Entries from April 2004

I’m sure you’ve probably seen the accolades all over the web (not to mention the movie already), but if you haven’t, go see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It’s phenomenal: great casting and acting, stupendous sound editing (the best I’ve seen in a movie in ages), and just brilliant direction and script. I walked out of the film feeling drunk and woozy, like I had just eaten a meal so rich, so tasty, and so filling that it went straight to my head. This was easily one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long, long time.

I was happy to see actor Mark Ruffalo again - I hadn’t seen him in a movie since I saw You Can Count on Me. Give this guy more high profile roles, Hollywood!

I love movies that have fun, conceptually spot-on web sites, too, and Eternal Sunshine is no exception: besides the official site, there’s also a stylistically perfect Lacuna, Inc. web site that somehow just fits.

Director Michel Gondry is one of those rare artists whose work is just incredibly inspiring. One of my students lent me the double-DVD set of his work (one of the excellent Director’s Series editions), and the amount of imaginative, creative work in it is enough fuel to keep me inspired for weeks.

Next up: The Corporation.

It's quiet here these days, what with Renée away in more westerly climes (if but for a week) and an oh-so-quick week cut short by a long Easter weekend. I spent my birthday (it was my birthday on Monday, did I forget to mention that?) doing exactly what I wanted to be doing: relaxing with my sweetie, away from anything even remotely resembling school or work or The Computer.

It's funny how the older I get, and the more birthdays I put under my belt (literally, it seems) the less I want to forget that it's actually my birthday. In my twenties it seemed like forgetting was The Thing That You Do: ply one's body with as many noxious poisons and toxins so as to subdue the brain into numbness.

These days it seems like memories are becoming even that much more valuable. I cannot get enough of them. Some days I feel like we are nothing more than memory batteries; slowly, constantly charging.

There will be lots of time for forgetting. Now is the time for remembering.

I read with interest this post from one of my favourite web sites Boing Boing regarding the incredible gullibility of some people:

“Check out the comments on this thread. I posted this note about Bill Gates’ philanthropy. There are dozens of comments from people who apparently think Bill Gates posted it and will give them money. It’s fascinating to read — what are these people thinking? I thought about shutting off the comments, but I have this perverse desire to read them. Every couple of comments I have someone leave their phone number and/or home address that I have to go edit out.”

This reminded me of the article I wrote a long time about Dean Kamen, creator of the massively hyped, poorly sold Segway. At the end, a bunch of people posted comments thinking they were writing directly to Kamen himself. This is even though it’s patently obvious to anyone with an iota of active brain cells that this site has about as much to do with Kamen as I do with a mutated Siberian yak named Shirley.

I don’t mean to sound cruel, but are some people’s heads filled with particle board, or what?

(Update): Here’s another priceless one: people who think this site’s author is none other than Maury Povich:

Maury,

I was so impressed with what you did for the little girl with the club feet and hands, how you got a wheelchair van, and computer for her. we need more people like you maury, who will lift the spirits of others.

I weep for humanity.

I’ve been noticing that more and more people are posting a list of software they use on a regular basis. Who am I to resist such introspective geekness?

I’ll update this as I update my software usage habits, and also keep a running list of other sites that have posted such lists. If you have a list and want me to add it here, send me your URL.

So, without further ado, here is a list of software I use on a daily or regular basis. All prices are in U.S. dollars.

» Mac OS X Software Inventory continues...

Just following orders:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.

"'Whiskey de peg (measure), chicken de leg' is a popular idiom, meaning they like one as much as the other."

From ISBN# 1-86450-328-9.