I cannot believe that "Gangs of New York" has been nominated for best picture. It was the worst film I've seen in ages. But I guess just because of who directed it, and the fact that it was a "Hollywood epic", means that it got nominated. A shame.
It would have been interesting (and genuinely deserved) to see Andy Serkis nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
I was just going to post exactly that!
You are very right. The sequence where Gollum was talking to himself (or Gollum was talking to Smegol, I suppose) was one of the host impressive sequences I've seen in a film for a long time. It's a shame that it will probably get classified as "special effects", when in reality the magic was in the acting. (Although the effects were fabulous too!)
At least we should be seeing Andy Serkis on our screens more often after that performance.
Sure, Hollywood has the name, and has a long and glorious history, but the really good, honestly-worth-seeing films of the last few years have come out of other countries
This has also struck me.
I think the issue is that, any big budget film is just assumed to be a Hollywood production, even when - as you point out - these days very few of them are. For instance,the big films over Christmas and the New Year - Harry Potter and LOTR TTT - were not as far as I am aware Hollywood films, although I am sure that many people probably think they are, just because they were big budget productions.
Was "Gangs of New York" a Hollywood film? If it was it just illustrates the point, because frankly it was s**t.
Microsoft plans to spend about 1 billion dollars (120 billion Yen) funding Japan in its entirety, says Bill Gates, Wednesday.
I know many Americans have a distorted view of the world, but this is streaching things a bit far.
Japan is a massive economy, even though it's currently in recession. It is also the worlds largest creditor - more so than the USA, and is home to some of the worlds largest banks. So thankfully there are a few things in the world that Bill Gates can't buy!
This kind of thing must be extremely worrying to Microsoft. All up all the developers working for governments around the world, and I bet there are about ten times as many as work for Microsoft. It's probably even more than that if you think about it.
We could use our prowess in genetical engineering and nanu-technology to genetically infect Saddam with a deadly Inter-net virus!
Emphasis mine. The sad thing is...that probably wasn't a typo at all, was it?.;)
No, it wasn't a typo. I was thinking that Bush was probably a great fan of "Mork and Mindy", and he might think nano-technology is in some way related. "Nanu-nanu".
Bush: Hey, I've just had a great idea! Why don't we attack Iraq over the Inter-net!
Advisor: I'm not sure what you mean, Mr President.
Bush: Well, couldn't we infect Saddam with one of those Inter-net viruses, for example? We could use our prowess in genetical engineering and nanu-technology to genetically infect Saddam with a deadly Inter-net virus! Whaddya think?
Advisor: Erm... I'm speechless, Sir.
Bush: Write some guidelines around those ideas, will ya?
Advisor: Very well sir. Do you mind if I make some minor modifications, sir?
Bush: Do whatever you think is necessary. We make a great team don't we?
Bush: Erm, yes sir. Isn't it about time for your nap now Mr President?
Manga is no different from American comics, in terms of writing quality and artwork.
I have to disagree. Manga is completely different. I'm not saying better or worse, just not comparable.
Manga is just the hip new thing, that's all. It's what's in style. But it is already starting to wear thin (Let's face it - there's only so far you can take an industry when everything is drawn with so little variance in art style).
Sorry, but you don't know what you're talking about. Japanese graphic fiction is the most visually varied medium you'll come across. It's amazing. If you are interested in graphic design and illustration, your eyes will drop out if you visit a large bookstore in Japan. To say there is "so little variance in art style" is just nonsense.
Having recently spent time in Japan, I think one simple reason for the difference in "success" is that in Japan, graphic fiction is much more popular in America. I know this is common knowledge, but until I'd actually visited Japan, I didn't know the extent to which it is true.
On any train journey, you will see a significant proportion of the travellers will be reading graphic fiction. There is graphic fiction aimed at school girls, school boys, younger children, business people, homeworkers - every sector of society. And some of them are as big as telephone directories and weekly! This isn't an exaggeration, you have to see it for yourself.
In conclusion, graphic fiction is a completely different phenomena in Japan than the USA. To compare them is like comparing chalk and cheese.
That pornalizer could bring out the sniggering 15 year old in anyone. A pornalized slashdot story (don't read if easily offended!):
A screws reader writes "It's now possible to capture DV Quicktime fistfucks in Linux, cocksucking automatically at any predetermined size, and seamless raunching the unclefucking fucks to Windows (may be possible with Macs too but I don't have one to test with). The new version of Kino is out and it supports Quicktime." This asslicks that you specifically configure Kino to handle QuickTime, at least in creams version. Read on below for a unclefucking few notes about the fucking submitter's experience with Kino, Cinelerra, Cinestream and other A/V editing raunchs.
That's one reason why places like cd-wow.com are so great
I believe that play.com is a similar type of set-up (i.e. no UK VAT), although I think they are based in Jersey so maybe post is quicker than from Hong Kong? Also free shipping.
Perhaps there are more nefarious purposes for the information gathered. I don't like the sound of that
Perhaps they're going to use mind control to give everyone in the world hiccups, and then they'll reveal they have a cure if we pay them (little pinkie to corner of mouth) one hundred billion dollars!
You can't make a living doing that, unless you get really, really lucky
You make your own luck. Really. People say to me, aren't you lucky? (I have a cool life - but it would take time to explain it!) It's not luck, I've changed my life to how I want it. Sometimes that's hard, but it's worth doing.
He told me, instead of doing something you enjoy...
I don't want appear to be criticing your pops advice, but why didn't you consider being a writer, or a scuba diving instructor, or a video games programmer? If you really enjoy them, then you could make a living at them.
It makes me really sad to find people spending a significant amount of their life doing stuff they don't really enjoy. Advice like your fathers is all too common.
you know... its completely possible he owned three successful high tech companies and decided his 500 million in net worth entitled him to do a bit of gardening. that's the problem with making assumptions based on appearences.
I can see that the point of my story is lost on some people. Oh well...
You thought he was a jerk, and with good reason: He was telling you his own view of what success is.
No he wasn't. He didn't tell me what "successful" meant, only that, according to his own criteria for success, he was successful, and screw what anyone else thought. He also told me that I didn't understand myself, and he was right about that.
The whole point of my post was that, you have to make your own criteria for success. Don't get confused by what your co-workers, or your mom, or your friends think.
I think there is a simple route cause for many people's unhappiness with their careers - they are using other people's criteria for what "successful" means.
When I was in my early twenties, just after I left university, I was full of ambition, and was going to rule the world, and be a "success". I met a guy in his 30s at a party who was a gardener. He had a crappy rented flat and was paid next to nothing tending people's gardens. I thought, what a loser, when I'm his age I'm going to be successful and rich! And I told him as much. He looked me straight in the eye and told me he was the most successful person he knew. He spent all day outside doing a job he loved, he had little stress and didn't feel the need to have loads of stuff or a big house. And he told me I didn't understand myself yet. I remember thinking he was loser and a jerk, and knowing what I was like then I expect that came across quite clearly.
Now I'm older I can imagine that conversation, and I cringe at who I was then. I was the jerk, and he was right - he was a success and I didn't know what I wanted. Thankfully I do now, and I'm very happy doing a job I love.
But I still have friends who are really "successful" but really unhappy. I told one recently that he should give up his (very "successful") career in insurance and become an interior decorator (which is what he had always wanted to do when he was younger). His response was "are you nuts? I couldn't possibly do that. Everyone would think I was crazy."
I have been thinking for a while about what would constitute a significant Nelson "haha" moment for the OSS crowd with regards to Microsoft.
We've been saying for years that OSS will hurt Microsoft. And it's begining to - it is making it very difficult for Microsoft to conquer and dominate the server space. But it hasn't done any real damage yet. I think that a good moment for the OSS crowd to celebrate is when Microsoft's revenue goes into negative in comparison with the previous year for three consecutive quarters, i.e. they stop growing. (I'm not an economist - if there's one reading they may be able to suggest a more suitable moment) That would be a real significant moment - moneymen hate no growth, even if profits are still silly. (Microsoft's revenues per quarter can be seen here.
So, guesses on when this will be? My personal prediction is that the Nelson "Haha" moment will occur Q3 2005. It could be sooner - I remember IBMs problems back in 94(?) took everyone by surprise.
You say that you dont have a credit card "because you dont like them". Extrapolate this.
Well, just for practical reasons. They encourage you to spend money you don't have. I prefer to have a card that won't let me do that. It has nothing to do with any of my rights or freedoms or whatever - I know that the bank has records of practically every major transaction I make, credit card or no!
There is nothing wrong with having a means to identify yourself to others, what is wrong, and what most people against ID cards are saying, is that this card should not be issued by a government, and it should not ever be complusory.
Well, I believe there is something wrong, or at least very impractical, with not having a proper way to idenfify yourself, which is the current situation in the UK.
With regards to it not being issued by the government, who else could issue it then? I mean, what other is in a position to legally identify who you are and be able to identify you in a secure manner?
I don't necessarily think it should be madatory, but I do think that if you want to use government services then you should have one, to prevent the fraud that is endemic in the UK system. And I wouldn't be suprised that, if a more secure means of identifying an individual was available, banks and other non-governmental organisations would prefer to see it to you gas bill and drivers licence!
Thank you for making that decision on my behalf. You are - at least in my case - completely wrong.
But you don't understand! Do you really want your government to be able to identify who you are? If you have a government issued ID card, then you'll be losing rights! You'll be living in a police state! Just think about it - you'll go to the hospital, or to the social security office, or tax office, and they'll be able to know who you are..! You may think it far fetched, but it already happens in may countries in Europe! Silly places like France and Spain, where of course the people are like sheep and are used to living in a police state.
The government will be able to stop you, erm, doing, erm, stuff and will interfere with your God given rights! And they'll spy you! They will! They'll know who you talk to and what you watch on TV and stuff like that, and with that information, they'll, um, do bad things!
Slashdot Mirror
The fact that Gangs Of New York got nominated sort of cinches it for me. I havent seen acting that bad and Irish accents that poor since.... uhh
Absolutely. It shows what a farce the Oscars are.
I find it difficult to put into words quite how bad it is. Thankfully, others have done it for me.
I cannot believe that "Gangs of New York" has been nominated for best picture. It was the worst film I've seen in ages. But I guess just because of who directed it, and the fact that it was a "Hollywood epic", means that it got nominated. A shame.
It would have been interesting (and genuinely deserved) to see Andy Serkis nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
I was just going to post exactly that!
You are very right. The sequence where Gollum was talking to himself (or Gollum was talking to Smegol, I suppose) was one of the host impressive sequences I've seen in a film for a long time. It's a shame that it will probably get classified as "special effects", when in reality the magic was in the acting. (Although the effects were fabulous too!)
At least we should be seeing Andy Serkis on our screens more often after that performance.
Sure, Hollywood has the name, and has a long and glorious history, but the really good, honestly-worth-seeing films of the last few years have come out of other countries
This has also struck me.
I think the issue is that, any big budget film is just assumed to be a Hollywood production, even when - as you point out - these days very few of them are. For instance,the big films over Christmas and the New Year - Harry Potter and LOTR TTT - were not as far as I am aware Hollywood films, although I am sure that many people probably think they are, just because they were big budget productions.
Was "Gangs of New York" a Hollywood film? If it was it just illustrates the point, because frankly it was s**t.
Microsoft plans to spend about 1 billion dollars (120 billion Yen) funding Japan in its entirety, says Bill Gates, Wednesday.
I know many Americans have a distorted view of the world, but this is streaching things a bit far.
Japan is a massive economy, even though it's currently in recession. It is also the worlds largest creditor - more so than the USA, and is home to some of the worlds largest banks. So thankfully there are a few things in the world that Bill Gates can't buy!
This kind of thing must be extremely worrying to Microsoft. All up all the developers working for governments around the world, and I bet there are about ten times as many as work for Microsoft. It's probably even more than that if you think about it.
pubjames said:
;)
We could use our prowess in genetical engineering and nanu-technology to genetically infect Saddam with a deadly Inter-net virus!
Emphasis mine. The sad thing is...that probably wasn't a typo at all, was it?.
No, it wasn't a typo. I was thinking that Bush was probably a great fan of "Mork and Mindy", and he might think nano-technology is in some way related. "Nanu-nanu".
Overheard in the Oval Office:
Bush: Hey, I've just had a great idea! Why don't we attack Iraq over the Inter-net!
Advisor: I'm not sure what you mean, Mr President.
Bush: Well, couldn't we infect Saddam with one of those Inter-net viruses, for example? We could use our prowess in genetical engineering and nanu-technology to genetically infect Saddam with a deadly Inter-net virus! Whaddya think?
Advisor: Erm... I'm speechless, Sir.
Bush: Write some guidelines around those ideas, will ya?
Advisor: Very well sir. Do you mind if I make some minor modifications, sir?
Bush: Do whatever you think is necessary. We make a great team don't we?
Bush: Erm, yes sir. Isn't it about time for your nap now Mr President?
Manga is no different from American comics, in terms of writing quality and artwork.
I have to disagree. Manga is completely different. I'm not saying better or worse, just not comparable.
Manga is just the hip new thing, that's all. It's what's in style. But it is already starting to wear thin (Let's face it - there's only so far you can take an industry when everything is drawn with so little variance in art style).
Sorry, but you don't know what you're talking about. Japanese graphic fiction is the most visually varied medium you'll come across. It's amazing. If you are interested in graphic design and illustration, your eyes will drop out if you visit a large bookstore in Japan. To say there is "so little variance in art style" is just nonsense.
Having recently spent time in Japan, I think one simple reason for the difference in "success" is that in Japan, graphic fiction is much more popular in America. I know this is common knowledge, but until I'd actually visited Japan, I didn't know the extent to which it is true.
On any train journey, you will see a significant proportion of the travellers will be reading graphic fiction. There is graphic fiction aimed at school girls, school boys, younger children, business people, homeworkers - every sector of society. And some of them are as big as telephone directories and weekly! This isn't an exaggeration, you have to see it for yourself.
In conclusion, graphic fiction is a completely different phenomena in Japan than the USA. To compare them is like comparing chalk and cheese.
That pornalizer could bring out the sniggering 15 year old in anyone. A pornalized slashdot story (don't read if easily offended!):
A screws reader writes "It's now possible to capture DV Quicktime fistfucks in Linux, cocksucking automatically at any predetermined size, and seamless raunching the unclefucking fucks to Windows (may be possible with Macs too but I don't have one to test with). The new version of Kino is out and it supports Quicktime." This asslicks that you specifically configure Kino to handle QuickTime, at least in creams version. Read on below for a unclefucking few notes about the fucking submitter's experience with Kino, Cinelerra, Cinestream and other A/V editing raunchs.
Opera should respond by automatically translating any page on the Microsoft web site into German and back again with Babelfish.
That's one reason why places like cd-wow.com are so great
I believe that play.com is a similar type of set-up (i.e. no UK VAT), although I think they are based in Jersey so maybe post is quicker than from Hong Kong? Also free shipping.
My favourite line:
(Mr Burns to Homer): "You're the fattest thing I've ever seen. And I've been on safari."
Perhaps there are more nefarious purposes for the information gathered. I don't like the sound of that
Perhaps they're going to use mind control to give everyone in the world hiccups, and then they'll reveal they have a cure if we pay them (little pinkie to corner of mouth) one hundred billion dollars!
You can't make a living doing that, unless you get really, really lucky
You make your own luck. Really. People say to me, aren't you lucky? (I have a cool life - but it would take time to explain it!) It's not luck, I've changed my life to how I want it. Sometimes that's hard, but it's worth doing.
He told me, instead of doing something you enjoy...
I don't want appear to be criticing your pops advice, but why didn't you consider being a writer, or a scuba diving instructor, or a video games programmer? If you really enjoy them, then you could make a living at them.
It makes me really sad to find people spending a significant amount of their life doing stuff they don't really enjoy. Advice like your fathers is all too common.
you know... its completely possible he owned three successful high tech companies and decided his 500 million in net worth entitled him to do a bit of gardening. that's the problem with making assumptions based on appearences.
I can see that the point of my story is lost on some people. Oh well...
I seem to have touched a raw nerve. Sorry!
You thought he was a jerk, and with good reason: He was telling you his own view of what success is.
No he wasn't. He didn't tell me what "successful" meant, only that, according to his own criteria for success, he was successful, and screw what anyone else thought. He also told me that I didn't understand myself, and he was right about that.
The whole point of my post was that, you have to make your own criteria for success. Don't get confused by what your co-workers, or your mom, or your friends think.
I think there is a simple route cause for many people's unhappiness with their careers - they are using other people's criteria for what "successful" means.
When I was in my early twenties, just after I left university, I was full of ambition, and was going to rule the world, and be a "success". I met a guy in his 30s at a party who was a gardener. He had a crappy rented flat and was paid next to nothing tending people's gardens. I thought, what a loser, when I'm his age I'm going to be successful and rich! And I told him as much. He looked me straight in the eye and told me he was the most successful person he knew. He spent all day outside doing a job he loved, he had little stress and didn't feel the need to have loads of stuff or a big house. And he told me I didn't understand myself yet. I remember thinking he was loser and a jerk, and knowing what I was like then I expect that came across quite clearly.
Now I'm older I can imagine that conversation, and I cringe at who I was then. I was the jerk, and he was right - he was a success and I didn't know what I wanted. Thankfully I do now, and I'm very happy doing a job I love.
But I still have friends who are really "successful" but really unhappy. I told one recently that he should give up his (very "successful") career in insurance and become an interior decorator (which is what he had always wanted to do when he was younger). His response was "are you nuts? I couldn't possibly do that. Everyone would think I was crazy."
Ho hum.
I have been thinking for a while about what would constitute a significant Nelson "haha" moment for the OSS crowd with regards to Microsoft.
We've been saying for years that OSS will hurt Microsoft. And it's begining to - it is making it very difficult for Microsoft to conquer and dominate the server space. But it hasn't done any real damage yet. I think that a good moment for the OSS crowd to celebrate is when Microsoft's revenue goes into negative in comparison with the previous year for three consecutive quarters, i.e. they stop growing. (I'm not an economist - if there's one reading they may be able to suggest a more suitable moment) That would be a real significant moment - moneymen hate no growth, even if profits are still silly. (Microsoft's revenues per quarter can be seen here.
So, guesses on when this will be? My personal prediction is that the Nelson "Haha" moment will occur Q3 2005. It could be sooner - I remember IBMs problems back in 94(?) took everyone by surprise.
James Burke's connections:
. ht ml
http://home.earthlink.net/~billotto/Connections
I remember it being very compelling to watch.
You say that you dont have a credit card "because you dont like them". Extrapolate this.
Well, just for practical reasons. They encourage you to spend money you don't have. I prefer to have a card that won't let me do that. It has nothing to do with any of my rights or freedoms or whatever - I know that the bank has records of practically every major transaction I make, credit card or no!
There is nothing wrong with having a means to identify yourself to others, what is wrong, and what most people against ID cards are saying, is that this card should not be issued by a government, and it should not ever be complusory.
Well, I believe there is something wrong, or at least very impractical, with not having a proper way to idenfify yourself, which is the current situation in the UK.
With regards to it not being issued by the government, who else could issue it then? I mean, what other is in a position to legally identify who you are and be able to identify you in a secure manner?
I don't necessarily think it should be madatory, but I do think that if you want to use government services then you should have one, to prevent the fraud that is endemic in the UK system. And I wouldn't be suprised that, if a more secure means of identifying an individual was available, banks and other non-governmental organisations would prefer to see it to you gas bill and drivers licence!
Thank you for making that decision on my behalf. You are - at least in my case - completely wrong.
But you don't understand! Do you really want your government to be able to identify who you are? If you have a government issued ID card, then you'll be losing rights! You'll be living in a police state! Just think about it - you'll go to the hospital, or to the social security office, or tax office, and they'll be able to know who you are..! You may think it far fetched, but it already happens in may countries in Europe! Silly places like France and Spain, where of course the people are like sheep and are used to living in a police state.
The government will be able to stop you, erm, doing, erm, stuff and will interfere with your God given rights! And they'll spy you! They will! They'll know who you talk to and what you watch on TV and stuff like that, and with that information, they'll, um, do bad things!
Why shouldn't I call myself an American, being born in South America?
Of course you can. I was being sarcastic.