World War

World War - 3D Animation @ University Of Hertfordshire 2008 from Digital Animation Herts Uni UK on Vimeo.

White Winter Hymnal

By Fleet Foxes:

White Winter Hymnal from Grandchildren on Vimeo.

Movie Review: The Dark Knight

I saw The Dark Knight over the weekend.

After mulling it over for a couple days, I'm ready to let you know what I think:

My opinion is quite simple... The Dark Knight is three movies...

1. As a regular, stand-alone type of movie, to be compared with all other movies, it's ok. Just ok. I mean it's an action movie and there's explosions and violence and good guys and bad guys chasing each other blah blah blah. But it's ok.

2. As a superhero/comic book movie, it's wonderful. Batman is finally portrayed in the dark light that it should've always been. This movie pleases us comic book nerds. It does the Batman brand name justice. And the direction is very stylish and cool.

3. As a Heath Ledger movie, it's phenomenal. If he hadn't of died, this role would have catapulted him into super-stardom. His portrayal of The Joker was nothing short of genius. As I was watching the movie, I found myself wanting more of him as The Joker. All the other stuff grew more and more annoying because it was keeping me from watching Ledger play The Joker.

The Many Faces of JC

Today is my 35th birthday. I decided to compile a retrospective of my life via photographs. That way those of you who love me (openly or secretly) can reconsider your fantasies.

Anyway, I'd like to thank my mom, Karen, for getting pregnant. Sorry you had to deal with me in your body throughout the summer of '73. Tonight I raise my glass to you, ma.

Cheese it! It's the Cops (Grammar Police, actually)

(from TechRepublic)

10 mispronunciations that make you sound stupid

• Date: July 31st, 2008
• Author: Toni Bowers

Right or wrong, people often judge you by the way you pronounce things. Say a word incorrectly and POW — they’ve pegged you as a provincial, poorly educated moron. Toni Bowers offers a list of commonly mangled words so you can double-check your own pronunciation.

---

Previously, TechRepublic ran an article about 10 grammar mistakes that make you look stupid. The examples cited involved the misuse of words in written and verbal communications. I’d like to go a step farther here and talk about words that may be used correctly but are pronounced wrong. They also may be much more flagrant examples of stupidity.

A caveat: My ear may be abnormally sensitive to mispronunciations since in college I developed an unnatural affinity for linguistics (can you say “Get a life?”). However, people often make snap decisions about character and intelligence based on their language biases, so it’s something you should be aware of. Here are some of my pet peeves, which you may or may not ever use in your life.

Note: This article originally appeared in our Career Management blog.

#1: Realtor

Many people — I’ve even heard it from people on national TV — pronounce this word REAL-uh-ter. Is this a case of wide-spread dyslexia, transposing the a and the l? It’s REAL-tor. That’s it. You’d think only two syllables would be easier to pronounce, but apparently not.

#2: Nuclear

Do you know how tough it is to be an advocate for the correct pronunciation of this word (NU-clee-er) when the president of the United States pronounces it NU-cu-lar? I don’t buy that it’s a regional thing. Ya’ll is a regional thing; nu-cu-lar is not.

#3: Jewelry

It’s not JOO-la-ree, it’s JOOL-ree. Again with the making things harder by turning a word into three syllables. What’s with that?

#4: Supposedly/supposably

The latter is a nonexistent word.

#5: Supposed to/suppose to

I think this one is more a matter of a lazy tongue than of ignorance. It takes an extra beat in there to emphasize the d at the end, but it’s worth it. And never omit the d if you’re using the term in a written communication or people will think you were raised in a hollowed-out tree trunk somewhere.

#6: Used to/use to

Same as above.

#7: Anyway/anyways

There’s no s at the end. I swear. Look it up.

#8: February/Febuary

As much as it galls me, there is an r between the b and the u. When you pronounce the word correctly it should sound like you’re trying to talk with a mouthful of marbles — FEB broo ary.

#9: Recur/reoccur

Though the latter is tempting, it’s not a word. And again, why add another syllable if you don’t need it?

#10: Mischievous/mischievious

I know, I know, it sounds so Basil Rathbone to say MIS cha vous, but that’s the right way. Mis CHEE vee us is more commonly used, but it’s wrong.

And last but not least, my personal all-time pet peeve — the word often. It should be pronounced OFF un, not OFF tun. The t is silent.

Facebook and Twitter and Monkeys Bathing

I'm on Facebook now.

Yes, just like everyone else. I had heard from more than one person within the last week that Facebook is where it's at. Initially, I excused it as another myspace-type website. I've been on myspace for years, but grew very tired of it and stopped visiting. Also, I'm not a twelve-year-old girl... so myspace sort lost its allure.

But after hearing testimonials from at least three different and unconnected people that Facebook was different, I decided to give it a whirl. I joined yesterday and within minutes (literally) I discovered a whole mess of my friends (current and old) on Facebook. I even connected with one of my favorite college professors who I haven't seen or spoken to in almost ten years.

Facebook is different. But very, very similar to myspace. The interface is cleaner and more straightforward. It feels like a myspace for adults. Or perhaps an evolved myspace. To me, it feels like Facebook is for people who grew out of sparkle fonts. (Don't tell anyone, but I predict we'll grow out of this one, too. Shh.) Regardless, it looks like people have made the shift over to Facebook. (On a deeper level, this is an exact product of the web's shift into Web 2.0.)

Bottom line: It's fun searching for friends and letting them all know what your favorite movies are.

I also began Twittering. On Twitter, of course. I joined Twitter over a year ago when it began. But never utilized it until this week. As I read more and more blogs, I kept spotting the Twitter badge on the sidebars. More and more people are twittering. So I figured I'd give that a whirl, too.

Twitter is hard to explain... Basically, you type in a sentence or two describing what you're doing at that moment. If I want to eat lunch, I can tell the world that I'm eating lunch. And I can even update my Twitter from my cell phone. "Jason is standing in line at the post office."

Riveting. I know. But this Twitter thing is huge right now. Yes, more Web 2.0 stuff, but it's important. This interactivity on the web is merely the beginning. Eventually, Twitter will die, or fade away. It'll be replaced by something bigger and even more interactive. (If I knew what that was I certainly wouldn't publish it here.)

So if you're 'puter savvy and want to jump into this new electronic movement, start a blog, join Facebook, and/or let me know when you're getting ready to take a dump via Twitter.

Or you can stick to the classics and watch this monkey take a bath:

Diversity Day

I just got out of diversity training.

Except, here we call it Cultural Competency Training. And as far as "competency" goes, we all fail.

I can't tell you how many times I wanted to get up and run out of the room screaming, fearing for the future of this country.

And I work in a major city! We're freakin' diverse! And yet... oh nevermind... why go on and on about idiocy?

Lesson learned from Cultural Competency Training: Keep your mouth shut and avoid saying something that makes you look like a complete moron.

Chess King

Not really.

I played chess last night. My friend Max and I got together for a friendly session of chess in the courtyard. We decided to make the game a regular occurrence.

Yes, we're forming a chess club. Of course, the hardest part of forming a chess club is coming up with a snappy name. And with Autumn right around the corner, I need to order our satin jackets soon in which the club name shall be embroidered on the back.

Max suggested Pawn Pals. It might stick if no one can come up with something funnier.

Anyway, there we were, quietly playing chess. Slowly, more and more people began gravitating towards us. Max's wife, Chris, came out and read a book. Andrea came out and knitted. Sparky came out and studied for Acquisitions Law class. Martha and Eric came out to say hi. And Lynette finally arrived with a bag full of fancy food items purchased from Whole Foods.

It was a true feeling of community. The only thing we didn't have was a couple of guys playing with a Hacky Sack.

Wait a minute! We live in a dorm! Shit, we're back in college!

Good thing Max and I appear to be the cool ones.

BTW, Max kicked my ass and won all three games.

I'm Beached!

Anthropological Introduction to YouTube

This is a fascinating video. Let me first say that it is long. Nearly an hour. So make sure you set aside some time to view it. And view it you must. Especially, for the simple fact that you are reading my blog. You are a part of a larger community of what is now being coined as Wed 2.0. We are writing history. The global digital revolution is upon us and you are a part of it.



Watching this presentation makes me want to set up my web cam and say hello to you. And I think I just might...

(via Mental Floss)

Last Delivery

Jeff Hornagold of Crystal Lake, Illinois worked as a UPS driver for twenty years before he died last week. His best friend Micheal McGowan provided a fitting tribute for the funeral. McGowan, another UPS driver, delivered the casket containing Hornagold’s body from the funeral home to the church in a UPS truck. See a video report here

(via Mental Floss)

Pink Vader finds your lack of faith disturbing

The San Diego Comic Con is wrapping up this weekend. It's the largest comic book convention in the country and it draws many different types of people. Like any normal person would do, fans of various movies and TV shows usually show up wearing costumes. Here is a list of the best Star Wars costumes from Comic Con this year.

Happy Birthday to Me (bork bork bork)

Ok, just so everyone knows, my birthday is coming up. Because I'm such an accommodating person, I have provided a picture of the kick-ass Muppet cake I need Lynette to replicate. It looks sort of intricate... maybe she should get started.

The HALO Corpse Alphabet

Funny. If you're a gamer. Ok, so maybe it's not so funny. Whatever.
LINK

Some Facts About Owls

The Top Ten Sexiest Stormtroopers

Because, well, I'm a nerd. And this is AWESOME.
LINK

Sirius XM, Or Does Lynette Still Have a Job?

Yes, Lynette still has a job.

It's been on our minds for the last year and a half, since Sirius and XM announced they'd like to merge.

In case you don't read the newspapers, the FCC (finally) made a decision regarding the merger. A vote of 3-2 in favor was officially passed late Monday night.

The new company has been named Sirius XM Radio. Yesterday, the CEO of the new company met with the XM employees and tried to answer questions on people's minds.

Though it is still theorized that redundant music channels will be eliminated, the general message to the employees was that both services will continue to operate separately. For now.

Truth is, there's too many subscribers out there they'd risk alienating if they suddenly dropped random channels, or forced everyone to buy new hardware. Think of all the cars with satellite radio pre-installed - there's no way those people are going to run out and get new dashboard radios.

Also, it was communicated that the studios in DC will remain. For us, that was a HUGE relief.

Lynette is excited about the endeavor. Let's face it, these companies, which offer excellent services, need to start making money. Now we just have to hope her channel is deemed better than the same offering on Sirius. I read on various message boards on the webs (not that it holds much water) that her channel is the preferred channel in her genre.

Counter Culture Coffee

My coffee came! In the mail!

Last week, I ordered some coffee from Counter Culture Coffee, a roaster in North Carolina. All the coffee is organic, shade grown, and fair trade.

There was an article in The Washington Post last week about our area's specialty coffee shops after a brief altercation occurred at one of our independently owned coffee shops refused a customer espresso over ice. The event made its way onto the internet and a blog war erupted. In the end, the question still remained: Is the customer always right, or Must store policies be adhered to to protect the integrity of the product? There was no clear winner, but it made for an interesting week on the webs.

So The Post saw fit to run a piece about our various coffee shops and how serious its patrons take their sacred Joe.

Come to find out, several of the local joints order their coffee from Counter Culture. I have been known to say, "I wish there was a good coffee shop around here." I only want a cup of coffee. I don't need any of those iced frou frou milkshakes now being prioritized by the national chain coffee "shops." The simple act of serving REGULAR COFFEE is gone at these places.

Have you tasted their coffee lately? It's disgusting. Mostly, it tastes like it's been sitting there since morning. Because it has been. For shame.

By the way, you Frappucino lemmings, a grande (or MEDIUM - duh) Caramel Machiatto from Starbucks is 720 calories. (I might be exaggerating.)

Anyway, I ordered GOOD coffee and now I'm drinking it. All is right in the world. For now.

A List of Good Things that Happened Over the Weekend

1. Leia had a successful visit to her new vet. And I was very impressed with the office itself. It was a very positive, cheerful place for both animal and human.

2. I discovered a comic book store next door to Leia's vet's office. It's a small shop, but the comic book guy working there (his name was JR) was able to recommend a few books. I will definitely be going back to that place.

3. The party we attended in the courtyard of our building was a lot of fun. We only planned on staying for a few hours, but ended up staying out there for eight hours.

4.

5.

6.

Mad Men

Look, I spoke earlier about how Lynette and are getting into this show Mad Men on AMC, but that post was written after only watching one episode. We're trying to watch the entire season before Sunday when season 2 starts, and I have to stress how much this show blows me away.

We're five episodes in and I can't remember a show having such rich and layered characters as this. I am so totally sucked into this world of 1959 New York City - where the men have secretaries and wear fedoras, where wives stay home preparing dinner and looking pretty. (I'm speaking satirically.)

Let me say this: It's the wives on this show that I find most intriguing. Yes, it's the 50s, women were "expected" to be a certain way, but as we all know in retrospect, things weren't always "perfect" like we were supposed to think they were. The women on this show are the most complex and interesting.

Here's the cool opening credits sequence... I think it's awesome:


And the TV trailer for the first season: