Thoughts for a Hump Day

First, a bird in motion.

Tooka The Cockatoo

I’m glad to see that I’m learning how to do rudimentary things, like create videos and upload them and then link them to my blogs.  You know, stuff that I would have done a long time ago if I had the incentive to do it. 

Father’s Day is coming up.  This Sunday, in fact.  I take it for granted that I have a great dad.  There’s nothing worse than talking  to someone and reminding them that Father’s Day is coming up and then listening to what a horrible son of a bitch this person’s father is or was.  It ranks up there with complimenting someone on their weight loss and being told they have cancer.

As far as television goes, I’m still enjoying Hell’s Kitchen.  I wonder, sometimes, how I would do on a show like that.  Not cooking-wise.  I don’t think I’d last very long there.  I mean personality-wise. 

Then I wonder if there will every be another Kid Nation.  That show was just bizarre.  I doubt there will be, though, considering the ruckus they raised with the last one.  It’s kind of a shame, though.  I guess it’ll be a few years before anyone finds out if the kids are scarred for life, or if they benefited from the experience.

A Slow Sunday

Last night I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

I was afraid to see it because I thought it would be really terrible.  Like, new Star Wars trilogy terrible.  Thankfully, it was pretty good.  Good enough that I wouldn’t mind seeing Harrison Ford take one last outing as the swashbuckling archeologist.

What I wouldn’t want to see is Shia LeBouf taking over the series.  I don’t think his character is all that great and, more importantly, the 1950’s and 1960’s are not good decades for an Indiana Jones adventure.  The beauty of the 1900’s-1940’s is that the world was a lot more mysterious and unexplored.  By 1960 there isn’t a lot of mystery left.

Going back to a Young Indiana Jones or finding an actor that sort of looks like Ford and filling in the bits between Temple of Doom and Raiders of the Lost Ark would suit me better.  I don’t know how resistant other people would be to that, though.

Eureka, the Sci-Fi channel show, will start its new season in July.  I’m looking forward to it because I love the show.  I hope they keep up the good work.  I don’t remember how the last season ended.

One of the best things about being a kid in the 1980’s was sneaking into the television room and watching movies on HBO that you weren’t supposed to be watching.  It could make any movie seem like a cinematic masterpiece just because you weren’t supposed to see.  To a teenage boy, seeing an R-Rated movie, especially if it had nudity in it, was like finding the Holy Grail.  I suppose that’s sacrilegious, but it’s true.   I don’t mention that for any particular reason, just because it sprang to mind.  Okay, for some reason I just remembered about a movie called Joysticks that was pretty horrendous.  But it seemed good at the time.  Actually, I don’t even remember how bad it was because I haven’t seen it since, oh, 1983 or so.

Did you ever write or type a word and it looked like it was spelled wrong even though you’ve used it hundreds of times before?  In the previous paragraph I used the word “weren’t” twice and it looked so totally wrong I had to look it up to make sure it was right.  Weird, huh?

Otherwise, it’s been a slow Sunday.  Oh, fashion designer Laurent is dead.  He’s quite famous, etc.

That figures.  I forgot to post this, so now it’s a Monday post.  Derr….

Terry Pratchett on TV

The Color of Magic: A Discworld Novel (Discworld Novels): Terry Pratchett: Books ISBN: 0060855924 ISBN-13: 9780060855925

I just found out last night that SkyOne aired “The Colour of Magic” not too long ago.  I didn’t even know that they were filming it.  SkyOne also filmed “Hogfather” a couple of years ago.  While finding that out, I also found out that “Going Postal” is in the works.

While I’m glad to see all this good stuff going on for Mr Pratchett, I have to say it kind of sucks that this stuff is going on in the UK and barely making any waves over here.  Granted, “Hogfather” is on DVD and I can get it at my local Blockbuster.  How long will it be before “The Colour of Magic” is here, though?  I’m an American and have no patience.  Someone must appease me.

I don’t know what kind of deal J.K. Rowlings struck with the Devil, but I’m beginning to wonder if I want in on that kind of action.  Just because she does stuff for charity doesn’t mean Old Scratch won’t want his due when her time is up.

Olde Tyme TV: Buck Rogers

Out of a fit of nostalgia I watched a couple episodes of “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.” I found it interesting, even if no one else did. I hadn’t seen them since they originally aired in 1979. The two episodes I watched were two hours long each. So it was a lot of Buck Rogers for one night.

I had only remembered a few things about the show. Like Twiki’s “bidibidibidi”

noise (which drove everyone crazy within 15 minutes), and the fuel lines for the space ships, which are those lighted cables they use for parties now. And the tight jump suit that Erin Grey wore (some things stick with you through adolescence).

Everything else I had really forgotten. I had forgotten that the fighters looked pretty cool. I had also forgotten how much skin they showed. I had really forgotten Gil Gerard’s awesome fighting stance. It’ll probably take another 29 years to forget it.

I don’t think I realized, when I was 11, how much they took from “Battlestar Galactica” in terms of props and stock footage.

I look forward to watching the rest of the episodes. I don’t think the rest of the family understands that I need to watch these old shows and movies every once in a while. It’s a chance to re-visit my childhood, no matter how cheesy and badly acted they are.

Technorati Tags: buck,rogers,twiki,robot,1979,nostalgia,tv,television,jumpsuit,skin

Black Adder

There was nothing better to watch last night so I figured it was time to pop in the old Black Adder tapes. I settled on Series 3 because the Prince is so stupid, and because it has my favorite word in the first episode: “Anti-distinctly-minty.” You can’t go wrong with that.

Amazon.com: Black Adder - The Complete Collector’s Set ASIN: B000EBCEVS

I see some of Live Writer’s plug-ins need some work. I’m sure that Amazon linker thing could be done a wee bit better.

Anyway. People usually talk about “comfort foods.” These are foods that you eat because they make you feel better. Maybe you’re down in the dumps and cinnamon toast perks you up. Stuff like that. Or you’re depressed, so you buy a bunch of Ho-Ho’s and watch M*A*S*H re-runs.

Black Adder, Red Dwarf and Jurassic Park are my “comfort videos.” I don’t really know why Jurassic Park is in there, but if I’m at a loss to watch something but I need to have something playing on the boob tube then JP gets the job.

I just scarfed down some oatmeal. All that talk of Ho-Ho’s made me hungry. At least I ate kind of healthy. Of course, I got another coffee, too. I just needed it, that’s all.

Autumn is back in Austin. It’s chilly and windy. I wonder if it’s a chili night? Or stew? Or soup? Perhaps I should brave the chill wind and fire up the BBQ?

Maybe I should just go to the Outback.

Ars Technica has a review of Super Mario Galaxy. It looks like they’ve gone ga-ga over it, in a big way. I really miss being able to play games like this. Mario, Spyro and Ratchet & Clank especially.

LiveJournal Tags: black adder, mario, wii, minty, red dwarf, oatmeal, breakfast, mash, re-run, ho-ho

Saturday Morning

As a kid, Saturday mornings meant cartoons.  An entire morning of them.  I’d get a bowl, cereal and milk and watch my way through noon or so.  It was my favorite day of the week and something I thoroughly enjoyed.  I’d even get up early, sometimes so early I had to watch a test pattern until the shows started.

Loony Toons was a favorite, of course.  And there were also such gems as  Blackstar and Thundarr the Barbarian.  Since my job sometimes requires me to surf the web, I thought I’d put that time to good use and look up some of the old cartoons Iused to watch.

Luckily, YouTube has a selection of things up to watch.  Mostly the intros to these old gems, but I managed to watch entire episodes of Blackstar and Thundarr.  Boy, is my memory flawed.  Or my tastes have gotten better.  Something.

While there is a nostalgic thrill to watching them again, through adults eyes they’re both pretty poor.  The animation is rough, the dialog is laughable, and the stories are weak.  But I sure loved them at the time.

Thundarr the Barbarian is about the world in the future, after the moon was ripped in two.  Cataclysms rock the Earth and mankind degenerates into a more primitive state.  Also, some science still exists though it’s poorly understood and magic has risen.  It all sounds pretty good as a back story.  Thundarr, the head of three escaped slaves, carries a lightsaber sword on his left gauntlet.  When he’s not  using it just the hilt exists, but when he holds it in his hand a magic blade of light appears.  He uses this sword to swing at bad guys until they get bored and go away.  Ookla is a Chewbacca type character.  And there’s Princess Ariel, who is the futuristic magic user.

Blackstar is a bit different.   John Blackstar is an astronaut who got sucked into a black hole and ended up in a different universe.  He’s stranded on a primitive planet and befriends these munchkin-types who live in a tree.  He also has a magic sword.  Half of a magic sword, anyway.  The other half belongs to his enemy… The Overlord.  I guess the whole point was for Blackstar to re-unite the sword halves and defeat…  The Overlord.  I don’t think it ever happened.  The whole show is really hammy.  Nobody makes reference to…  The Overlord without putting in the dramatic pause (”We have to keep it away from…  The Overlord!”).  The Overlord himself talks in a very deep baritone and hams up his lines something awful.  It’s really funny to watch.

I’m still trying to remember some of the other cartoons that I used to like.  I keep thinking there was a cartoon that was related to Martin & Rowen’s Laugh-In but I’m not sure.  I’m pretty sure it had Ruth Buzzi in it, reprising her role as the old lady with that old guy who would have been played by  Arte Johnson on Laugh-In.  I have no idea what the name of it was, or if it was part of another show.  Someday I might remember the name of it.

On Being Ill

Tomorrow I’ll be celebrating the one week anniversary of feeling like crap.  I thought this was a cold, but it’s hanging on and giving my antibodies a good battle.  I feel run down and tired, my upper back and neck feel sore but not like a pulled muscle.  I’ve been coughing.  My sneezing has abated and my nose no longer leaks but I still can’t breathe.  In short, I feel like crap.  Sometimes I get light-headed or break out in a cold sweat, especially if I’m moving around a lot.

It’s not easy being male and sick.  For one thing, we never know what to do.  I don’t like to make a big fuss when I’m sick.  I like to lay down and sleep a lot, or just relax.  I hardly ever mention that I’m sick, and I rarely take a day off (which, I know, is bad for everyone if I start spreading something around — but if I don’t work, my family doesn’t eat).

Sometimes that’s not good enough, though.

Woman: Wow, you look horrible!  Do you have the flu or something?
Man: Nah, I’m all right.  Just a bit rundown.
Woman: Oh my God, why can’t you stop being a macho  ass and admit that you’re sick?
Man: All right! Fine!  I’m sick.  I don’t feel good.  Could you get me some OJ from the fridge, please?
Woman: You men are such babies when you’re sick.

So, you know, damned if you do and damned if you don’t.  But I’m not like that.  I’ll continue doing the same thing as every day.  It’s not the right thing to do, though, because I’m just tiring myself out and letting this bug run rampage all over my body.  Someday I’ll learn.

I watched part of Kitchen Nightmares last night.  I always enjoy watching Chef Ramsay yelling at people.  It reminds me of one of my favorite shows, Chef! with Lenny Henry.  I need to see if I can find some episodes of the BBC Kitchen Nightmares to see how the US version stacks up.

Just a Couple of Things

The Department of Defense would like to beam electricity down from space. To me, this is good.

The sun has been pumping out energy since forever, and it will go on shooting energy out into space for a few million years more. Nearly all of that energy is wasted. So why not create some big solar collectors in space and beam all that sun-goodness down to Earth where we can convert it electricity? No more using fossil fuels to make the power plants work. And no more nuclear waste to worry about.

As usual, I don’t think they’re thinking big enough. I think we need a lot of them out there and beaming energy down so that everyone can use it. I, for one, would like to see my electric bill go down. If we’re using a nearly inexhaustible resource then all we have to pay for is the technology that keeps it working, and the initial launch and building.

George Lucas in creating a Star Wars based television show. I hope it’s better than the last three movies.

I noticed that if you search for “Jaime Paglia” on Google, I come up as the third or fourth item. Maybe it’s just because I’m doing the searches on laptops that I use all day (although I used one that I’m sure I haven’t touched yet). Either way, how useless. There are tons of other sites out there with better stuff than what I wrote (which was really nothing).

Jaime Paglia Redux

Excellent.  A minor mystery is solved.  Jaime Paglia is not at all the person I used to know, as he’s a he and not a she.  A minor, but important, distinction.

So it’s still just me and Jane.  Damn that Janie Krakowski.

Television of Tomorrow

The music industry is finally beginning to realize that they need to re-think the way they do business.  The popularity of the internet, combined with people’s unwillingness to pay money, has changed the way people want to listen to their music.

Perhaps it’s time the television industry began to re-think the way they do business.  The change in the way people watch television began before the internet, when the video cassette recorder became cheap enough for most families to own one.  They could record a show and watch it when it was convenient for them.

The digital video recorder brought this a step forward with the ability to record more than one show at a time, and to allow people to rewind, pause, and (to a certain extent) fast forward in a show that was currently playing.  Being able to rent a movie on demand, without having to wait for a scheduled playing, is also changing us.

The television of tomorrow would not receive broadcasts from the air, or satellite, or cable.  Not the way it does now.  It would be connected to the internet.  There would be no channels to surf, only programs to select.  You would be able to watch any show, at any time, regardless of what region of the country it originated from, or even from different countries.

The studios would be able to track the popularity of their shows better just by watching how many times the show was accessed.  They could also tell when people lost interest.  They would be able to structure their advertisements  better. They could even, with a bit of programming finesse, make it so that the commercials could not be skipped over. The downside would be, of course, bandwidth.  If a really popular show, like the Super Bowl, were shown then how many people, realistically, would be able to watch it before the whole thing bogged down?

Consumers would get just about everything they could want.  The ability to watch a show whenever they wanted, or re-watch it at a later date, or watch shows that were discontinued, from a different country, in different languages.  There could even be perks, like opting in to watch live shows without being censored or cut.  If Bono went on a cursing spree, you could hear it.  If Janet Jackson wanted to flash a boob, you could see it.  All this and the studios wouldn’t need to worry about the FCC bearing down on them.  On the flip side, there could be broadcasts of the same live event that could be censored and edited on the fly so it would be guaranteed to be family safe.

Maybe there could even be a time when the old shows could be stored digitally and be able to be watched again.

Let your mind go free.  What would you like to see in the future of television if such a device were brought out?