May 2006 - Posts

Whipping the house into shape
Published 05-30-2006 10:30 PM | Mark
The house is freshly painted, and I will try to get pictures up soon. We sold off a stock that had done pretty well for us (BBT) and hired someone to do it. We went with the same colors, and we are pleased with the result. With the fresh paint came fresh...
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Textbook indoctrination
Published 05-22-2006 3:42 PM | Mark
The Mainstream media finally gets around to reporting on the hateful bile forced upon schoolchildren in Muslim countries by way of textbooks. They focus on Saudia Arabia, which has, by now, allegedly removed all offensive content from their textbooks...
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Another day in Portland
Published 05-21-2006 3:38 PM | Mark
Visited Portland today and it was beautiful as always. Here's a view of a tight city street: We were visiting the Portland Public Market, which is sadly closing down. Witness the depressing emptiness even now: There were still some nice places open though...
More thoughts on Sharpe
Published 05-21-2006 3:25 PM | Mark
I've now watched the first 3 Sharpe films, and I realize I had some misconceptions when I wrote my first review. In the introduction, they show all kinds of women baring their breasts to Sharpe, so I thought a romance per episode would be the norm. Well...
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Review of Mission Impossible: 3 - 0 stars
Published 05-21-2006 1:28 PM | Mark
Tom Cruise has a unique way of running that I'm sure he has spent a lot of time honing to perfection. The last two Cruise movies I've seen - War of the Worlds and MI:3 - have both prominently showcased Cruise's running style. Rarely, in MI:3, does an...
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Review of the movie Chronicles of Narnia - *
Published 05-16-2006 9:52 PM | Mark
When I was a child, C.S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles were among my favorite books. But it's been more than 20 years since I last read them, so I can't say how close the film is to the book it's based on, [WIKIPEDIA: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe...
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A new link
Published 05-15-2006 9:51 PM | Mark
I added Kotaku.com, a gaming blog/news site to the links. It's a sister site of Gizmodo and it had superb coverage of E3, better than the other gaming sites I go to. I'm sure the Shacknews.com HD footage is great, but I don't have a membership (nor do...
Review of Sharpe's Rifles - **
Published 05-14-2006 3:53 PM | Mark
I enjoyed watching Sharpe's Rifles today, the first movie in a series of 14 (Hurrah for the Netflix queue!). Based on the novels of [WIKIPEDIA: Bernard Cornwell], the series follows the military career of Richard Sharpe , a low ranking officer fighting...
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Cox and Forkum
Published 05-11-2006 6:36 PM | Mark
Cox and Forkum are the best political cartoonists out there. Check out today's cartoon. Like all their work, its beautifully drawn. It also manages to be humorous and chilling at the same time.
Thank you Nintendo
Published 05-09-2006 10:03 PM | Mark
"Wii" is a stupid name for a video game console, and Revolution was far more apt. But on the eve of E3, more and more people are getting to play some of its games, and they are coming away impressed. I know I've said it before , but this controller is...
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Tom Allen doesn't speak for me!
Published 05-09-2006 9:44 PM | Mark
Congress recently passed House Resolution 3936 (read it!), which declares “price gouging” a crime, and sets penalties of up to two years of jail and/or fines in the millions of dollars. In an Orwellian twist, HR 3936 fails to define what price gouging...
Chris' blog
Published 05-08-2006 10:28 PM | Mark
Chris has a blog. (not you, the other Chris)
Dance, sucka!
Published 05-08-2006 10:16 PM | Mark
I've been living and breathing Stepmania lately. This game takes Dance Dance Revolution a step farther. Now we play off Mary's laptop, thanks to the amazing Super Joy Box , which converts our dance pads to USB. Now we can download all manner of songs...
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10,000 Days Review - ***
Published 05-04-2006 11:06 PM | Mark
Caveat: I am not a music expert and I don't claim the same right to criticize music that I do movies or novels. But I enjoy passing judgement regardless, and I will not hesitate to do so. For a better reasoned version of a judgement similar to mine, I...
10,000 Days out tomorrow
Published 05-01-2006 9:32 PM | Mark
It is a landmark event in music when Tool releases an album. I admit, I could not resist and listened to a leaked version of 10,000 Days. To pay for my sin, I will purchase two copies tomorrow. But I am happy to hold on to one for collectible value, because...