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Slashback: Lamo, Trilogy, Searching

Slashback tonight brings updates on the recent Google hiccup, LookSmart and the FBI's note-snooping in the Adrian Lamo case, as well as (at long last!) a list of the theaters whose seats will soon be smooshed for far longer than usual under the weight of those dedicated enough to sit through 10 hours of Lord of the Rings. Read on below for the details.

Microsoft thinks LookSmart looks less smart. securitas writes "Internet search company LookSmart was dropped by Microsoft's MSN service today. MSN has decided not to extend its licensing contract with LookSmart beyond January 2004. The news is devastating for LookSmart since, 'Microsoft accounted for approximately 65 percent of listings revenues, and all of LookSmart's licensing revenue in the second quarter of 2003,' according to a company press release not listed on LookSmart's site. The move comes after LookSmart recently launched its own Overture-style pay-per-click service and indicates Microsoft is close to launching its new search engine technology designed to unseat Google for the search crown. All of this is against the backdrop of acquisitions by rival Yahoo. More coverage at SearchEngineWatch and a Reuters mirror at CNN Money."

They could have fixed this if they'd googled for an answer ... powerg3 writes "This follow-up, explains the Google wackiness posted yesterday. Here's the quote from the Google Weblog: '...when a spam result comes up in a search, Google not only blocks the spam, but every result after it. This means that for searches where spam results manage to rise to the top, very few -- sometimes zero -- results will be returned....It's pretty amazing that such a serious bug made it past Google's tests. It will be interesting to see how quickly it's fixed.'"

Pardon me, mum, can I borrow your hard drive? AndreL writes "The Guardian has an update about the BBC's digital archive plans. They're considering using P2P technology to avoid bandwidth bottlenecks. The bad news: because of technical, financial, and legal problems nothing will happen until 2006 at the earliest."

Please arrive in costume if at all. KTecumseh writes "The list of theaters showing the extended editions of LOTR as been revealed. You can check out the list at the official website, and before you look, pray that you live somewhere close by to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. For those that can not make the full 10-hour saga, they are also showing the first two extended additions on different dates, but who wants to miss out on an entire theater of sweaty LOTR fans."

Shamus Arrigan asks plaintively "There is no mention of these ticket sales in any other country. Does anyone know when and where these tickets will be sold at? (Canada especially)"

Wait, are you fellas press? Dangnabbit! ccnull writes "Good news from the inquest against hacker Adrian Lamo. According to a paragraph in a Washington Post column (buried about 3/4 of the way down the story), the FBI appears to be backing off from pursuing reporters' notes in the case. Relevant quote: 'A Justice Department official says the FBI agent "acted out of turn" by not seeking approval from the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan and Attorney General John Ashcroft's press office. "The agent did not follow standard procedures," the official says. "We're just not going to pursue it. It is the policy of the Justice Department to exhaust all other means before seeking information from members of the media."'"

Eh, what's a few orders of magnitude? Grant hayes writes: "It seems the decimal point in the Mono story you ran is being a bit ambitious. We should be reading Mono 0.28, not Mono 2.8. Check the link below as well as links there to other Mono resources; I see 0.28 throughout." Here's the Mono site -- guilty as charged. Thanks for the correction.

32 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. Additional article body by macshune · · Score: 4, Funny

    "...a list of the theaters whose seats will soon be smooshed for far longer than usual under the weight of those dedicated enough to sit through 10 hours of Lord of the Rings"


    And also those large folks that will play an inspired game of D&D after the movie.

  2. 10 hours of LOTR? by mikeophile · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm thinking that the title 'Lord of the Inflatable Butt Rings' would be more appropriate for those with more tender hindquarters.

    1. Re:10 hours of LOTR? by l810c · · Score: 5, Interesting
      I don't know how many of theaters have these, but the new theater opened up ~18 months ago near us. It has a VIP room with Fat Leather Recliners, separate sound system and private, close bathrooms. $200 for 16 seats. Definatley might be worth it for something like this.

      We got it for LOTR TTT. Tried to get it 3 weeks before Matrix2 and it had been booked for months. We went ahead an booked LOTR ROTK back in June.

    2. Re:10 hours of LOTR? by NanoGator · · Score: 3, Funny

      "wow, a blow job while watching LOTR ... what could be more perfect? "

      A blow job without sitting through 10 hours of LOTR.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
  3. Toliet breaks by rf0 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You have to wonder if with the LOTR there will be breaks or will people just have to step out in the middle of films. Now if they were cut together as one large epic that would be cool.

    Rus

    1. Re:Toliet breaks by product+byproduct · · Score: 4, Funny

      Toilet breaks? To enjoy the full experience of a non-stop 10-hour immersion, *real* LOTR fans will prefer this solution

    2. Re:Toliet breaks by guacamolefoo · · Score: 3, Funny

      Or this solution.

      GF.

    3. Re:Toliet breaks by MuParadigm · · Score: 3, Funny

      Or better yet:

      "The server's down? Look, I'm really sick.... thirty thousand an hour? ... I know we're losing a lot of money, it's just.... At the movies? No that's just my DVD player... Hello? ... Hello? ... I can't hear you... I think we've got a bad connection... (Makes static sounds)... Yeah, this phone has been giving me trouble for a couple weeks now.... Hello?.... (click)"

      Removes phone battery.

      Loses job.

    4. Re:Toliet breaks by Thing+1 · · Score: 4, Funny
      Wow that brings back bad memories. They're funny though, so I thought I'd share.

      I was in a bad car accident over a decade ago, I was unconscious and they had to put a catheter in for me to pee. I remember waking up on the gurney saying "I'm peeing and I can't stop!" and they said don't worry, there's a catheter.

      When they took it out it was a very unusual (unnatural!) feeling...

      The worst part though, was when I went to the bathroom an hour later. The nice nurse wanted me to use a bedpan, but I wanted to walk to the bathroom which I did. I sat down (broken collarbone and rib weren't conducive to standing), and when I started...

      I FARTED OUT MY DICK!

      This has never happened before, and I imagined that I had some serious internal damage. But when I told the nurse, she said, "Oh that's no problem, it must have just pushed some air in when we inserted the catheter."

      If that's common knowledge they should warn us... Or maybe that's one of the "perks," watching the look on people's faces (i.e. priceless)...

      Sorry I didn't mention LOTR. ;-)

      --
      I feel fantastic, and I'm still alive.
  4. Only one theater in Silicon Valley? by imcleod · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The list only shows one theater in Silicon Valley that's doing the screenings, and two others in the SF Bay Area (Dublin, San Francisco). Get your tickets early, folks...

  5. Cushions? Weight? by Ignorant+Aardvark · · Score: 4, Funny

    a list of the theaters whose seats will soon be smooshed for far longer than usual under the weight of those dedicated enough to sit through

    A, the deadly combination of 10 hours of sitting plus the 400 lb weight of your average LOTR nerd ... has been known to reduce the natural life of cushions by 95%.

  6. Not just with Lamo by phorm · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Good news from the inquest against hacker Adrian Lamo

    For those that don't really like Lamo, consider this in the large scope that it is, overall, a victory for everbody's rights against rampant abuse-of-power.

    1. Re:Not just with Lamo by Hard_Code · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Pretend I'm naive here and explain to me how it's an abuse of power. Is this just public info, or are they invading some sorts of "press" protection of sources rights? Does this apply in all cases?

      --

      It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
    2. Re:Not just with Lamo by dpoppink · · Score: 2, Informative

      It's certainly not public info. The FBI was asking for the reporters' private notes, recordings, and other source material. This included material which was taken "off the record" during interviews. In general, reporters are required by law and ethics to protect the confidentiality of their sources (if their sources desire confidentiality). What bugged me most about this situation is that the FBI would go after reporters who reported on Lamo but no one was going after Robert Novak's notes, despite the fact that his source blew the cover of a CIA agent (a treasonous offense). This update helps clarify the sitation: go after all other sources of information first.

  7. that's a hell of a deal by SweetAndSourJesus · · Score: 3, Informative

    $12.50 per person? In Orange County, CA many theaters are up to $9.50 for standard seating, so I wouldn't think twice about spending another $3 for a little luxury. I hope we start seeing this sort of thing around here.

    --

    --
    the strongest word is still the word "free"
  8. The Great White LOTR by orthogonal · · Score: 4, Funny
    "There is no mention of these ticket sales in any other country. Does anyone know when and where these tickets will be sold at? (Canada especially)"

    Glad to be of assistance to all out Canadian (or is it Canadien?) friends!

    Lord of the Rings will be playing at the following theaters (or is it theatres?) for our northern neighbors:
    • Cineplex Odeon, Detroit, Michigan
    • Fenian Moviehouse, Niagara Falls, New York
    • Bill's Movie Place, Seattle, Washington
    • Avalon Theater, Bismark, North Dakota (please note, American coins only!)
    • Ultimax Theater, Montpelier, Vermont

    We hope you enjoy our movies and our hemispheric hegemony! :)
  9. Re:Toilet breaks by kaan · · Score: 4, Funny

    I heard that there will be no toilet breaks, because it's all part of a contest. See, without toilet breaks, that will make it easier to distinguish who is really a hardcore LOTR fan and who is a poser. There will be judges monitoring the audience via hidden camera, and whoever earns the most points as a hardcore LOTR fan (dressing up in costume helps your score) will be awarded a full-size cardboard cutout of, umm, Gandalf. I am completely serious. Really.

  10. Never understood why the "extra" footage... by Hamster+Lover · · Score: 4, Insightful

    wasn't added to the movie to begin with.

    If you're in for a penny you're in for pound, as the saying goes. What difference is 20-30 minutes going to make on a 3 hour movie? Are people simply going to walk out at exactly 3 hours?

    The extra footage added to Fellowship really fleshed out the story and brought it closer to the book.

    Just my 2 cents.

    1. Re:Never understood why the "extra" footage... by Texas+Rose+on+Lava+L · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The shorter the movie is, the more times the theater can show it. The more times the theater shows the movie, the more tickets they can sell. The more tickets they sell, the more money the studio makes. Movie studios tend to do things that they think will make them money.

    2. Re:Never understood why the "extra" footage... by jcdick1 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Because Newline dictated to Peter Jackson that none of the movies could be longer than three hours in their original release. So he cut them to 2h57m, with the understanding that prior to the release of each of the films, the "Extended Special Edition" DVDs could be released in time for people to buy or rent before seeing the next installment.

      All that is explained in the stuff on the DVDs.

      --
      What?
    3. Re:Never understood why the "extra" footage... by marko123 · · Score: 2, Funny

      You are right on the money. That's why they will be releasing a 90 minute combination of the highlights of the three movies in all the other cinemas, repackaged as LOTR:FTRD - Lord of the Rings: For The Ritalin Deficient.

      --
      http://pcblues.com - Digits and Wood
    4. Re:Never understood why the "extra" footage... by Zillatron · · Score: 2, Interesting
      The shorter the movie is, the more times the theater can show it. The more times the theater shows the movie, the more tickets they can sell. The more tickets they sell, the more money the studio makes. Movie studios tend to do things that they think will make them money.
      Too true. This is why Quentin Tarantino's new movie Kill Bill got chopped in half.

    5. Re:Never understood why the "extra" footage... by Uhlek · · Score: 2, Informative

      The reason for this is pretty simple. 3 hours is the maximum cut-off time that studios will accept movies in most circumstances -- especially movies that will appeal to more popular people. The reason? Well...at 3 hours runtime, plus trailers, load-in, and clean-up time, you have about 3:30 at a breakneck pace. That leaves the following times available for post-matinee showings

      4:00
      7:30
      11:00

      Three showings a night, per screen. A mere additional 30 minutes of footage would push any third showing to midnight, getting out at 3:30 This would ridiculiously decrease ticket sales -- especially during the week.

      More ticket sales = more money.

      Quintin Tarrintino recently ran into this problem with Kill Bill, his 5-6 hour opus that he was trying to push to the studios to show as a single film. Yeah, right!

  11. Definition of insanity by bstadil · · Score: 2, Insightful
    The old story about insanity defined as "doing the same thing over and over expecting different results", pretty much sums up anyone entering into a close relations with Microsoft.

    The list of companies being f****d is legio,can anyone come up with a company that did well?

    Not being bought by MS but working as a close partner with MS, and lived to tell the tale.

    --
    Help fight continental drift.
  12. LOTR screening in Baltimore by guacamolefoo · · Score: 3, Informative

    I just called the Senator theater (in Towson). Here's the deal:

    Tickets for the trilogy are $35. They go on sale Saturday the 11th at noon. No more than 10 tickets may be purchased at once. The trilogy will be shown back-to-back-to-back on December 16th (Tuesday) starting at noon. The Senator theater is at www.senator.com or 410-435-8338.

    GF.

  13. 10 hours! by CdnShaggy · · Score: 3, Funny

    I will be the guy in the front, with the box around my neck, selling the depends for 8$ a pop!

  14. What's happened to the concept of Intermissions? by TPFH · · Score: 4, Interesting

    400 lb weight of your average LOTR nerd
    Avarage?
    Average meaning mean I'm guessing.....
    If 400lb is the mean, what does a relatively heavy LOTR Nerd weigh? (Especially considering that some are quite skinny.)

    And 10 hours.... (and this is not a comment on the weight joke.) it's not just bathroom breaks but meal breaks that will come into play there. And no, eating junk food while watching the movie isn't a meal. Need good protein.

    In the past when a movie was 3 hours long you had an intermission in the middle. It is nice to get up and walk around every hour or so. I remember being suprised when Malcolm X didn't have an intermission. When they re-released Laurance of Arabia there was an intermission. I have not seen it yet but I heard that Shoah had more than one intermission.

    So what happened?
    Did we go through the 80s without any (mainstream) 3 hour movies and after so long a time movie studios forgot the concept?

    --
    This signature used to contain a cute kitty virus with ansii art. Please set the slashdot editors on fire. Thank you
  15. Re:No mention on price... by guacamolefoo · · Score: 2, Informative

    The ballpark seems to be $35.00 USD.

    GF.

  16. what about the ROTK Extended Edition? by r5t8i6y3 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    sounds a bit annoying to me. sitting through the FOTR Extended Edition then the TTT Extended Edition and then the finale - the ROTK squeeze me into a tolerable amount of time for most people Edition. talk about a let down. after i see the ROTK the first thing i'll be speculating about will be what scenes were missing that will be on the ROTK Extended Edition DVD.

  17. Re:No mention on price... by fenix+down · · Score: 3, Funny

    5 words: Fat suit stuffed with ham.

  18. UK Cinemas? by Jobby · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Anyone know which UK cinemas this is going to be showing at (if any) ?

  19. LOTR x 3 by Scholasticus · · Score: 2, Funny

    Okay, lemme get this straight ... it's a story about a hobbit who has to throw the One Ring of Power into Mount Doom to save Middle Earth from the Dark Lord Sauron. It starts off with Bilbo Baggins leaving the Shire and walking off on a long journey. Then Frodo & Company walk to Bree, after which Aragorn joins them and they walk to Rivendell. Then Legolas, Gandalf and Gimli join them and they set off walking toward the Misty Mountains ... you get the idea. Our way of appreciating this epic of walking is to sit for ten hours straight. Maybe I'll walk to the theater.