In the edition of the books that I have, Tolkien clearly states that the LotR is a story unto itself, not analagous to anything else (like WWII, like many believe). This is not to say that Tolkien didn't have plenty of inspiration along the way, but nothing in the book was supposed to parallel anything in real life.
Some people have already mentioned the significance of the Scouring, citing the demonstration of the hobbits' (mostly Merry and Pippin) maturity.
However, I think Frodo's advancement is the most stark of all his companions. In the beginning of the trilogy, Frodo tells Gandalf that it was a pity Bilbo did not kill Gollum when he had the chance. Gandalf, of course, tells Frodo that Bilbo's pity may have a huge impact later on (which it does) and to not suggest death as a punishment too lightly.
At the end of the trilogy, Frodo spares Saruman, who is at least as vile as Gollum and has done considerably more harm. Frodo's newfond wisdom and mercy is clearly evident here, and I think the scene should have been included in the film.
No, it's not Hollywood-esque enough to appeal to a large audience, but it has a deeper meaning than flashy explosions and fight scenes.
probably not/.ed for those with good connections, but I had a hard time with it. Anyway:
But a comeback is exactly what the open-source project hopes to pull off in the next few weeks, when the Netscape Communications-backed effort releases the first official version of its Web browser. After four years in development, the pending event has renewed excitement in a project that once was hailed as a possible Microsoft killer--only to tumble into obscurity after lengthy delays.
The milestone itself is something of a fiction, representing a minor improvement over previous Mozilla browser versions--and one that will be quickly outstripped. The development team routinely turns out new "builds" every few weeks. Mozilla.org, the group steering the browser's development, debated the merits of setting a Mozilla 1.0 version at all. Ultimately, however, it decided the step is an important concession to attracting third-party developers that could create applications based on its technology.
"The most important thing to me is it's going to freeze the API (application programming interface)," said Ramalingam Saravanan, author of the Mozdev-hosted Protozilla project. "It's been changing so much, like every two weeks. You can't keep up."
As Mozilla.org readies the long-awaited 1.0 browser, speculation has swirled over the prospects of a renewed browser battle with Microsoft, whose Internet Explorer now dominates the Web.
The release comes as AOL Time Warner is testing Mozilla technology in versions of its America Online software, a move that could see Microsoft's Internet Explorer ousted as the default browser for some 35 million Web surfers. AOL Time Warner has also filed a civil suit on behalf of Netscape, which AOL acquired in 1999, that alleges Microsoft engaged in illegal practices.
The Mozilla project "is clearly AOL's latest effort to try to get some value out of the Netscape purchase," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst for research firm Jupiter Media Metrix.
Appealing to all camps More significantly perhaps, the Mozilla faithful believe the technology's allure lies in its flexibility for running on various platforms including non-PC devices. Tech heavyweights, ranging from Sun Microsystems and Red Hat to Nokia (news - web sites), are already using Mozilla technology on a limited basis in their products.
But it will take more than tentative support to move Mozilla out of the shadows and into the limelight. Large software companies will have to be convinced that the technology can live up to their needs. That will be the biggest test of whether Mozilla's open-source roots can translate into new products coming from high-tech giants.
Mozilla architects are targeting the swelling wave of Web devices that require Internet-enabled software and accompanying applications to thrive. The next generation of cell phones, pagers, PDAs (personal digital assistants) and set-top boxes will require slimmed-down technology to access the Web, and Mozilla could model itself as the technology of choice.
Mozilla is a programming tool designed to let applications built with it run on almost any operating system. Mozilla developers initially concentrated on building a browser, but the underlying technology can be used to create many types of applications. Some developers have already branched into making Mozilla instant messaging (news - web sites) software, media players and other applications.
Work in the browser realm has focused on its rendering engine, called Gecko. The technology, which allows Web pages to be viewed on browsing software, can be embedded in a variety of products including non-PC devices such as set-top boxes and PDAs. Gecko has also become the cornerstone of the Mozilla browser and AOL's Netscape 6.
In addition to Gecko, Mozilla has drawn significant attention for its XUL, or XML-based User-interface Language. XUL (pronounced "zool") is language for describing user interfaces of various applications. Like Sun's Java language, it is meant to be a "write once, run anywhere" solution.
That has made it attractive to some developers seeking to create applications outside of the closed world of Microsoft.
"It's open source, so it's low cost," said David Ascher, director of programming tools for ActiveState, which is using Mozilla technology to create an interface that makes it easier to work with a range of programming languages. "That also means when there's a problem with the code we can go in and fix it ourselves. The other key benefit is portability. We don't have to change much of the code to run on different platforms, which is a powerful argument for us considering that many of our customers are not using Windows."
Tracing its roots The Mozilla movement was established in 1998 by then-independent Netscape, which charged the open-source project with creating a compelling Web-browsing technology. At the time, Netscape was engaged in a bitter market share battle against Microsoft. It made the risky move of releasing the software code for its Communicator browser to the public, hoping to convince developers to help fight its adversary.
Almost four years later, the Mozilla revolution has turned out to be a grassroots campaign. It's been marred by squabbling, unrealistically high expectations, false starts, and most importantly, Microsoft's breakaway victory in the contest for browser dominance.
The Mozilla browser's delays were exacerbated after AOL acquired Netscape in 1999. Although AOL continued to support Mozilla as the foundation for future versions of Communicator, many developers questioned the Internet company's commitment to the browser effort.
AOL, meanwhile, has emphasized the project's independence.
"Mozilla.org remains an independent organization that exists to make Mozilla a successful open-source project, and it supports the entire Mozilla community," said Catherine Corre, an AOL spokeswoman.
In all, it took more than two-and-a-half years for Netscape to release its first browser product using Mozilla technology, Netscape 6. Developers unanimously criticized Netscape 6 as an unfinished, bug-prone beta release. Future versions of Netscape 6 have corrected most of the browser's initial problems.
Mitchell Baker, chief evangelist of the Mozilla.org project, admitted the group was confronted by a series of roadblocks that hampered its development time line. The biggest setback was a decision to completely scrap Netscape 4 source code as its foundation and rebuild it from scratch.
"People generally understand when you redo a whole house, you leave a wall or two standing," Baker said. "It wasn't clear right away that most of (the code) should've been rewritten. We started with the kitchen, and then realized we had to redo the bathroom, then realized the wiring was all wrong."
Thinking outside the box With such a late entry, there's little chance the Mozilla browser can outpace Internet Explorer's dominance and ubiquity. Instead, Mozilla supporters view non-PC devices as the next frontier. Its flexible code can fit into many molds of varying devices, letting manufacturers of Web tablets, PDAs and set-top boxes tweak the Gecko browsing engine to their own tastes and specifications.
"Now instead of just having an application locked inside a browser window, now we can use it to create a full-fledged application," said David Boswell, project manager for CollabNet and co-founder of Mozdev.org, a group that is helping to steer about 66 Mozilla-based application development projects.
Mozdev's offerings include Chimera, a Mozilla-based Web browser that Boswell says is winning some converts among Mac OS X (news - web sites) users. Others projects that leave Web browsers far behind include the Jabberzilla instant messaging client and a music player called Lizzard.
Despite the promise of extensive application, the Mozilla technology faces considerable challenges. For one, mobile device companies such as Handspring and Palm already have browsers suited to their devices. Handspring has its own wireless browser called Blazer that is being used in many of its products and has been licensed by Sprint.
Meanwhile, Linux (news - web sites) Labs recently released a beta version of a Web browser for wireless Palm devices called Vagabond.
In a sense, the market for handheld browsers is already picking up steam without Mozilla. Despite an initial rush among developers to download the code, the project hasn't attracted a wave of corporations and legions of developers on nearly the scale of open-source operating system Linux.
"Why somebody would want to try out a Mozilla browser on the Handspring is beyond me because there's a really good browser out there," said Ken Smiley, an analyst at market research firm Giga Information Group. "That's what they were saying with the Gecko engine. I just don't think it's really proven yet that it has a superior solution."
Furthermore, Smiley questioned whether flexibility matters to non-PC device makers. Web tablet makers rarely produce mobile communicators, and cell phone manufacturers typically don't make set-top boxes. Cell phone giant Nokia is a notable exception; it uses Mozilla's browser in its Mediaterminal set-top box, which is only available in Sweden.
On shifting ground Interest in Mozilla appears to be changing. Despite AOL's ambiguous relationship with Mozilla and Gecko, recent events may signal a commitment to the technology by the online giant. In March, the company began testing Gecko as the default browser technology for its AOL 7.0 software after years of using Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
If Gecko indeed becomes the default technology in the anticipated release of AOL 8 this fall, the tide in the browser wars will shift.
"All of a sudden the browser battle is much more interesting simply because of the sheer numbers of AOL subscribers," said Carl Howe, an analyst at market research company Forrester Research. "It is simply a very different bundling strategy in the same way that IE is bundled with Windows."
A booting of Internet Explorer would be felt around the world. It would mean AOL is stepping onto Microsoft's home turf to challenge its hold on Web browsers and possibly other applications closely knit into Windows. Although AOL says publicly that it does not intend such an advance, it is nevertheless funneling money and support to the front line.
AOL's Corre would not elaborate on Mozilla's role in the company's future. In fact, the company's being mum about it with everyone.
"That's the million dollar question, and wish I could answer it," Mozilla.org's Baker said.
Here's a copy of the write up. My machine barely made it to the site:) Google is just the juice Thu, Apr 11, 2002; by Dave Winer. Good afternoon
A very quick piece today, a story, a question, an answer and a pointer.
The story -- 1995. A new release of Netscape. Can't get through to their servers. This thing is exploding. A mind bomb every minute. Wow. I love this. End of story.
The question: Can it happen again?
The answer..
Yes!
This afternoon Google opened a public SOAP 1.1 interface.
Now, from scripts, we can call Google as if it were a script running locally.
What comes back? Data.
What questions should we ask?
That's where the mind bombs will come from.
In the loop
We've been in the loop with Google, privately, for the last few weeks, so we've had a chance to play with ideas and actually have some.
Yesterday, as a tease, I put a Google Box on Weblogs.Com. Every hour it recalcs, showing the top 10 hits on Google for the term weblog. To my surprise, it changes, it's not constant. And it took me to places I didn't know about. The serendipity of queries that run for a long time. That, imho, is where the juice is in the Google API; and probably many or most of the APIs that are sure to follow; because Google is so popular.
Google hits the ball over the net, then we return the volley. Finally, once again, signs of life. Let's hope we learn from the past -- and keep the spark going -- welcoming competition and learning from it instead of snuffing it out. The intoxication of a new idea every day is too good to not want to be there once again.
Maybe the dark ages are over? I hope so.
Google is just the juice
It's happening in real time. As I write this I'm waiting for the embargo to lift. As soon as that happens, we'll start releasing new parts and samples for Radio and Frontier users that connect to Google's SOAP interface, with simple but geekish instructions for getting started.
Later today Google Boxes will start showing up on Radio weblogs, which you can follow through Weblogs.Com. You'll see SOAP developers, on all platforms, getting to work, creating and publishing the glue that turns the Internet, finally, into a fantastic scripting environment. Google is just the juice we need.
It might be profitable for certain companies to monitor new Slashdot stories as they relate to human behavior. The rate of influx for new stories is bound to be inversely related to the workers' productivity:)
You're right! I think Darth Vader would be the Green Knight....wait, that would make Luke into Gawain....this can get confusing:) Seriously though, Star Wars is just one of a myriad of sci-fi/fantasy that borrow the "common man becomes hero" theme of Arthur. Look at LOTR. Frodo is just a quiet, unassuming hobbit before the Ring.
Well, Star Wars borrows from (among other things) Arthurian myth. Arthur was far from being a king before he got Excalibur. After that he rose to greatness.
Likewise, Luke was a farmboy before getting The Force and becoming great himself.
I think they're a lot of fun, actually. Most people get mad at them but I look at it as a prank phone call you can't get in trouble for. As an example, a telemarketer once called during a favorite tv program of mine. I began to yell at them for interrupting my favorite show but then I calmly explained why it was so important that I watched the show. I gave him the plotline, character descriptions, etc. Had him on the line for about 10 minutes while completely wasting his time!
Umm. I have no opinion on this.
on
Tool Box PC
·
· Score: 0, Troll
It looks like a computer in a tool box.
none of the LOTR movies will have a chance
on
LoTR Takes 4 Oscars
·
· Score: 1
I apologize if this is redundant b/c I am at work and don't have time to look at all the comments but I really don't think LOTR ever stood a chance. Fantasy/Sci-Fi is really a niche market, and even though it sometimes has a rabid fan base(ie: Star Wars) the movies generally lack mainstream appeal due to the stigma they bear(ie: sci-fi/fantasy is geeky). I haven't seen any of the other movies FOTR was up against so I can't comment on whether it deserved the award or not. I'm just saying that it (and the the sequels) have virtually no chance of getting top-dog honors, simply b/c of the genre
Do you think it will come with a warning label that says
"Caution! Contents Extremely Hot!"
It should hold to at least the same standards as fast food restaurants!
Well, this is a good step in the right direction! Sony has quite the job to do if they're ever going to get to the mind interface of the Playstation 9!
Slashdot Mirror
In the edition of the books that I have, Tolkien clearly states that the LotR is a story unto itself, not analagous to anything else (like WWII, like many believe). This is not to say that Tolkien didn't have plenty of inspiration along the way, but nothing in the book was supposed to parallel anything in real life.
However, I think Frodo's advancement is the most stark of all his companions. In the beginning of the trilogy, Frodo tells Gandalf that it was a pity Bilbo did not kill Gollum when he had the chance. Gandalf, of course, tells Frodo that Bilbo's pity may have a huge impact later on (which it does) and to not suggest death as a punishment too lightly.
At the end of the trilogy, Frodo spares Saruman, who is at least as vile as Gollum and has done considerably more harm. Frodo's newfond wisdom and mercy is clearly evident here, and I think the scene should have been included in the film.
No, it's not Hollywood-esque enough to appeal to a large audience, but it has a deeper meaning than flashy explosions and fight scenes.
They'll need a pk and non-pk version of this bot just to please everyone.
Was it really necessary to mod this down to -1 when it was already at 0? Thanks for driving a new user away from ever using Slashdot again so quickly.
probably not /.ed for those with good connections, but I had a hard time with it. Anyway:
But a comeback is exactly what the open-source project hopes to pull off in the next few weeks, when the Netscape Communications-backed effort releases the first official version of its Web browser. After four years in development, the pending event has renewed excitement in a project that once was hailed as a possible Microsoft killer--only to tumble into obscurity after lengthy delays.
The milestone itself is something of a fiction, representing a minor improvement over previous Mozilla browser versions--and one that will be quickly outstripped. The development team routinely turns out new "builds" every few weeks. Mozilla.org, the group steering the browser's development, debated the merits of setting a Mozilla 1.0 version at all. Ultimately, however, it decided the step is an important concession to attracting third-party developers that could create applications based on its technology.
"The most important thing to me is it's going to freeze the API (application programming interface)," said Ramalingam Saravanan, author of the Mozdev-hosted Protozilla project. "It's been changing so much, like every two weeks. You can't keep up."
As Mozilla.org readies the long-awaited 1.0 browser, speculation has swirled over the prospects of a renewed browser battle with Microsoft, whose Internet Explorer now dominates the Web.
The release comes as AOL Time Warner is testing Mozilla technology in versions of its America Online software, a move that could see Microsoft's Internet Explorer ousted as the default browser for some 35 million Web surfers. AOL Time Warner has also filed a civil suit on behalf of Netscape, which AOL acquired in 1999, that alleges Microsoft engaged in illegal practices.
The Mozilla project "is clearly AOL's latest effort to try to get some value out of the Netscape purchase," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst for research firm Jupiter Media Metrix.
Appealing to all camps
More significantly perhaps, the Mozilla faithful believe the technology's allure lies in its flexibility for running on various platforms including non-PC devices. Tech heavyweights, ranging from Sun Microsystems and Red Hat to Nokia (news - web sites), are already using Mozilla technology on a limited basis in their products.
But it will take more than tentative support to move Mozilla out of the shadows and into the limelight. Large software companies will have to be convinced that the technology can live up to their needs. That will be the biggest test of whether Mozilla's open-source roots can translate into new products coming from high-tech giants.
Mozilla architects are targeting the swelling wave of Web devices that require Internet-enabled software and accompanying applications to thrive. The next generation of cell phones, pagers, PDAs (personal digital assistants) and set-top boxes will require slimmed-down technology to access the Web, and Mozilla could model itself as the technology of choice.
Mozilla is a programming tool designed to let applications built with it run on almost any operating system. Mozilla developers initially concentrated on building a browser, but the underlying technology can be used to create many types of applications. Some developers have already branched into making Mozilla instant messaging (news - web sites) software, media players and other applications.
Work in the browser realm has focused on its rendering engine, called Gecko. The technology, which allows Web pages to be viewed on browsing software, can be embedded in a variety of products including non-PC devices such as set-top boxes and PDAs. Gecko has also become the cornerstone of the Mozilla browser and AOL's Netscape 6.
In addition to Gecko, Mozilla has drawn significant attention for its XUL, or XML-based User-interface Language. XUL (pronounced "zool") is language for describing user interfaces of various applications. Like Sun's Java language, it is meant to be a "write once, run anywhere" solution.
That has made it attractive to some developers seeking to create applications outside of the closed world of Microsoft.
"It's open source, so it's low cost," said David Ascher, director of programming tools for ActiveState, which is using Mozilla technology to create an interface that makes it easier to work with a range of programming languages. "That also means when there's a problem with the code we can go in and fix it ourselves. The other key benefit is portability. We don't have to change much of the code to run on different platforms, which is a powerful argument for us considering that many of our customers are not using Windows."
Tracing its roots
The Mozilla movement was established in 1998 by then-independent Netscape, which charged the open-source project with creating a compelling Web-browsing technology. At the time, Netscape was engaged in a bitter market share battle against Microsoft. It made the risky move of releasing the software code for its Communicator browser to the public, hoping to convince developers to help fight its adversary.
Almost four years later, the Mozilla revolution has turned out to be a grassroots campaign. It's been marred by squabbling, unrealistically high expectations, false starts, and most importantly, Microsoft's breakaway victory in the contest for browser dominance.
The Mozilla browser's delays were exacerbated after AOL acquired Netscape in 1999. Although AOL continued to support Mozilla as the foundation for future versions of Communicator, many developers questioned the Internet company's commitment to the browser effort.
AOL, meanwhile, has emphasized the project's independence.
"Mozilla.org remains an independent organization that exists to make Mozilla a successful open-source project, and it supports the entire Mozilla community," said Catherine Corre, an AOL spokeswoman.
In all, it took more than two-and-a-half years for Netscape to release its first browser product using Mozilla technology, Netscape 6. Developers unanimously criticized Netscape 6 as an unfinished, bug-prone beta release. Future versions of Netscape 6 have corrected most of the browser's initial problems.
Mitchell Baker, chief evangelist of the Mozilla.org project, admitted the group was confronted by a series of roadblocks that hampered its development time line. The biggest setback was a decision to completely scrap Netscape 4 source code as its foundation and rebuild it from scratch.
"People generally understand when you redo a whole house, you leave a wall or two standing," Baker said. "It wasn't clear right away that most of (the code) should've been rewritten. We started with the kitchen, and then realized we had to redo the bathroom, then realized the wiring was all wrong."
Thinking outside the box
With such a late entry, there's little chance the Mozilla browser can outpace Internet Explorer's dominance and ubiquity. Instead, Mozilla supporters view non-PC devices as the next frontier. Its flexible code can fit into many molds of varying devices, letting manufacturers of Web tablets, PDAs and set-top boxes tweak the Gecko browsing engine to their own tastes and specifications.
"Now instead of just having an application locked inside a browser window, now we can use it to create a full-fledged application," said David Boswell, project manager for CollabNet and co-founder of Mozdev.org, a group that is helping to steer about 66 Mozilla-based application development projects.
Mozdev's offerings include Chimera, a Mozilla-based Web browser that Boswell says is winning some converts among Mac OS X (news - web sites) users. Others projects that leave Web browsers far behind include the Jabberzilla instant messaging client and a music player called Lizzard.
Despite the promise of extensive application, the Mozilla technology faces considerable challenges. For one, mobile device companies such as Handspring and Palm already have browsers suited to their devices. Handspring has its own wireless browser called Blazer that is being used in many of its products and has been licensed by Sprint.
Meanwhile, Linux (news - web sites) Labs recently released a beta version of a Web browser for wireless Palm devices called Vagabond.
In a sense, the market for handheld browsers is already picking up steam without Mozilla. Despite an initial rush among developers to download the code, the project hasn't attracted a wave of corporations and legions of developers on nearly the scale of open-source operating system Linux.
"Why somebody would want to try out a Mozilla browser on the Handspring is beyond me because there's a really good browser out there," said Ken Smiley, an analyst at market research firm Giga Information Group. "That's what they were saying with the Gecko engine. I just don't think it's really proven yet that it has a superior solution."
Furthermore, Smiley questioned whether flexibility matters to non-PC device makers. Web tablet makers rarely produce mobile communicators, and cell phone manufacturers typically don't make set-top boxes. Cell phone giant Nokia is a notable exception; it uses Mozilla's browser in its Mediaterminal set-top box, which is only available in Sweden.
On shifting ground
Interest in Mozilla appears to be changing. Despite AOL's ambiguous relationship with Mozilla and Gecko, recent events may signal a commitment to the technology by the online giant. In March, the company began testing Gecko as the default browser technology for its AOL 7.0 software after years of using Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
If Gecko indeed becomes the default technology in the anticipated release of AOL 8 this fall, the tide in the browser wars will shift.
"All of a sudden the browser battle is much more interesting simply because of the sheer numbers of AOL subscribers," said Carl Howe, an analyst at market research company Forrester Research. "It is simply a very different bundling strategy in the same way that IE is bundled with Windows."
A booting of Internet Explorer would be felt around the world. It would mean AOL is stepping onto Microsoft's home turf to challenge its hold on Web browsers and possibly other applications closely knit into Windows. Although AOL says publicly that it does not intend such an advance, it is nevertheless funneling money and support to the front line.
AOL's Corre would not elaborate on Mozilla's role in the company's future. In fact, the company's being mum about it with everyone.
"That's the million dollar question, and wish I could answer it," Mozilla.org's Baker said.
Evan Hansen contributed to this report.
Here's a copy of the write up. My machine barely made it to the site :)
Google is just the juice
Thu, Apr 11, 2002; by Dave Winer.
Good afternoon
A very quick piece today, a story, a question, an answer and a pointer.
The story -- 1995. A new release of Netscape. Can't get through to their servers. This thing is exploding. A mind bomb every minute. Wow. I love this. End of story.
The question: Can it happen again?
The answer..
Yes!
This afternoon Google opened a public SOAP 1.1 interface.
Now, from scripts, we can call Google as if it were a script running locally.
What comes back? Data.
What questions should we ask?
That's where the mind bombs will come from.
In the loop
We've been in the loop with Google, privately, for the last few weeks, so we've had a chance to play with ideas and actually have some.
Yesterday, as a tease, I put a Google Box on Weblogs.Com. Every hour it recalcs, showing the top 10 hits on Google for the term weblog. To my surprise, it changes, it's not constant. And it took me to places I didn't know about. The serendipity of queries that run for a long time. That, imho, is where the juice is in the Google API; and probably many or most of the APIs that are sure to follow; because Google is so popular.
Google hits the ball over the net, then we return the volley. Finally, once again, signs of life. Let's hope we learn from the past -- and keep the spark going -- welcoming competition and learning from it instead of snuffing it out. The intoxication of a new idea every day is too good to not want to be there once again.
Maybe the dark ages are over? I hope so.
Google is just the juice
It's happening in real time. As I write this I'm waiting for the embargo to lift. As soon as that happens, we'll start releasing new parts and samples for Radio and Frontier users that connect to Google's SOAP interface, with simple but geekish instructions for getting started.
Later today Google Boxes will start showing up on Radio weblogs, which you can follow through Weblogs.Com. You'll see SOAP developers, on all platforms, getting to work, creating and publishing the glue that turns the Internet, finally, into a fantastic scripting environment. Google is just the juice we need.
Dave Winer
Woo hoo!!!
It might be profitable for certain companies to monitor new Slashdot stories as they relate to human behavior. The rate of influx for new stories is bound to be inversely related to the workers' productivity :)
Especially since Sauron was an underling of a greater evil power (Morgoth/Melkor) before that was overthrown
You're right! I think Darth Vader would be the Green Knight....wait, that would make Luke into Gawain....this can get confusing :) Seriously though, Star Wars is just one of a myriad of sci-fi/fantasy that borrow the "common man becomes hero" theme of Arthur. Look at LOTR. Frodo is just a quiet, unassuming hobbit before the Ring.
Well, Star Wars borrows from (among other things) Arthurian myth. Arthur was far from being a king before he got Excalibur. After that he rose to greatness. Likewise, Luke was a farmboy before getting The Force and becoming great himself.
I think they're a lot of fun, actually. Most people get mad at them but I look at it as a prank phone call you can't get in trouble for. As an example, a telemarketer once called during a favorite tv program of mine. I began to yell at them for interrupting my favorite show but then I calmly explained why it was so important that I watched the show. I gave him the plotline, character descriptions, etc. Had him on the line for about 10 minutes while completely wasting his time!
Did I get it in time?
It looks like a computer in a tool box.
I apologize if this is redundant b/c I am at work and don't have time to look at all the comments but I really don't think LOTR ever stood a chance.
Fantasy/Sci-Fi is really a niche market, and even though it sometimes has a rabid fan base(ie: Star Wars) the movies generally lack mainstream appeal due to the stigma they bear(ie: sci-fi/fantasy is geeky). I haven't seen any of the other movies FOTR was up against so I can't comment on whether it deserved the award or not. I'm just saying that it (and the the sequels) have virtually no chance of getting top-dog honors, simply b/c of the genre
Do you think it will come with a warning label that says "Caution! Contents Extremely Hot!" It should hold to at least the same standards as fast food restaurants!
Well, this is a good step in the right direction! Sony has quite the job to do if they're ever going to get to the mind interface of the Playstation 9!