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And it's called "Ghosts of Mars". A group of Martian archaeologists dig up some alien ruins and set free evil Martian "ghosts" which take over the bodies of humans, even when dead. A group of military commandos/criminals face a enormous numbers of possessed zombie-like creatures and attempt to escape. The only thing lacking is some green armor and big over-the-top plasma based weapons. Oh and demons.

And so was the overhead FLIR tapes of automatic weapons fire from OUTSIDE the building, firing into the kitchen area (in the back, away from view of the news cameras).

This tape was shown during presentations to Congress (the board doing the investigation, I believe), and the source was the govt's own chopper circling overhead.

The reasoning the govt gives for the flashes of light seen on the FLIR? Sunlight reflected from debris.

Anyone who knows how FLIR works knows that sunlight reflecting off of a piece of small debris, sitting on the ground 10,000 feet below a helicopter in a slow orbit, is not going to create tight-point hotspots which also happen to pulse several times a second, then pause, then pulse several more times a second. If it were a light-sensitive instead of a heat-sensitive camera, perhaps... but the sun glinting off of a perfect mirrored object on the ground that far up isn't going to create enough radiant heat to show up that hot on a FLIR camera. Just not possible.

Go view the tape for yourself. The program is called "Waco: The Rules of Engagement" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120472/, and has been shown on The History Channel several times.

A quick search on Google brings the following review:
http://www.waco93.com/washingtonweekly.htm

If a union could be formed like the textile unions which at least initially fixed horrendous working conditions, that would be a union that IT workers probably WOULD be interested in. Obviously we don't have spinning machinery around that would chew up limbs, but a reasonable work environment is a reasonable demand. Employers are mostly concerned with the bottom line. If they can get more from their develoeprs by giving them great benefits then that's what they'll do. On the other hand, if they can get away with being slave drivers...well, that's what ea_spouse wrote about in the first place.

Tsk tsk. Read up on your geek history :)

I was watching CSI the other night and caught a number of simple scientific inaccuracies that really bothered me. Such as the lead scientist guy saying "terminal velocity is 9.8 meters per second squared" and having the misconception that you are safe in a car during a thunderstorm because it sits on rubber tires go uncorrected. I've seen what happens when lightning hits a vehicle "protected" by its rubber tires, every thing was fine EXCEPT the rubber tires. Do you actually think that after going through a mile of free air that a half inch of rubber is going to stop a lightning strike?

Every year the local university has a festival where each department gets to show its stuff to the community and the students' families. The physics department puts on a wonderful show of applied physics which is always packed as they keep things light hearted and very educational. The biology department had experiments with banana DNA. The chemistry department showed how many calories were in a gummie bear by burning it. Many of the departments and clubs (such as solar car and robot projects) have very good displays and would likely give good ideas on reaching the general populace and especially high school students (which are targeted as potential students for the university).

May I suggest doing a regular how things work presentation. Perhaps bring in clips from popular TV shows and show how they got it wrong. Like the CSI episode I mentioned or why the antagonist that cut the air hoses on the racing tractor-trailer will not have it go speeding out of control but will in fact bring it to a sudden, spectactular, and usually quite safe stop.

Such misconceptions in television and movies not only insult the intelligence of those watching but perpetuate myths that may cost people lives. That sheet metal lawn tractor shed will not stop a .45 calibre round. A car that has been in a crash should not cause one to grab the occupants quickly because "O my God! It's gonna blow!" but have them call 911 so the crash victims can be safely extracted by those trained to do so.

What's the point of my rant? I'm not sure. Maybe it's that Mythbusters is must see TV.

Australia has been granted the ability to claim any person that does okay in music, movies or tv as an Australian, as long as they come from an island country. They are then subject to the anti-tall poppy syndrome. As soon as they go insane or do badly they are no longer Australians (such as Mel Gibson and Russel Crowe). Some people claim that John Howard is an Australian, the actor is, the prime minister may be an American...

I'm not sure that her recent films are quite as good as BMX Bandits, but there you go...

Australia has been granted the ability to claim any person that does okay in music, movies or tv as an Australian, as long as they come from an island country. They are then subject to the anti-tall poppy syndrome. As soon as they go insane or do badly they are no longer Australians (such as Mel Gibson and Russel Crowe). Some people claim that John Howard is an Australian, the actor is, the prime minister may be an American...

I'm not sure that her recent films are quite as good as BMX Bandits, but there you go...

Australia has been granted the ability to claim any person that does okay in music, movies or tv as an Australian, as long as they come from an island country. They are then subject to the anti-tall poppy syndrome. As soon as they go insane or do badly they are no longer Australians (such as Mel Gibson and Russel Crowe). Some people claim that John Howard is an Australian, the actor is, the prime minister may be an American...

I'm not sure that her recent films are quite as good as BMX Bandits, but there you go...

Australia has been granted the ability to claim any person that does okay in music, movies or tv as an Australian, as long as they come from an island country. They are then subject to the anti-tall poppy syndrome. As soon as they go insane or do badly they are no longer Australians (such as Mel Gibson and Russel Crowe). Some people claim that John Howard is an Australian, the actor is, the prime minister may be an American...

I'm not sure that her recent films are quite as good as BMX Bandits, but there you go...

Australia has been granted the ability to claim any person that does okay in music, movies or tv as an Australian, as long as they come from an island country. They are then subject to the anti-tall poppy syndrome. As soon as they go insane or do badly they are no longer Australians (such as Mel Gibson and Russel Crowe). Some people claim that John Howard is an Australian, the actor is, the prime minister may be an American...

I'm not sure that her recent films are quite as good as BMX Bandits, but there you go...

I would rather have some sort of tongue-in-cheek movie. Put Bruce Campbell's Elvis from Bubba Ho-Tep in it or something. ("Come and get it, you undead sack of shit.")

Call me a strange Doom fan, but my taste for giblets and hellspawn does not translate to the silver screen for me.

...as first illustrated by the esteemed mathematician Charles Jones, in his 1949 paper For Scent-I-Mental Reasons...

While This movie about John Nash did show how you can use math to get sex, it sadly came at the expense of the man's sanity.

Seriously. C'mon, if you don't have Mars, demons, marines and a research experiment gone bad opening a gateway to Hell, IT'S NOT DOOM. That they want to change the plot so bad it's retarded - we've already seen movies with similar (and much worse) plots than the original Doom.

I wanted to see a Doom movie, but i'm getting an average action movie with the Doom name plastered on it. No thanks.

PS, from the article...

"(someone out there on doomworld.com sure loved the idea of Howie Long as Doomguy -- which is perfect aesthetically, but let's face it, totally absurd if you want this movie to come out in theatres)"

Why not? Granted, the guy is not Robert DeNiro, but he could pull an action movie just fine; just check Firestorm, in which he was actually pretty good as an action hero. Bullshit like that shows that they couldn't care less about making it a good movie; they just want a forgetable blockbuster to make some easy money.

And what is sexual behavior but the most intriguing pattern of all?

Apparently he never saw Pi.

High school nerds are only concerned with one thing: using computers to get the girl . Just make sure you put the contacts on the Kelly LeBrock doll, not the rocket.

lightning sand?

(Oh, right, that pesky reality again.)

People have been complaining about the pre-movie advertising since the early 1980's (I remember watching The Star Chamber at a theater in Columbus, OH and being shocked that their was a 30 second commercial running beforehand).

If it has been at least 20 years and theaters are still showing commercials, the complaints aren't working. You want to have an impact on the number of commercials you see before a movie? Stop attending the movie at a theater. Wait six months and buy the DVD, instead. Admittedly, you still may have some adverts on the DVD, but it's better than sitting at a theater. And, you can always do some mods to avoid the adverts on a DVD.

Here in Canada, when you go see a movie (at least, downtown Toronto at the Paramount or some of the larger "Famous Players" theatres), they are screening a short, 5 minute film before the feature presentation.

The film, at first, looks kind of interesting. It shows a portly teamster-looking gentleman talking about rigging up explosives to place on the back of cars in order to accomplish the spectactular car crash stunts seen in many movies (the example they show is in Enemy of the State, when the Will Smith and Gene Hackman characters are being persued by the NSA agents along the railway tracks). He talks about different special effects techniques and how dangerous, yes rewarding it can be both for the stuntmen, and ultimately the viewer.

This, of course, promptly degrades into a sermon about how "I'm such a nice portly man and I put in all this time and then someone makes a few clicks on their computer and STEALS all of that hard work.", followed by the new catch phrase of a movie industry that recently made this piece of shit: MOVIES: THEY'RE WORTH IT.

Then, following this propaganda, we were all warned warned that staff equipped with night vision technology would detain, violate and then charge anyone caught with any technology being used to record the film.

When I returned home, i stole 3 movie off the internet... and I never download movies from the internet.

When, oh when, is the MPAA going to notice that even the foolish RIAA is way ahead of them? At least the RIAA has tried to "meet us halfway" with things like the iTunes Music Store and Napster 2.0, etc. The MPAA is still locked into their early 20th century mentality and shows no signs of change. Perhaps when the current crop of studio execs retire and the younger, more enlightened next generation takes over, things will start to improve.

Then again....

Here in Canada, when you go see a movie (at least, downtown Toronto at the Paramount or some of the larger "Famous Players" theatres), they are screening a short, 5 minute film before the feature presentation.

The film, at first, looks kind of interesting. It shows a portly teamster-looking gentleman talking about rigging up explosives to place on the back of cars in order to accomplish the spectactular car crash stunts seen in many movies (the example they show is in Enemy of the State, when the Will Smith and Gene Hackman characters are being persued by the NSA agents along the railway tracks). He talks about different special effects techniques and how dangerous, yes rewarding it can be both for the stuntmen, and ultimately the viewer.

This, of course, promptly degrades into a sermon about how "I'm such a nice portly man and I put in all this time and then someone makes a few clicks on their computer and STEALS all of that hard work.", followed by the new catch phrase of a movie industry that recently made this piece of shit: MOVIES: THEY'RE WORTH IT.

Then, following this propaganda, we were all warned warned that staff equipped with night vision technology would detain, violate and then charge anyone caught with any technology being used to record the film.

When I returned home, i stole 3 movie off the internet... and I never download movies from the internet.

When, oh when, is the MPAA going to notice that even the foolish RIAA is way ahead of them? At least the RIAA has tried to "meet us halfway" with things like the iTunes Music Store and Napster 2.0, etc. The MPAA is still locked into their early 20th century mentality and shows no signs of change. Perhaps when the current crop of studio execs retire and the younger, more enlightened next generation takes over, things will start to improve.

Then again....

I think Michael actually was there to see Dominic Purcell... Rawr!

You've got a Lucille Ball fetish too?

I'd gladly drive a couple of hours out of the DFW area if I didn't have finals this week!

And your comment about it being an adventure is dead on. Two years ago during the Leonids, my friend and I drove way out to the middle of nowhere only to be chased by Dog Soldiers and then end up in a location where people watch you pee in the dark with night vision enabled cameras. Damn, darkness does weird things to the imagination.

Does anyone else think that Cloud looks a lot like David Bowie?

Cloud:
Face
Standing
Close up

Bowie:
Face
Standing
Close up

Ok. So maybe these pictures aren't the best examples...

Bill

I think Bush will ask the governator, Arnold over in California to take over, due to his experiences on mars

But seriously folks, I weep for this country. People are dropping left and right from this administration, and Bush is trying to fill our CIA with yes-men. We are in serious trouble, won't somebody save us?

JRD is awesome with his accents. He can do an arabic accent (Indiana Jones) to his scottish accent from WC3, to being a surly dwarf in LOTR (which I suppose is based on the scottish accent). Malcolm McDowell played a cool evilish admiral (Interestingly, he did WC3 during his apparent sci fi phase, where in 1994 he also did Star Trek Generations and the amazangly unpopular Cyborg 3 - The Recycler. As for Hamil, lets face it, he was as good an actor in WC3 has he was in Star Wars, but a story that good can do wonders, like turning a carpenter's assistant on the set into Han Solo. And the guy who played Eisen was cool. The acting was decent I thought. I would have prefered a wing commander movie made with those characters and the story from wing commander 1, 2, or 3 more than the craptastic movie that Hollywood actually released. Hell, they could have actually made a movie with just the WC3 film clips. Just splice together all the movie clips, and toss in some CG space battle scenes, and you'd have an awesome movie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385700/

Keep the change, filthy animal.

Here's how I remember it:

"Only a Wop would bring a knife to a gun fight".

IMDB.com has a slightly different quote: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094226/quotes

"Isn't that just like a wop? Brings a knife to a gun fight. "

Kirby

Filming in Die Hard 4.0

How about this one:

1:11:05: Vehicle is driving 0mph
1:11:07: Vehicle is driving 12mph
1:11:10: Vehicle is driving 34mph
1:11:16: Vehicle is driving 67mph
1:11:22: Vehicle is driving 84mph
1:11:25: Vehicle is driving 88mph
1:11:30: Vehicle not found.

Of course, they'd have to be driving this awesome car.

Our IT Services Support Desk uses Firefox as one of the last steps in our browser troubleshooting.

The interesting thing is that I have had several people call us this semester asking how to uninstall Internet Explorer. I usually give them a quick rant. Today, I told someone asking me the same question to go watch Antitrust.

Microsoft does more contract programming than you'd think, but I'm not saying they're the only game in town. I'm just saying that Bill Gates impact on the world of software (even if we only consider shrink wrapped) is profound. According to RMS in Revolution OS everyone freely shared software all the time prior to the model that Bill et. al. introduced. So before Bill, Open Source was the norm. It's a sad that they were so successful imho, but it's a major change, and should be acknowledged. If nothing else, it taught us that the developent community was no longer made up of (just) altruistic "nice" people any more.

Who turned any criticism into reflexively rejectable "bashing"? Personally, as a "dude" (New Yorker moved to SF), I respected the SF gumption that outsmarts stronger opponents. My favorite scene in the 2/3 wonderful (first 2 of 3 hours) cyberpunk classic, Until the End of the World, is set in an SF used car lot, where a wily operator finally gets the better of our heroes.

As to your own criticism, you seem to understand the economics behind my story: the Bay side districts were more commercial, including most of the gold trade that built the city, than the rest of the neighborhoods. So they were more insured, due to their connections with the Eastern banks which backed the Gold Rush colony. So they got burned for their insurance value, plausibly among the other fires in the city following the "Act of God" earthquake.

As I mentioned, my story is a 10+ year old recollection of an SF newspaper story reporting new research. It's not so easy to dig up the content of that reference, and most of those demanding so have been too nasty to entertain. But I just might put my fingertips to the Google grindstone, with all the SF'ers (in body and in spirit) jumping on me as I impugn their city's ancient honor as merely a victim, rather than a clever opportunist "sticking it to the man".

Did anyone else notice the "Merchant of Venice" trailer, also on the Apple Quicktime page? Notice how Shylock isn't a Venture Capitalist for a dot.bomb firm, and he doesn't lend money to Bassanio for a Ferrari to impress Portia? Why is it that the works of Shakespeare (usually!) escape modernism, while H.G. Wells wonderful books always get bastardized! Crap, am I the only one that wants to see a War of the Worlds movie, done with modern special effects, but taking place in the late 19th century? I think it would be more chilling than the "showdown in suburbia" that this piece of crap will likely turn out to be...

"It's NOT a surprise at all. Product Reviews by companies about their products are like asking hens to protect their own coop."

These hens did pretty good.

Exactly. Hasn't everyone seen Charlie's Angels??

Er...The Wiz http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078504/ was a "remake."

Tremors?

Unfortunately, the first person that came to mind was Roxanne Dawson

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0206259/

Which is really a drag, as B'Elanna is quite attractive, in spite of the makeup.

...it was called "Independence Day."

I'm hoping that http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425638/ will be a better War of the Worlds than Cruise's version.
You can see the trailer http://stuffo.howstuffworks.com/wotw-videos.htm

http://imdb.com/title/tt0120461/

Sounds like a good choice. Obviously his performance improved A LOT from "Sleepy Hollow" as Ichabod Crane (1999), to "Pirates of the Caribbean" as Jack Sparrow (2003).

My 2 cents.

Sounds like a good choice. Obviously his performance improved A LOT from "Sleepy Hollow" as Ichabod Crane (1999), to "Pirates of the Caribbean" as Jack Sparrow (2003).

My 2 cents.

Three recent trends lend credibility to the image of those modest studios (indies) developing games: 1) the fact that many such developers are are coming from industry proper; 2) the actual nomenclature "Indie" being a positive term; and 3) small studios' newfound ability to create games that are visually appealing.

First: An interesting but not-well-known fact is that many members of the indie gaming community come from a background of well-known companies. Take, for example, the Moonpod team, which had experience at Gremlin and Infogrames before starting out on their own. Monkeystone is headed by none other than id's John Romero. I would argue that games industry experience is not a prerequisite for the development of a good game; but the recent movement of folks from big gaming companies to their own studios makes independents more credible. Put simply: if folks who have worked on shipped, big-budget games are now part of the indie community, there must be something to the indie community.

Second: The actual term used for smaller studios (Independents or Indies) is an important one. You could call many of the products in this category "Shareware Games," but there's a horribly negative connotation to that term. "Indie Games" evokes the notion of a small, dedicated team of professionals crafting out something new and interesting. By contrast, the term "Shareware Games" evokes the notion of some dude in his basement churning out a buggy arcade clone that looks like it was written for the Intellivision. To parahrase someone, (I want to say Chris Barrie): A rose by any other name might smell as sweet, but may be less appealing if it were called "sewage-weed." The adoption of the "Indie" label has helped legitimize games made by smaller studios.

Fifth (20 years from now, we'll be those old farts still making Python references to people born in twenty-oh-one): Independents can make games that look good. It may be because indies now have access to tools that would have made Pixar cry during its formative years. (Maya, for example, can be had for about $2k, and is even free for personal use.) It may also be because there's great talent now available. Either way, I think indie titles, taken as a whole, have become visually appealing. During the '90s, shareware titles had a bad reputation for being ugly, because they lagged so far behind the cutting-edge. These days, titles like Starscape, Dark Horizons: Lore, and Wik & The Fable of Souls are (IMO) looking pretty good. And, while indie titles may not be as spectacular as those developed by a major studio, (our own Inago Rage focuses on bright colors, but doesn't quite outdo Tron 2.0, for example), decent sales suggest that gamers like what Independents are doing.

However, given the dearth of posts in this thread, I still believe we have a long way to go. :) So, if you haven't already, check out the DIY and Game Tunnel coverage of the 81 IGF entrants. You may find that precious diamond in the rough.
_____________________

You're right about the built-in audience factor, but I don't think that's the primary reason. Which is risk aversion.

Which explains why movies have gotten so damned formulaic.

You're right about the built-in audience factor, but I don't think that's the primary reason. Which is risk aversion.

Which explains why movies have gotten so damned formulaic.

You're right about the built-in audience factor, but I don't think that's the primary reason. Which is risk aversion.

Which explains why movies have gotten so damned formulaic.

You're right about the built-in audience factor, but I don't think that's the primary reason. Which is risk aversion.

Which explains why movies have gotten so damned formulaic.

You're right about the built-in audience factor, but I don't think that's the primary reason. Which is risk aversion.

Which explains why movies have gotten so damned formulaic.