Monday, October 31, 2005

INTO THE WILD WATCH: A lonely speck on the open sea

"OK - stay in the boat, people!!!"
thanks for the link, Frank - swimming to Belize, no thanks
------------------------------

It started as a routine tourist dive in the sunny Caribbean. Then the trip took a terrible turn

Thursday, October 27, 2005
DAVID AUSTIN

The engine died a few miles off the Caribbean coastline of Belize. Nancy Masters, a 38-year-old Portland nurse, wondered how long it would be before she and the three other tourists could make their dive.

The dive captain tossed the anchor, but the boat kept drifting. He jumped in, disappeared in the blue water and surfaced, holding a bent O-ring where the anchor had snapped off.

They checked the radio. Dead. Two of the divers tried to get the engine working. No luck. Another searched the boat for flares. Nothing.

That's when Masters and the other divers -- 50-year-old John Bain, a Wisconsin patent lawyer; Yutaka Maeda, a 34-year-old Japanese national; and Abigale Brinkman, a 28-year-old Indiana medical student -- decided to swim for it. The dive captain was wary. If they swam in the wrong direction, he told them, there was nothing between the boat and Jamaica.

Against the dive captain's advice, they strapped on their diving equipment -- air tanks, fins, buoyancy vests and masks -- and plunged into the Caribbean Sea shortly after noon Saturday.

Three days later, one of them would be dead and the other three would be clinging to life in the open sea, praying for rescue.

Oregonlive.com: Search

Saturday, October 29, 2005

GIANT SQUID WATCH

KEVIN BACON - BACON PENS SONG ABOUT GIANT SQUID


[EDITOR: WTF?]

Actor and musician KEVIN BACON was so moved by the story of a giant squid recently photographed in the deep waters of the North Pacific Ocean, he's written a song about it.

Bacon, who is a huge fan of all things scientific, was fascinated when he learned that Japanese researchers had been able to snap pictures of the gigantic sea creature.

And he was moved to get musical after reading that the squid lost one of its tentacles breaking free from a hook.

He says, "They've been looking for this poor guy. He lives like 3,000 feet under the surface of the water and he's been down there and nobody's ever photographed him. These Japanese guys sent the camera down with a big hook on it and then they hooked him. And he fought for four hours and ripped his own arm off and swam away. I was like, 'That's terrible... I'll write song about it!'''

But Bacon now has one problem with his creation - he doesn't know what to call it.

He adds, 'I want to know the actual scientific name of the (squid) because that's going to be the title of the song.'


[I KNOW THAT ONE! I KNOW! PICK ME KEVIN!]

They... uh... play guitars... I guess.
The Donnas

She...uh... sings... I guess.

Anna Nalick : Wreck of the Day

KONG

New teaser poster for KING KONG. Along with assorted (sometimes hilarious) commentary in the talkback forum. Ah.. the INTERNET! I'll never be able to fully explain to my kids what life was like before it. They just won't understand how we ever got by without cyberspace. What the hell did we do with our free time?
--------------------------------------------------------

Ain't It Cool News: AICN EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE! The Official KING KONG Teaser Poster In The United States... For Real!


A footprint or a house-sized turd would have been more of a tease.
by Some Dude October 28th, 2005
05:02:49 PM CST
Still, it's neat to see a giant monster.

What the Hell?
by monorail77 October 28th, 2005
05:21:58 PM CST
That stupid poster doesn't even say the name of the movie!! How the hell am I supposed to know exactly what will happen on December 14? Will I get eaten by a big fake looking monkey? Will I eat him? Who authorized this shite?

Inappropriate!
by Lazarus Long October 28th, 2005
05:26:01 PM CST
...a lot of people might think this is an ad for a Collector's Edition DVD of Mighty Joe Young. Maybe.

Look at that little monkey go!
by I Hate Movies October 28th, 2005
05:40:30 PM CST
But why is he "king?" What is this primate aristocracy you speak of?

you things
by johnnycosmic October 28th, 2005
06:35:35 PM CST
I had to register and post, so that I could tell you all, that you are jaded, wonderless, pathetic hobgoblins. Nothing excites you but the prospect of knocking down the achievements of others and making yourselves feel smarter because your perceived intellectual advantages make you feel like the cosmos didn't cheat you out of anything resembling a true existence. And yet you come to talk movies on the website of a man who has nothing but passion for film. I want you all to die.

whoa...
by jig98 October 28th, 2005
06:38:23 PM CST
i found the roll of skittles in his fur.

He looks pissed
by TheJigga October 28th, 2005
06:46:39 PM CST
Probably ate the photographer immediately after the shot.

mighty joe young
by gredenko October 28th, 2005
06:57:37 PM CST
you know kong loves you because his nose makes a heart.

I hate every ape I seeeee...
by Rindain October 28th, 2005
07:15:23 PM CST
...from chimpan-A to chimpan-Zeeee. No,you'll never make a monkey out of meeeee......

Too bad this film has turned into such a disappointment...
by anchorite October 28th, 2005
07:33:42 PM CST
With each new image I fall deeper into despair. Who is gonna give a rat's ass when this big ugly ape falls off the skyscraper? Not me.

Kinda looks like a hairy Dick Cheney...
by BurnHollywood October 28th, 2005
08:03:16 PM CST
Kong's had a rough morning, fer sure.

I liked that one snaggly tooth in the earlier version.
by Stan the Bat October 28th, 2005
08:06:24 PM CST
Without it, this film will fail. Mark my words. They might as well have a fifty-foot tall Jar Jar Binks climbing the Empire State Building- it will all be for nothing. I have spoken.

Kilt Watch: XX edition


...goes good with Guinness






Friday, October 28, 2005

five









Welcome to the Middle

2001: The secrets of Kubrick's classic

Independent Online Edition > News:
2001: The secrets of Kubrick's classic
Never-seen-before footage released to the 'IoS' reveals the extraordinary discarded prologue to Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey'.

It is the missing part of a cinematic classic. Almost four decades ago, Stanley Kubrick gathered the world's scientific minds and asked them to predict the future. Their thoughts would then form the opening sequence of 2001: A Space Odyssey, his epic about a mission to Jupiter which becomes a life or death battle between the space crew and their on-board computer HAL 9000.

But the interviews were never screened and the collective thoughts of 21 eminent men and women of science appeared to have been lost for ever.

Now the musings are to be made public for the first time when they are published next month, giving Kubrick enthusiasts an insight into his ultimate vision for the classic film.

[snip]

...it became clear his masterpiece would be far too long unless the sequence of thoughts about the future was cut. The US-born director had built up an enviable reputation with hits such as Spartacus, Lolita and Dr Strangelove, but 2001 was a challenge to many cinema-goers when it was released in 1968. Although dazzled by the artistic vision on-screen, which influenced numerous other sci-fi films, they found the film difficult to interpret.

Arthur C Clarke, who co-wrote 2001 and inspired it with his short story Sentinel, has admitted: "If you understand 2001 completely, we failed. We wanted to raise far more questions than we answered."

3 freakin hours!

King Kong - A Big Gorilla Weighs In - New York Times
In hiring Peter Jackson, the Oscar-winning director of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, to remake the monster classic "King Kong," Universal Pictures took a daring leap, paying him $20 million to direct, produce and be the co-writer of the film.

With seven weeks to go before the movie's release, the risks are becoming clearer. After seeing a version of the film in late September at Mr. Jackson's studio in New Zealand, Universal executives agreed to release "King Kong" at a length of three hours.

Thursday, October 27, 2005






Precise Mousing Surface! Now with Kevlar®

3M Precise Mousing Surface With Gel-Filled Wrist Rest
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Construction: Top Surface: Microstructure polyethylene. Fabric Covering: Lycra®. Filling: Polyurethane Gel. Bottom: Polyurethane. Dimensions: Width: 8.71" Depth: 9.21" Height: 0.8"


F**k California (except for Disneyland)

F**k California by The Presidents of the United State of America

I'm in the mountains
They're so beautiful and crystal clear
They scrape the clouds with their top
(and f**k California)

And the air's so clear
I drink it in it makes me drunk
I fall down and fall asleep
(and f**k San Francisco)

I dream of some little evil land
With twisted cragily experiences
Down below the Oregon Border
(and f**k San Bernardino)

I'm there in my dreams
I'm there in my nightmares
And I got to sing about it all day long
(and f**k Weed)

You've been naked in the sunshine
You've been buried in the sand
You've been living on the fault line
In a chemical plant

I've been pounding up and down I-5
Highway wander such a blast
If only I could erase the lips
Wish it wouldn't it so fast

This city is so beautiful
The clouds come out in the fall
And I love to see them back
(and f**k California!)

Even on a cloudy day
The sun pokes through at the end
To make a little sunset experience even though you're depressed
(and f**k Santa Cruz)

Ohh I'm in Central Oregon now
Driving my little blue tin can
And I hear green onions sing
(and f**k Guadalupe)

Green onions on the little stereo
And I feel like I'm going the right way
Northway North, North, North, North!

(Yeah keep goin' north boys!)
(all right!)
(Yahoo!)

The only good thing about California
Is the band that I saw
They held their breath to shout out, Supernova!
They were playing in a shopping mall

5 cents





noticed this bright shinny nickel today - looks like it should be worth more than 5 cents

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

To be or not to be the 'City of Destiny'

How will Destiny slogan smell in this modern age?

City of Destiny.

Those three words, first spoken by eccentric promoter George Francis Train, made Tacoma famous at a time when Train perceived our young city as pregnant with opportunity.

Some 120 years later, “City of Destiny” might make Tacoma famous once more.

[snip]

One version of history says George Francis Train toured the West with other railroad executives in the early 1870s in search of the perfect end of the line for a transcontinental track.

Train himself claimed to have stood on the deck of a ship in Commencement Bay when, at his urging, decision makers from the Northern Pacific Railroad chose Tacoma in 1873.

By the time laborers pounded the final spikes into the track in 1887, Train had labeled Tacoma the “City of Destiny.”

Who knew it would stick? Train, perhaps not coincidentally, called himself “The Man of Destiny” during his second campaign for the U.S. presidency in 1872. In case you hadn’t heard, he didn’t win.

But Train did make his living from bombastic speaking tours, lending his name to causes and performing larger-than-life stunts.

Stand on the sidewalk across the street from Tacoma’s Theater on the Square on Broadway and look down. That little bronze plaque embedded in the concrete commemorates the start and finish of Train’s world-record trip around the world: Tacoma to Tacoma in 67 days in 1890.

He had previously made the trip in 80 days, inspiring French author Jules Verne to create the character Phileus Fogg for his 1873 novel “Around the World in 80 Days.”

Train fought for an unpopular cause – a woman’s right to vote. He created a popular weight-loss fad – strictly fruit and chocolate. He shunned the custom of shaking hands. He wore bright white suits and lavender gloves. He tried once to buy Ireland. He started a newspaper called “Revolution,” mainly to chronicle his exploits. For nearly five years, he didn’t speak directly to anyone under age 12. In his declining years in New York, Train reportedly held Sunday “services” of what he called the Church of the Laughing Jackass.






notes from Mäuseland

There is absolutely nothing ZEN

about Disneyland California...

Hong Kong however...
Disney Learns Feng Shui for Hong Kong Theme Park

What the hell was I thinking?

180 feet up in 4 seconds = _____ mph?

Maliboomer


Next time...

I am taking the stairs.
How the Tower of Terror Works

Tinkerbell is looking

pretty hot these days...



What happens in Disneyland

stays in Disneyland.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Monday, October 24, 2005

Friday, October 21, 2005

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

the wine-dark sea


"We're not here to seek approval but disgrace and celebration. "

"Jacobs ladder dangling over her side, the stern of the SS PENDLETON sits forlornly on a sand bar off the coast of Cape Cod. Coast Guardsmen from the Chatham Lifeboat Station overcame mountainous seas to rescue the survivors from this section of the vessel. The survivors climbed down the Jacobs ladder and then dropped into the rescue boat."

Odysseus replies, "And if a god will wreck me yet again on the wine-dark sea, / I can bear that too, with a spirit tempered to endure. / Much have I suffered, labored long and hard by now / in the waves and wars. Add this to the total-- / bring the trial on!"