich, and of corporations (or at least the rich people who run them). In our culture, particularly among intellectuals, it is wrong to generalize that the poor are lazy, or stupid, but it is...
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Jesse Ventura for president
Published 10-01-2005 2:49 PM | Mark
GW Bush will break a principle for the sake of compromise at the drop of a hat, his speeches are uninspiring and his delivery embarassing, and he often acts more like a statist than a capitalist. His Medicare bill is a frightening expansion of government...
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Serenity review posted
Published 10-01-2005 1:17 PM | Mark
Serenity is a breath of fresh air after the horrible suffering George Lucas has inflicted upon the world with his Star Wars prequels. Here's my review . I saw it at the Saco Cinemagic theatre last night, and I was duly impressed by the stadium seating...
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