[scifinoir2] Fwd: Consumer Reports Looks at Latest 3D TVs
Sent this yesterday, but not sure it came through...Sammie recently bought a plasma TV, and I commented on how I much prefer the more vibrant look of plasmas over LCD's, even though most everyone I know tells me LCD is the way to go. Another thing in plasma's favor is that they seem to do better with the up-and-coming 3D technology for the home. Consumer Reports recently did an article on it: August 23, 2010 First Look: New 3D LCD TVs from LG, Sony ClaudioMeter_1 Claudio Ciacci, who heads up TV testing, gets ready to measure crosstalk on 3D TVs. Ever since we tested the first 3D TVs available—a Panasonic VT20-series plasma TV and Samsung 7000- and 8000-series LCD TVs —we've been looking forward to reviewing more 3D TV models. We recently completed testing of newer Panasonic ( VT25 series ) and Samsung ( C7000 and C8000 series) plasma sets, which performed well in the 3D mode, and now have the first 3D TVs from LG Electronic and Sony, all LCD TVs with edge LED backlights . Our preliminary tests of these four new 3D LCD TVs—two from each manufacturer—reinforces our early suspicions that plasma is a better technology than LCD for presenting 3D images. That's because plasma TVs have been relatively free from crosstalk, or ghosted double images that occur when images meant for one eye aren't kept completely separate from the other. On the other hand, all the LCD sets we've tested have had fairly significant levels of crosstalk, which can be distracting and diminish the 3D effect. It's our belief that most viewers will accept slight color shifts or a loss of brightness when watching 3D, but will be less tolerant of significant ghosting, which can also add to eyestrain. It's also important to note that all four TVs are capable of very good to excellent performance with all types of normal high-definition programming. (The Sony HX800 set in our LCD TV Ratings , available to subscribers , delivered excellent overall picture quality.) However, one potential differentiating factor could be viewing angle . The tested Sony, for example, had a fairly narrow viewing angle, narrower than most sets. Other Sony sets we've tested have had average viewing angles for an LCD. LG has typically faired better, with several sets judged very good for viewing angle—among the best we've seen from an LCD set. All these sets will have viewing angle scores when they're added to our TV Ratings. Claudio3D Claudio Ciacci with 3D test patterns that reveal crosstalk. Putting 3D to the test The two LG 3D sets in our labs are the LG 47-inch Infinia 47LX9500 flagship model ($4,300), the first 3D TV we've tested with 480Hz technology, and the 55-inch 55LX6500 ($3,600), a 240Hz set. The LX9500 has a full-array LED backlight, while the LX6500 uses an edge LED backlight that can be locally dimmed, something we've previously seen only on some Samsung models. [Ed. note: In an earlier version of the story, the LX9500 was incorrectly described as an edge-lit model.] Neither model comes with LG's 3D glasses , which sell for $130 per set at both Best Buy and Crutchfield. In addition to the Sony model (the 40-inch KDL-40HX800, $2,100) currently in our TV Ratings, we're now also testing the 52-inch flagship Sony XBR-52LX900 ($3,600). Both feature Sony's 240Hz technology. The higher-priced XBR model comes with two pairs of Sony 3D glasses ($150 per pair), but the HX800 model doesn't come with any. It's also the only model we've encountered that also requires you to buy an external sync transmitter , which costs $50. For our 3D evaluations, all four TVs were tested with a range of 3D content, including 3D Blu-ray movies and 3D programs from the ESPN 3D and DirecTV/Panasonic n3D channels, which were stored on a DirecTV HD DVR. In general, we found the LG sets performed similarly to the Samsung LCD models we've tested, delivering a satisfyingly bright, clear picture with plenty of three-dimensional depth. But we also saw fairly significant ghosting. While crosstalk is typically most evident on higher-contrast content (bright objects against a darker background, for example), which can be challenging even for 3D plasma TVs, the LG showed significant crosstalk across a variety of content, though a tad less intense than with the Samsung sets. Overall we found the ghosting on the LG to be distracting, ultimately detracting from a quality 3D experience. The Sony TVs were the most unusual 3D sets we've tested to date. On one hand they could deliver a very good, especially bright 3D image with visibly less ghosting than we've seen on other LCD-based sets. But that's only if you can keep your head completely vertical to the screen. When we tilted our head to one side even slightly, the ghosting increased dramatically—to a level more severe than we've seen on other sets—and the 3D effect diminished. Apparently, Sony uses only a single polarizer on
Re: [scifinoir2] Writer defends Happy Days 'jump the shark' episode
I respect the writer's perspective, and understand his sensitivity. After all, I get upset sometimes if someone overly critiques one of my e-mails! But his assertion that Happy Days wasn't on the decline simply because it lasted six more years isn't the same as saying those were six *good* years. Happy Days was such a part of American life that it would naturally take a long time for it to become so bad--or the audience to literally outgrow its nostalgic backward look at the 50s. Laverne and Shirley moved locations and was noticeably less of a show, yet lasted for years after. All in thh Family went on for a time after many of the principals who'd help make it--the Jeffersons, Edith--but was still getting ratings. Eyeballs don't always equal quality: look at the awful dreck we have like American Idol, The Bachelor, The Real Housewives, or that sitcom with Belushi, According to Jim, which stayed on despite being poor. Jumping the Shark doesn't always mean a show completely degenerates into pure crap, either. Many, many shows decline in overall quality, and aren't necessarily awful, just not nearly on the level as when they started. But as for Jumping the Shark, it's funny that he mentions the ep with Fonzie and his love Pinky: the site of Fonz and Pinky lovingly popping wheelies in slow-motion to romantic music is actually way sillier than his jumping that shark tank later. Maybe the phrase could have been Popping a wheelie! And let's not talk about when Mork was brought in as the alien friend, which reminded me way too much of Kazoo from the Flintstones... - Original Message - From: Kelwyn ravena...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, September 8, 2010 11:36:21 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Writer defends Happy Days 'jump the shark' episode http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/03/entertainment/la-et-jump-the-shark-20100903 In 1987, Jon Hein and his roommates at the University of Michigan were drinking beer and had Nick at Nite playing in the background. They started talking about classic TV shows when someone asked, What was the precise moment you knew it was downhill for your favorite show? One said it was when Vicki came on board The Love Boat. Another thought it was when the Great Gazoo appeared on The Flintstones. Sean Connolly offered, That's easy: It was when Fonzie jumped the shark. As Hein later recounted, there was silence in the room: No explanation necessary, the phrase said it all. If I had been in the room, however, I would have broken that silence of self-assuredness, for I wrote that now infamous episode of Happy Days. And more than three decades later, I still don't believe that the series jumped the shark when Fonzie jumped the shark.
[scifinoir2] Consumer Reports Looks at Latest 3D TVs
Sammie recently bought a plasma TV, and I commented on how I much prefer the more vibrant look of plasmas over LCD's, even though most everyone I know tells me LCD is the way to go. Another thing in plasma's favor is that they seem to do better with the up-and-coming 3D technology for the home. Consumer Reports recently did an article on it: August 23, 2010 First Look: New 3D LCD TVs from LG, Sony ClaudioMeter_1 Claudio Ciacci, who heads up TV testing, gets ready to measure crosstalk on 3D TVs. Ever since we tested the first 3D TVs available—a Panasonic VT20-series plasma TV and Samsung 7000- and 8000-series LCD TVs —we've been looking forward to reviewing more 3D TV models. We recently completed testing of newer Panasonic ( VT25 series ) and Samsung ( C7000 and C8000 series) plasma sets, which performed well in the 3D mode, and now have the first 3D TVs from LG Electronic and Sony, all LCD TVs with edge LED backlights . Our preliminary tests of these four new 3D LCD TVs—two from each manufacturer—reinforces our early suspicions that plasma is a better technology than LCD for presenting 3D images. That's because plasma TVs have been relatively free from crosstalk, or ghosted double images that occur when images meant for one eye aren't kept completely separate from the other. On the other hand, all the LCD sets we've tested have had fairly significant levels of crosstalk, which can be distracting and diminish the 3D effect. It's our belief that most viewers will accept slight color shifts or a loss of brightness when watching 3D, but will be less tolerant of significant ghosting, which can also add to eyestrain. It's also important to note that all four TVs are capable of very good to excellent performance with all types of normal high-definition programming. (The Sony HX800 set in our LCD TV Ratings , available to subscribers , delivered excellent overall picture quality.) However, one potential differentiating factor could be viewing angle . The tested Sony, for example, had a fairly narrow viewing angle, narrower than most sets. Other Sony sets we've tested have had average viewing angles for an LCD. LG has typically faired better, with several sets judged very good for viewing angle—among the best we've seen from an LCD set. All these sets will have viewing angle scores when they're added to our TV Ratings. Claudio3D Claudio Ciacci with 3D test patterns that reveal crosstalk. Putting 3D to the test The two LG 3D sets in our labs are the LG 47-inch Infinia 47LX9500 flagship model ($4,300), the first 3D TV we've tested with 480Hz technology, and the 55-inch 55LX6500 ($3,600), a 240Hz set. The LX9500 has a full-array LED backlight, while the LX6500 uses an edge LED backlight that can be locally dimmed, something we've previously seen only on some Samsung models. [Ed. note: In an earlier version of the story, the LX9500 was incorrectly described as an edge-lit model.] Neither model comes with LG's 3D glasses , which sell for $130 per set at both Best Buy and Crutchfield. In addition to the Sony model (the 40-inch KDL-40HX800, $2,100) currently in our TV Ratings, we're now also testing the 52-inch flagship Sony XBR-52LX900 ($3,600). Both feature Sony's 240Hz technology. The higher-priced XBR model comes with two pairs of Sony 3D glasses ($150 per pair), but the HX800 model doesn't come with any. It's also the only model we've encountered that also requires you to buy an external sync transmitter , which costs $50. For our 3D evaluations, all four TVs were tested with a range of 3D content, including 3D Blu-ray movies and 3D programs from the ESPN 3D and DirecTV/Panasonic n3D channels, which were stored on a DirecTV HD DVR. In general, we found the LG sets performed similarly to the Samsung LCD models we've tested, delivering a satisfyingly bright, clear picture with plenty of three-dimensional depth. But we also saw fairly significant ghosting. While crosstalk is typically most evident on higher-contrast content (bright objects against a darker background, for example), which can be challenging even for 3D plasma TVs, the LG showed significant crosstalk across a variety of content, though a tad less intense than with the Samsung sets. Overall we found the ghosting on the LG to be distracting, ultimately detracting from a quality 3D experience. The Sony TVs were the most unusual 3D sets we've tested to date. On one hand they could deliver a very good, especially bright 3D image with visibly less ghosting than we've seen on other LCD-based sets. But that's only if you can keep your head completely vertical to the screen. When we tilted our head to one side even slightly, the ghosting increased dramatically—to a level more severe than we've seen on other sets—and the 3D effect diminished. Apparently, Sony uses only a single polarizer on each lens of its glasses. This helps boost
Re: [scifinoir2] Outer Limits Marathon on SyFy
That's one of those I've never seen all the way to the end. One forgets how good an actress Phillips can be, given the opportunity and sobriety.- Original Message -From: "Martin Baxter" martinbaxt...@gmail.comTo: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSent: Wednesday, September 8, 2010 2:33:54 PMSubject: Re: [scifinoir2] "Outer Limits" Marathon on SyFy Keith, that's exactly why I passed on that ep. Too vivid, even for my twisted brain.The ep I wanted to see was the one at 1 pm Eastern, with MacKenzie Phillips and Colin Mochrie of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", about a UFO nut and a security guard who come into possession of what appears to be a fragment of a UFO that crashed. You can see the twist coming from light-years off (one of them is part of the cover-up), and it still gets you every time. I saw the ep that's on now, with the military droid on the run, last month, so I'm passing on it for Graham Kerr. (Ultra Old School, am I. ) On Wed, Sep 8, 2010 at 10:39 AM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: There's an "Outer Limits" (the newer series) marathon on SyFy now. The good thing is, because the show's airing was so inconsistent back in the day, I can always find an ep or two I've never seen, seen only partially, or seen only one time. There were some really good shows in that series. The ep on now, however, is one I have trouble watching. It stars Joel Grey as a grief-stricken scientist whose only son died. He secrets funds and parts from the lab where he works to build a robotic son as a substitute, complete with true self-awareness. The problem is, he has to hide this project, both from the lab whose resources he's pilfering, and of course from the world at large, which would treat his "son" as a freak--or menace. What makes this oft-used scifi trope effective in this show is the combination of touching sadness and faint fear the show engenders. For example, the robot boy is obviously not real: his movements are jerky, his eyes are two balls devoid of sockets or real lids, his mouth is just teeth with no lips. His overall skeleton--only the upper body at first--is metallic, with a small amount of skinlike material on his lower jaw. In short, he looks much like the Terminator skeleton with a bit more human characteristics added. That alone wouldn't be disturbing, but the child actor who voices the robot is so genuine, so emotive, so "real", that hearing that voice come out of a near-expressionless face is quite disturbing. The "Uncanny Valley" effect is really working here. Adding to the growing sense of unease about the child is that when he's angry or hurt, one then sees it not just as a angry child, but a potentially deadly robot whose features are already frankly frightening. It's the Frankenstein's Monster effect again: he may be a child, and act like a child, but he's in a frightening body that can do harm, and his childlike tantrums can turn deadly. The scene that always disturbs me the most is when the dad comes home to find his son with the family cat. "Shhh", the son says, "he feel asleep, and I'm petting him. He's so pretty" The camera pans down to show the lifeless body of the cat, literally shredded to bloody ribbons by the unfeeling metallic hands of the son. He didn't mean to kill the cat, but had no concept of death, his strength, nor an ability to feel. There's something extremely creepy about this robot child have human innocence, but the body and face of a monster, which makes his anguished outburst over realizing he'd killed the cat both poignant and frightening at the same time. You actually feel for the child, but fear the thing in which he's house. Again, like Frankenstein's Monster. One of the better "Outer Limits" I've ever seen, but I can't sit through it more than once. -- "If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script?" -- Charles E Granthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
The Bamboos? Never heard of them but will check 'em out! - Original Message - From: George Arterberry brotherfromhow...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, September 6, 2010 5:16:28 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings The Dap-kings was/is a record company house band (Dap Records ) in Brooklyn. There is a UK group The New Mastersounds who've been holding it down for years. A group from Austrialia called The Bamboos are in the same vein andhave alot of potential. I've downloaded alot of their stuff. From: B Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sat, September 4, 2010 8:32:16 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings I think that's true for some folks but overall the scene is pretty varied. There has been a big retro movement but the UK RB scene has been healthy for years. They wear their influences on their sleeves but folks like Omar, Mica Paris, Floetry and others have been doing great stuff for a while. Jody Watley's best work in years was the album she did with UK production teams. BTW did you hear Amy Winehouse's music before her big breakout? It was very polished and modern with some pretty raw lyrics to separate her from similar artists. She was like a a UK Jaguar Wright(without Jaguar's raw power or range). That's why I called Back To Black trend jumping in some ways. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Mr. Worf hellomahog...@... wrote: Yes, there is something painful and old school sounding in her voice. I would also say the same about Joss Stone too. Unfortunately, its only a facsimile of a particular style and not truly authentic. Before I learned a little about the UK's RB history I thought it was kind of cool, but they basically have been listening to 50s and 60s RB in some areas since the 50s and 60s without much growth. Much of the RB that they were listening to were unpopular records from here, Canada and UK clones. (Just to make sure I downloaded a few albums from there that were hits.) Basically early Motown, Stax sound alikes. On Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 11:13 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@...wrote: So the dank whiskey drowned nightclub is a *good* thing, right? - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 4, 2010 1:26:40 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings Amy Winehouse sounds like she came out of some dank whiskey drowned nightclub from the 50s. Unfortunately, she isn't consistent and has a major drug problem. On Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 10:11 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@...wrote: I've never listened to Amy Winehouse. What's so good about her? Another good singer who has an old school sound is Leela James - Original Message - From: B Smith daikaij...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 3, 2010 3:23:49 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings I like them in small doses but Sharon does the damn thing and their live shows are epic. I liked at first Amy Winehouse but that crap of crowning her the new face of soul music really galled me. She was just trend jumping like a lot of other singers do and she blew up. Good recommendations from your e-mail. I'd add Soulive, Jamie Lidell, Joss Stone(especially her work with Raphael Saadiq) and Cee-lo Green as folks you might want to seek out. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ wrote: Enjoy! I got the following from a lady in response to the e-mail: FYI they have been around for quite a while...The Dap Kings moonlight as the band for Amy Winehouse as well. If you like them and that retro soul feel, also check out Raphael Saadiq, Rahsaan Patterson, and this young funky white kid Mayer Hawthorne... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxter7@ To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 3, 2010 2:20:02 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings Thanks, Keith! I'll have a look/listen as soon as I clear my table here and pay some bills. On Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 12:22 PM, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ wrote: I'm always searching for real music that's outside of the standard hip-hip/finger poppin'/dance heavy stuff played on commercial radio (how many times in one day can one stomach Beyonce Knowles, Lady Gaga, or Bieber???) A while back I heard an interview on Fresh Air with a group called Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. This group is amazing, with a sound that hails
Re: [scifinoir2] Subcritical accelerator driven thorium nuclear reactor
Ha-ha! I was watching one of the great science shows on cable recently. I think it was The Universe on The History Channel. They had an ep on deep space probes and discussed ion powered ships. The program indicated they're getting better all the time, and that in the next ten - twenty years, we may be able to see a severalfold increase in the speed of probes using ion power. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 5, 2010 6:15:36 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Subcritical accelerator driven thorium nuclear reactor Aside from the battery, I'm not seeing anything wrong with that idea... On Sat, Sep 4, 2010 at 11:00 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Somewhere in my old house in Fort Worth is a schematic of an ion drive I did in second grade, after watching an ep of Star Trek (had to be Spock's Brain), and reading about electrolytes in my encyclopedia set. I'd read about how cesium, when immersed in water, would produce ions in solution, and I'd read about theories for Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), the idea of using fusion power to drive plasma as a source of motion. Then there was that Trek ep where they said the aliens who took Spock's brain used ion power, which Kirk said was even beyond Federation tech. So, sure that I'd stumbled on a major secret, I took pen to paper. I drew a cutaway of the Jupiter Two from Lost in Space. Inside was a giant water tank. Sitting next to the tank, like a coal scuttle on a stem locomotive, was a big pile of cesium bricks--just sitting there. Next to them were some crazy robot arms with gloved hands (think of all the robot extremities as depicted in old cartoons). The robot hands--two of them--would take turns dumping cesium bricks into the water tank. Attached to the tank was a big A battery and wiring so that the ions in solution could be driven to one side of the tank by the negative pole of the battery. I then had what was for all the world a tailpipe sticking out the side of the ship, through which the electrons would shoot into space. Of course, my eight year old self was certain I'd just solved the problem of both ion drive and FTL travel. To this day I remember how excited I was at what I thought I'd created! - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 4, 2010 4:02:26 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Subcritical accelerator driven thorium nuclear reactor The truly futuristic stuff is starting to appear. Once people completely move away from the big government thinking on energy I think the flood gates will open with new ideas. On Sat, Sep 4, 2010 at 9:20 AM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: Took them long enough. One of my college instructors had a similar thought back in the late 70s. A shame he's passed on. On Sat, Sep 4, 2010 at 8:04 AM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: Here are details of the subcritical accelerator driven thorium nuclear reactor designed by Nobel Laureate Carlo Rubbia. This reactor was given a supportive article by the UK Telegraph. It has been extensively studied for over 15 years and is expected to have half the cost of existing light water reactors and burn up almost all of the nuclear fuel. The Norwegian group Aker Solutions has bought Dr Rubbia’s patent for the thorium fuel-cycle, and is working on his design for a proton accelerator at its UK operation. They are raising 100 million pounds ($150 million USD) for the next stage of an estimated 2 billion pound ($3 billion USD) project to develop the first commercial unit. If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on Reddit , or StumbleUpon . Thanks Supporting Advertising Business Success How to Make Money Executive Jobs Paid Surveys Thank You -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Finally Saw Inception
Dude, put on your reading glasses! :) I haven't even *seen* Inception yet. Like i said, I am looking forward to seeing it, and am curious to compare glowing reviews against Bosco's more measured assessment. As for The Matrix, no your memory doesn't serve well at all. I loved the Matrix. Indeed, I'm one of the few who loves the second and third Matrix films. So much of the mainstream public who was pulled into the first film more for the innovative FX and action, bailed as the Wachowski brothers moved more into philosophy and spiritualism. Hence, the sequels are almost legendary as examples of a franchise's quality diminishing, but no, I wasn't on that boat. I loved all three flicks. - Original Message - From: Kelwyn ravena...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 5, 2010 11:10:23 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Finally Saw Inception I am roping off the Keith Johnson/Bosco Bosco curmudgeon section of the theater (not that anything is wrong with that). If memory serves me correctly both of you were in the same (wrong) camp regarding the first Matrix movie - and, for many of the same reasons. As an old (former) friend once told me: There is no accounting for taste - AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY! You can both be right and still be wrong. I recently saw The Hangover and I don't get it. It is stupid, pointlessly violent, (racist even) - but not funny. Millions beg to disagree with me. You two gentlemen obviously have both taste and erudition so I will just chalk this up to different strokes for different folks. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: I plan to see it later today, having been late to the party as well. I'm looking forward to it, based on your take, to compare against the hype. - Original Message - From: Bosco Bosco ironpi...@... To: Sci Fi Noir scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 4, 2010 11:44:59 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Finally Saw Inception Lots of cool visual effects and technical complexities. It turns out the tech complexities are mostly irrelevant. In fact the entire dreaming and reality part of the story is pretty much pointless. It's a basically a sci fi twist on some really old themes. The sci fi part is really fun but those old themes have been conquered by better men with better skills both in director's chair and in front of the camera. I would hazard a guess that beyond some simple nostalgia in a few years no one will remember this one or care about it. It won't hold up. You can boil the entire movie down to father issues and regret issues and both have been done better and more intelligently. I know I'm late to the party and I'm clearly old because I don't find the hype accurate but I figured I would weigh in anyway Bosco
Re: [scifinoir2] ATT U-verse drops Hallmark Channels
I actually watch a fair amount of the Hallmark Channel. They have decent movies that are good to watch with family. There's a series about women in the Old West days, such as Sarah Plain and Tall with Glenn Close, and a series that has the blonde actress who used to be on Grey's Anatomy. They seem to specialize in a lot of those Old West love stories were strong men and women try to make a life in hostile conditions, and thankfully, the modern sensibilities usually has those hostilities being more from greedy white men and the elements than from savage Natives. The movies are often predictable, even fluff, but they're fun to watch on a Saturday night snuggled up on the couch with the wife--who just loves that I will share time to watch a romance with her instead of the billionth airing of an ep of Star Trek. - Original Message - From: Kelwyn ravena...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 5, 2010 11:24:56 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] ATT U-verse drops Hallmark Channels We had a recent convo about this and here is a prime example. ESPN once again held up Warner-Cable and Warner Cable backed down. Here the Hallmark Channel asks ATT for a rate increase and ATT kicks them to the curb - and there is NO outcry. I am an ATT U-Verse subscriber but I never even know I had the Hallmark channel. Downside: apparently I am going to be unable to see The Martha Stewart Show which is moving from syndication to the Hallmark Channel. Bummer. ~rave?
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Finally Saw Inception
You didn't like The Dark Knight? Is that because it was a bit long and could have used some editing, or did you just dislike the overall thing? The one complain I have about the Dark Knight--two actually--were the camera work (way too fast in fight scenes) and slight characterizations of Bruce Wayne/Batman. I tend to like Wayne as a bit grimmer when alone (not playing to the masses). Nolan's Bruce Wayne is a bit more normal or balanced. Not a bad thing, very subtle. An example: In Batman Returns, with Michael Keaton, there's a scene where the Bat signal is shown, and an elaborate system atop Wayne Manor alerts Wayne. When we see Wayne, he's literally sitting in the dark, just brooding. Nolan's way is ever so slightly less brooding than that. In The Dark Knight, he told Alfred I wanted to inspire the people of Gotham. I've never seen Wayne as wanting to inspire the people of Gotham first and foremost, but, rather, to defeat and cow criminals, with people feeling safe as a nice byproduct. - Original Message - From: Kelwyn ravena...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 5, 2010 12:48:52 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Finally Saw Inception I understood you were going to see Inception, today. I was anticipating your reaction. Although, since you LOVE The Dark Knight, which I do not, you may, indeed, love Inception. I am in convo with someone on another list who has loved everything Nolan has done since Momento. I LIKE Momento and I LOVE Inception, but I HATE Insomnia. I sit corrected regarding your take on The Matrix. I believe I am correct regarding Bosco's take, however. In either case, I take solace in the fact that even when I am wrong I was born Wright. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: Dude, put on your reading glasses! :) I haven't even *seen* Inception yet. Like i said, I am looking forward to seeing it, and am curious to compare glowing reviews against Bosco's more measured assessment. As for The Matrix, no your memory doesn't serve well at all. I loved the Matrix. Indeed, I'm one of the few who loves the second and third Matrix films. So much of the mainstream public who was pulled into the first film more for the innovative FX and action, bailed as the Wachowski brothers moved more into philosophy and spiritualism. Hence, the sequels are almost legendary as examples of a franchise's quality diminishing, but no, I wasn't on that boat. I loved all three flicks. - Original Message - From: Kelwyn ravena...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 5, 2010 11:10:23 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Finally Saw Inception I am roping off the Keith Johnson/Bosco Bosco curmudgeon section of the theater (not that anything is wrong with that). If memory serves me correctly both of you were in the same (wrong) camp regarding the first Matrix movie - and, for many of the same reasons. As an old (former) friend once told me: There is no accounting for taste - AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY! You can both be right and still be wrong. I recently saw The Hangover and I don't get it. It is stupid, pointlessly violent, (racist even) - but not funny. Millions beg to disagree with me. You two gentlemen obviously have both taste and erudition so I will just chalk this up to different strokes for different folks. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ wrote: I plan to see it later today, having been late to the party as well. I'm looking forward to it, based on your take, to compare against the hype. - Original Message - From: Bosco Bosco ironpigs3@ To: Sci Fi Noir scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 4, 2010 11:44:59 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Finally Saw Inception Lots of cool visual effects and technical complexities. It turns out the tech complexities are mostly irrelevant. In fact the entire dreaming and reality part of the story is pretty much pointless. It's a basically a sci fi twist on some really old themes. The sci fi part is really fun but those old themes have been conquered by better men with better skills both in director's chair and in front of the camera. I would hazard a guess that beyond some simple nostalgia in a few years no one will remember this one or care about it. It won't hold up. You can boil the entire movie down to father issues and regret issues and both have been done better and more intelligently. I know I'm late to the party and I'm clearly old because I don't find the hype accurate but I figured I would weigh in anyway Bosco
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Finally Saw Inception
All valid points. How did you like Batman Begins? A lot of people like it better than its sequel because it's tighter. Iron Man the first movie rocked. It's a tossup as to whether I'd prefer watching it or Batman Begins more often, but each is a great movie for repeated viewings. Iron Man 2, not so much. I was disappointed. - Original Message - From: Kelwyn ravena...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 5, 2010 1:10:17 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Finally Saw Inception I like The Dark Knight fine. I have seen it many times. I just don't think it is overrated and, as I have mentioned here before, I think the persons of color in the movie are dispatched with extreme prejudice and I found that rather disturbing on first and subsequent viewings. Further, I can make some of the comments that Bosco made about Inception about The Dark Knight, I thought the set-pieces were derivative and had been done better in other movies. And, yeah, it is too long. I much prefer the lean, mean action of the first Iron Man movie. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: You didn't like The Dark Knight? Is that because it was a bit long and could have used some editing, or did you just dislike the overall thing? The one complain I have about the Dark Knight--two actually--were the camera work (way too fast in fight scenes) and slight characterizations of Bruce Wayne/Batman. I tend to like Wayne as a bit grimmer when alone (not playing to the masses). Nolan's Bruce Wayne is a bit more normal or balanced. Not a bad thing, very subtle. An example: In Batman Returns, with Michael Keaton, there's a scene where the Bat signal is shown, and an elaborate system atop Wayne Manor alerts Wayne. When we see Wayne, he's literally sitting in the dark, just brooding. Nolan's way is ever so slightly less brooding than that. In The Dark Knight, he told Alfred I wanted to inspire the people of Gotham. I've never seen Wayne as wanting to inspire the people of Gotham first and foremost, but, rather, to defeat and cow criminals, with people feeling safe as a nice byproduct. - Original Message - From: Kelwyn ravena...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 5, 2010 12:48:52 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Finally Saw Inception I understood you were going to see Inception, today. I was anticipating your reaction. Although, since you LOVE The Dark Knight, which I do not, you may, indeed, love Inception. I am in convo with someone on another list who has loved everything Nolan has done since Momento. I LIKE Momento and I LOVE Inception, but I HATE Insomnia. I sit corrected regarding your take on The Matrix. I believe I am correct regarding Bosco's take, however. In either case, I take solace in the fact that even when I am wrong I was born Wright. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ wrote: Dude, put on your reading glasses! :) I haven't even *seen* Inception yet. Like i said, I am looking forward to seeing it, and am curious to compare glowing reviews against Bosco's more measured assessment. As for The Matrix, no your memory doesn't serve well at all. I loved the Matrix. Indeed, I'm one of the few who loves the second and third Matrix films. So much of the mainstream public who was pulled into the first film more for the innovative FX and action, bailed as the Wachowski brothers moved more into philosophy and spiritualism. Hence, the sequels are almost legendary as examples of a franchise's quality diminishing, but no, I wasn't on that boat. I loved all three flicks. - Original Message - From: Kelwyn ravenadal@ To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 5, 2010 11:10:23 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Finally Saw Inception I am roping off the Keith Johnson/Bosco Bosco curmudgeon section of the theater (not that anything is wrong with that). If memory serves me correctly both of you were in the same (wrong) camp regarding the first Matrix movie - and, for many of the same reasons. As an old (former) friend once told me: There is no accounting for taste - AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY! You can both be right and still be wrong. I recently saw The Hangover and I don't get it. It is stupid, pointlessly violent, (racist even) - but not funny. Millions beg to disagree with me. You two gentlemen obviously have both taste and erudition so I will just chalk this up to different strokes for different folks. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ wrote: I plan to see it later today, having been late to the party as well. I'm looking forward to it, based on your take, to compare against the hype. - Original Message
Re: [scifinoir2] Subcritical accelerator driven thorium nuclear reactor
Yeah, that was something else - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, September 6, 2010 12:27:00 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Subcritical accelerator driven thorium nuclear reactor Did you see the show where they debuted the plasma powered engine? On Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 8:35 AM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Ha-ha! I was watching one of the great science shows on cable recently. I think it was The Universe on The History Channel. They had an ep on deep space probes and discussed ion powered ships. The program indicated they're getting better all the time, and that in the next ten - twenty years, we may be able to see a severalfold increase in the speed of probes using ion power. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 5, 2010 6:15:36 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Subcritical accelerator driven thorium nuclear reactor Aside from the battery, I'm not seeing anything wrong with that idea... On Sat, Sep 4, 2010 at 11:00 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Somewhere in my old house in Fort Worth is a schematic of an ion drive I did in second grade, after watching an ep of Star Trek (had to be Spock's Brain), and reading about electrolytes in my encyclopedia set. I'd read about how cesium, when immersed in water, would produce ions in solution, and I'd read about theories for Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), the idea of using fusion power to drive plasma as a source of motion. Then there was that Trek ep where they said the aliens who took Spock's brain used ion power, which Kirk said was even beyond Federation tech. So, sure that I'd stumbled on a major secret, I took pen to paper. I drew a cutaway of the Jupiter Two from Lost in Space. Inside was a giant water tank. Sitting next to the tank, like a coal scuttle on a stem locomotive, was a big pile of cesium bricks--just sitting there. Next to them were some crazy robot arms with gloved hands (think of all the robot extremities as depicted in old cartoons). The robot hands--two of them--would take turns dumping cesium bricks into the water tank. Attached to the tank was a big A battery and wiring so that the ions in solution could be driven to one side of the tank by the negative pole of the battery. I then had what was for all the world a tailpipe sticking out the side of the ship, through which the electrons would shoot into space. Of course, my eight year old self was certain I'd just solved the problem of both ion drive and FTL travel. To this day I remember how excited I was at what I thought I'd created! - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 4, 2010 4:02:26 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Subcritical accelerator driven thorium nuclear reactor The truly futuristic stuff is starting to appear. Once people completely move away from the big government thinking on energy I think the flood gates will open with new ideas. On Sat, Sep 4, 2010 at 9:20 AM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: Took them long enough. One of my college instructors had a similar thought back in the late 70s. A shame he's passed on. On Sat, Sep 4, 2010 at 8:04 AM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: Here are details of the subcritical accelerator driven thorium nuclear reactor designed by Nobel Laureate Carlo Rubbia. This reactor was given a supportive article by the UK Telegraph. It has been extensively studied for over 15 years and is expected to have half the cost of existing light water reactors and burn up almost all of the nuclear fuel. The Norwegian group Aker Solutions has bought Dr Rubbia’s patent for the thorium fuel-cycle, and is working on his design for a proton accelerator at its UK operation. They are raising 100 million pounds ($150 million USD) for the next stage of an estimated 2 billion pound ($3 billion USD) project to develop the first commercial unit. If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on Reddit , or StumbleUpon . Thanks Supporting Advertising Business Success How to Make Money Executive Jobs Paid Surveys Thank You -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
I like that they don't use fancy computerization to change or enhance the sound, just basic acoustics and recording devices. John Mellencamp's new album was recorded the same way. He recorded in different locations while on tour, including an old black church in Savannah, GA. The raw and real acoustics of such sessions is infinitely more appealing to me than the edit-heavy stuff we often get nowadays. Another reason I've been jonesing for old school music is that it features more instruments. I'm really sad at how so few black artists play instruments nowadays. We're the people who created the ancestor of the banjo, the ones who made the guitar so special with blues, RB, and rock-and-roll. Our tearing up the keys and horns in ragtime and jazz set the standards for American music. Nowadays it's rare as heck to hear a black singer who plays guitar, who also gets radio airplay. Tracy Chapman is a goddess of the guitar and good song writing, but when's the last time you heard her on the radio? When's the last time you really heard a true band with guitars and pianos instead of drum machines and computerized music? When's the last time you heard a real orchestra a la Earth Wind and Fire get wide play on urban radio? You get a few here and there like Alicia Keyes (who I'm liking less and less as the years go by), but not as many as in the old days. Few of our most popular artists play instruments, and even when they though, I'm stunned at how out of favor the guitar seems to be in RB and hip hop nowadays. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 3, 2010 6:19:51 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings There's an article in EQ magazine on how they recorded the album a few months back. On Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 9:22 AM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I'm always searching for real music that's outside of the standard hip-hip/finger poppin'/dance heavy stuff played on commercial radio (how many times in one day can one stomach Beyonce Knowles, Lady Gaga, or Bieber???) A while back I heard an interview on Fresh Air with a group called Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. This group is amazing, with a sound that hails back to the days of good old soul and funk. Jones has that rich, raspy voice that lends itself to heartfelt, even painful renditions, and her band sounds like something straight out of Stax records. They use old-fashioned methods to record: real tapes, hand editing, actual acoustics caused by the recording room instead of computer manipulations. Very, very good stuff. Albums are on iTunes: I bought two straightaway after listening to the NPR interview. Go to their web site to be treated to a listen to some of their latest songs, which start playing automatically. The first song up is I Learned the Hard Way, which has a real old feel to it. Other recent songs you have to seek out are Humble Me and the awesome 100 Days, 100 Nights, which sounds as if it came straight off an actual record from the 60s. Two links below. The first is to their website, where you can hear some of their songs. The second is to a great NPR SXSW showcase in Austin where Jones' group was the headliner. There you can hear the entire gig they performed, which is close to an a hour long. Highly recommended!! http://www.sharonjonesandthedapkings.com/ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124091931
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
So the dank whiskey drowned nightclub is a *good* thing, right? - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 4, 2010 1:26:40 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings Amy Winehouse sounds like she came out of some dank whiskey drowned nightclub from the 50s. Unfortunately, she isn't consistent and has a major drug problem. On Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 10:11 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I've never listened to Amy Winehouse. What's so good about her? Another good singer who has an old school sound is Leela James - Original Message - From: B Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 3, 2010 3:23:49 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings I like them in small doses but Sharon does the damn thing and their live shows are epic. I liked at first Amy Winehouse but that crap of crowning her the new face of soul music really galled me. She was just trend jumping like a lot of other singers do and she blew up. Good recommendations from your e-mail. I'd add Soulive, Jamie Lidell, Joss Stone(especially her work with Raphael Saadiq) and Cee-lo Green as folks you might want to seek out. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: Enjoy! I got the following from a lady in response to the e-mail: FYI they have been around for quite a while...The Dap Kings moonlight as the band for Amy Winehouse as well. If you like them and that retro soul feel, also check out Raphael Saadiq, Rahsaan Patterson, and this young funky white kid Mayer Hawthorne... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 3, 2010 2:20:02 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings Thanks, Keith! I'll have a look/listen as soon as I clear my table here and pay some bills. On Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 12:22 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: I'm always searching for real music that's outside of the standard hip-hip/finger poppin'/dance heavy stuff played on commercial radio (how many times in one day can one stomach Beyonce Knowles, Lady Gaga, or Bieber???) A while back I heard an interview on Fresh Air with a group called Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. This group is amazing, with a sound that hails back to the days of good old soul and funk. Jones has that rich, raspy voice that lends itself to heartfelt, even painful renditions, and her band sounds like something straight out of Stax records. They use old-fashioned methods to record: real tapes, hand editing, actual acoustics caused by the recording room instead of computer manipulations. Very, very good stuff. Albums are on iTunes: I bought two straightaway after listening to the NPR interview. Go to their web site to be treated to a listen to some of their latest songs, which start playing automatically. The first song up is I Learned the Hard Way, which has a real old feel to it. Other recent songs you have to seek out are Humble Me and the awesome 100 Days, 100 Nights, which sounds as if it came straight off an actual record from the 60s. Two links below. The first is to their website, where you can hear some of their songs. The second is to a great NPR SXSW showcase in Austin where Jones' group was the headliner. There you can hear the entire gig they performed, which is close to an a hour long. Highly recommended!! http://www.sharonjonesandthedapkings.com/ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124091931 -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] Nanocrystal conductors could lead to massive, robust 3-D storage and extend Moore's Law
damn that is *huge*!! - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, September 1, 2010 4:49:33 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Nanocrystal conductors could lead to massive, robust 3-D storage and extend Moore's Law RESEARCH WATCH Nanocrystal conductors could lead to massive, robust 3-D storage and extend Moore's Law By Darren Quick 19:42 August 31, 2010 San Francisco Coupons - www.Groupon.com/San-Francisco 1 ridiculously huge coupon a day. It's like doing The Bay at 90% off! Silica Alumina - www.MPbio.com Quality Products for HPLC, TLC Column Chromatography and more. Exclusive SF Deals - www.FreshGuide.com Get Deals On Things To Do, See, Eat Buy In SF. Sign Up Online! BAE Systems Rad Hard ICs - www.baesystems.com/rad750 Learn more about the leading provider of Rad Hard Electronics Ads by Google Last year we reported on a breakthrough by researchers at Rice University that brought graphite’s potential as a mass data storage medium a step closer to reality and created the potential for reprogrammable gate arrays that could bring about a revolution in integrated circuit design and extend the limits of miniaturization subject to Moore’s Law. The researchers showed how electrical current could repeatedly break and reconnect 10-nanometer strips of graphite to create a robust reliable memory “bit”. At the time, they didn’t fully understand why it worked so well. Well, a year is a long time in science and now they do. By creating the first two-terminal memory chips that use only silicon, one of the most common substances on the planet, a new collaboration by the Rice labs professors James Tour, Douglas Natelson and Lin Zhong proved the circuit doesn't need the carbon at all. Jun Yao, a graduate student in Tour's lab confirmed his breakthrough idea when he sandwiched a layer of silicon oxide, an insulator, between semiconducting sheets of polycrystalline silicon that served as the top and bottom electrodes. Applying a charge to the electrodes created a conductive pathway by stripping oxygen atoms from the silicon oxide and forming a chain of nano-sized silicon crystals. Once formed, the chain can be repeatedly broken and reconnected by applying a pulse of varying voltage. The nanocrystal wires are as small as 5 nanometers (billionths of a meter) wide, far smaller than circuitry in even the most advanced computers and electronic devices. The beauty of it is its simplicity, said Tour. That will be key to the technology's scalability, he said. Silicon oxide switches or memory locations require only two terminals, not three (as in flash memory), because the physical process doesn't require the device to hold a charge. It also means layers of silicon-oxide memory can be stacked in tiny but capacious three-dimensional arrays. I've been told by industry that if you're not in the 3-D memory business in four years, you're not going to be in the memory business. This is perfectly suited for that, Tour said. Silicon-oxide memories are compatible with conventional transistor manufacturing technology, said Tour, who recently attended a workshop by the National Science Foundation and IBM on breaking the barriers to Moore's Law, which states the number of devices on a circuit doubles every 18 to 24 months. Manufacturers feel they can get pathways down to 10 nanometers. Flash memory is going to hit a brick wall at about 20 nanometers. But how do we get beyond that? Well, our technique is perfectly suited for sub-10-nanometer circuits, he said. Austin tech design company PrivaTran is already bench testing a silicon-oxide chip with 1,000 memory elements built in collaboration with the Tour lab. Yao had a hard time convincing his colleagues that silicon oxide alone could make a circuit. Other group members didn't believe him, said Tour, who added that nobody recognized silicon oxide's potential, even though it's the most-studied material in human history. Most people, when they saw this effect, would say, 'Oh, we had silicon-oxide breakdown,' and they throw it out, he said. It was just sitting there waiting to be exploited. In other words, what used to be a bug turned out to be a feature. Yao persisted with his idea. He first substituted a variety of materials for graphite and found none of them changed the circuit's performance. Then he dropped the carbon and metal entirely and sandwiched silicon oxide between silicon terminals. It worked. It was a really difficult time for me, because people didn't believe it, Yao said. Finally, as a proof of concept, he cut a carbon nanotube to localize the switching site, sliced out a very thin piece of silicon oxide by focused ion beam and identified a nanoscale silicon pathway under a transmission electron microscope. This is research, Yao said. If you do something and everyone nods their heads, then it’s
Re: [scifinoir2] Subcritical accelerator driven thorium nuclear reactor
Somewhere in my old house in Fort Worth is a schematic of an ion drive I did in second grade, after watching an ep of Star Trek (had to be Spock's Brain), and reading about electrolytes in my encyclopedia set. I'd read about how cesium, when immersed in water, would produce ions in solution, and I'd read about theories for Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), the idea of using fusion power to drive plasma as a source of motion. Then there was that Trek ep where they said the aliens who took Spock's brain used ion power, which Kirk said was even beyond Federation tech. So, sure that I'd stumbled on a major secret, I took pen to paper. I drew a cutaway of the Jupiter Two from Lost in Space. Inside was a giant water tank. Sitting next to the tank, like a coal scuttle on a stem locomotive, was a big pile of cesium bricks--just sitting there. Next to them were some crazy robot arms with gloved hands (think of all the robot extremities as depicted in old cartoons). The robot hands--two of them--would take turns dumping cesium bricks into the water tank. Attached to the tank was a big A battery and wiring so that the ions in solution could be driven to one side of the tank by the negative pole of the battery. I then had what was for all the world a tailpipe sticking out the side of the ship, through which the electrons would shoot into space. Of course, my eight year old self was certain I'd just solved the problem of both ion drive and FTL travel. To this day I remember how excited I was at what I thought I'd created! - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 4, 2010 4:02:26 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Subcritical accelerator driven thorium nuclear reactor The truly futuristic stuff is starting to appear. Once people completely move away from the big government thinking on energy I think the flood gates will open with new ideas. On Sat, Sep 4, 2010 at 9:20 AM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: Took them long enough. One of my college instructors had a similar thought back in the late 70s. A shame he's passed on. On Sat, Sep 4, 2010 at 8:04 AM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: Here are details of the subcritical accelerator driven thorium nuclear reactor designed by Nobel Laureate Carlo Rubbia. This reactor was given a supportive article by the UK Telegraph. It has been extensively studied for over 15 years and is expected to have half the cost of existing light water reactors and burn up almost all of the nuclear fuel. The Norwegian group Aker Solutions has bought Dr Rubbia’s patent for the thorium fuel-cycle, and is working on his design for a proton accelerator at its UK operation. They are raising 100 million pounds ($150 million USD) for the next stage of an estimated 2 billion pound ($3 billion USD) project to develop the first commercial unit. If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on Reddit , or StumbleUpon . Thanks Supporting Advertising Business Success How to Make Money Executive Jobs Paid Surveys Thank You -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
[scifinoir2] OT: For a Different Sound: The Carolina Chocolate Drops
Okay, as they said on Monty Python, And now for something completely different. The Carolina Chocolate Drops are a banjo and jug band from North Carolina, which ain't that unusual until you realize they're all young black musicians. They play some deep ol' Southern country mountain music that hails from waaay back in the day! Give a listen and you'll swear you're back in the holler listening to some old boys pickin' on a fiddle and banjo, or perhaps stumbled across an old ep of Hee Haw. Unknown to many, much of the roots for what's now called country music comes from blacks: the banjo and guitar were mainstays of black musicians until well into the 20th Century. Now this may not be many folks' cup of tea. Me, I love all music when it's done well, and I'm a sucker for any well played stringed instrument, be it guitar, banjo or fiddle. And I guess I'm enough of a Texas boy that I love me some good old down home music! My poor wife often shakes her head when I tune into the local radio station's programs dedicated to cowboy, banjo, or zydeco tunes! I can tap my feet, slap my knee, and dance a jig--what the Beverly Hillbillies called fancy foot steppin'-- with the best of 'em! Check out some video clips of the Drops, who just released a new album, Genuine Negro Jig, which I will be downloading from iTunes--much to my wife's chagrin. She tells me all the time that for all my sophistication and love of IT, modern music, and whatnot, I'm still just a country boy from Cowtown! I don't get it: doesn't everyone listen to cowboy music now and then? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xOxHyTP91cfeature=fvw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdLRCSOZ7wo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbcqGjeNz7wfeature=related http://www.carolinachocolatedrops.com/ Band Biography “Tradition is a guide, not a jailer. We play in an older tradition but we are modern musicians.” —Justin Robinson In the summer and fall of 2005, three young black musicians, Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens, and Justin Robinson, made the commitment to travel to Mebane, N.C., every Thursday night to sit in the home of old-time fiddler Joe Thompson for a musical jam session. Joe was in his 80’s, a black fiddler with a short bowing style that he inherited from generations of family musicians. He had learned to play a wide ranging set of tunes sitting on the back porch with other players after a day of field work. Now he was passing those same lessons on to a new generation. When the three students decided to form a band, they didn’t have big plans. It was mostly a tribute to Joe, a chance to bring his music back out of the house again and into dance halls and public places. They called themselves The Chocolate Drops as a tip of the hat to the Tennessee Chocolate Drops, three black brothers Howard, Martin and Bogan Armstrong, who lit up the music scene in the 1930’s. Honing and experimenting with Joe’s repertoire, the band often coaxed their teacher out of the house to join them on stage. Joe’s charisma and charm regularly stole the show. Being young and living in the 21st century, the Chocolate Drops first hooked up through a yahoo group, Black Banjo: Then and Now (BBTN) hosted by Tom Thomas and Sule Greg Wilson. Dom was still living in Arizona, but in April 2005, when the web-chat spawned the Black Banjo Gathering in Asheville, N.C., he flew east and ended moving to the Piedmont where he could get at the music first hand. Joe Thompson’s house was the proof in the pudding. The Chocolate Drops started playing around, rolling out the tunes wherever anyone would listen. From town squares to farmer’s markets, they perfected their playing and began to win an avid following of foot-tapping, sing-along, audiences. In 2006, they picked up a spot at the locally-based Shakori Hills Festival where they lit such a fire on the dance tent floor that Tim and Denise Duffy of the Music Maker Relief Foundation came over to see what was going on. Rhiannon remembers being skeptical when this local Hillsborough, N.C., guy with a goofy smile and a roster of old blues musicians offered to take them on and promote their music. The band was still figuring out who they were and Duffy was offering to house them with people like Algie Mae Hinton, musicians who were not pretenders to a tradition, but the real thing. The connection turned out to be a great match. While the young “Drops” were upstarts in a stable of deep tradition, they were also the link between past and future. They began to expand their repertoire, taking advantage of what Dom calls “the novelty factor” to get folks in the door and then teaching and thrilling them with traditional music that was evolving as they performed. They teased audiences with history on tunes like “Dixie”, the apparent Southern anthem that musicologists suggest was stolen by the black-face minstrel Dan Emmert from the Snowden family,
Re: [scifinoir2] Finally Saw Inception
I plan to see it later today, having been late to the party as well. I'm looking forward to it, based on your take, to compare against the hype. - Original Message - From: Bosco Bosco ironpi...@yahoo.com To: Sci Fi Noir scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 4, 2010 11:44:59 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Finally Saw Inception Lots of cool visual effects and technical complexities. It turns out the tech complexities are mostly irrelevant. In fact the entire dreaming and reality part of the story is pretty much pointless. It's a basically a sci fi twist on some really old themes. The sci fi part is really fun but those old themes have been conquered by better men with better skills both in director's chair and in front of the camera. I would hazard a guess that beyond some simple nostalgia in a few years no one will remember this one or care about it. It won't hold up. You can boil the entire movie down to father issues and regret issues and both have been done better and more intelligently. I know I'm late to the party and I'm clearly old because I don't find the hype accurate but I figured I would weigh in anyway Bosco
Re: [scifinoir2] Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Enjoy! I got the following from a lady in response to the e-mail: FYI they have been around for quite a while...The Dap Kings moonlight as the band for Amy Winehouse as well. If you like them and that retro soul feel, also check out Raphael Saadiq, Rahsaan Patterson, and this young funky white kid Mayer Hawthorne... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 3, 2010 2:20:02 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings Thanks, Keith! I'll have a look/listen as soon as I clear my table here and pay some bills. On Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 12:22 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I'm always searching for real music that's outside of the standard hip-hip/finger poppin'/dance heavy stuff played on commercial radio (how many times in one day can one stomach Beyonce Knowles, Lady Gaga, or Bieber???) A while back I heard an interview on Fresh Air with a group called Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. This group is amazing, with a sound that hails back to the days of good old soul and funk. Jones has that rich, raspy voice that lends itself to heartfelt, even painful renditions, and her band sounds like something straight out of Stax records. They use old-fashioned methods to record: real tapes, hand editing, actual acoustics caused by the recording room instead of computer manipulations. Very, very good stuff. Albums are on iTunes: I bought two straightaway after listening to the NPR interview. Go to their web site to be treated to a listen to some of their latest songs, which start playing automatically. The first song up is I Learned the Hard Way, which has a real old feel to it. Other recent songs you have to seek out are Humble Me and the awesome 100 Days, 100 Nights, which sounds as if it came straight off an actual record from the 60s. Two links below. The first is to their website, where you can hear some of their songs. The second is to a great NPR SXSW showcase in Austin where Jones' group was the headliner. There you can hear the entire gig they performed, which is close to an a hour long. Highly recommended!! http://www.sharonjonesandthedapkings.com/ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124091931 -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
I've never listened to Amy Winehouse. What's so good about her? Another good singer who has an old school sound is Leela James - Original Message - From: B Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 3, 2010 3:23:49 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings I like them in small doses but Sharon does the damn thing and their live shows are epic. I liked at first Amy Winehouse but that crap of crowning her the new face of soul music really galled me. She was just trend jumping like a lot of other singers do and she blew up. Good recommendations from your e-mail. I'd add Soulive, Jamie Lidell, Joss Stone(especially her work with Raphael Saadiq) and Cee-lo Green as folks you might want to seek out. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: Enjoy! I got the following from a lady in response to the e-mail: FYI they have been around for quite a while...The Dap Kings moonlight as the band for Amy Winehouse as well. If you like them and that retro soul feel, also check out Raphael Saadiq, Rahsaan Patterson, and this young funky white kid Mayer Hawthorne... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 3, 2010 2:20:02 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings Thanks, Keith! I'll have a look/listen as soon as I clear my table here and pay some bills. On Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 12:22 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: I'm always searching for real music that's outside of the standard hip-hip/finger poppin'/dance heavy stuff played on commercial radio (how many times in one day can one stomach Beyonce Knowles, Lady Gaga, or Bieber???) A while back I heard an interview on Fresh Air with a group called Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. This group is amazing, with a sound that hails back to the days of good old soul and funk. Jones has that rich, raspy voice that lends itself to heartfelt, even painful renditions, and her band sounds like something straight out of Stax records. They use old-fashioned methods to record: real tapes, hand editing, actual acoustics caused by the recording room instead of computer manipulations. Very, very good stuff. Albums are on iTunes: I bought two straightaway after listening to the NPR interview. Go to their web site to be treated to a listen to some of their latest songs, which start playing automatically. The first song up is I Learned the Hard Way, which has a real old feel to it. Other recent songs you have to seek out are Humble Me and the awesome 100 Days, 100 Nights, which sounds as if it came straight off an actual record from the 60s. Two links below. The first is to their website, where you can hear some of their songs. The second is to a great NPR SXSW showcase in Austin where Jones' group was the headliner. There you can hear the entire gig they performed, which is close to an a hour long. Highly recommended!! http://www.sharonjonesandthedapkings.com/ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124091931 -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Message - From: B Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 3, 2010 3:23:49 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings I like them in small doses but Sharon does the damn thing and their live shows are epic. I liked at first Amy Winehouse but that crap of crowning her the new face of soul music really galled me. She was just trend jumping like a lot of other singers do and she blew up. Good recommendations from your e-mail. I'd add Soulive, Jamie Lidell, Joss Stone(especially her work with Raphael Saadiq) and Cee-lo Green as folks you might want to seek out. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: Enjoy! I got the following from a lady in response to the e-mail: FYI they have been around for quite a while...The Dap Kings moonlight as the band for Amy Winehouse as well. If you like them and that retro soul feel, also check out Raphael Saadiq, Rahsaan Patterson, and this young funky white kid Mayer Hawthorne... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 3, 2010 2:20:02 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Waayyy OT: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings Thanks, Keith! I'll have a look/listen as soon as I clear my table here and pay some bills. On Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 12:22 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: I'm always searching for real music that's outside of the standard hip-hip/finger poppin'/dance heavy stuff played on commercial radio (how many times in one day can one stomach Beyonce Knowles, Lady Gaga, or Bieber???) A while back I heard an interview on Fresh Air with a group called Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. This group is amazing, with a sound that hails back to the days of good old soul and funk. Jones has that rich, raspy voice that lends itself to heartfelt, even painful renditions, and her band sounds like something straight out of Stax records. They use old-fashioned methods to record: real tapes, hand editing, actual acoustics caused by the recording room instead of computer manipulations. Very, very good stuff. Albums are on iTunes: I bought two straightaway after listening to the NPR interview. Go to their web site to be treated to a listen to some of their latest songs, which start playing automatically. The first song up is I Learned the Hard Way, which has a real old feel to it. Other recent songs you have to seek out are Humble Me and the awesome 100 Days, 100 Nights, which sounds as if it came straight off an actual record from the 60s. Two links below. The first is to their website, where you can hear some of their songs. The second is to a great NPR SXSW showcase in Austin where Jones' group was the headliner. There you can hear the entire gig they performed, which is close to an a hour long. Highly recommended!! http://www.sharonjonesandthedapkings.com/ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124091931 -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] Geek time!
Right. Some of the newest, top-of-the-line LCD TVs from Sony and Samsung come with the LED backlights that help reduce the light bleed through, and hence give them darker blacks. But even then, all but the absolute newest (and most expensive) still can't match the blacks of plasma. And you're right that the 240 mhz refresh rate is the best LCDs can do. I also find that, like audiophiles who prefer the warmer sound of older equipment, I like the warmer look of plasmas. Some LCDs look almost too sharp, too artificial. - Original Message - From: Sammie A jazzynupe...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, September 1, 2010 7:31:16 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Geek time! Keith, thanks man. yes, i prefer plasma because it has a 600mhz refresh rate...if u are into sports (as i am) u have 2 watch it on plasma. lcd at it's best is 120mhz (some just 60 and a couple are now 240) are still slower than 600mhz. plus the added benefit is that the plasma has such richer color than an lcd. those bulbs behind the lcd cause's it 2 blur out some of the darker colors, but plasma gives you those deep rich blacks, and bright yellows. plus, it's a hell of a lot lighter 2 hoist up. Fate. --- On Wed, 9/1/10, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Geek time! To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, September 1, 2010, 3:51 AM Congrats, and my praise for buying a plasma. I'm always inundated by friends and people at electronics stores who say LCD is the way to go, but I much prefer the look of plasma. - Original Message - From: Sammie A jazzynupe...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 4:14:17 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Geek time! o.k. so i just purchased a LG 50 plasma and a LG blu-ray player. they (LG) give u a one month free trial of Netflix with the blu-ray player. decided 2 check it out. mind u, never tried netflix before. so as i am strolling through the menu's..in the television side i seeThe Dresden Files: Season 1 / 12 Episodes. now u know i am going 2 be really happy these next 2 days! after that, it will be Farscape: Season 1 / 22 Episodes. by the weekend, i should be on Torchwood: Season 1 / 13 Episodes. think i am going 2 like this blu-ray player thing! Fate.
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Geek time!
Your cable modem/router does have wifi built in, right? - Original Message - From: Adrianne Brennan adrianne.bren...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, September 1, 2010 1:44:02 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Geek time! THANK YOU!!! I have been wanting to know how to do this for ages. 3 ~ Where love and magic meet ~ http://www.adriannebrennan.com Experience the magic of the Dark Moon series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#darkmoon Dare to take The Oath in this erotic fantasy series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#the_oath The future of psychic sex - Dawn of the Seraphs (m/m): http://www.adriannebrennan.com/dawnoftheseraphs.html On Wed, Sep 1, 2010 at 1:39 PM, Kelwyn ravena...@yahoo.com wrote: If you own one of these devices: http://www.netflix.com/NetflixReadyDevices?trkid=921401lnkctr=mh_nfrdlnkce=nrd-ohmlnkce=ttwisnittv Follow the instructions on your device to get an activation code. Your computer and device must both be connected to the Internet to activate. I admit those instructions aren't as helpful as I would like them to be. I use my Viao laptop as my blu-ray player so I don't know where the activation code would be. But, for instance, to connect via the Wii console, Netflix sent me a disk. I inserted the disk and simply followed the steps that showed up on my television screen. Easy as pie. That option does not appear to be available for the blu-ray players. ~(no)rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Adrianne Brennan adrianne.bren...@... wrote: Yeah, but how do you enter that into your Blu-Ray? ~ Where love and magic meet ~ http://www.adriannebrennan.com Experience the magic of the Dark Moon series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#darkmoon Dare to take The Oath in this erotic fantasy series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#the_oath The future of psychic sex - Dawn of the Seraphs (m/m): http://www.adriannebrennan.com/dawnoftheseraphs.html On Wed, Sep 1, 2010 at 12:20 PM, Kelwyn ravena...@... wrote: Shouldn't matter where your modem is...I believe all you need is the same modem code you enter into your lap top (for Wi-Fi availability) - least ways thats the way it worked with my Wii. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Adrianne Brennan adrianne.brennan@ wrote: I have a Blu-Ray but have yet to figure out how to get it hooked up to the Internet. Prob is that it's in my living room and my cable modem is in my bedroom. :-/ ~ Where love and magic meet ~ http://www.adriannebrennan.com Experience the magic of the Dark Moon series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#darkmoon Dare to take The Oath in this erotic fantasy series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#the_oath The future of psychic sex - Dawn of the Seraphs (m/m): http://www.adriannebrennan.com/dawnoftheseraphs.html On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 4:14 PM, Sammie A jazzynupe007@ wrote: o.k. so i just purchased a LG 50 plasma and a LG blu-ray player. they (LG) give u a one month free trial of Netflix with the blu-ray player. decided 2 check it out. mind u, never tried netflix before. so as i am strolling through the menu's..in the television side i seeThe Dresden Files: Season 1 / 12 Episodes. now u know i am going 2 be really happy these next 2 days! after that, it will be Farscape: Season 1 / 22 Episodes. by the weekend, i should be on Torchwood: Season 1 / 13 Episodes. think i am going 2 like this blu-ray player thing! Fate. Post your SciFiNoir Profile at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/app/peoplemap2/entry/add?fmvn=mapYahoo ! Groups Links Post your SciFiNoir Profile at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/app/peoplemap2/entry/add?fmvn=mapYahoo ! Groups Links
Re: [scifinoir2] LG will Mass Produce 19 inch Flexible e-Paper and 9.7 inch Color E-paper by the end of 2010
Kewl! Been waiting for this for years and years. We are getting very close to a true, flexible, paper thin full computer that you can roll up like a sheet of paper and tuck in your pocket. Remember the series Earth: Final Conflict? They had handheld communication devices that consisted of a tubular part out of which one rolled a flexible material that was the video screen. It was pretty cool. Of course, if memory serves, they also showed all the communications being handled by MCI, so I guess not all the predictions will come true! - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 6:35:40 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] LG will Mass Produce 19 inch Flexible e-Paper and 9.7 inch Color E-paper by the end of 2010 The Delta version at the bottom has wifi or 3G connectivity so there is probably some processing power there. I'm not sure where they would put the cpu though. It is very cool and makes me think of the future. On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 3:11 AM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: The future is upon us... and I can't wait. Now, if they could integrate PC functionality into it... On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 5:40 AM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: This is too cool AUGUST 30, 2010 LG will Mass Produce 19 inch Flexible e-Paper and 9.7 inch Color E-paper by the end of 2010 12 Share Ad Support : Nano Technology Netbook Technology News Computer Software Korean elecronics manufacturer LG, who makes the screens for the Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle, has revealed in SEC filings that they are continuing to break new ground with e-paper technology, moving forward with plans for both color and flexible models that will work with both e-readers and tablets. LG Display has developed the world's largest flexible electronic-paper screen measuring 25cm by 40cm, which translates into a 19-inch screen size. With 0.3mm thickness and 130g weight, it utilizes a metal foil instead of a traditional glass to make itself both flexible and durable. Delta Electronics of Taiwan Has a 13 Inch color eReader Screen Delta Electronics has a 13.1 inch display was developed in collaboration with Bridgestone and uses particle-based color e-paper technology rather than the e-Ink common in other e-Readers, or the LCD in tablets like the iPad. At around 730 grams (about half the weight of an iPad) it's probably lightweight enough to sling in a laptop bag or backpack and not impact too much on the already overburdened carrier. Delta Electronics is claiming a 6,000 page battery life, and 3G or WiFi connectivity. There's pen input for making notes, too. It was shown off at Computex and should be commercially available by Dec, 2010. If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on Reddit , or StumbleUpon . Thanks -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] Geek time!
Congrats, and my praise for buying a plasma. I'm always inundated by friends and people at electronics stores who say LCD is the way to go, but I much prefer the look of plasma. - Original Message - From: Sammie A jazzynupe...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 4:14:17 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Geek time! o.k. so i just purchased a LG 50 plasma and a LG blu-ray player. they (LG) give u a one month free trial of Netflix with the blu-ray player. decided 2 check it out. mind u, never tried netflix before. so as i am strolling through the menu's..in the television side i seeThe Dresden Files: Season 1 / 12 Episodes. now u know i am going 2 be really happy these next 2 days! after that, it will be Farscape: Season 1 / 22 Episodes. by the weekend, i should be on Torchwood: Season 1 / 13 Episodes. think i am going 2 like this blu-ray player thing! Fate.
Re: [scifinoir2] LG will Mass Produce 19 inch Flexible e-Paper and 9.7 inch Color E-paper by the end of 2010
I think the flexible communicators were completely Earth created. The Taelons did provide other cool tech, such as the virtual glass forcefields, instantaneous teleportation, and other stuff. I also dug those bioengineered Skrill weapons that were grafted onto the wrists of Protectors - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 10:41:16 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] LG will Mass Produce 19 inch Flexible e-Paper and 9.7 inch Color E-paper by the end of 2010 The device they used was a tube that contained the communicator. With the newest Iphone plus what the flexible monitors offer we are already looking at that possible future. Now all we need are some friendly aliens to give us technology. On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 6:57 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Kewl! Been waiting for this for years and years. We are getting very close to a true, flexible, paper thin full computer that you can roll up like a sheet of paper and tuck in your pocket. Remember the series Earth: Final Conflict? They had handheld communication devices that consisted of a tubular part out of which one rolled a flexible material that was the video screen. It was pretty cool. Of course, if memory serves, they also showed all the communications being handled by MCI, so I guess not all the predictions will come true! - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 6:35:40 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] LG will Mass Produce 19 inch Flexible e-Paper and 9.7 inch Color E-paper by the end of 2010 The Delta version at the bottom has wifi or 3G connectivity so there is probably some processing power there. I'm not sure where they would put the cpu though. It is very cool and makes me think of the future. On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 3:11 AM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: The future is upon us... and I can't wait. Now, if they could integrate PC functionality into it... On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 5:40 AM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: This is too cool AUGUST 30, 2010 LG will Mass Produce 19 inch Flexible e-Paper and 9.7 inch Color E-paper by the end of 2010 12 Share Ad Support : Nano Technology Netbook Technology News Computer Software Korean elecronics manufacturer LG, who makes the screens for the Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle, has revealed in SEC filings that they are continuing to break new ground with e-paper technology, moving forward with plans for both color and flexible models that will work with both e-readers and tablets. LG Display has developed the world's largest flexible electronic-paper screen measuring 25cm by 40cm, which translates into a 19-inch screen size. With 0.3mm thickness and 130g weight, it utilizes a metal foil instead of a traditional glass to make itself both flexible and durable. Delta Electronics of Taiwan Has a 13 Inch color eReader Screen Delta Electronics has a 13.1 inch display was developed in collaboration with Bridgestone and uses particle-based color e-paper technology rather than the e-Ink common in other e-Readers, or the LCD in tablets like the iPad. At around 730 grams (about half the weight of an iPad) it's probably lightweight enough to sling in a laptop bag or backpack and not impact too much on the already overburdened carrier. Delta Electronics is claiming a 6,000 page battery life, and 3G or WiFi connectivity. There's pen input for making notes, too. It was shown off at Computex and should be commercially available by Dec, 2010. If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on Reddit , or StumbleUpon . Thanks -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] LG will Mass Produce 19 inch Flexible e-Paper and 9.7 inch Color E-paper by the end of 2010
the first season is very good. The next season or two are good, but there are major cast changes over the successive seasons that diminish the show's enjoyment. One character's loss in particular really damaged the series, but I won't spoil that for you. By the end, even the Taelons aren't the major alien race, and the show is much less inventive and original-seeming than it was at the beginning. I actually tired of wactching, and that, coupled with erratic airing times(often showing at 2 am on Saturdays here in Atlanta) resulted in my missing the entire final season. There were a lot of changes to the creative team behind the show, which resulted in the uneven and ultimately diminishing quality of the later years. The same thing happened, sadly, to Andromeda. That show started off as very entertaining, but in later years they'd gotten rid of the initial showrunner, Kevin Sorbo started wielding more power, and it became a muddled mess that I quit watching. Andromeda and EFC are both symbols--almost legends--among some scifi fans, as examples of shows that started off really good and original, then degenerated into disappointing junk. You will hear many a fan speak of loving those shows, then finally abandoning them. Back on this list, way before you joined, I used to bemoan the decline in quality of each show on a weekly basis, before finally getting tired of my own complaints, and just stopped watching. As for EFC, a bit of trivia: have you seen that commercial on TV recently where a guy has heartburn or something, is shirtless, and then paints his body blue in certain parts so you can see where he's hurting? That guy spent a couple of seasons as one of the leads on EFC. His character started out really cool, then became lame, like the show itself. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, September 1, 2010 12:52:20 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] LG will Mass Produce 19 inch Flexible e-Paper and 9.7 inch Color E-paper by the end of 2010 I only got to see a few episodes of the show. I didn't know that was airing here until someone told me. They had it playing at 3 or 4pm Saturday afternoons with no repeats. So it was often pre-empted by baseball games. Maybe I will rent the series. On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 9:01 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I think the flexible communicators were completely Earth created. The Taelons did provide other cool tech, such as the virtual glass forcefields, instantaneous teleportation, and other stuff. I also dug those bioengineered Skrill weapons that were grafted onto the wrists of Protectors - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 10:41:16 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] LG will Mass Produce 19 inch Flexible e-Paper and 9.7 inch Color E-paper by the end of 2010 The device they used was a tube that contained the communicator. With the newest Iphone plus what the flexible monitors offer we are already looking at that possible future. Now all we need are some friendly aliens to give us technology. On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 6:57 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Kewl! Been waiting for this for years and years. We are getting very close to a true, flexible, paper thin full computer that you can roll up like a sheet of paper and tuck in your pocket. Remember the series Earth: Final Conflict? They had handheld communication devices that consisted of a tubular part out of which one rolled a flexible material that was the video screen. It was pretty cool. Of course, if memory serves, they also showed all the communications being handled by MCI, so I guess not all the predictions will come true! - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 6:35:40 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] LG will Mass Produce 19 inch Flexible e-Paper and 9.7 inch Color E-paper by the end of 2010 The Delta version at the bottom has wifi or 3G connectivity so there is probably some processing power there. I'm not sure where they would put the cpu though. It is very cool and makes me think of the future. On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 3:11 AM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: The future is upon us... and I can't wait. Now, if they could integrate PC functionality into it... On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 5:40 AM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: This is too cool AUGUST 30, 2010 LG will Mass Produce 19 inch Flexible e-Paper and 9.7 inch Color E-paper by the end of 2010 12 Share Ad Support : Nano Technology Netbook Technology News Computer Software Korean elecronics manufacturer LG, who makes the screens for the Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle, has revealed in SEC filings
Re: [scifinoir2] Steampunks: The New Goth?
Great article, thanks! I know some of the adherents to the culture probably love some of the gadgets in Warehouse 13, such as the Tessla weapons, and the old-fashioned black-and-white videophones they use. And the fact that H.G. Wells *her*self is now on the show probably gives some of them thrills, too. Too bad: remember the good but shortlived series on SciFi several years ago, The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne? It'd do really well now. How about The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.? - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2010 8:57:08 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Steampunks: The New Goth? Steampunks: The New Goth? May 12, 2008 So maybe im late on this one but just found out about this trend/movement/identity called Steampunks. They basically look super Gangs of New York, dressing in antique clothes, buying antique objects and for hardcore Steampunks– they redesign new technology like iPhones (wrapped in burnished brass) or Mac computers (modify keyboards with old cash register buttons and such), etc. I love the aesthetic and revival of old technology, but these peops claim they are the “new goth”. Let me tell you something Steampunkers, no one should ever want to be the new goth! Goth kids suck… if you’re still in Highschool and think its super OG, roll with it, but the day you graduate you better burn up your Wednesday Adams’ wardrobe because there’s nothing more un-original or stylish than turning in your personal identity for some non-mainstream outfit subscription (pent-up goth anger since 96′). Steampunk Moves Between 2 Worlds Robert Wright for The New York Times From left, Deacon Boondini, the Great Gatsby and Giovanni James of the James Gang share a vision with the designer Alexander McQueen. More Photos • FACEBOOK • TWITTER • RECOMMEND • SIGN IN TO E-MAIL OR SAVE THIS • PRINT • REPRINTS • SHARE By RUTH LA FERLA Published: May 8, 2008 “MEET Showtime,” said Giovanni James, a musician, magician and inventor of sorts, introducing his prized dove, who occupies a spacious cage in Mr. James’s apartment in Midtown Manhattan. Showtime is integral to Mr. James’s magic act and to his décor, a sepia-tone universe straight out of the gaslight era. Multimedia SteampunkSlide Show Steampunk Enlarge This Image Robert Wright for The New York Times The structured clothing of the steampunk movement. More Photos » The lead singer of a neovaudevillian performance troupe called the James Gang, Mr. James has assembled his universe from oddly assorted props and castoffs: a gramophone with a crank and velvet turntable, an old wooden icebox and a wardrobe rack made from brass pipes that were ballet bars in a previous incarnation. Yes, he owns a flat-screen television, but he has modified it with a burlap frame. He uses an iPhone , but it is encased in burnished brass. Even his clothing — an unlikely fusion of current and neo-Edwardian pieces (polo shirt, gentleman’s waistcoat, paisley bow tie), not unlike those he plans to sell this summer at his own Manhattan haberdashery — is an expression of his keenly romantic worldview. It is also the vision of steampunk, a subculture that is the aesthetic expression of a time-traveling fantasy world, one that embraces music, film, design and now fashion, all inspired by the extravagantly inventive age of dirigibles and steam locomotives, brass diving bells and jar-shaped protosubmarines. First appearing in the late 1980s and early ’90s, steampunk has picked up momentum in recent months, making a transition from what used to be mainly a literary taste to a Web-propagated way of life. To some, “steampunk” is a catchall term, a concept in search of a visual identity. “To me, it’s essentially the intersection of technology and romance,” said Jake von Slatt, a designer in Boston and the proprietor of the Steampunk Workshop ( steampunkworkshop.com ), where he exhibits such curiosities as a computer furnished with a brass-frame monitor and vintage typewriter keys. That definition is loose enough to accommodate a stew of influences, including the streamlined retro-futurism of Flash Gordon and Japanese animation with its goggle-wearing hackers, the postapocalyptic scavenger style of “Mad Max,” and vaudeville, burlesque and the structured gentility of the Victorian age. In aggregate, steampunk is a trend that is rapidly outgrowing niche status. “There seems to be this sort of perfect storm of interest in steampunk right now,” Mr. von Slatt said. “If you go to Google Trends and track the number of times it is mentioned, the curve is almost algorithmic from a year and a half ago.” (At this writing, Google cites 1.9 million references.) “Part of the reason it seems so popular is the very difficulty of pinning down what it is,” Mr. von Slatt added. “That’s a
Re: [scifinoir2] Wheat genome sequenced – superior types of wheat could result
Ah, next stop: quadrotriticale, the grain that was the source of so much contention in The Trouble with Tribbles. Remember Kirk's irritated disbelieving, You issued a Priority One distress call for a coupla tons of wheat?! And spy Garvin's correction, Not 'wheat'--'quadrotriticale!' - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 5:08:12 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Wheat genome sequenced – superior types of wheat could result Wheat genome sequenced – superior types of wheat could result By Ben Coxworth 18:57 August 27, 2010 UK scientists have sequenced the entire wheat genome, and released the data to crop breede... UK scientists have sequenced the entire wheat genome, and released the data to crop breeders (Image: 3268zauber ) Precursor miRNA Clones - www.GeneCopoeia.com/MicroRNAs Lentiviral $396, Non-Viral $247 eGFP Reporter. Search Now! Extract DNA With This Kit - www.MPbio.com/SamplePrep DNA Extraction Made Convenient Reliable. Try It Free In Your Lab! $89 Home DNA Test - www.gtldna.net Free FedEx Return w/Kit! Accredited Lab - Fast Results. BBB Member DNA Testing - TRUTH 4 U - www.Dnatruth4u.com Want the Truth, Get the Truth We Provide the Truth for you Ads by Google Scientists from the University of Liverpool, in collaboration with the University of Bristol and the John Innes Centre in Norfolk, have sequenced the entire wheat genome. They are now making the DNA data available to crop breeders to help them select key agricultural traits for breeding. The data is presently in a raw format, and will require further read-throughs and annotations, plus the assembly of the genetic data into chromosomes, before it can be fully applied. Using advanced genome sequencing platforms, however, the task isn’t as daunting as it might seem. While the sequencing of the human genome took 15 years to complete, the wheat genome has taken only a year. This is thanks in no small part to U Bristol’s next-generation genome analyzers, which can read DNA hundreds of times faster than the systems that were used to sequence the human genome. “The wheat genome is five times larger than the human genome and presents a huge challenge for scientists,” said U Bristol ’s Prof. Keith Edwards. “The genome sequences are an important tool for researchers and for plant breeders and by making the data publicly available we are ensuring this publicly funded research has the widest possible impact.” The reference species used in the study was Chinese Spring wheat. The scientists hope that by understanding the genetic differences between varieties with different desirable traits, selective breeding can produce new types of wheat better able to withstand drought and salinity, and that provide higher yields. Perhaps we could even finally see the much-sought-after perennial wheat . “It is predicted that within the next 40 years world food production will need to be increased by 50 per cent,” stated U Liverpool ’s Dr. Anthony Hall. “Developing new, low input, high yielding varieties of wheat, will be fundamental to meeting these goals.” The project is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Re: [scifinoir2] Remote controlled Daleks
God, I have *got* to have the ducats by Christmas to get one of these bad boys! They have officially supplanted my long time dream of getting a remote controlled copy of the Robot from Lost in Space! - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 5:20:56 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Remote controlled Daleks Hehe... You could also use it as an alarm system. Can you imagine the look on someone's face when one of these rolled at them yelling Exterminate! Exterminate! On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 3:26 AM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: I could live with one of those, Mr Worf. Park it in the foyer of my next residence, to spook any unwelcome visitors. On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 1:10 AM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: Remote controlled Daleks by Paz Remote controlled Daleks It’s hard to imagine that the Daleks have been around since 1963! Now, to capture some of the interest in the new Dr Who episodes, these super-looking remote-controlled models have been released. For those of you who don’t know, the Daleks are a race of mutants who live in these robotic shells. The shells themselves feature formidable weaponry, but despite the Daleks’ ruthlessly-determined efforts, they were never able to outsmart the Doctor – mainly because they famously couldn’t climb stairs. I never missed an episode of Dr Who, and I would have sold my soul for one of these things as a boy, but after the bitter rivalries between the Daleks’ creator, Terry Nation and the BBC, the commercial merchandise was withdrawn. It looks like Terry Nation’s passing and the popular success of the new series has spurred sort of deal to be made. These Daleks stand 8 inches tall and can be moved by rotating left and right, as well as forwards. The head twists, just like the “real” cyborg, and you can play a random, digitised sound from a list of 9 different phrases, and of course the beloved “You will be exterminated!” is included. The Daleks cost $55 and come in three different colour schemes, but it’s pot luck on the colour choice, though I’ve no idea why! In any case, I’m ordering a Dalek (for my son), but it’s going back it’s not a red and black one! The remote-controlled Dalek from Think Geek . -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] Remote controlled Daleks
Yeah, so would Robby the Robot of Forbidden Planet fame. He was all over the place back in the day, including an ep of Twilight Zone, and as an evil robot on Lost in Space. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 7:06:13 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Remote controlled Daleks The robot from Lost in Space would be cool. I saw a miniature of that one for $200 at Tower Records a few years ago. It moved and lit up. Very cool. On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 4:02 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: God, I have *got* to have the ducats by Christmas to get one of these bad boys! They have officially supplanted my long time dream of getting a remote controlled copy of the Robot from Lost in Space! - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 5:20:56 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Remote controlled Daleks Hehe... You could also use it as an alarm system. Can you imagine the look on someone's face when one of these rolled at them yelling Exterminate! Exterminate! On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 3:26 AM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: I could live with one of those, Mr Worf. Park it in the foyer of my next residence, to spook any unwelcome visitors. On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 1:10 AM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: Remote controlled Daleks by Paz Remote controlled Daleks It’s hard to imagine that the Daleks have been around since 1963! Now, to capture some of the interest in the new Dr Who episodes, these super-looking remote-controlled models have been released. For those of you who don’t know, the Daleks are a race of mutants who live in these robotic shells. The shells themselves feature formidable weaponry, but despite the Daleks’ ruthlessly-determined efforts, they were never able to outsmart the Doctor – mainly because they famously couldn’t climb stairs. I never missed an episode of Dr Who, and I would have sold my soul for one of these things as a boy, but after the bitter rivalries between the Daleks’ creator, Terry Nation and the BBC, the commercial merchandise was withdrawn. It looks like Terry Nation’s passing and the popular success of the new series has spurred sort of deal to be made. These Daleks stand 8 inches tall and can be moved by rotating left and right, as well as forwards. The head twists, just like the “real” cyborg, and you can play a random, digitised sound from a list of 9 different phrases, and of course the beloved “You will be exterminated!” is included. The Daleks cost $55 and come in three different colour schemes, but it’s pot luck on the colour choice, though I’ve no idea why! In any case, I’m ordering a Dalek (for my son), but it’s going back it’s not a red and black one! The remote-controlled Dalek from Think Geek . -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] Remote controlled Daleks
don't know about that. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 9:31:45 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Remote controlled Daleks Wasn't Robbie the first robot to get nominated for an award? On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 6:19 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Yeah, so would Robby the Robot of Forbidden Planet fame. He was all over the place back in the day, including an ep of Twilight Zone, and as an evil robot on Lost in Space. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 7:06:13 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Remote controlled Daleks The robot from Lost in Space would be cool. I saw a miniature of that one for $200 at Tower Records a few years ago. It moved and lit up. Very cool. On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 4:02 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: God, I have *got* to have the ducats by Christmas to get one of these bad boys! They have officially supplanted my long time dream of getting a remote controlled copy of the Robot from Lost in Space! - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 5:20:56 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Remote controlled Daleks Hehe... You could also use it as an alarm system. Can you imagine the look on someone's face when one of these rolled at them yelling Exterminate! Exterminate! On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 3:26 AM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: I could live with one of those, Mr Worf. Park it in the foyer of my next residence, to spook any unwelcome visitors. On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 1:10 AM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: Remote controlled Daleks by Paz Remote controlled Daleks It’s hard to imagine that the Daleks have been around since 1963! Now, to capture some of the interest in the new Dr Who episodes, these super-looking remote-controlled models have been released. For those of you who don’t know, the Daleks are a race of mutants who live in these robotic shells. The shells themselves feature formidable weaponry, but despite the Daleks’ ruthlessly-determined efforts, they were never able to outsmart the Doctor – mainly because they famously couldn’t climb stairs. I never missed an episode of Dr Who, and I would have sold my soul for one of these things as a boy, but after the bitter rivalries between the Daleks’ creator, Terry Nation and the BBC, the commercial merchandise was withdrawn. It looks like Terry Nation’s passing and the popular success of the new series has spurred sort of deal to be made. These Daleks stand 8 inches tall and can be moved by rotating left and right, as well as forwards. The head twists, just like the “real” cyborg, and you can play a random, digitised sound from a list of 9 different phrases, and of course the beloved “You will be exterminated!” is included. The Daleks cost $55 and come in three different colour schemes, but it’s pot luck on the colour choice, though I’ve no idea why! In any case, I’m ordering a Dalek (for my son), but it’s going back it’s not a red and black one! The remote-controlled Dalek from Think Geek . -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] Buckeye Bullet 2.5 claims battery electric vehicle world land speed record of 307.7mph
By the way, i know I've mentioned this several times before, but as for great speed on land, I'm a big fan of someday building a network of underground high speed subway trains in vacuum tunnels. If you built sealed tunnels, evacuated much of the atmosphere (to reduce the drag effects of air), and then put maglev trains on tracks in those tunnels, you could conceivably build a network of vehicles that could travel faster than current passenger jets. There'd be no need to crowd airports, no need to worry about jet fuel, weather, birds, etc. If you remember the post-nuclear holocaust movies from the 70s, there was one that had such a system. If was a Gene Roddenberry TV movie. I think it was Earth 2 or Genesis II. I can't remember, there were two such movies back then, both dealing with a scientist from our time being in suspended animation and awakening in a future post-nuclear war Earth. One had Alex Cord, the other, John Saxon. At any rate, whichever movie it was had those superspeed underground bullet trains, which captivated my imagination as a kid. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 1:58:36 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Buckeye Bullet 2.5 claims battery electric vehicle world land speed record of 307.7mph Wikipedia says: The land speed record (or absolute land speed record ) is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C (Special Vehicles) flying start regulations are used, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . [ 1 ] The record is standardized as the speed over a course of fixed length, averaged over two runs (commonly called passes). [ 2 ] Two runs are required in opposite directions within one hour, and new record mark must exceed the previous one by one percent to be validated. [ 3 ] The fastest is held by ThrustSSC of 763mph. The Japanese JR-Maglev is the fastest non-conventional train in the world, having achieved 581 km/h (361 mph) on a magnetic-levitation track. Unmanned rocket sleds that ride on rails have reached over 10,400 km/h (6,462 mph), equivalent to Mach 8.5. The fastest manned rail vehicle was a manned rocket sled, that travelled at 1,017 km/h (635 mph). The fastest train is 405mph held by Spain. On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 10:43 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: That's cool. I have a question, though. Is this requirement that a vehicle make two runs, in opposite directions within an hour of each other, an American thing? I remember reading about how a guy had broken the land speed record in a jet car a few years back, but officially wasn't in the record books because his car suffered some problems, and he couldn't make the run in the opposite direction within the time limit. Made no sense to me because he did make the run once, and that's what should matter. I've never gotten this need to do it twice. Even if one wanted to think the speed was a fluke, it's real and can't be faked, so why not just take the first run and be done with it? - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 9:39:46 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Buckeye Bullet 2.5 claims battery electric vehicle world land speed record of 307.7mph Buckeye Bullet 2.5 claims battery electric vehicle world land speed record of 307.7mph By Darren Quick 21:14 August 25, 2010 4 Pictures The Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2.5 The Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2.5 Image Gallery (4 images) Solar Panel Leasing - www.Sungevity.com/$0-Down Get Solar Power for Your Home Today $0 Money Down and Pay As You Go! GE Wattstation EV Charger - geindustrial.com/GE_EV_Charger Learn more about the newly launched GE Wattstation EV Charger today! Verizon FiOS - Verizon.com/FiOS Starting at $89.99/month. Now With Verizon's Worry Free Guarantee! Solar Battery System - rps-solar.com/solar.shtml Off Grid Systems Backup Power Residential Commercial Solar Ads by Google The Bullet Buckeye team from Ohio State University has set a world record average two-way speed of 307.7mph (495km/h) with its battery electric Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2.5. The lithium ion battery powered car eclipsed the previous 245mph (394km/h) world land speed record for battery electric vehicles set in 1999 by White Lightning. The new record was set by the Bullet at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah this week, is pending certification by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the worldwide motor sports governing body. The Bullet was required to make two speed runs, one each in opposite directions and within 60 minutes, in order to be considered for the record. While the record is officially
[scifinoir2] Genesis II is the Movie with the Bullet Train
Got it. The movie in which I saw the system of high speed underground bullet trains (vactrains) was Genesis II, starring Alex Cord. It also had Mariette Hartley, who had a guest spot on an ep of Star Trek (the one where Spock and McCoy go back in time to a planet's ice age, and Spock loses emotional control and gets the hots for Hartley's character). I remember thinking those trains were freakin' awesome when I first saw the movie. Here's a blurb about the movie from Wikipedia. Note that Cord's character is named Dylan Hunt, the name that would later be lifted from Roddenberry's notes, and then applied to the TV series Andromeda. ** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesis_II_%28film%29 Plot summary In 1979, NASA scientist Dylan Hunt ( Cord ) is working on Project Ganymede, a suspended animation system for astronauts on long-duration space flights . As chief of the project he volunteers for the first multi-day test. He places himself in chemically-induced hibernation deep inside Carlsbad Caverns ; while there, his lab is buried in an earthquake . The monitoring equipment is damaged and fails to awake him at the intended end of the test. He awakens instead in 2133 A.D., emerging into a chaotic post-apocalyptic world. An event called The Great Conflict (a third and final World War ) destroyed the civilization of Hunt's time. Various new civilizations have emerged in a struggle for control of available resources. Those with the greatest military might and the will to use it have the greatest advantage. Dylan Hunt is accidentally found and rescued by an organization calling themselves PAX, which stood for peace (from the Latin). PAX members are the descendants of the NASA personnel who worked and lived at the Carlsbad Installation in Dylan's time. They are explorers and scientists who preserve what little information and technology survive from before the Conflict, and who seek to learn and acquire more in an effort to build a new civilization. Members of PAX find Dylan Hunt still sealed in the hibernation chamber. They revive him, and are thrilled to meet a survivor from before the Conflict. An elaborate Subshuttle transit system was constructed during the 1970's due to air transportation becoming too vulnerable to air attack. The Subshuttles were a rapid transport system that utilized magnetic levitation transports . They operated inside vactrain tunnels and ran at hundreds of miles per hour. The tunnels were comprehensive enough to cover the entire globe. The PAX organization has inherited the still working system and used it to dispatch their teams of troubleshooters. In the area once known as Arizona and New Mexico a totalitarian regime known as Tyranians rule the area. The Tyranians are mutants who possess greater prowess than average humans (they can be identified as possessing two navels ). Their leader discovers that Hunt has knowledge of nuclear power systems, and they offer him great rewards if he can repair their failing nuclear power generator. However, once under their power they attempt to force him to reactivate a nuclear missile system in their possession, with which they intend to destroy their enemies and dominate the region. Hunt is appalled by this small-scale replay of the events that must have led to the Conflict. He leads a revolt of the enslaved citizenry, sabotages the nuclear device, and destroys the reactor. To Hunt's dismay, the PAX leaders assert their pacifist nature and intentions. They are attempting to rebuild an idealistic society using all that was deemed good from Earth's past, and they regard Hunt's interference with a rival civilization and his destructive tactics as antithetical to this end. However, they also see great good in him and value his knowledge of the past. They ask Hunt to join PAX permanently but only if he can agree to never again take human lives. Hunt half-heartedly agrees. Security Chief Yuloff states that the rationale of taking lives to justify the saving of lives was what allowed The Great Conflict to happen in the first place.
[scifinoir2] More Info on Vactrains
Can you tell I love this stuff? :) Here's info on the vactrains, including references to the tech in movies and books. By the way, the movies I was mentioning about the scientist in the future were threefold. First was Genesis II, with Alex Cord as Dylon Hunt. Later came Planet Earth, with Hunt now played by John Saxon, but which was in the same continuity. Finally came John Saxon in Strange New World, which had a completely different story. in this case, he was an astronaut returning to Earth after two centuries in suspended animation in outer space. he and his fellow astronauts had intentionally been sent into the longer sleep by NASA to save them from an asteroid bombardment that was about to devastate Earth. ** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vactrain A vactrain is a proposed, as-yet-unbuilt design for future high-speed railroad transportation. This would entail building maglev lines through evacuated (air-less) or partly evacuated tubes or tunnels. Though the technology is currently being investigated for development of regional networks, advocates have suggested establishing vactrains for transcontinental routes to form a global network. The lack of air resistance could permit vactrains to use little power and to move at extremely high speeds, up to (4000-5000 mph (6400–8000 km/h) or 5-6 times the speed of sound at sea level and standard conditions), according to the Discovery Channel 's Extreme Engineering program Transatlantic Tunnel . Theoretically, vactrain tunnels could be built deep enough to pass under oceans , thus permitting very rapid intercontinental travel. Vactrains could also use gravity to assist their acceleration. If such trains went as fast as predicted, the trip between London and New York would take less than an hour, effectively supplanting aircraft as the world's fastest mode of public transportation. However, without major advances in tunnelling and other technology, vactrains would be prohibitively expensive. Alternatives such as elevated concrete tubes with partial vacuums have been proposed to reduce costs. History The modern concept of a vactrain, with evacuated tubes and maglev technology, was explored in the 1910s by American engineer Robert Goddard , who designed detailed prototypes while a university student. His train would have traveled from Boston to New York in 12 minutes, averaging 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h). The train designs were found only after Goddard's death in 1945. Russian professor Boris Weinberg offered a vactrain concept in 1914 in the book Motion without friction (airless electric way) and built the first maglev prototypes in 1913. Vactrains made headlines during the 1970s when a leading advocate, Robert F. Salter of RAND , published a series of elaborate engineering articles in 1972 and again in 1978. An interview with Robert Salter appeared in the LA Times (June 11, 1972). He discussed, in detail, the relative ease with which the U.S. government could build a tube shuttle system using technologies available at that time. Maglev being poorly developed at the time, he proposed steel wheels. The chamber's door to the tube would be opened, and enough air admitted behind to accelerate the train into the tube. Gravity would further accelerate the departing train down to cruise level. Rising from cruise level, the arriving train would decelerate by compressing the rarefied air ahead of it, which would be vented. Pumps at the stations would make up for losses due to friction or air escaping around the edges of the train, the train itself requiring no motor. This combination of modified (shallow) gravity train and atmospheric railway propulsion would consume little energy but limit the system to subsonic speeds, hence initial routes of tens or hundreds of miles or kilometers rather than transcontinental distances were proposed. Trains were to require no couplers , each car being directly welded, bolted or otherwise firmly connected to the next, the route calling for no more bending than the flexibility of steel could easily handle. At the end of the line the train would be moved sideways into the end chamber of the return tube. The railway would have both an inner evacuated tube and an outer tunnel. At cruise depth, the space between would have enough water to float the vacuum tube, softening the ride. A route through the Northeast Megalopolis was laid out, with nine stations, one each in DC, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and two in Connecticut. Commuter rail systems were mapped for the San Francisco and New York areas, the commuter version having longer, heavier trains, to be propelled less by air and more by gravity than the intercity version. The New York system was to have three lines, terminating in Babylon , Paterson , Huntington , Elizabeth , White Plains , and St George . Salter also pointed out
Re: [scifinoir2] Buckeye Bullet 2.5 claims battery electric vehicle world land speed record of 307.7mph
Thanks for links. But no, I was thinking of Genesis II, first, then Planet Earth as well. I watched both movies--all three, if you read my other posts--back in the day, and remember the vactrain in both of those movies. My confusion was not remembering quite whether Alex Cord or John Saxon was Dylan Hunt first. Cord was first, and his is the first movie I remember, with Saxon's next. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 2:52:57 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Buckeye Bullet 2.5 claims battery electric vehicle world land speed record of 307.7mph Here is the opening of Genesis II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkCzOuWt9Sgfeature=related Strangely, the same character and plot was used in the movie Planet Earth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKVAguLxH1wfeature=related I think you were thinking of Planet Earth. On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 11:22 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: By the way, i know I've mentioned this several times before, but as for great speed on land, I'm a big fan of someday building a network of underground high speed subway trains in vacuum tunnels. If you built sealed tunnels, evacuated much of the atmosphere (to reduce the drag effects of air), and then put maglev trains on tracks in those tunnels, you could conceivably build a network of vehicles that could travel faster than current passenger jets. There'd be no need to crowd airports, no need to worry about jet fuel, weather, birds, etc. If you remember the post-nuclear holocaust movies from the 70s, there was one that had such a system. If was a Gene Roddenberry TV movie. I think it was Earth 2 or Genesis II. I can't remember, there were two such movies back then, both dealing with a scientist from our time being in suspended animation and awakening in a future post-nuclear war Earth. One had Alex Cord, the other, John Saxon. At any rate, whichever movie it was had those superspeed underground bullet trains, which captivated my imagination as a kid. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 1:58:36 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Buckeye Bullet 2.5 claims battery electric vehicle world land speed record of 307.7mph Wikipedia says: The land speed record (or absolute land speed record ) is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C (Special Vehicles) flying start regulations are used, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . [ 1 ] The record is standardized as the speed over a course of fixed length, averaged over two runs (commonly called passes). [ 2 ] Two runs are required in opposite directions within one hour, and new record mark must exceed the previous one by one percent to be validated. [ 3 ] The fastest is held by ThrustSSC of 763mph. The Japanese JR-Maglev is the fastest non-conventional train in the world, having achieved 581 km/h (361 mph) on a magnetic-levitation track. Unmanned rocket sleds that ride on rails have reached over 10,400 km/h (6,462 mph), equivalent to Mach 8.5. The fastest manned rail vehicle was a manned rocket sled, that travelled at 1,017 km/h (635 mph). The fastest train is 405mph held by Spain. On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 10:43 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: That's cool. I have a question, though. Is this requirement that a vehicle make two runs, in opposite directions within an hour of each other, an American thing? I remember reading about how a guy had broken the land speed record in a jet car a few years back, but officially wasn't in the record books because his car suffered some problems, and he couldn't make the run in the opposite direction within the time limit. Made no sense to me because he did make the run once, and that's what should matter. I've never gotten this need to do it twice. Even if one wanted to think the speed was a fluke, it's real and can't be faked, so why not just take the first run and be done with it? - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 9:39:46 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Buckeye Bullet 2.5 claims battery electric vehicle world land speed record of 307.7mph Buckeye Bullet 2.5 claims battery electric vehicle world land speed record of 307.7mph By Darren Quick 21:14 August 25, 2010 4 Pictures The Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2.5 The Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2.5 Image Gallery (4 images) Solar Panel Leasing - www.Sungevity.com/$0-Down Get Solar Power for Your Home Today $0 Money Down and Pay As You Go! GE Wattstation EV Charger - geindustrial.com/GE_EV_Charger
Re: [scifinoir2] More Info on Vactrains
Yeah. I'm a bit surprised to see the concept has been around for decades--well nigh a century, in fact. But that shouldn't be a surprise seeing as people like H.G. Wells were envisioning futuristic tech before we even had electricity or the airplane. You're right about how we slow down our own progress. The estimated cost of a vactrain system in the trillions seems daunting, but how much do we waste on inefficient air travel that wastes fuel to combat air resistance, not to mention the fuel required to climb to cruising altitude in the first place? How about the pollution of the air from all the exhausts? The same short sighted thinking is why we're decades behind in alternative fuel development, efficient solar energy, and truly fuel efficient cars. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 2:58:45 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] More Info on Vactrains The vacuum train story is a prime example of how we slow down our progress due to costs. Can you imagine how different our world would have been by now if they had created a vactrain to travel across country? Or from NYC to London and Paris? On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 11:41 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Can you tell I love this stuff? :) Here's info on the vactrains, including references to the tech in movies and books. By the way, the movies I was mentioning about the scientist in the future were threefold. First was Genesis II, with Alex Cord as Dylon Hunt. Later came Planet Earth, with Hunt now played by John Saxon, but which was in the same continuity. Finally came John Saxon in Strange New World, which had a completely different story. in this case, he was an astronaut returning to Earth after two centuries in suspended animation in outer space. he and his fellow astronauts had intentionally been sent into the longer sleep by NASA to save them from an asteroid bombardment that was about to devastate Earth. ** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vactrain A vactrain is a proposed, as-yet-unbuilt design for future high-speed railroad transportation. This would entail building maglev lines through evacuated (air-less) or partly evacuated tubes or tunnels. Though the technology is currently being investigated for development of regional networks, advocates have suggested establishing vactrains for transcontinental routes to form a global network. The lack of air resistance could permit vactrains to use little power and to move at extremely high speeds, up to (4000-5000 mph (6400–8000 km/h) or 5-6 times the speed of sound at sea level and standard conditions), according to the Discovery Channel 's Extreme Engineering program Transatlantic Tunnel . Theoretically, vactrain tunnels could be built deep enough to pass under oceans , thus permitting very rapid intercontinental travel. Vactrains could also use gravity to assist their acceleration. If such trains went as fast as predicted, the trip between London and New York would take less than an hour, effectively supplanting aircraft as the world's fastest mode of public transportation. However, without major advances in tunnelling and other technology, vactrains would be prohibitively expensive. Alternatives such as elevated concrete tubes with partial vacuums have been proposed to reduce costs. History The modern concept of a vactrain, with evacuated tubes and maglev technology, was explored in the 1910s by American engineer Robert Goddard , who designed detailed prototypes while a university student. His train would have traveled from Boston to New York in 12 minutes, averaging 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h). The train designs were found only after Goddard's death in 1945. Russian professor Boris Weinberg offered a vactrain concept in 1914 in the book Motion without friction (airless electric way) and built the first maglev prototypes in 1913. Vactrains made headlines during the 1970s when a leading advocate, Robert F. Salter of RAND , published a series of elaborate engineering articles in 1972 and again in 1978. An interview with Robert Salter appeared in the LA Times (June 11, 1972). He discussed, in detail, the relative ease with which the U.S. government could build a tube shuttle system using technologies available at that time. Maglev being poorly developed at the time, he proposed steel wheels. The chamber's door to the tube would be opened, and enough air admitted behind to accelerate the train into the tube. Gravity would further accelerate the departing train down to cruise level. Rising from cruise level, the arriving train would decelerate by compressing the rarefied air ahead of it, which would be vented. Pumps at the stations would make up for losses due to friction or air escaping around the edges of the train, the train itself requiring no motor. This combination
Re: [scifinoir2] Genesis II is the Movie with the Bullet Train
I used to love watching those movies when I was a kid in the '70s. Back then, I had several sources to watch scifi movies: ABC used to do a movie every day at 3 pm CST, after the soaps (and maybe after Dark Shadows). Each week had a theme, such as an Elvis week. There was always a scifi week around the corner, so I'd be treated to stuff like When Worlds Collide or The Angry Read Planet in the afternoon for five days in a row. CBS used to have a Friday night program called CBS Late Night, that came on after the talk shows at around 12:30 am CST. Late Night would air scifi and horror programs. That's where I saw stuff like Demon Seed, Colussus the Forbin Project, The Manitou, Fall of the House of Usher, The Raven, The Pit and the Pendulum, etc. The local NBC affiliate used to air scifi and horror at around midnight on Saturdays. i saw a lot of obscure horror, like one starring teen idol Frankie Avalon about a bunch of teens getting offed by a serial killer in a house in which they were spending the night. I remember watching a lot of movies about devil worshippers, witches, vampires, and the like. It was on this NBC segment that I saw both of those two-head transplant movies I was mentioning the other day. NBC also aired a series called Thriller, I believe, hosted by Boris Karloff. That aired around 1 or 2 am on Sunday mornings, after the late night horror/scifi movie. A local station--Channel 11 in Fort Worth--had a scifi/horror slot on Sundays around 1 pm. I remember settling in to watch movies as Mom fried chicken and cooked peach cobbler for Sunday dinner. on that station i saw movies like The deadly Mantis, Them, the original The thing, The Blob, and a lot of obscure fare, such as one in which a vampire was menacing a town in teh Old West, and was killed by a gunslinger who used a bullet with a Crucifix inscribed on it. Even later, in the '80s, another local station in DFW started airing scifi/horror on Saturday afternoons. A lot of them were forgettable, whose names escape me, but many later ended up on MST3K. Elvira's show was aired on this station as well, along with Kung Fu Theatre later in the day! Amazing: we had maybe five or six or seven VHF/UHF channels back then, no cable of course, no VCRs or DVDs, and no movie rentals. Yet those few stations somehow managed to air more scifi, horror, animation,and kung fu on a regular basis than I can get even know with dozens and dozens of cable channels to watch. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 3:01:29 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Genesis II is the Movie with the Bullet Train I forgot to mention that Genesis II is out on DVD. On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 11:30 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Got it. The movie in which I saw the system of high speed underground bullet trains (vactrains) was Genesis II, starring Alex Cord. It also had Mariette Hartley, who had a guest spot on an ep of Star Trek (the one where Spock and McCoy go back in time to a planet's ice age, and Spock loses emotional control and gets the hots for Hartley's character). I remember thinking those trains were freakin' awesome when I first saw the movie. Here's a blurb about the movie from Wikipedia. Note that Cord's character is named Dylan Hunt, the name that would later be lifted from Roddenberry's notes, and then applied to the TV series Andromeda. ** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesis_II_%28film%29 Plot summary In 1979, NASA scientist Dylan Hunt ( Cord ) is working on Project Ganymede, a suspended animation system for astronauts on long-duration space flights . As chief of the project he volunteers for the first multi-day test. He places himself in chemically-induced hibernation deep inside Carlsbad Caverns ; while there, his lab is buried in an earthquake . The monitoring equipment is damaged and fails to awake him at the intended end of the test. He awakens instead in 2133 A.D., emerging into a chaotic post-apocalyptic world. An event called The Great Conflict (a third and final World War ) destroyed the civilization of Hunt's time. Various new civilizations have emerged in a struggle for control of available resources. Those with the greatest military might and the will to use it have the greatest advantage. Dylan Hunt is accidentally found and rescued by an organization calling themselves PAX, which stood for peace (from the Latin). PAX members are the descendants of the NASA personnel who worked and lived at the Carlsbad Installation in Dylan's time. They are explorers and scientists who preserve what little information and technology survive from before the Conflict, and who seek to learn and acquire more in an effort to build a new civilization. Members of PAX find Dylan Hunt still sealed in the hibernation chamber. They revive
Re: [scifinoir2] Genesis II is the Movie with the Bullet Train
Right. I think part of the problem is commercial deals in TV nowadays. For example, I once in my late 20s' realized that I had seen at least one ep of the original Star Trek weekly for the previous two decades non-stop! No matter what city I was in, I could find Star Trek airing on a local VHF or UHF channel. Back then, even cash strapped local stations could pay whatever fees were required to re-air shows like that--and Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants, great movies like Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc. Nowadays, a lot of classic TV and movie scifi and horror isn't nearly as ubiquitous, despite an explosion in the number of cable channels in those very genres. I think there's been a lot of deals where companies have bought exclusive rights to air programming, or--such as the case with TCM--own the films outright. So, I haven't seen the OS Trek on TV in ages, other than when the local ABC affiliate aired the digital enhanced version at 3 am on Sundays. I haven't seen DS9 in ages, Voyager seems to be Spike TV's thing, and they air it at 2 am. Classic horror movies starring the likes of Cushing and Lee only get pulled out of the TCM or AMC vaults during Halloween. We get subjected to horrible SyFy Originals, but don't get to see at least entertaining camp like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Gator, or even the Evil Dead movies much at all. Honestly, back in the days of Elvira, Kung Fu Theatre, and pre-cable, the scifi/horror watching was much better than it is today. I think that's why so many people are turning to the likes of NetFlix and the Internet, so that they can find all the programs that the cables stations seem to have locked up in exclusivity deals. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 3:42:48 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Genesis II is the Movie with the Bullet Train That's true! Every now and then Spike will show a bunch of martial art movies (also IFC) but that is only a couple of times a year. SCIFI is impossible to catch unless Will Smith is in the movie. One thing that I loved about old tv stations was that they all had their own collection of films. One of the local stations that was sold to WB was bought back by the original owner and now he is running old tv shows, and movies again. On Saturday nights they show old horror movies! Just like the good old days! :) Check out this list: Perry Mason, Streets of San Francisco, The Flying Nun etc. On Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 12:21 AM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I used to love watching those movies when I was a kid in the '70s. Back then, I had several sources to watch scifi movies: ABC used to do a movie every day at 3 pm CST, after the soaps (and maybe after Dark Shadows). Each week had a theme, such as an Elvis week. There was always a scifi week around the corner, so I'd be treated to stuff like When Worlds Collide or The Angry Read Planet in the afternoon for five days in a row. CBS used to have a Friday night program called CBS Late Night, that came on after the talk shows at around 12:30 am CST. Late Night would air scifi and horror programs. That's where I saw stuff like Demon Seed, Colussus the Forbin Project, The Manitou, Fall of the House of Usher, The Raven, The Pit and the Pendulum, etc. The local NBC affiliate used to air scifi and horror at around midnight on Saturdays. i saw a lot of obscure horror, like one starring teen idol Frankie Avalon about a bunch of teens getting offed by a serial killer in a house in which they were spending the night. I remember watching a lot of movies about devil worshippers, witches, vampires, and the like. It was on this NBC segment that I saw both of those two-head transplant movies I was mentioning the other day. NBC also aired a series called Thriller, I believe, hosted by Boris Karloff. That aired around 1 or 2 am on Sunday mornings, after the late night horror/scifi movie. A local station--Channel 11 in Fort Worth--had a scifi/horror slot on Sundays around 1 pm. I remember settling in to watch movies as Mom fried chicken and cooked peach cobbler for Sunday dinner. on that station i saw movies like The deadly Mantis, Them, the original The thing, The Blob, and a lot of obscure fare, such as one in which a vampire was menacing a town in teh Old West, and was killed by a gunslinger who used a bullet with a Crucifix inscribed on it. Even later, in the '80s, another local station in DFW started airing scifi/horror on Saturday afternoons. A lot of them were forgettable, whose names escape me, but many later ended up on MST3K. Elvira's show was aired on this station as well, along with Kung Fu Theatre later in the day! Amazing: we had maybe five or six or seven VHF/UHF channels back then, no cable of course, no VCRs or DVDs, and no movie rentals. Yet those few stations somehow managed to air more
Re: [scifinoir2] WTF??? Hitler DNA Tests Show He Likely Had Jewish, African Roots, Daily Mail Says
Could be a million reasons. Don't know them, so can't say. Some do it because they honestly feel such areas have better quality of life (schools, homes, parks, etc). Some do it because they feel deep down that white is better--even if they can't admit it to themselves. I have some black friends like that, who live in majority white, very conservative areas. Always complaining about racism and stuff, but never seem to be able to find the will to move. Makes me impatient... - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 1:38:02 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WTF??? Hitler DNA Tests Show He Likely Had Jewish, African Roots, Daily Mail Says They live in the mostly white section of Marin county. The area is now much more integrated but back then it was about 99% white. They were doing pretty well though. (business owners, private school for the girls etc.) Thinking back, the lies that they told probably kept them alive in that area. I'm not sure why they moved there though. On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 9:43 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Really? Where are they located? - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 4:29:50 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WTF??? Hitler DNA Tests Show He Likely Had Jewish, African Roots, Daily Mail Says I think that there is a lot of demons in the closet on this topic that should be exercised. @Keith, I have family members that are passing for Portuguese. I only saw them twice when I was a kid. I wonder have any of them came out of the racial closet or not. On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 7:59 AM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Not at all a surprise. First, the Jewish thing was always noised about. I often joke to my wife, why didn't someone, during any of his mass rallies, look at him and say Hey, waitaminute? Didn't he say 'blonde hair and blue eyes? WTF?? Secondly, given the centuries of exploration, migration, and conquest, a lot more Europeans have African and Asian blood in them than would like to admit. They need to do the same DNA tests on J. Edgar Hoover (rumoured to have black ancestry) and Babe Ruth (often called disparaging names for a black man by some of his white opponents). I've always been fascinated by people who've denied, hidden, or simply didn't know about their heritage. For example, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright didn't discover until the last few years that she was Jewish. Her family evidently tried to hide that fact, no doubt to avoid a lot of problems in American society. I found her surprise surprising, as I'd always assumed she was, based on her looks. I've long been happy that i'm obviously black, and didn't grow up in a time, place, or family where trying to pretend to be something else was either an option, a desire, or even a necessity. There's a scene in one of the Easy Rollins books--it might be Devil in A Blue Dress--where Easy is staking out a hotel lobby. As he's sitting there, he notices a man sitting in a chair, well dressed, manicured nails, light olive skin. Idly curious, Easy stares at the man for a sec. They make eye contact, and the man literally starts looking agitated. Easy quickly realizes that the man in is fact at least part Black, and is obviously passing for something else--Italian or Greek, most likely. Easy looks away, silently assuring the brother that he's not going to blow his cover, cause right or wrong, the man feels he has to hide like that. Easy wasn't going to judge him or cause him pain. I've often had to fight a kind of knee jerk disgust at people of color who've passed for white, or who deny their African roots while embracing the European ones. I had a lot of trouble, honestly, with the Torres character on Voyager, for example, because she was ashamed of her Klingon heritage. But I've had to realize that some people have been raised in times and places where it's simply been too hard to be who they were. Maybe they were taking the easy route; maybe they were just trying to survive. I guess I shouldn't judge. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 2:59:32 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] WTF??? Hitler DNA Tests Show He Likely Had Jewish, African Roots, Daily Mail Says Hitler DNA Tests Show He Likely Had Jewish, African Roots, Daily Mail Says By Steven Fromm - Aug 24, 2010 7:39 AM PT • • Email • Share • Print Hitler Likely Had Jewish, African Roots, Daily Mail Says DNA shows Adolf Hitler likely to have had Jewish or African roots, reports Daily Mail. Photographer: Keystone/Getty Images Adolf Hitler may have been descended from both Jews and Africans, DNA tests are indicating
Re: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S
Yeah, I haven't noticed that. Although I do believe the US population is getting slightly taller, I thought it was a natural thing, not based on stuff in our food. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 1:19:53 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S Maybe its a California thing but I was at a grade school recently and about 50% of the 6th graders close to my height or taller. I'm 5'10. On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 9:59 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I don't think that height change is all that widespread yet. But I do know there's a noticeable change in the weight of youth, with more getting heavy earlier in life. there's also been the recently discussed fact that a lot of young girls are developing sooner than before... - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 11:55:55 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S I think that aesthetic will disappear soon. Most of the youngsters that are in their teens right now are close to or above 6ft tall (In this area, possibly 30-40%) so that tiny little waif look will eventually disappear. This brings up the question as to why hasn't anyone looked into the growth hormones that are being passed on to everyone. There is no reason whatsoever for these kids to be this big across the board. My 4yr old nephew is over 4 feet tall now. At this rate by the time he is 10 he will be taller than me. On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 7:32 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Oh, she's a gorgeous lady, one of the prettiest women in Hollywood. I'm just saying she's not curvy or voluptuous by any means, and I've heard some people go on about her great figure. But all I can conclude is that that's based on the modern love for slim-to-thin athletic builds that some champion nowadays. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 7:20:33 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S Here's the pic of Fox wearing the tshirt: http://cm1.theinsider.com/thumbnail/400/552/cm1.theinsider.com/media/0/87/50/megan-foxa-all-star-party-6.jpg I have to admit that it looks good on her. On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 3:06 AM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: On a side note, I was walking by the tv and they were talking about Megan Fox wearing her 8 year old stepbrother's tshirt. I immediately thought now that's ridiculous! My skin has just left the building... On Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 5:13 PM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: I think that Jolie looked better a couple of years back before she lost that last 20lbs. In Salt she looks dangerously underweight. I agree with you on all of the classic ladies. Most of them wore a size 6 or 8 dress. In Hollywood the average is a size 2-4 now. I think currently Jolie is going for size 0. Which is the ultimate. On a side note, I was walking by the tv and they were talking about Megan Fox wearing her 8 year old stepbrother's tshirt. I immediately thought now that's ridiculous! On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 7:33 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: No offense to any women here, but ah for the days when beauty in an actress wasn't about being skinny, blonde, and athletic looking. Remember when the (white) actresses in TV and film had actual curves, full lips, and were often brunette stunners? Sophia Loren, Racquel Welch, Liz Taylor, even Marilyn Monroe--all would be considered borderline overweight in the current atmosphere. I heard a lady on an entertainment show today say for the millionth time how breathtakingly beautiful Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Anniston wore, and wax ecstatic about their great figures. I see Anniston as fit but slim, Jolie as dangerously thin, and neither coming close to the standard of beauty of yesteryear. Although when made up, Jolie's feline features indeed are old school... - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 6:28:37 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity
Re: [scifinoir2] Before and After visual efx of famous movie scenes
No, I've got the 60's illustrations e-mail, the movie review, and at least one or two others at least two or three times a day for several days now... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 6:23:52 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Before and After visual efx of famous movie scenes Keith, some of the posts from here are revisiting me as well. Mostly in my spam folder, but a few do pop up in the inbox. Glad to know it's not just me. On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 12:54 AM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Is it my Comcast mail system, or are several of your posts getting reposted every day or so? - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 1:25:09 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Before and After visual efx of famous movie scenes This is a small collection of clips from movies showing how the movie was shot and what was done via CGI and colorizing. http://www.techxilla.com/2009/11/17/visual-effects-of-your-favorite-movies-in-the-breakdown-mode/ -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
[scifinoir2] BBC America To Air Idris Elba Miniseries
I'd never heard of Luther before reading about it in my Comcast guide's list of upcoming shows for the fall. Sounds like it'll be pretty good. Elba's quite an actor, and this being a British production, you can count on it being of high quality and realism, especially with one of the guys behind the series MI-5 on board. * http://torforge.wordpress.com/2010/06/08/bbc-america-books-idris-elba-hourlong-series-luther/ BBC AMERICA REINVENTS CRIME THRILLER WITH WIRE STAR IDRIS ELBA BBC AMERICA today announced its latest U.S. premiere co-production. Luther , starring Idris Elba ( The Wire ), is a smart, six-part, psychological thriller that takes a bold new look at the crime genre. Elba is also Associate Producer on the project. * Luther (6 x 60) is a BBC/BBC AMERICA co-production and is distributed by BBC Worldwide. It will air later this year on BBC AMERICA. Idris Elba, best known for his performance as drug kingpin Russell “Stringer” Bell in HBO’s The Wire , now finds himself on the other side of the law. He plays John Luther, an intellectually brilliant but emotionally impulsive murder detective. He considers his profession a vocation rather than a job and it remains to be seen if he’s a force for good or a man hell bent on self-destruction. His confidante is also his arch-enemy Alice ( Ruth Wilson , Jane Eyre ), a beautiful multiple-murderess who evades his grasp early on, and with whom he becomes locked in a lethal battle of wits. Luther is created and written by acclaimed suspense novelist, and one of the lead writers on MI-5 , Neil Cross . He says: “I’m delighted that the BBC has brought Luther to life. It’s an intense psychological thriller which examines not only human depravity but the complex nature of love … and how it’s often this – our finest attribute – that leads us into darkness.” Elba is joined by an all-star cast: Ruth Wilson ( The Prisoner ) is Alice Morgan, beautiful, extraordinarily intelligent and a key witness in Luther’s first investigation; Steven Mackintosh ( Criminal Justice ) is Detective Chief Inspector Ian Reed and Luther’s loyal friend and work colleague; Indira Varma ( Rome ) is Zoe Luther, who’s had the strength to walk away from the man she still loves; Paul McGann ( Withnail and I ) is Mark North, unafraid to compete with Luther for Zoe’s love; Saskia Reeves ( Bodies ) is Detective Superintendent Rose Teller, Luther’s risk-taking boss and Warren Brown ( Occupation ) is Detective Sergeant Justin Ripley, Luther’s loyal, awestruck new partner. The deal was brokered by Matt Forde, EVP BBC Worldwide Sales Co-Productions with Chris Carr, COO, BBC Worldwide Channels and Richard De Croce, SVP Programming, BBC AMERICA. Chris Carr says: “BBC AMERICA viewers have always loved British crime thrillers. Luther, puts a whole new spin on the genre and sucks you in with its intelligent storytelling and gripping plotlines. We’re thrilled to have Idris Elba on BBC AMERICA and intend to surprise a few people by revealing that he’s British!” Luther , airing later this year, adds to BBC AMERICA’S new slate of co-productions recently announced including sci-fi thriller Outcasts starring Eric Mabius ( Ugly Betty ) and Come Dine With Me , a cooking show which follows amateur chefs competing for the title of the ultimate dinner party host. (via Variety TVbytheNum
Re: [scifinoir2] WTF??? Hitler DNA Tests Show He Likely Had Jewish, African Roots, Daily Mail Says
Really sad, but not uncommon, unfortunately. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 8:42:19 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WTF??? Hitler DNA Tests Show He Likely Had Jewish, African Roots, Daily Mail Says I asked my sister for a little more info. Apparently, they own a horse ranch and appear in local parades with their horses as Hispanic riders. From what I understand, their great grandmother was white, so I guess they are claiming that side of the family. On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 11:44 AM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Could be a million reasons. Don't know them, so can't say. Some do it because they honestly feel such areas have better quality of life (schools, homes, parks, etc). Some do it because they feel deep down that white is better--even if they can't admit it to themselves. I have some black friends like that, who live in majority white, very conservative areas. Always complaining about racism and stuff, but never seem to be able to find the will to move. Makes me impatient... - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 1:38:02 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WTF??? Hitler DNA Tests Show He Likely Had Jewish, African Roots, Daily Mail Says They live in the mostly white section of Marin county. The area is now much more integrated but back then it was about 99% white. They were doing pretty well though. (business owners, private school for the girls etc.) Thinking back, the lies that they told probably kept them alive in that area. I'm not sure why they moved there though. On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 9:43 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Really? Where are they located? - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 4:29:50 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WTF??? Hitler DNA Tests Show He Likely Had Jewish, African Roots, Daily Mail Says I think that there is a lot of demons in the closet on this topic that should be exercised. @Keith, I have family members that are passing for Portuguese. I only saw them twice when I was a kid. I wonder have any of them came out of the racial closet or not. On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 7:59 AM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Not at all a surprise. First, the Jewish thing was always noised about. I often joke to my wife, why didn't someone, during any of his mass rallies, look at him and say Hey, waitaminute? Didn't he say 'blonde hair and blue eyes? WTF?? Secondly, given the centuries of exploration, migration, and conquest, a lot more Europeans have African and Asian blood in them than would like to admit. They need to do the same DNA tests on J. Edgar Hoover (rumoured to have black ancestry) and Babe Ruth (often called disparaging names for a black man by some of his white opponents). I've always been fascinated by people who've denied, hidden, or simply didn't know about their heritage. For example, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright didn't discover until the last few years that she was Jewish. Her family evidently tried to hide that fact, no doubt to avoid a lot of problems in American society. I found her surprise surprising, as I'd always assumed she was, based on her looks. I've long been happy that i'm obviously black, and didn't grow up in a time, place, or family where trying to pretend to be something else was either an option, a desire, or even a necessity. There's a scene in one of the Easy Rollins books--it might be Devil in A Blue Dress--where Easy is staking out a hotel lobby. As he's sitting there, he notices a man sitting in a chair, well dressed, manicured nails, light olive skin. Idly curious, Easy stares at the man for a sec. They make eye contact, and the man literally starts looking agitated. Easy quickly realizes that the man in is fact at least part Black, and is obviously passing for something else--Italian or Greek, most likely. Easy looks away, silently assuring the brother that he's not going to blow his cover, cause right or wrong, the man feels he has to hide like that. Easy wasn't going to judge him or cause him pain. I've often had to fight a kind of knee jerk disgust at people of color who've passed for white, or who deny their African roots while embracing the European ones. I had a lot of trouble, honestly, with the Torres character on Voyager, for example, because she was ashamed of her Klingon heritage. But I've had to realize that some people have been raised in times and places where it's simply been too hard to be who they were. Maybe they were taking the easy route; maybe they were just trying to survive. I guess I shouldn't judge. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf
Re: [scifinoir2] Scientists hope to collect electricity from the air
That's really cool, but I don't think we'd want to eliminate lightning completely. It does help produce ozone, which in turn protects us from harmful radiation from space. When it comes to Nature, one well-intentioned action can often have numerous unforeseen negative consequences... - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 9:38:51 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Scientists hope to collect electricity from the air Scientists hope to collect electricity from the air By Ben Coxworth 21:17 August 25, 2010 'Hygroelectric' collectors could someday harness atmospheric electricity 'Hygroelectric' collectors could someday harness atmospheric electricity Verizon FiOS - Verizon.com/FiOS Starting at $89.99/month. Now With Verizon's Worry Free Guarantee! California Solar Power - www.Solarpower.org 50% Off Solar Power Installations. Sign Up for a Free On-Site Quote. Solar Power Electricity - CaliforniaSolarEnergySystems.com Get Free Cost Estimates on Solar Rebates Incentives Save You 50% Clean Coal Technology - AmericasPower.org Advancing coal methods to produce electricity with near-zero emission Ads by Google Nikola Tesla once dreamed of being able to harness electricity from the air. Now, research being conducted at Brazil’s University of Campinas (UC) is indicating that such a scenario may indeed become a reality. Professor Fernando Galembeck, a UC chemist, is leading the study into the ways in which electricity builds up and spreads in the atmosphere, and how it could be collected. “Our research could pave the way for turning electricity from the atmosphere into an alternative energy source for the future, he stated. Just as solar energy could free some households from paying electric bills, this promising new energy source could have a similar effect.” Scientists once believed that water droplets in the atmosphere were electrically neutral, even after having come into contact with charged dust particles. Galembeck and his UC team, however, have shown that this isn’t the case. In a lab experiment, they noted that tiny particles of silica and aluminum phosphate became negatively and positively charged (respectively) when circulated in highly-humid air. “This was clear evidence that water in the atmosphere can accumulate electrical charges and transfer them to other materials it comes into contact with,” Galembeck explained. “We are calling this 'hygroelectricity,' meaning 'humidity electricity'.” He now pictures collectors, not unlike solar cells, that could someday collect and distribute hygroelectricity from the air. Just as solar cells work best in sunny places, his collectors would do best in humid parts of the world. He even believes it’s possible that by diminishing the electrical charge in the air, his collectors could prevent lightning, especially if mounted on top of tall buildings. His team is currently experimenting with different metals, to find out which would work best for capturing atmospheric electricity and preventing lightning strikes. These are fascinating ideas that new studies by ourselves and by other scientific teams suggest are now possible, he said. We certainly have a long way to go. But the benefits in the long range of harnessing hygroelectricity could be substantial. A report on Galembeck’s research was presented this week at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society .
Re: [scifinoir2] Buckeye Bullet 2.5 claims battery electric vehicle world land speed record of 307.7mph
That's cool. I have a question, though. Is this requirement that a vehicle make two runs, in opposite directions within an hour of each other, an American thing? I remember reading about how a guy had broken the land speed record in a jet car a few years back, but officially wasn't in the record books because his car suffered some problems, and he couldn't make the run in the opposite direction within the time limit. Made no sense to me because he did make the run once, and that's what should matter. I've never gotten this need to do it twice. Even if one wanted to think the speed was a fluke, it's real and can't be faked, so why not just take the first run and be done with it? - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 9:39:46 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Buckeye Bullet 2.5 claims battery electric vehicle world land speed record of 307.7mph Buckeye Bullet 2.5 claims battery electric vehicle world land speed record of 307.7mph By Darren Quick 21:14 August 25, 2010 4 Pictures The Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2.5 The Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2.5 Image Gallery (4 images) Solar Panel Leasing - www.Sungevity.com/$0-Down Get Solar Power for Your Home Today $0 Money Down and Pay As You Go! GE Wattstation EV Charger - geindustrial.com/GE_EV_Charger Learn more about the newly launched GE Wattstation EV Charger today! Verizon FiOS - Verizon.com/FiOS Starting at $89.99/month. Now With Verizon's Worry Free Guarantee! Solar Battery System - rps-solar.com/solar.shtml Off Grid Systems Backup Power Residential Commercial Solar Ads by Google The Bullet Buckeye team from Ohio State University has set a world record average two-way speed of 307.7mph (495km/h) with its battery electric Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2.5. The lithium ion battery powered car eclipsed the previous 245mph (394km/h) world land speed record for battery electric vehicles set in 1999 by White Lightning. The new record was set by the Bullet at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah this week, is pending certification by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the worldwide motor sports governing body. The Bullet was required to make two speed runs, one each in opposite directions and within 60 minutes, in order to be considered for the record. While the record is officially determined by averaging the speed of the two runs in the middle of the 12-mile course, the Bullet exited the flying mile at 320 mph (515km/h). The team led by Ohio State engineering students had anticipated making further tries at besting its time this week but decided to stop after spending all night trying to replace the vehicle’s broken clutch; too much torque from the motor ripped apart the half-inch steel teeth that connect the motor to the gearbox. The Bullet 2.5 uses the same body and chassis of the hydrogen fuel cell powered Buckeye Bullet 2, and nearly the same electric traction system, but it is powered by a 600+ kW A123 Systems lithium-ion battery pack that was designed, tested and assembled by the Bullet team and A123 Systems. The team is supported by French electric vehicle manufacturer Venturi Automobiles, the company behind the Fetish and Volage electric sportscars. The Buckeye Bullet 2, powered by hydrogen fuel cells, set an FIA-certified world record of 302.877mph (487.4km/h) for the fuel cell class in 2009. While the original battery-powered Buckeye Bullet set a national record at 314.9mph (506.7km/h) in 2004, however this record did not meet FIA specifications. That team did, however, set a certified record of 132.129mph (212.6km/h) in 2007. The Buckeye Bullet 2.5 will provide a test platform for systems including an all new inverter, control system and batteries to be used in the Buckeye Bullet 3.
Re: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S
Oh, she's a gorgeous lady, one of the prettiest women in Hollywood. I'm just saying she's not curvy or voluptuous by any means, and I've heard some people go on about her great figure. But all I can conclude is that that's based on the modern love for slim-to-thin athletic builds that some champion nowadays.- Original Message -From: "Mr. Worf" hellomahog...@gmail.comTo: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 7:20:33 AMSubject: Re: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S Here's the pic of Fox wearing the tshirt:http://cm1.theinsider.com/thumbnail/400/552/cm1.theinsider.com/media/0/87/50/megan-foxa-all-star-party-6.jpg I have to admit that it looks good on her.On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 3:06 AM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: "On a side note, I was walking by the tv and they were talking about Megan Fox wearing her 8 year old stepbrother's tshirt. I immediately thought "now that's ridiculous!""My skin has just left the building... On Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 5:13 PM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: I think that Jolie looked better a couple of years back before she lost that last "20lbs." In Salt she looks dangerously underweight.I agree with you on all of the classic ladies. Most of them wore a size 6 or 8 dress. In Hollywood the average is a size 2-4 now. I think currently Jolie is going for size 0. Which is the ultimate. On a side note, I was walking by the tv and they were talking about Megan Fox wearing her 8 year old stepbrother's tshirt. I immediately thought "now that's ridiculous!" On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 7:33 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: No offense to any women here, but ah for the days when beauty in an actress wasn't about being skinny, blonde, and athletic looking. Remember when the (white) actresses in TV and film had actual curves, full lips, and were often brunette stunners? Sophia Loren, Racquel Welch, Liz Taylor, even Marilyn Monroe--all would be considered borderline overweight in the current atmosphere. I heard a lady on an entertainment show today say for the millionth time how breathtakingly beautiful Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Anniston wore, and wax ecstatic about their great figures. I see Anniston as fit but slim, Jolie as dangerously thin, and neither coming close to the standard of beauty of yesteryear. Although when made up, Jolie's feline features indeed are old school... - Original Message -From: "Mr. Worf" hellomahog...@gmail.comTo: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 6:28:37 PMSubject: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ -- "If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script?" -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ -- "If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script?" -- Charles E Granthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
Re: [scifinoir2] WTF??? Hitler DNA Tests Show He Likely Had Jewish, African Roots, Daily Mail Says
Really? Where are they located? - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 4:29:50 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WTF??? Hitler DNA Tests Show He Likely Had Jewish, African Roots, Daily Mail Says I think that there is a lot of demons in the closet on this topic that should be exercised. @Keith, I have family members that are passing for Portuguese. I only saw them twice when I was a kid. I wonder have any of them came out of the racial closet or not. On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 7:59 AM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Not at all a surprise. First, the Jewish thing was always noised about. I often joke to my wife, why didn't someone, during any of his mass rallies, look at him and say Hey, waitaminute? Didn't he say 'blonde hair and blue eyes? WTF?? Secondly, given the centuries of exploration, migration, and conquest, a lot more Europeans have African and Asian blood in them than would like to admit. They need to do the same DNA tests on J. Edgar Hoover (rumoured to have black ancestry) and Babe Ruth (often called disparaging names for a black man by some of his white opponents). I've always been fascinated by people who've denied, hidden, or simply didn't know about their heritage. For example, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright didn't discover until the last few years that she was Jewish. Her family evidently tried to hide that fact, no doubt to avoid a lot of problems in American society. I found her surprise surprising, as I'd always assumed she was, based on her looks. I've long been happy that i'm obviously black, and didn't grow up in a time, place, or family where trying to pretend to be something else was either an option, a desire, or even a necessity. There's a scene in one of the Easy Rollins books--it might be Devil in A Blue Dress--where Easy is staking out a hotel lobby. As he's sitting there, he notices a man sitting in a chair, well dressed, manicured nails, light olive skin. Idly curious, Easy stares at the man for a sec. They make eye contact, and the man literally starts looking agitated. Easy quickly realizes that the man in is fact at least part Black, and is obviously passing for something else--Italian or Greek, most likely. Easy looks away, silently assuring the brother that he's not going to blow his cover, cause right or wrong, the man feels he has to hide like that. Easy wasn't going to judge him or cause him pain. I've often had to fight a kind of knee jerk disgust at people of color who've passed for white, or who deny their African roots while embracing the European ones. I had a lot of trouble, honestly, with the Torres character on Voyager, for example, because she was ashamed of her Klingon heritage. But I've had to realize that some people have been raised in times and places where it's simply been too hard to be who they were. Maybe they were taking the easy route; maybe they were just trying to survive. I guess I shouldn't judge. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 2:59:32 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] WTF??? Hitler DNA Tests Show He Likely Had Jewish, African Roots, Daily Mail Says Hitler DNA Tests Show He Likely Had Jewish, African Roots, Daily Mail Says By Steven Fromm - Aug 24, 2010 7:39 AM PT • • Email • Share • Print Hitler Likely Had Jewish, African Roots, Daily Mail Says DNA shows Adolf Hitler likely to have had Jewish or African roots, reports Daily Mail. Photographer: Keystone/Getty Images Adolf Hitler may have been descended from both Jews and Africans, DNA tests are indicating, the Daily Mail reported. Journalist Jean-Paul Mulders and historian Marc Vermeeren used DNA to trace 39 of the Nazi leader’s relatives earlier this year, the Daily Mail said. The relatives included an Austrian farmer, indentified only as a cousin named Norbert H, the Daily Mail reported. A chromosome called Haplogroup E1b1b, or Y-DNA, in the relatives’ saliva samples is rare in Germany, as well as Western Europe, the newspaper said. It is most commonly found in the Berbers of Morocco, in Algeria, Libya and Tunisia as well as among Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, Vermeeren said. Mulders told Belgian magazine Knack that [o]ne can from this postulate that Hitler was related to people whom he despised, the Daily Mail reported. -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
Re: [scifinoir2] Before and After visual efx of famous movie scenes
Is it my Comcast mail system, or are several of your posts getting reposted every day or so? - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 1:25:09 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Before and After visual efx of famous movie scenes This is a small collection of clips from movies showing how the movie was shot and what was done via CGI and colorizing. http://www.techxilla.com/2009/11/17/visual-effects-of-your-favorite-movies-in-the-breakdown-mode/ -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
Re: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S
I don't think that height change is all that widespread yet. But I do know there's a noticeable change in the weight of youth, with more getting heavy earlier in life. there's also been the recently discussed fact that a lot of young girls are developing sooner than before... - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 11:55:55 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S I think that aesthetic will disappear soon. Most of the youngsters that are in their teens right now are close to or above 6ft tall (In this area, possibly 30-40%) so that tiny little waif look will eventually disappear. This brings up the question as to why hasn't anyone looked into the growth hormones that are being passed on to everyone. There is no reason whatsoever for these kids to be this big across the board. My 4yr old nephew is over 4 feet tall now. At this rate by the time he is 10 he will be taller than me. On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 7:32 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Oh, she's a gorgeous lady, one of the prettiest women in Hollywood. I'm just saying she's not curvy or voluptuous by any means, and I've heard some people go on about her great figure. But all I can conclude is that that's based on the modern love for slim-to-thin athletic builds that some champion nowadays. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 7:20:33 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S Here's the pic of Fox wearing the tshirt: http://cm1.theinsider.com/thumbnail/400/552/cm1.theinsider.com/media/0/87/50/megan-foxa-all-star-party-6.jpg I have to admit that it looks good on her. On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 3:06 AM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: On a side note, I was walking by the tv and they were talking about Megan Fox wearing her 8 year old stepbrother's tshirt. I immediately thought now that's ridiculous! My skin has just left the building... On Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 5:13 PM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: I think that Jolie looked better a couple of years back before she lost that last 20lbs. In Salt she looks dangerously underweight. I agree with you on all of the classic ladies. Most of them wore a size 6 or 8 dress. In Hollywood the average is a size 2-4 now. I think currently Jolie is going for size 0. Which is the ultimate. On a side note, I was walking by the tv and they were talking about Megan Fox wearing her 8 year old stepbrother's tshirt. I immediately thought now that's ridiculous! On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 7:33 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: No offense to any women here, but ah for the days when beauty in an actress wasn't about being skinny, blonde, and athletic looking. Remember when the (white) actresses in TV and film had actual curves, full lips, and were often brunette stunners? Sophia Loren, Racquel Welch, Liz Taylor, even Marilyn Monroe--all would be considered borderline overweight in the current atmosphere. I heard a lady on an entertainment show today say for the millionth time how breathtakingly beautiful Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Anniston wore, and wax ecstatic about their great figures. I see Anniston as fit but slim, Jolie as dangerously thin, and neither coming close to the standard of beauty of yesteryear. Although when made up, Jolie's feline features indeed are old school... - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 6:28:37 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS
Agreed. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 1:17:05 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS I think that it is mostly hype. Most of the time they are getting the meat from the same sources. Others try to pretty up the meat by saying they bought it from an organic farm or some other bs. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 10:06 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I hear you! One of the surprising and ironic things going on in food is a turn or return to food that many of us ate out of necessity as kids. This is especially true of blacks, Southerners, and poor country folk. Things like chitlins, pig's feet, hogshead cheese, ox tail, turkey neck, souse meat, etc., are showing up in many fancy restaurants. And as you mentioned, they're costing a pretty penny. Here in Atlanta there's a return to offal and real meat, a kind of pushback against the low cholesterol/fat, no red meat craze. What I don't get is why some of these foods does cost so much. When I was a kid, my dad used to buy ox tails at the local country market on the cheap. It was one reason country black folk bought stuff like that: it was cheap. Now such parts cost a bit of money, at least in some restaurants. You can get it fairly inexpensively at Jamaican restaurants and the like. I guess the fancy joints use better quality of meat? - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 12:58:49 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS I agree. I think I mentioned the foodie restaurant here that one year the guy basically served chittlins, mountain oysters and tripe. For over $100 a plate. We had a good laugh on that. I said that for $20 each they could come by the house and my mom will cook them up something and they can have 2nds. :) On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 9:49 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I just wonder if any extremely rare ingredients convey a taste sensation that's so incredible, or if it's perception. Sometimes food is like art: the value is all in what people say it is. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 10:30:16 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS I think if a dish is difficult to create or has extremely rare and expensive ingredients then its ok, but I don't really think some of the things that are raved about is all that great. It usually comes down to personal pallet and subtle differences in flavorings. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 4:25 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Don't know if I have the Cooking Channel but will check. I am *addicted* to all things frozen: ice cream, gelatto, sherbert, milk shakes, snow cones, ices, etc. I am also convinced that my biochemical makeup has a gene that is a perfect match for vanilla, as the mere smell of vanilla is enough to send me into fits of divine pleasure. I kept vanilla bean pods in my sugar bucket, keep Madagascan vanilla extract in the cupboard (put it in my milk shakes and pancake batter). I have at times paid some big money for really high quality vanilla products and gourmet ice cream. But I'm not sure I'd pay $19 a scoop for ice cream. At some point, I think the price is more a perception of taste based on rarity, difficulty in growing, harvesting and shipping the product, etc. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 4:39:11 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS Keith, don't forget the coffee that passes through a Civet. Have you checked out the Cooking Channel? It is similar to the Food Network but more geared toward cooking and gourmet food. On one of the shows they were talking about a gourmet ice cream truck that sells handmade ice cream that featured vanilla beans from the left side of a mountain in Italy. $19 a scoop. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 1:18 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I love eating out. And I have to confess, there is a market difference between eating at restaurants that use fresh, high quality food rather than, say iceberg lettuce from cold storage. It's why you can go to a place and eat a smaller meal that consists of high quality food, and yet be more satisfied than eating a lot of food that's of lesser quality. That being said, there is a limit to how much one needs to pay for the dining experience. I saw that ridiculous gold-leaf ice cream sundae on the History Channel special on ice cream, and shook my head. You can't tell me that the gold or even the high quality vanilla ice cream really makes it tastes hundreds of times better than one that can be made at a quality
Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS
Be glad you missed it. I should have known something was wrong when the local Atlanta station aired at at 6 or 7 am. I woke up early one Saturday to catch it, and was immediately turned off. The same thing was done to that Speed Racer 2000 (something like that) which aired several years ago. Strange hour, but it was so bad I see why. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 1:18:28 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS All I remember seeing was a commercial. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 10:08 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Yep. And did you ever see that god awful animated Highlander? It took place in the future. I watched maybe one ep and swore off of it forever. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 1:00:48 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS I think that they just spin a wheel with plot points on it and go from there. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 9:58 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I'd forgotten the fourth film, in which Connor and Duncan have to fight a mad religious fanatic Immortal who has so many kills--over 600, to the McLeod's 200+ each--that he's all but unstoppable. It was pretty bad, with only the resolution to the problem of this powerful Immortal halfway interesting. I won't spoil the ending in case you want to see it. As for the last movie, The Source, it was released to TV three years ago. I actually killed brain cells watching it, hoping against hope they'd get it right. Nope. Here's some critics' thoughts on that last movie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander:_The_Source Reception Critical reaction to Highlander: The Source has been universally negative. Christopher Monfette of IGN gave The Source a score of 1 out of 10, saying: The worthwhile days of Connor MacLeod , it would appear, are officially over—dead, decapitated, and depleted of their power. The struggle for an immortal to move through life unchallenged has since mutated into an awkward arrangement of mismatched mythologies, TV-to-movie crossovers, and a steady stream of low-budget, direct-to-DVD cash-cows which may, in the end, prove to be the only truly immortal thing about this series. [ 14 ] Brian Orndorf of DVD Talk gave the film one half star out of five, saying: The Source is nothing less than a parody of what has come before. If you've seen the previous sequels, you already know that's saying something. There is some relief that this franchise will finally be put out of its misery, because nobody in their right mind would try to keep this series going after watching just how boneheaded Highlander: The Source is. [ 15 ] Danél Griffin of Film as Art gave The Source one half star out of four, remarking that it's bad—cheesily bad, colossally bad, monumentally bad, bad enough to make you never want to watch another movie again bad. [ 16 ] Keith Breese of FilmCritic.com gave the film one star out of five, saying: Not only will Highlander fans be disappointed by the film's nosedive into nonsense, but the average viewer will be stunned by the backyard quality of this film. The acting is uniformly terrible, the special effects are hideous, the sets are cheap and grubby, and the direction is uninspired. The film is an utter failure. ... Surely this is the final nail in the coffin lid for this film series. If it isn't, then something is truly wrong with the universe. [ 17 ] The Sci-Fi Movie Page gave The Source one and a half stars out of five, saying: Just when you think that this is a franchise that can't sink any lower, along comes Highlander: The Source . ... One gets the impression that The Source was filmed with theatrical distribution in mind but that no sane cinema distributor would touch it with a ten-foot barge pole. Good for them. Instead it went straight to the SciFi Channel and now the DVD shelves where you should let it stay, collecting dust. [ 18 ] Noah Antwiller of The Spoony Experiment had this to say about Highlander: The Source. The Source is dogshit. I mean weapons-grade dogshit. If your dog shat something this nasty, you’d have it put down and buried in a Hefty bag. I wasn’t even ready for something this bad. If you thought The Quickening was the low-point of the series, well, I don’t even know anymore. This movie punched me in the nuts and stole my lunch. I’m still a little dizzy from that one. If it’s not worse than Highlander 2, it’s right up there. I mean, second-place by a razor-thin margin. I think the only reason The Source isn’t as notorious as Highlander 2 is because nobody saw it (it was direct-to-video) and expectations for the series were already rock-bottom. I don’t want to say too much but if ever a movie shot its way to the top of my review
[scifinoir2] OT: DEA Looking for Ebonics Translators
http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/dea-seeks-ebonics-experts-597842.html By GREG BLUESTEIN The Associated Press ATLANTA — Federal agents are seeking to hire Ebonics translators to help interpret wiretapped conversations involving targets of undercover drug investigations. The Drug Enforcement Administration recently sent memos asking companies that provide translation services to help it find nine translators in the Southeast who are fluent in Ebonics, Special Agent Michael Sanders said Monday. Ebonics, which is also known as African American Vernacular English, has been described by the psychologist who coined the term as the combination of English vocabulary with African language structure. Some DEA agents already help translate Ebonics, Sanders said. But he said wasn't sure if the agency has ever hired outside Ebonics experts as contractors. They saw a need for this in a couple of their investigations, he said. And when you see a need — it may not be needed now — but we want the contractors to provide us with nine people just in case. The DEA's decision, first reported by The Smoking Gun, evokes memories of the debate sparked in 1996 when the Oakland, Calif., school board suggested that black English was a separate language. Although the board later dropped the suggestion amid criticism, it set off a national discussion over whether Ebonics is a language, a dialect or neither. The search for translators covers a wide swath of the Southeast, including offices in Atlanta, Washington, New Orleans, Miami and the Caribbean, said Sanders. He said he's uncertain why other regions aren't hiring Ebonics translators, but said there are ongoing investigations in the Southeast that need dedicated Ebonics translators. Linguists said Ebonics can be trickier than it seems, partly because the vocabulary evolves so quickly. A lot of times people think you're just dealing with a few slang words, and that you can finesse your way around it, said John Rickford, a Stanford University linguistics professor. And it's not — it's a big vocabulary. You'll have some significant differences from English. Critics worry that the DEA's actions could set a precedent. Hiring translators for languages that are of questionable merit to begin with is just going in the wrong direction, said Aloysius Hogan, the government relations director of English First, a national lobbying group that promotes the use of English. I'm not aware of Ebonics training schools or tests. I don't know how they'd establish that someone speaks Ebonics, he said. I support the concept of pursuing drug dealers if they're using code words, but this is definitely going in the wrong direction. H. Samy Alim, a Stanford linguistics professor who specializes in black language and hip-hop culture, said he thought the hiring effort was a joke when he first heard about it, but that it highlights a serious issue. It seems ironic that schools that are serving and educating black children have not recognized the legitimacy of this language. Yet the authorities and the police are recognizing that this is a language that they don't understand, he said. It really tells us a lot about where we are socially in terms of recognizing African-American speech. Rickford said that hiring Ebonics experts could come in handy for the DEA, but he said it's hard to determine whether a prospective employee can speak it well enough to translate since there are no standardized tests. He said the ideal candidate would be a native speaker who also has had some linguistics training. Finding the right translators could be the difference between a successful investigation or a failed one, said Sanders. While he said many listeners can get the gist of what Ebonics speakers are saying, it could take an expert to define it in court. You can maybe get a general idea of what they're saying, but you have to understand that this has to hold up in court, he said. You need someone to say, 'I know what they mean when they say 'ballin' or 'pinching pennies.' (This version CORRECTS Corrects name of DEA to 'Administration' instead of 'Agency.')
Re: [scifinoir2] OT: DEA Looking for Ebonics Translators
Agreed. I had to check to ensure it was legit. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 4:02:28 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] OT: DEA Looking for Ebonics Translators Keith... if the link weren't there, I'd be thinking that it's April 1st. On Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 2:29 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/dea-seeks-ebonics-experts-597842.html By GREG BLUESTEIN The Associated Press ATLANTA — Federal agents are seeking to hire Ebonics translators to help interpret wiretapped conversations involving targets of undercover drug investigations. The Drug Enforcement Administration recently sent memos asking companies that provide translation services to help it find nine translators in the Southeast who are fluent in Ebonics, Special Agent Michael Sanders said Monday. Ebonics, which is also known as African American Vernacular English, has been described by the psychologist who coined the term as the combination of English vocabulary with African language structure. Some DEA agents already help translate Ebonics, Sanders said. But he said wasn't sure if the agency has ever hired outside Ebonics experts as contractors. They saw a need for this in a couple of their investigations, he said. And when you see a need — it may not be needed now — but we want the contractors to provide us with nine people just in case. The DEA's decision, first reported by The Smoking Gun, evokes memories of the debate sparked in 1996 when the Oakland, Calif., school board suggested that black English was a separate language. Although the board later dropped the suggestion amid criticism, it set off a national discussion over whether Ebonics is a language, a dialect or neither. The search for translators covers a wide swath of the Southeast, including offices in Atlanta, Washington, New Orleans, Miami and the Caribbean, said Sanders. He said he's uncertain why other regions aren't hiring Ebonics translators, but said there are ongoing investigations in the Southeast that need dedicated Ebonics translators. Linguists said Ebonics can be trickier than it seems, partly because the vocabulary evolves so quickly. A lot of times people think you're just dealing with a few slang words, and that you can finesse your way around it, said John Rickford, a Stanford University linguistics professor. And it's not — it's a big vocabulary. You'll have some significant differences from English. Critics worry that the DEA's actions could set a precedent. Hiring translators for languages that are of questionable merit to begin with is just going in the wrong direction, said Aloysius Hogan, the government relations director of English First, a national lobbying group that promotes the use of English. I'm not aware of Ebonics training schools or tests. I don't know how they'd establish that someone speaks Ebonics, he said. I support the concept of pursuing drug dealers if they're using code words, but this is definitely going in the wrong direction. H. Samy Alim, a Stanford linguistics professor who specializes in black language and hip-hop culture, said he thought the hiring effort was a joke when he first heard about it, but that it highlights a serious issue. It seems ironic that schools that are serving and educating black children have not recognized the legitimacy of this language. Yet the authorities and the police are recognizing that this is a language that they don't understand, he said. It really tells us a lot about where we are socially in terms of recognizing African-American speech. Rickford said that hiring Ebonics experts could come in handy for the DEA, but he said it's hard to determine whether a prospective employee can speak it well enough to translate since there are no standardized tests. He said the ideal candidate would be a native speaker who also has had some linguistics training. Finding the right translators could be the difference between a successful investigation or a failed one, said Sanders. While he said many listeners can get the gist of what Ebonics speakers are saying, it could take an expert to define it in court. You can maybe get a general idea of what they're saying, but you have to understand that this has to hold up in court, he said. You need someone to say, 'I know what they mean when they say 'ballin' or 'pinching pennies.' (This version CORRECTS Corrects name of DEA to 'Administration' instead of 'Agency.') -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S
yeah, Jolie looks anorexic. I'm constantly amazed at how many people I've heard talk about Meagan Fox's great body. She's built like a boy to my mind. I know things had gone too far when reading a fashion mag of my wife's about three years ago. There was an article about Scarlett Johannson. The author--who was a man--spoke of how pretty she was, and talked of her Old Hollywood figure, which he said was very curvy. I forget the exact language used, but the guy tempered the compliment by suggesting Johannson was just this side of being zaftig, if not slightly overweight. I was stunned. To me, she's got curves, isn't close to being heavy, and has a way more sensual body than, say, Jolie, Paris Hilton, Aniston, etc. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 5:13:38 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S I think that Jolie looked better a couple of years back before she lost that last 20lbs. In Salt she looks dangerously underweight. I agree with you on all of the classic ladies. Most of them wore a size 6 or 8 dress. In Hollywood the average is a size 2-4 now. I think currently Jolie is going for size 0. Which is the ultimate. On a side note, I was walking by the tv and they were talking about Megan Fox wearing her 8 year old stepbrother's tshirt. I immediately thought now that's ridiculous! On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 7:33 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: No offense to any women here, but ah for the days when beauty in an actress wasn't about being skinny, blonde, and athletic looking. Remember when the (white) actresses in TV and film had actual curves, full lips, and were often brunette stunners? Sophia Loren, Racquel Welch, Liz Taylor, even Marilyn Monroe--all would be considered borderline overweight in the current atmosphere. I heard a lady on an entertainment show today say for the millionth time how breathtakingly beautiful Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Anniston wore, and wax ecstatic about their great figures. I see Anniston as fit but slim, Jolie as dangerously thin, and neither coming close to the standard of beauty of yesteryear. Although when made up, Jolie's feline features indeed are old school... - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 6:28:37 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
Re: [scifinoir2] Pirahna 3D's Painful Predecessors: 24 Cheesiest Movies Ever Made
I can't *believe* they added relatively new movies like Clash of the Titans and Cloverfield, while leaving off some true, time tested classics! To wit, my additions below. And I beg you, please go to the included links and watch the brief trailers. You will *not* be disappointed!: * Night of the Lepus - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xulXFB3-A3cfeature=related - You have ** to check out the carnivorous, giant bunny rabbits menacing veteran actors Janet Leigh, Stuart Whitman, Rory Calhoun, and DeForest Kelley! If you don't laugh when the rabbit punches through the lady's kitchen window and then slashes her throat, leaving its giant teeth covered in blood, you don't have a pulse! * The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myvltniwzxI Anyone over 40 has to remember this really awful movie about an experiment in which a psycho killer's head is grafted onto the giant body of a gentle simpleton. The killer gets off on murder, while the big gentle giants sobs No, No! all the time. Like all such classic horror movies, it manages to mix murder and mayhem with nubile women in various stages of undress. It is priceless! Check out the trailer, please: Runner up: the copycat The Thing with Two Heads ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWHNA_j7h5Afeature=related ), starring football great Rosie Grier, Don Mission Impossible Martin, and veteran actor Ray Milland! In this one, the head of a white bigot is grafted onto the body of a black convict. Again, the trailer's a scream! * The Food of the Gods - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuSwwZ1n6KU - people are trapped on an island where the animals have grown to ginormous size thanks to eating some kind of special food. I'm not sure if the giant menacing chickens, the killer big wasps or the crazy giant rats surrounding a house is the funniest thing, but man what a hoot! And it's so sad to see veteran actors' having to do films like this. Film great Ida Lupino is one of the stars. * The Deadly Mantis - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqEccYXxaAY - freed from the ice, a giant, supersonic mantis menaces the world, attacking airplanes, overturning buses with its killer grip, and generally wreaking havoc. Lots of women grabbing their heads and screaming in mindless terror, of course, but really fun for the Italian sailor who yells Mama mia! as the killer insect sweeps in for the kill! - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: SciFiNoir2 scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 6:31:47 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Pirahna 3D's Painful Predecessors: 24 Cheesiest Movies Ever Made Though Tremors was cheesy goodness... http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/08/cheesiest-sci-fi-films/ -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS
I love eating out. And I have to confess, there is a market difference between eating at restaurants that use fresh, high quality food rather than, say iceberg lettuce from cold storage. It's why you can go to a place and eat a smaller meal that consists of high quality food, and yet be more satisfied than eating a lot of food that's of lesser quality. That being said, there is a limit to how much one needs to pay for the dining experience. I saw that ridiculous gold-leaf ice cream sundae on the History Channel special on ice cream, and shook my head. You can't tell me that the gold or even the high quality vanilla ice cream really makes it tastes hundreds of times better than one that can be made at a quality ice cream joint. I'm surprised they left off Bird's Nest Soup, made by boiling the nests of cliff-dwelling birds who excrete a glue-like saliva to build their nests, or that soup that the Japanese sell that's made from passing saki through some animals digestive system, then boiling and consuming the excreted liquid. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 4:07:06 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS Well, there is always the $15 a cup tea. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 3:25 AM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: Way above the price range of a Poor Black Welshman, that is. And I'm glad I gave up coffee, or that last would've done the trick for me. On Sun, Aug 22, 2010 at 4:58 PM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: [ Attachment(s) from Mr. Worf included below] -- Forwarded message -- From: Missy May missy.may...@gmail.com Date: Sun, Aug 22, 2010 at 6:23 AM Subject: [BSBB] EXPENSIVE FOODS To: brownsugars_bodacious_b...@yahoogroups.com White Truffle The World's Most Expensive Foods Not surprising, the white truffle is the world's most expensive mushroom. Found in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy, the white truffle's price is due to it's relative rarity. These truffles are generally sold for anywhere between $1,350 and $2,700 per kilogram. The record price paid for this delicacy, however, was $330,000 for 1.5 kilograms worth. Essen Platinum Club Sandwich The World's Most Expensive Foods The world's most expensive sandwich is the Essen Platinum Club Sandwich. It is a triple-decker sandwich, containing the finest grade chicken, ham, hard-boiled quails' eggs and white truffles. This sandwich contains almost 2,000 calories and is the world's most expensive, selling for a hefty price of almost $200. Steak and Mushroom Pie The World's Most Expensive Foods Based on the traditional steak and mushroom pie that is so popular in England, this dish contains $1,000 worth of Wagyu beef, $3,330 worth of Matsutake mushrooms, two bottles of Chateau Mouton Rothschild priced at $4,200 each, black truffles and edible gold leaf. The whole pie serves 8 people and costs around $15,900. A single slice costs $1,990, but is also served with a glass of champagne. Le Parker Meridien Omelet The World's Most Expensive Foods The most expensive omelet in the world is sold at Le Parker Meridien restaurant in New York City. It contains 10 ounces of Sevruga caviar, six eggs, and an entire lobster. If you order it in the restaurant, it costs $1,000. To make it yourself at home, the ingredients will only run you $700. Serendipity 3 Sundae The World's Most Expensive Foods One of the most expensive desserts in the world is a sundae sold at Serendipity 3, located on the east side of Manhattan. Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's most expensive dessert, it consists of five scoops of Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream, Madagascar vanilla, 23 karat edible gold leaf, and the world's most expensive chocolate, the Amedei Porceleana. To order this rich dessert, it will cost you over $1,000. Kona Nigari Water The World's Most Expensive Foods The most expensive water in the world is Kona Nigari water. This desalinated, high-mineral water comes from the deep waters off the coast of Hawaii and costs $16.75 per ounce. Wray and Nephew White Overproof Rum The World's Most Expensive Foods This rum is the highest-selling because of it's rarity as well as it's high proof. Bottled in 1940, there are only 4 bottles left in the world, each priced at around $53,000. Tieguanyin The World's Most Expensive Foods A rare Chinese green tea, Tieguanyin costs $3,000 per kilo (2 lbs, 3 oz) and approximately $15 for a single cup. Kopi Luwak The World's Most Expensive Foods You can't have a discussion of the world's most expensive foods without mentioning Kopi Luwak. Originating from Sumatra, Kopi Luwak is created from coffee beans that have passed through the digestive track of the Asian Palm Civet. The civets eat the coffee berries and the undigested beans pass through their system.
Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS
My wife and I have both been suffering from horrible summer colds, so we've been in the house for over a week. This Saturday night, desperately unable to sleep, but too sick to do anything else, I turned the tube to Miss Congeniality 2. I knew it couldn't be as funny as the original--which has enough one-liners and fun that I still love it--but man, was I surprised at how bad it was! I think I laughed exactly twice in the whole thing. My wife, who generally is more forgiving of comedies like this, turned to me and said That was horrible! I'm so glad we didn't pay to see it. It was indeed so bad that, had one seen it first, one would have thought that Bullock and Regina King were completely devoid of any comedic talent. I know it's an inescapable fact of Hollywood, but they really do need to realize that often you can't bottle lightning twice, and you just have to forego making a crappy sequel. .That's especially true when some of the people instrumental in making the first movie don't return. In this one, for example, Michael Cain was a hoot as Bullock's advisor in the first film. His character was obviously gay, but that wasn't the angle played up. In this one she gets a younger guy as her advisor, and he plays up the gay thing to the point of distraction. The movie even ends up in a drag club where this dude dresses up like a woman--for no reason other than it fulfilled a lifelong dream of his! With such awful stereotypes, bad writing, and no originality anywhere to be seen, it perfectly exemplifies the point of the article you posted. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 4:05:53 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS There is always one problem with popular/successful movies: the threat of sequels. Sequels have the power to really get movie fans’ blood boiling because unless they are better or as good as the original then they will only crash and burn, and potentially tarnish the credibility of the film it tried so hard to follow. There are quite a few painfully bad sequels out there but in this article I have selected ten of the all-time stinkers. I’m sure you’ll agree with most or will have several others worth contributing. 1. Batman and Robin Image source - snarkerati Filled with cheesy one-liners, bad acting, ridiculous storyline and even more ridiculous costumes this terrible sequel very nearly killed the franchise until a certain Christopher Nolan rescued it. George Clooney as Batman simply didn’t work. Luckily for him he managed to continue his career and has gone on to become one of the leading men of Hollywood, unlike Chris O’Donnell who was playing Russian Roulette as Robin. And who can forget Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lovable Mr Freeze… 2. Blues Brothers 2000 Image source - stuff This film shamefully has one of the lowest audience rankings of movie sequels. Dan Aykroyd has made some brilliant movies in his career, including the original Blues Brothers film with the late John Belushi. This one though was a bad choice. John Goodman could have ruined his career by appearing in this film but thankfully for him The Big Lebowski was also released later that year so all was forgiven for his performance in that. 3. Legally Blonde 2 Image source - totalfilm After the surprising success of the first Legally Blonde film (it made $141 million at the box office) a sequel was always going to happen. Not only was the storyline pretty weak but the timing of the film’s release was worse. In the movie thousands of people march against animal testing and succeed, but in reality thousands of people were marching in protest against the invasion of Iraq and being ignored. D’oh! 4. Grease 2 Image source - unemployment.matters We all know that Grease is one of the most famous musicals of all time and remains a cult favourite to this day. The film was so successful that it took a whopping $394 million at the box office! So why would they decide to go and spoil it all with this dreadful sequel? First of all it was directed by the original movie’s choreographer (not a promising start), secondly the songs were just plain awful, and thirdly the leading actors (Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield) had nowhere near enough chemistry that the fans expected after the original’s John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. 5. Speed 2 Image source - denofgeek The sequel was doomed after Keanu Reeves didn’t agree to sign up for it, yet they continued to make it with Jason Patric instead. Speed 2 lacked any form of originality like the first film had. Pretty much the same storyline but this time set on a cruise ship rather than a bus…nothing to really get excited about. 6. Jaws: The Revenge Image source - omenaheights The third instalment in the Jaws films earned the lowest amount of money in
Re: [scifinoir2] Pirahna 3D's Painful Predecessors: 24 Cheesiest Movies Ever Made
Dude, I remember Lepus from when I was a kid, and even then it didn't scare me, but boy was it fun! I mean, you see these bunnies running (hopping?) in slow motion to make them appear more menacing, and obvious bad FX are used to make them appear to be giants. But at least sometimes those bunnies are *real*. When the giant dummy rabbits attack people and slash them with the teeth, it is camp heaven! Let's not forget other animals gone wild movies from back in the day, such as Frogs, Bugs, and Kingdom of the Spiders starring The Shat himself. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 4:36:56 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Pirahna 3D's Painful Predecessors: 24 Cheesiest Movies Ever Made As I said in the forum where I first found this link, it's another case of the kids being left alone in the room with Internet access again. No true research done, just names off the tops of their widdle heads. And I laughed just *reading* that synopsis of the scene from Night of the Lepus, Keith. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 3:59 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I can't *believe* they added relatively new movies like Clash of the Titans and Cloverfield, while leaving off some true, time tested classics! To wit, my additions below. And I beg you, please go to the included links and watch the brief trailers. You will *not* be disappointed!: * Night of the Lepus - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xulXFB3-A3cfeature=related - You have ** to check out the carnivorous, giant bunny rabbits menacing veteran actors Janet Leigh, Stuart Whitman, Rory Calhoun, and DeForest Kelley! If you don't laugh when the rabbit punches through the lady's kitchen window and then slashes her throat, leaving its giant teeth covered in blood, you don't have a pulse! * The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myvltniwzxI Anyone over 40 has to remember this really awful movie about an experiment in which a psycho killer's head is grafted onto the giant body of a gentle simpleton. The killer gets off on murder, while the big gentle giants sobs No, No! all the time. Like all such classic horror movies, it manages to mix murder and mayhem with nubile women in various stages of undress. It is priceless! Check out the trailer, please: Runner up: the copycat The Thing with Two Heads ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWHNA_j7h5Afeature=related ), starring football great Rosie Grier, Don Mission Impossible Martin, and veteran actor Ray Milland! In this one, the head of a white bigot is grafted onto the body of a black convict. Again, the trailer's a scream! * The Food of the Gods - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuSwwZ1n6KU - people are trapped on an island where the animals have grown to ginormous size thanks to eating some kind of special food. I'm not sure if the giant menacing chickens, the killer big wasps or the crazy giant rats surrounding a house is the funniest thing, but man what a hoot! And it's so sad to see veteran actors' having to do films like this. Film great Ida Lupino is one of the stars. * The Deadly Mantis - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqEccYXxaAY - freed from the ice, a giant, supersonic mantis menaces the world, attacking airplanes, overturning buses with its killer grip, and generally wreaking havoc. Lots of women grabbing their heads and screaming in mindless terror, of course, but really fun for the Italian sailor who yells Mama mia! as the killer insect sweeps in for the kill! - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: SciFiNoir2 scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 6:31:47 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Pirahna 3D's Painful Predecessors: 24 Cheesiest Movies Ever Made Though Tremors was cheesy goodness... http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/08/cheesiest-sci-fi-films/ -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS
Don't know if I have the Cooking Channel but will check. I am *addicted* to all things frozen: ice cream, gelatto, sherbert, milk shakes, snow cones, ices, etc. I am also convinced that my biochemical makeup has a gene that is a perfect match for vanilla, as the mere smell of vanilla is enough to send me into fits of divine pleasure. I kept vanilla bean pods in my sugar bucket, keep Madagascan vanilla extract in the cupboard (put it in my milk shakes and pancake batter). I have at times paid some big money for really high quality vanilla products and gourmet ice cream. But I'm not sure I'd pay $19 a scoop for ice cream. At some point, I think the price is more a perception of taste based on rarity, difficulty in growing, harvesting and shipping the product, etc. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 4:39:11 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS Keith, don't forget the coffee that passes through a Civet. Have you checked out the Cooking Channel? It is similar to the Food Network but more geared toward cooking and gourmet food. On one of the shows they were talking about a gourmet ice cream truck that sells handmade ice cream that featured vanilla beans from the left side of a mountain in Italy. $19 a scoop. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 1:18 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I love eating out. And I have to confess, there is a market difference between eating at restaurants that use fresh, high quality food rather than, say iceberg lettuce from cold storage. It's why you can go to a place and eat a smaller meal that consists of high quality food, and yet be more satisfied than eating a lot of food that's of lesser quality. That being said, there is a limit to how much one needs to pay for the dining experience. I saw that ridiculous gold-leaf ice cream sundae on the History Channel special on ice cream, and shook my head. You can't tell me that the gold or even the high quality vanilla ice cream really makes it tastes hundreds of times better than one that can be made at a quality ice cream joint. I'm surprised they left off Bird's Nest Soup, made by boiling the nests of cliff-dwelling birds who excrete a glue-like saliva to build their nests, or that soup that the Japanese sell that's made from passing saki through some animals digestive system, then boiling and consuming the excreted liquid. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 4:07:06 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS Well, there is always the $15 a cup tea. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 3:25 AM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: Way above the price range of a Poor Black Welshman, that is. And I'm glad I gave up coffee, or that last would've done the trick for me. On Sun, Aug 22, 2010 at 4:58 PM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: [ Attachment(s) from Mr. Worf included below] -- Forwarded message -- From: Missy May missy.may...@gmail.com Date: Sun, Aug 22, 2010 at 6:23 AM Subject: [BSBB] EXPENSIVE FOODS To: brownsugars_bodacious_b...@yahoogroups.com White Truffle The World's Most Expensive Foods Not surprising, the white truffle is the world's most expensive mushroom. Found in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy, the white truffle's price is due to it's relative rarity. These truffles are generally sold for anywhere between $1,350 and $2,700 per kilogram. The record price paid for this delicacy, however, was $330,000 for 1.5 kilograms worth. Essen Platinum Club Sandwich The World's Most Expensive Foods The world's most expensive sandwich is the Essen Platinum Club Sandwich. It is a triple-decker sandwich, containing the finest grade chicken, ham, hard-boiled quails' eggs and white truffles. This sandwich contains almost 2,000 calories and is the world's most expensive, selling for a hefty price of almost $200. Steak and Mushroom Pie The World's Most Expensive Foods Based on the traditional steak and mushroom pie that is so popular in England, this dish contains $1,000 worth of Wagyu beef, $3,330 worth of Matsutake mushrooms, two bottles of Chateau Mouton Rothschild priced at $4,200 each, black truffles and edible gold leaf. The whole pie serves 8 people and costs around $15,900. A single slice costs $1,990, but is also served with a glass of champagne. Le Parker Meridien Omelet The World's Most Expensive Foods The most expensive omelet in the world is sold at Le Parker Meridien restaurant in New York City. It contains 10 ounces of Sevruga caviar, six eggs, and an entire lobster. If you order it in the restaurant, it costs $1,000. To make it yourself at home, the ingredients will only run you $700. Serendipity 3 Sundae The World's Most Expensive Foods One
Re: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S
No offense to any women here, but ah for the days when beauty in an actress wasn't about being skinny, blonde, and athletic looking. Remember when the (white) actresses in TV and film had actual curves, full lips, and were often brunette stunners? Sophia Loren, Racquel Welch, Liz Taylor, even Marilyn Monroe--all would be considered borderline overweight in the current atmosphere. I heard a lady on an entertainment show today say for the millionth time how breathtakingly beautiful Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Anniston wore, and wax ecstatic about their great figures. I see Anniston as fit but slim, Jolie as dangerously thin, and neither coming close to the standard of beauty of yesteryear. Although when made up, Jolie's feline features indeed are old school... - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 6:28:37 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] CLASSIC MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 60S -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
[scifinoir2] Info about Recalled Eggs
Go to this site for information on all brands of eggs affected, and how to read the codes on egg cartons to see if the eggs in your fridge are affected: http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/WhatsNewinFood/ucm223536.htm [AP News] Two large Iowa farms have recalled 550 million eggs because of possible contamination with salmonella. Investigators from the Food and Drug Administration are trying to find the cause of the outbreak, but so far haven't pinpointed the source. Q: A half-billion — isn't that a lot of eggs? A: Well, yes and no. Those 550 million eggs might seem like a lot. But that's less than 1 percent of the roughly 80 billion eggs sold in their shell each year, according to the United Egg Producers, an industry group. Americans consume about 220 million eggs a day, based on industry estimates. Q: Is the outbreak likely to spread? A: There's no sign at this point that there are more than the two farms involved, Food and Drug Administration chief Margaret Hamburg said Monday. The recalls started earlier this month when Iowa's Wright County Egg recalled a total of 380 million eggs after some cases of salmonella poisoning were traced back to eggs from its farms. Then last Friday, a second Iowa farm, Hillandale Farms, announced the recall of more than 170 million eggs after tests confirmed salmonella. Q: Did the eggs get sent to my state? A: The eggs went to stores or distributors in mostly western or midwestern states, and were shipped nationwide under a variety of brand names. Recalled eggs have a specific plant number and packaged date on the carton; check the FDA website to see if your eggs have been recalled: http://bit.ly/9yambn Q: How far back does the recall go? A: Eggs included in the recall were packaged as far back as four months ago, so it's likely that many of the eggs have already been eaten. If you have any suspect cartons, return them to the store or throw them out. The Wright County Egg recall extends back to May 15; the Hillandale recall goes back to April 9. Q: How many people have actually gotten sick? A: No one knows for sure. Officials say it could be as many as 1,300 so far. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saw a spike in illnesses from a specific strain of salmonella in May. Through the end of July, there were about 2,000 cases — that's about 1,300 more than would be expected for that three-month period. That's where the 1,300 figure comes from, although some of the excess cases may not be tied to this outbreak. The number is likely to grow since it can take weeks for reports to be filed. Q: Has anyone died in this outbreak? A: No deaths have been reported. The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight hours to 72 hours of eating a contaminated product. It can be life-threatening, especially to those with weakened immune systems. Salmonella is the most common form of food poisoning from bacteria, and the strain involved in the outbreak is the most common kind, accounting for about 20 percent of all such food poisonings. Q: Are the eggs sold at my grocery store safe? A: Recalled eggs should have been removed from store shelves. But you can check the FDA website http://bit.ly/9yambn for the brands involved and double-check the egg carton. Q: Can you tell by looking at the shell or egg if there's salmonella? A: No, there's no way to tell. But consumers shouldn't buy dirty or cracked eggs. Q: Then should I just skip eggs to be safe? A: As long as they're not on the recall list, eggs should be OK. And thoroughly cooking them can kill the bacteria. But while federal investigators continue their work, the FDA's Hamburg said consumers should strictly avoid runny egg yolks for mopping up with toast. Q: How do eggs get infected with salmonella? A: Salmonella bacteria can get on the outside of the shell from fecal matter. Or it can be inside the egg if the chicken is infected. Eggs are washed and disinfected to deal with the dirt and germs on shells, and some producers vaccinate chicks against salmonella. Infected hens, rodents or tainted feed could be the source of the outbreaks, according to Patrick McDonough, a food safety expert at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Salmonella is not passed from hen to hen, but usually from rodent droppings to chickens, he said. The two Iowa farms share suppliers of young chickens and feed. On Monday, an FDA official said the hatchery that supplies the farms has been certified salmonella-free. That suggests that the contamination may have occurred at the farms. ___
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Pirahna 3D's Painful Predecessors: 24 Cheesiest Movies Ever Made
Agree on the last two, which is why I questioned the more modern films on here. Was Cloverfield a good movie in your opinion? I avoided it at the theatre because I knew the jerky camera would have had me reeling and retching in my seat. - Original Message - From: B Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 8:56:11 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Pirahna 3D's Painful Predecessors: 24 Cheesiest Movies Ever Made Cloverfield doesn't even belong on this list. There's nothing remotely cheesy about it. Tremors and Slither are campy, horror comedies but no cheese was in sight. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: Dude, I remember Lepus from when I was a kid, and even then it didn't scare me, but boy was it fun! I mean, you see these bunnies running (hopping?) in slow motion to make them appear more menacing, and obvious bad FX are used to make them appear to be giants. But at least sometimes those bunnies are *real*. When the giant dummy rabbits attack people and slash them with the teeth, it is camp heaven! Let's not forget other animals gone wild movies from back in the day, such as Frogs, Bugs, and Kingdom of the Spiders starring The Shat himself. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 4:36:56 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Pirahna 3D's Painful Predecessors: 24 Cheesiest Movies Ever Made As I said in the forum where I first found this link, it's another case of the kids being left alone in the room with Internet access again. No true research done, just names off the tops of their widdle heads. And I laughed just *reading* that synopsis of the scene from Night of the Lepus, Keith. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 3:59 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: I can't *believe* they added relatively new movies like Clash of the Titans and Cloverfield, while leaving off some true, time tested classics! To wit, my additions below. And I beg you, please go to the included links and watch the brief trailers. You will *not* be disappointed!: * Night of the Lepus - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xulXFB3-A3cfeature=related - You have ** to check out the carnivorous, giant bunny rabbits menacing veteran actors Janet Leigh, Stuart Whitman, Rory Calhoun, and DeForest Kelley! If you don't laugh when the rabbit punches through the lady's kitchen window and then slashes her throat, leaving its giant teeth covered in blood, you don't have a pulse! * The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myvltniwzxI Anyone over 40 has to remember this really awful movie about an experiment in which a psycho killer's head is grafted onto the giant body of a gentle simpleton. The killer gets off on murder, while the big gentle giants sobs No, No! all the time. Like all such classic horror movies, it manages to mix murder and mayhem with nubile women in various stages of undress. It is priceless! Check out the trailer, please: Runner up: the copycat The Thing with Two Heads ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWHNA_j7h5Afeature=related ), starring football great Rosie Grier, Don Mission Impossible Martin, and veteran actor Ray Milland! In this one, the head of a white bigot is grafted onto the body of a black convict. Again, the trailer's a scream! * The Food of the Gods - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuSwwZ1n6KU - people are trapped on an island where the animals have grown to ginormous size thanks to eating some kind of special food. I'm not sure if the giant menacing chickens, the killer big wasps or the crazy giant rats surrounding a house is the funniest thing, but man what a hoot! And it's so sad to see veteran actors' having to do films like this. Film great Ida Lupino is one of the stars. * The Deadly Mantis - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqEccYXxaAY - freed from the ice, a giant, supersonic mantis menaces the world, attacking airplanes, overturning buses with its killer grip, and generally wreaking havoc. Lots of women grabbing their heads and screaming in mindless terror, of course, but really fun for the Italian sailor who yells Mama mia! as the killer insect sweeps in for the kill! - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@... To: SciFiNoir2 scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 6:31:47 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Pirahna 3D's Painful Predecessors: 24 Cheesiest Movies Ever Made Though Tremors was cheesy goodness... http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/08/cheesiest-sci-fi-films/ -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- If all
Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS
I just wonder if any extremely rare ingredients convey a taste sensation that's so incredible, or if it's perception. Sometimes food is like art: the value is all in what people say it is. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 10:30:16 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS I think if a dish is difficult to create or has extremely rare and expensive ingredients then its ok, but I don't really think some of the things that are raved about is all that great. It usually comes down to personal pallet and subtle differences in flavorings. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 4:25 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Don't know if I have the Cooking Channel but will check. I am *addicted* to all things frozen: ice cream, gelatto, sherbert, milk shakes, snow cones, ices, etc. I am also convinced that my biochemical makeup has a gene that is a perfect match for vanilla, as the mere smell of vanilla is enough to send me into fits of divine pleasure. I kept vanilla bean pods in my sugar bucket, keep Madagascan vanilla extract in the cupboard (put it in my milk shakes and pancake batter). I have at times paid some big money for really high quality vanilla products and gourmet ice cream. But I'm not sure I'd pay $19 a scoop for ice cream. At some point, I think the price is more a perception of taste based on rarity, difficulty in growing, harvesting and shipping the product, etc. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 4:39:11 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS Keith, don't forget the coffee that passes through a Civet. Have you checked out the Cooking Channel? It is similar to the Food Network but more geared toward cooking and gourmet food. On one of the shows they were talking about a gourmet ice cream truck that sells handmade ice cream that featured vanilla beans from the left side of a mountain in Italy. $19 a scoop. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 1:18 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I love eating out. And I have to confess, there is a market difference between eating at restaurants that use fresh, high quality food rather than, say iceberg lettuce from cold storage. It's why you can go to a place and eat a smaller meal that consists of high quality food, and yet be more satisfied than eating a lot of food that's of lesser quality. That being said, there is a limit to how much one needs to pay for the dining experience. I saw that ridiculous gold-leaf ice cream sundae on the History Channel special on ice cream, and shook my head. You can't tell me that the gold or even the high quality vanilla ice cream really makes it tastes hundreds of times better than one that can be made at a quality ice cream joint. I'm surprised they left off Bird's Nest Soup, made by boiling the nests of cliff-dwelling birds who excrete a glue-like saliva to build their nests, or that soup that the Japanese sell that's made from passing saki through some animals digestive system, then boiling and consuming the excreted liquid. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 4:07:06 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS Well, there is always the $15 a cup tea. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 3:25 AM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: Way above the price range of a Poor Black Welshman, that is. And I'm glad I gave up coffee, or that last would've done the trick for me. On Sun, Aug 22, 2010 at 4:58 PM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: [ Attachment(s) from Mr. Worf included below] -- Forwarded message -- From: Missy May missy.may...@gmail.com Date: Sun, Aug 22, 2010 at 6:23 AM Subject: [BSBB] EXPENSIVE FOODS To: brownsugars_bodacious_b...@yahoogroups.com White Truffle The World's Most Expensive Foods Not surprising, the white truffle is the world's most expensive mushroom. Found in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy, the white truffle's price is due to it's relative rarity. These truffles are generally sold for anywhere between $1,350 and $2,700 per kilogram. The record price paid for this delicacy, however, was $330,000 for 1.5 kilograms worth. Essen Platinum Club Sandwich The World's Most Expensive Foods The world's most expensive sandwich is the Essen Platinum Club Sandwich. It is a triple-decker sandwich, containing the finest grade chicken, ham, hard-boiled quails' eggs and white truffles. This sandwich contains almost 2,000 calories and is the world's most expensive, selling for a hefty price of almost $200. Steak and Mushroom Pie The World's Most Expensive Foods Based on the traditional steak and mushroom pie that is so popular
Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS
Are the Highlander and Hellraiser sequels cheesy, or just plain awful? There's a fine line between so bad it stinks, and so bad it's a camp classic. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 11:02:09 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS You forgot Highlander 3-5 and Hellraiser 3-6 On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 7:48 PM, Adrianne Brennan adrianne.bren...@gmail.com wrote: They missed Ghostbusters 2, Highlander 2, and the Matrix sequels. ~ Where love and magic meet ~ http://www.adriannebrennan.com Experience the magic of the Dark Moon series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#darkmoon Dare to take The Oath in this erotic fantasy series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#the_oath The future of psychic sex - Dawn of the Seraphs (m/m): http://www.adriannebrennan.com/dawnoftheseraphs.html On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 4:05 PM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: There is always one problem with popular/successful movies: the threat of sequels. Sequels have the power to really get movie fans’ blood boiling because unless they are better or as good as the original then they will only crash and burn, and potentially tarnish the credibility of the film it tried so hard to follow. There are quite a few painfully bad sequels out there but in this article I have selected ten of the all-time stinkers. I’m sure you’ll agree with most or will have several others worth contributing. 1. Batman and Robin Image source - snarkerati Filled with cheesy one-liners, bad acting, ridiculous storyline and even more ridiculous costumes this terrible sequel very nearly killed the franchise until a certain Christopher Nolan rescued it. George Clooney as Batman simply didn’t work. Luckily for him he managed to continue his career and has gone on to become one of the leading men of Hollywood, unlike Chris O’Donnell who was playing Russian Roulette as Robin. And who can forget Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lovable Mr Freeze… 2. Blues Brothers 2000 Image source - stuff This film shamefully has one of the lowest audience rankings of movie sequels. Dan Aykroyd has made some brilliant movies in his career, including the original Blues Brothers film with the late John Belushi. This one though was a bad choice. John Goodman could have ruined his career by appearing in this film but thankfully for him The Big Lebowski was also released later that year so all was forgiven for his performance in that. 3. Legally Blonde 2 Image source - totalfilm After the surprising success of the first Legally Blonde film (it made $141 million at the box office) a sequel was always going to happen. Not only was the storyline pretty weak but the timing of the film’s release was worse. In the movie thousands of people march against animal testing and succeed, but in reality thousands of people were marching in protest against the invasion of Iraq and being ignored. D’oh! 4. Grease 2 Image source - unemployment.matters We all know that Grease is one of the most famous musicals of all time and remains a cult favourite to this day. The film was so successful that it took a whopping $394 million at the box office! So why would they decide to go and spoil it all with this dreadful sequel? First of all it was directed by the original movie’s choreographer (not a promising start), secondly the songs were just plain awful, and thirdly the leading actors (Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield) had nowhere near enough chemistry that the fans expected after the original’s John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. 5. Speed 2 Image source - denofgeek The sequel was doomed after Keanu Reeves didn’t agree to sign up for it, yet they continued to make it with Jason Patric instead. Speed 2 lacked any form of originality like the first film had. Pretty much the same storyline but this time set on a cruise ship rather than a bus…nothing to really get excited about. 6. Jaws: The Revenge Image source - omenaheights The third instalment in the Jaws films earned the lowest amount of money in the franchise. It grossed $50 million, which when you compare to the $470 million made by the original can clearly see that something went horribly wrong. Michael Caine must still be suffering nightmares for agreeing to appear in this rather than accept his Oscar for Hannah and Her Sisters . 7. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights Image source - allmoviephoto The storyline for the original Dirty Dancing film was such a hit, why bother changing it for the sequel? The only changed in the sequel was the fact that it was set in Cuba the night before the revolution took place. Unsurprisingly the film flopped big time. The only thing you have to admire about the film is how the makers managed to persuade the original’s star, Patrick Swayze, to
Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS
Sure. You never saw The Source, the awful TV movie starring Adrian Paul, released a year or two ago? It was really awful. they killed off a couple of cool characters, put up all this foolishness about the Source of Immortality, and gave us a truly horrendous ending. - Original Message - From: Adrianne Brennan adrianne.bren...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 11:03:35 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS There was a Highlander after the third movie? O holy hell. ~ Where love and magic meet ~ http://www.adriannebrennan.com Experience the magic of the Dark Moon series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#darkmoon Dare to take The Oath in this erotic fantasy series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#the_oath The future of psychic sex - Dawn of the Seraphs (m/m): http://www.adriannebrennan.com/dawnoftheseraphs.html On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 11:02 PM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: You forgot Highlander 3-5 and Hellraiser 3-6 On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 7:48 PM, Adrianne Brennan adrianne.bren...@gmail.com wrote: They missed Ghostbusters 2, Highlander 2, and the Matrix sequels. ~ Where love and magic meet ~ http://www.adriannebrennan.com Experience the magic of the Dark Moon series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#darkmoon Dare to take The Oath in this erotic fantasy series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#the_oath The future of psychic sex - Dawn of the Seraphs (m/m): http://www.adriannebrennan.com/dawnoftheseraphs.html On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 4:05 PM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: There is always one problem with popular/successful movies: the threat of sequels. Sequels have the power to really get movie fans’ blood boiling because unless they are better or as good as the original then they will only crash and burn, and potentially tarnish the credibility of the film it tried so hard to follow. There are quite a few painfully bad sequels out there but in this article I have selected ten of the all-time stinkers. I’m sure you’ll agree with most or will have several others worth contributing. 1. Batman and Robin Image source - snarkerati Filled with cheesy one-liners, bad acting, ridiculous storyline and even more ridiculous costumes this terrible sequel very nearly killed the franchise until a certain Christopher Nolan rescued it. George Clooney as Batman simply didn’t work. Luckily for him he managed to continue his career and has gone on to become one of the leading men of Hollywood, unlike Chris O’Donnell who was playing Russian Roulette as Robin. And who can forget Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lovable Mr Freeze… 2. Blues Brothers 2000 Image source - stuff This film shamefully has one of the lowest audience rankings of movie sequels. Dan Aykroyd has made some brilliant movies in his career, including the original Blues Brothers film with the late John Belushi. This one though was a bad choice. John Goodman could have ruined his career by appearing in this film but thankfully for him The Big Lebowski was also released later that year so all was forgiven for his performance in that. 3. Legally Blonde 2 Image source - totalfilm After the surprising success of the first Legally Blonde film (it made $141 million at the box office) a sequel was always going to happen. Not only was the storyline pretty weak but the timing of the film’s release was worse. In the movie thousands of people march against animal testing and succeed, but in reality thousands of people were marching in protest against the invasion of Iraq and being ignored. D’oh! 4. Grease 2 Image source - unemployment.matters We all know that Grease is one of the most famous musicals of all time and remains a cult favourite to this day. The film was so successful that it took a whopping $394 million at the box office! So why would they decide to go and spoil it all with this dreadful sequel? First of all it was directed by the original movie’s choreographer (not a promising start), secondly the songs were just plain awful, and thirdly the leading actors (Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield) had nowhere near enough chemistry that the fans expected after the original’s John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. 5. Speed 2 Image source - denofgeek The sequel was doomed after Keanu Reeves didn’t agree to sign up for it, yet they continued to make it with Jason Patric instead. Speed 2 lacked any form of originality like the first film had. Pretty much the same storyline but this time set on a cruise ship rather than a bus…nothing to really get excited about. 6. Jaws: The Revenge Image source - omenaheights The third instalment in the Jaws films earned the lowest amount of money in the franchise. It grossed $50 million, which when you compare to the $470 million made by the
Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS
I'd forgotten the fourth film, in which Connor and Duncan have to fight a mad religious fanatic Immortal who has so many kills--over 600, to the McLeod's 200+ each--that he's all but unstoppable. It was pretty bad, with only the resolution to the problem of this powerful Immortal halfway interesting. I won't spoil the ending in case you want to see it. As for the last movie, The Source, it was released to TV three years ago. I actually killed brain cells watching it, hoping against hope they'd get it right. Nope. Here's some critics' thoughts on that last movie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander:_The_Source Reception Critical reaction to Highlander: The Source has been universally negative. Christopher Monfette of IGN gave The Source a score of 1 out of 10, saying: The worthwhile days of Connor MacLeod , it would appear, are officially over—dead, decapitated, and depleted of their power. The struggle for an immortal to move through life unchallenged has since mutated into an awkward arrangement of mismatched mythologies, TV-to-movie crossovers, and a steady stream of low-budget, direct-to-DVD cash-cows which may, in the end, prove to be the only truly immortal thing about this series. [ 14 ] Brian Orndorf of DVD Talk gave the film one half star out of five, saying: The Source is nothing less than a parody of what has come before. If you've seen the previous sequels, you already know that's saying something. There is some relief that this franchise will finally be put out of its misery, because nobody in their right mind would try to keep this series going after watching just how boneheaded Highlander: The Source is. [ 15 ] Danél Griffin of Film as Art gave The Source one half star out of four, remarking that it's bad—cheesily bad, colossally bad, monumentally bad, bad enough to make you never want to watch another movie again bad. [ 16 ] Keith Breese of FilmCritic.com gave the film one star out of five, saying: Not only will Highlander fans be disappointed by the film's nosedive into nonsense, but the average viewer will be stunned by the backyard quality of this film. The acting is uniformly terrible, the special effects are hideous, the sets are cheap and grubby, and the direction is uninspired. The film is an utter failure. ... Surely this is the final nail in the coffin lid for this film series. If it isn't, then something is truly wrong with the universe. [ 17 ] The Sci-Fi Movie Page gave The Source one and a half stars out of five, saying: Just when you think that this is a franchise that can't sink any lower, along comes Highlander: The Source . ... One gets the impression that The Source was filmed with theatrical distribution in mind but that no sane cinema distributor would touch it with a ten-foot barge pole. Good for them. Instead it went straight to the SciFi Channel and now the DVD shelves where you should let it stay, collecting dust. [ 18 ] Noah Antwiller of The Spoony Experiment had this to say about Highlander: The Source. The Source is dogshit. I mean weapons-grade dogshit. If your dog shat something this nasty, you’d have it put down and buried in a Hefty bag. I wasn’t even ready for something this bad. If you thought The Quickening was the low-point of the series, well, I don’t even know anymore. This movie punched me in the nuts and stole my lunch. I’m still a little dizzy from that one. If it’s not worse than Highlander 2, it’s right up there. I mean, second-place by a razor-thin margin. I think the only reason The Source isn’t as notorious as Highlander 2 is because nobody saw it (it was direct-to-video) and expectations for the series were already rock-bottom. I don’t want to say too much but if ever a movie shot its way to the top of my review stack, it was this one. This short commentary on The Source came days after Antwiler did a two-part video review of Highlander II: The Quickening . - Original Message - From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 12:51:40 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS Sure. You never saw The Source, the awful TV movie starring Adrian Paul, released a year or two ago? It was really awful. they killed off a couple of cool characters, put up all this foolishness about the Source of Immortality, and gave us a truly horrendous ending. - Original Message - From: Adrianne Brennan adrianne.bren...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 11:03:35 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS There was a Highlander after the third movie? O holy hell. ~ Where love and magic meet ~ http://www.adriannebrennan.com Experience the magic of the Dark Moon series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#darkmoon Dare to take The Oath in this erotic fantasy series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#the_oath The future
Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS
The weird thing is there's a kind of division between those who follow the films, and those who follow the TV series. I think I saw the TV series first, then caught the first film--the only good one--afterward. The TV series was really well done, with a couple of exceptions. It had great actors, cool Immortals, intelligent writing for the most part, some memorable arcs, and a great lead in Adrian Paul's Duncan McLeod. I'm a bigger fan of the TV series, and am not that concerned about the film series ever being rebooted. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 12:56:08 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS They stink. They aren't bad enough to be camp. Maybe in another 20 years? Or after the reboot is released. I think the 4th and 5th just didn't make any sense. There was no continuity between the story lines. One of the movies McCloud was an alien. Another he teams up with another immortal to fight a baddie. Its just endless garbage, but I guess if you are a diehard fan you would love it. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 9:50 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Are the Highlander and Hellraiser sequels cheesy, or just plain awful? There's a fine line between so bad it stinks, and so bad it's a camp classic. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 11:02:09 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS You forgot Highlander 3-5 and Hellraiser 3-6 On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 7:48 PM, Adrianne Brennan adrianne.bren...@gmail.com wrote: They missed Ghostbusters 2, Highlander 2, and the Matrix sequels. ~ Where love and magic meet ~ http://www.adriannebrennan.com Experience the magic of the Dark Moon series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#darkmoon Dare to take The Oath in this erotic fantasy series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#the_oath The future of psychic sex - Dawn of the Seraphs (m/m): http://www.adriannebrennan.com/dawnoftheseraphs.html On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 4:05 PM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: There is always one problem with popular/successful movies: the threat of sequels. Sequels have the power to really get movie fans’ blood boiling because unless they are better or as good as the original then they will only crash and burn, and potentially tarnish the credibility of the film it tried so hard to follow. There are quite a few painfully bad sequels out there but in this article I have selected ten of the all-time stinkers. I’m sure you’ll agree with most or will have several others worth contributing. 1. Batman and Robin Image source - snarkerati Filled with cheesy one-liners, bad acting, ridiculous storyline and even more ridiculous costumes this terrible sequel very nearly killed the franchise until a certain Christopher Nolan rescued it. George Clooney as Batman simply didn’t work. Luckily for him he managed to continue his career and has gone on to become one of the leading men of Hollywood, unlike Chris O’Donnell who was playing Russian Roulette as Robin. And who can forget Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lovable Mr Freeze… 2. Blues Brothers 2000 Image source - stuff This film shamefully has one of the lowest audience rankings of movie sequels. Dan Aykroyd has made some brilliant movies in his career, including the original Blues Brothers film with the late John Belushi. This one though was a bad choice. John Goodman could have ruined his career by appearing in this film but thankfully for him The Big Lebowski was also released later that year so all was forgiven for his performance in that. 3. Legally Blonde 2 Image source - totalfilm After the surprising success of the first Legally Blonde film (it made $141 million at the box office) a sequel was always going to happen. Not only was the storyline pretty weak but the timing of the film’s release was worse. In the movie thousands of people march against animal testing and succeed, but in reality thousands of people were marching in protest against the invasion of Iraq and being ignored. D’oh! 4. Grease 2 Image source - unemployment.matters We all know that Grease is one of the most famous musicals of all time and remains a cult favourite to this day. The film was so successful that it took a whopping $394 million at the box office! So why would they decide to go and spoil it all with this dreadful sequel? First of all it was directed by the original movie’s choreographer (not a promising start), secondly the songs were just plain awful, and thirdly the leading actors (Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield) had nowhere near enough chemistry that the fans expected after the original’s John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. 5. Speed 2 Image
Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS
I hear you! One of the surprising and ironic things going on in food is a turn or return to food that many of us ate out of necessity as kids. This is especially true of blacks, Southerners, and poor country folk. Things like chitlins, pig's feet, hogshead cheese, ox tail, turkey neck, souse meat, etc., are showing up in many fancy restaurants. And as you mentioned, they're costing a pretty penny. Here in Atlanta there's a return to offal and real meat, a kind of pushback against the low cholesterol/fat, no red meat craze. What I don't get is why some of these foods does cost so much. When I was a kid, my dad used to buy ox tails at the local country market on the cheap. It was one reason country black folk bought stuff like that: it was cheap. Now such parts cost a bit of money, at least in some restaurants. You can get it fairly inexpensively at Jamaican restaurants and the like. I guess the fancy joints use better quality of meat? - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 12:58:49 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS I agree. I think I mentioned the foodie restaurant here that one year the guy basically served chittlins, mountain oysters and tripe. For over $100 a plate. We had a good laugh on that. I said that for $20 each they could come by the house and my mom will cook them up something and they can have 2nds. :) On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 9:49 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I just wonder if any extremely rare ingredients convey a taste sensation that's so incredible, or if it's perception. Sometimes food is like art: the value is all in what people say it is. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 10:30:16 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS I think if a dish is difficult to create or has extremely rare and expensive ingredients then its ok, but I don't really think some of the things that are raved about is all that great. It usually comes down to personal pallet and subtle differences in flavorings. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 4:25 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Don't know if I have the Cooking Channel but will check. I am *addicted* to all things frozen: ice cream, gelatto, sherbert, milk shakes, snow cones, ices, etc. I am also convinced that my biochemical makeup has a gene that is a perfect match for vanilla, as the mere smell of vanilla is enough to send me into fits of divine pleasure. I kept vanilla bean pods in my sugar bucket, keep Madagascan vanilla extract in the cupboard (put it in my milk shakes and pancake batter). I have at times paid some big money for really high quality vanilla products and gourmet ice cream. But I'm not sure I'd pay $19 a scoop for ice cream. At some point, I think the price is more a perception of taste based on rarity, difficulty in growing, harvesting and shipping the product, etc. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 4:39:11 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] EXPENSIVE FOODS Keith, don't forget the coffee that passes through a Civet. Have you checked out the Cooking Channel? It is similar to the Food Network but more geared toward cooking and gourmet food. On one of the shows they were talking about a gourmet ice cream truck that sells handmade ice cream that featured vanilla beans from the left side of a mountain in Italy. $19 a scoop. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 1:18 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I love eating out. And I have to confess, there is a market difference between eating at restaurants that use fresh, high quality food rather than, say iceberg lettuce from cold storage. It's why you can go to a place and eat a smaller meal that consists of high quality food, and yet be more satisfied than eating a lot of food that's of lesser quality. That being said, there is a limit to how much one needs to pay for the dining experience. I saw that ridiculous gold-leaf ice cream sundae on the History Channel special on ice cream, and shook my head. You can't tell me that the gold or even the high quality vanilla ice cream really makes it tastes hundreds of times better than one that can be made at a quality ice cream joint. I'm surprised they left off Bird's Nest Soup, made by boiling the nests of cliff-dwelling birds who excrete a glue-like saliva to build their nests, or that soup that the Japanese sell that's made from passing saki through some animals digestive system, then boiling and consuming the excreted liquid. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 4:07:06 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2
Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS
Yep. And did you ever see that god awful animated Highlander? It took place in the future. I watched maybe one ep and swore off of it forever. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 1:00:48 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS I think that they just spin a wheel with plot points on it and go from there. On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 9:58 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I'd forgotten the fourth film, in which Connor and Duncan have to fight a mad religious fanatic Immortal who has so many kills--over 600, to the McLeod's 200+ each--that he's all but unstoppable. It was pretty bad, with only the resolution to the problem of this powerful Immortal halfway interesting. I won't spoil the ending in case you want to see it. As for the last movie, The Source, it was released to TV three years ago. I actually killed brain cells watching it, hoping against hope they'd get it right. Nope. Here's some critics' thoughts on that last movie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander:_The_Source Reception Critical reaction to Highlander: The Source has been universally negative. Christopher Monfette of IGN gave The Source a score of 1 out of 10, saying: The worthwhile days of Connor MacLeod , it would appear, are officially over—dead, decapitated, and depleted of their power. The struggle for an immortal to move through life unchallenged has since mutated into an awkward arrangement of mismatched mythologies, TV-to-movie crossovers, and a steady stream of low-budget, direct-to-DVD cash-cows which may, in the end, prove to be the only truly immortal thing about this series. [ 14 ] Brian Orndorf of DVD Talk gave the film one half star out of five, saying: The Source is nothing less than a parody of what has come before. If you've seen the previous sequels, you already know that's saying something. There is some relief that this franchise will finally be put out of its misery, because nobody in their right mind would try to keep this series going after watching just how boneheaded Highlander: The Source is. [ 15 ] Danél Griffin of Film as Art gave The Source one half star out of four, remarking that it's bad—cheesily bad, colossally bad, monumentally bad, bad enough to make you never want to watch another movie again bad. [ 16 ] Keith Breese of FilmCritic.com gave the film one star out of five, saying: Not only will Highlander fans be disappointed by the film's nosedive into nonsense, but the average viewer will be stunned by the backyard quality of this film. The acting is uniformly terrible, the special effects are hideous, the sets are cheap and grubby, and the direction is uninspired. The film is an utter failure. ... Surely this is the final nail in the coffin lid for this film series. If it isn't, then something is truly wrong with the universe. [ 17 ] The Sci-Fi Movie Page gave The Source one and a half stars out of five, saying: Just when you think that this is a franchise that can't sink any lower, along comes Highlander: The Source . ... One gets the impression that The Source was filmed with theatrical distribution in mind but that no sane cinema distributor would touch it with a ten-foot barge pole. Good for them. Instead it went straight to the SciFi Channel and now the DVD shelves where you should let it stay, collecting dust. [ 18 ] Noah Antwiller of The Spoony Experiment had this to say about Highlander: The Source. The Source is dogshit. I mean weapons-grade dogshit. If your dog shat something this nasty, you’d have it put down and buried in a Hefty bag. I wasn’t even ready for something this bad. If you thought The Quickening was the low-point of the series, well, I don’t even know anymore. This movie punched me in the nuts and stole my lunch. I’m still a little dizzy from that one. If it’s not worse than Highlander 2, it’s right up there. I mean, second-place by a razor-thin margin. I think the only reason The Source isn’t as notorious as Highlander 2 is because nobody saw it (it was direct-to-video) and expectations for the series were already rock-bottom. I don’t want to say too much but if ever a movie shot its way to the top of my review stack, it was this one. This short commentary on The Source came days after Antwiler did a two-part video review of Highlander II: The Quickening . - Original Message - From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 12:51:40 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] WORST MOVIE SEQUELS Sure. You never saw The Source, the awful TV movie starring Adrian Paul, released a year or two ago? It was really awful. they killed off a couple of cool characters, put up all this foolishness about the Source of Immortality, and gave us a truly horrendous ending. - Original Message - From
Re: [scifinoir2] Clone Wars Great Fun on Cartoon Network
I agree. I was skeptical of the current CGI version, both because I'm not a super fan of CGI (overdone, often average, pushing out traditional animation), and because I was afraid it'd be too juvenile in tone. Tartokovsky's 2D animated version set the bar very high as well. But the current program gets better with every season, and seems to be getting more mature in tone as well. Like I said: surgery on infants, attempts to kill them when the gig was up? Unexpected. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 20, 2010 10:27:50 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Clone Wars Great Fun on Cartoon Network I love the animated series. I don't think of them as being related to the movies at all even though they are the same characters. The series is very consistent in the level of action and good writing. Its a joy to watch. On Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 7:13 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: speaking of all our conversations about how the Star Wars movies lost quality over time, do you watch The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network? Tonight, nursing a summer cold and listening to major rainstorms, I sat down and watched a two-part ep tonight, and I must say I was impressed! The story centered around a bounty hunter named Cad Bane, who has stolen information about several Force sensitive children. At the future Emperor's behest, Bane sets off to kidnap the children. Darth Siddious then would have the children operated on to force their premature growth in the Force, and use them as a type of living remote sensing spies bound to his will. This was one exciting hour. The action was non-stop, there were lots of good battles, both in space and hand-to-hand, and even the acting was good. The voice actor behind Bane was suitably menacing, as were the others. And the way the subject matter was handled was pretty surprising for a kid friendly show. When the robot Siddious orders to operate on one of the children points out that the child might not survive, he replies, In that case I still lose nothing. Later, with the Jedi on the way, he orders the entire hideout destroyed, fully intending to kill the kidnapped infants as well. The music, action, acting, writing, and vivid colors on display all combined to make this a really fun hour. I can honestly say that The Clone Wars is in the main far superiour to the vast bulk of all the recent Star Wars movies. I could honestly watch this series on DVD, coupled with Gendy Tartokovsky's animated Clone Wars, and never watch the three prequel movies again, and be very, very satisfied. -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
Re: [scifinoir2] Superimposed Superheroes During Wartime
Who's the heavyset Batman in the WWII shot? Why is Captain American walking blithely with Nazi's? Shouldn't he be throwing his shield at them? - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 1:58:13 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Superimposed Superheroes During Wartime Superimposed Superheroes During Wartime Posted by WA on June 6th, 2010 PreviousNextPosted in Creative , Photography Tags: superheroes , superimposed , wartime View Comments 113 Share 134 diggs digg Delicious 1 save Indonesian artist and illustrator Agan Harahap has superimposed superheroes and villains into a selection of wartime photographs. Check out his Flickr set for more! -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
Re: [scifinoir2] Superimposed Superheroes During Wartime
Yeah, but Cap was an idealistic, true blue American even before he gained his abilities. Nothing about Hitler's fascist party, its racism, and its obvious lust for power would have allowed him to treat with Nazis even before we went to war with them. After all, many other leaders like Winston Churchill were leery of Hitler early in the game too. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 6:52:58 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Superimposed Superheroes During Wartime I was thinking about that one too. The US was pro-Hitler until he started invading his neighbors. I also think Darth Vader would have been a Nazi. On Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 3:39 PM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: I like these. But the first one -- I'd think that Cap would, at the very least, be on the other side of the chicken wire with the British POWs, if not beating the crap out of the Germans. On Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 1:58 AM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: Superimposed Superheroes During Wartime Posted by WA on June 6th, 2010 PreviousNextPosted in Creative , Photography Tags: superheroes , superimposed , wartime View Comments 113 Share 134 diggs digg Delicious 1 save Indonesian artist and illustrator Agan Harahap has superimposed superheroes and villains into a selection of wartime photographs. Check out his Flickr set for more! -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
Re: [scifinoir2] Galactic Supervolcano Erupts From Black Hole
Actually, Martin, is this related to, or exactly the same as, the very well known phenomenon where the collapsing disk of gas around a black hole produces super energetic jets of energy? The jets that are the cause of what we used to call quasars? It seems to be the source of the volcano they mention. In other black holes with such jets--or in the aftermath of supernovas for that matter--there is evidence of the violent outward push of the jets or solar winds forcing local gas and dust away from the source. The difference here seems to be this new factoid about gas cooling and falling toward the center of the galaxy to form stars, but being thwarted by the jets. On the flipside, though, I thought that what often happens to gas that's pushed away from such a source, is that the shockwaves actually help start star formation as they force compression and aggregation of gas particles along the path of the outward force. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: SciFiNoir2 scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 7:21:51 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Galactic Supervolcano Erupts From Black Hole As a physicist, this is news to me... http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/08/galactic-volcano -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] Android Phones Can Substitute for Supercomputers
Remember when people used to talk about distributed computing, allowing home PC's, for example, to be networked together by an agency or university to do things such as predict weather patterns or search for extrasolar life? That never really took off. I know there are many scientific/educational entities out there to which one can give permission to use his computer in such a network, but almost no one I know has done it. The main way our PC's nowadays participate in such group activities is when they've been hacked and some miscreant in Russia or something uses our computers to help send out DOS attacks or produce more malware to steal peoples' personal info. The potential of cell phones' increasing smartness to join a distributed network could be staggering, if such a thing were used for good purposes--and willingly. But think of the mischief people could wreak if they managed to start hacking those phones on the level they do with PCs nowadays. Kinda reminds me of the system Lucius Fox created for Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight, where he turned all the cellphones in Gotham into a giant surveillance net--a thing he immediately wanted Bruce to stop using. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: SciFiNoir2 scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 7:26:11 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Android Phones Can Substitute for Supercomputers This, I'll believe ten seconds after I see it... = Android Phones Can Substitute for Supercomputers • By Priya Ganapati Email Author • August 20, 2010 | • 1:56 pm | • Categories: RD and Inventions • There’s an app for almost everything. Now add one that can run calculations from a supercomputer on a Nexus One phone in real time and without the need for internet connectivity. Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Texas Advanced Computing Center have created an Android app that can take simulations from the powerful Ranger supercomputer and solve them further on the mobile phone. “The idea of using a phone is to show we can take a device with one chip and low power to compute a solution so it comes as close to the one solved on a supercomputer,” John Peterson, a research associate at the Texas Advanced Computing Center, told Wired.com. Read More http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/08/supercomputing-app-android/#ixzz0xHnCVsrE -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] Superimposed Superheroes During Wartime
Right, I'm just saying there's no way Steve Rogers would have been friendly with Nazis, no matter what the public perception and party line was. He was the type of person who'd never have trusted Hitler, who was racist and fanatical from the start. Rogers was ahead of most whites in his time, not being a racist at all. One reason Americans looked the other way concerning Hitler was because many frankly shared at least a kernel of his anti-Semitic views. Also, as for Cap being friendly with Nazis, remember that the whole impetus of the Super Soldier program was that elements within the government and military feared Fascism greatly, and knew there was a storm coming. Cap was created to be the first of an army that they were going to use to fight in what they knew was a coming war. So again, given that, Cap wouldn't ever have been this friendly with such high level Nazis. Maybe undercover posing as a German-which he did often, having done a lot of espionage work before we entered the War--but that's it. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 7:42:41 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Superimposed Superheroes During Wartime Churchill was because he knew better, but that didn't stop Hitler from being on the cover of Time magazine and praised by Americans. The artist is a bit off on all of this stuff. On Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 4:34 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Yeah, but Cap was an idealistic, true blue American even before he gained his abilities. Nothing about Hitler's fascist party, its racism, and its obvious lust for power would have allowed him to treat with Nazis even before we went to war with them. After all, many other leaders like Winston Churchill were leery of Hitler early in the game too. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 6:52:58 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Superimposed Superheroes During Wartime I was thinking about that one too. The US was pro-Hitler until he started invading his neighbors. I also think Darth Vader would have been a Nazi. On Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 3:39 PM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: I like these. But the first one -- I'd think that Cap would, at the very least, be on the other side of the chicken wire with the British POWs, if not beating the crap out of the Germans. On Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 1:58 AM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: Superimposed Superheroes During Wartime Posted by WA on June 6th, 2010 PreviousNextPosted in Creative , Photography Tags: superheroes , superimposed , wartime View Comments 113 Share 134 diggs digg Delicious 1 save Indonesian artist and illustrator Agan Harahap has superimposed superheroes and villains into a selection of wartime photographs. Check out his Flickr set for more! -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
Re: [scifinoir2] Galactic Supervolcano Erupts From Black Hole
I don't think so, if my supposition that this is a update of info on an already well known phenomenon is true. I don't think this volcanic energy is anything that's in the realm of Hawking's theories, but caused by processes that obey standard scientific principles. I don't think in this case, as with Hawking, we're talking about anything falling into the black hole, being obliterated, or even energy coming from an unknown source. At least, that's my thought: the articles I've found don't explain the source of the energy at all; hence my assumption it's the standard type produced by the compression of matter in the accretion disk. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 7:44:53 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Galactic Supervolcano Erupts From Black Hole Does this mean that Hawkings is correct again and string theory is wrong? On Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 4:21 PM, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: As a physicist, this is news to me... http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/08/galactic-volcano -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Barnes and Noble bites the dust
i do agree the saddest think is the demise of small, indie bookstores. None of the chains come close to replicating their comfortable feel, or personable staff. - Original Message - From: George Arterberry brotherfromhow...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 20, 2010 3:32:06 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Barnes and Noble bites the dust I for one love my Kindle and Ipad. I wont cry any tears beacuse of Barnes Noble demise because they directly or indirectly killed of the Black independent book store to include Karibu Books hin the DC area. From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Fri, August 20, 2010 2:37:23 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Barnes and Noble bites the dust Agreed, there's a difference in the experiences. I guess for younger folks, the tactile experience is the button pushing and scrolling, which is as familiar to them as page turning and caressing the spine of a book is to us. I guess when those kids' children and grandchildren are reading, then those then-parents will complain about how you can enjoy reading a book when the comforting feeling of a keypad is replaced with swiping at holoimages in empty air. - Original Message - From: B Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 10:35:19 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Barnes and Noble bites the dust I miss that as well. I can't do the e-book thing. Comic books work for me in that format but I love the experience of holding and reading a printed book. The Kindle, Nook, I-pad, etc. can't seem to replicate it for me. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@... wrote: I admit to missing that as well, Charles, sitting around and chatting. Didn't get to do it often, with the demands of work, though. On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 8:28 AM, Charles Sheehan-Miles char...@... wrote: I made the comment to my wife a couple weeks ago that I'd be screwed if we had any sort of apocalypse (or lengthy power outage for that matter). After three moves in one year (and another one coming up in a few weeks), we got tired of lugging around dozens of boxes of books from state to state. After the last move, I donated more than a 1000 books to the local library, and replaced most of them with ebooks. I carry my library around in my pocket now, which is great… but when the battery dies, it really sucks. I have mixed feelings about Barnes Noble. I was a regular at Oxford Books in Atlanta for many years, met my wife there, got married in the coffee shop. Not long after BN opened up in Buckhead, Oxford started careening toward bankruptcy, due to a combination of bad management, too much debt, and sudden intense competition from a national chain. BN killed off many many independent bookstores, and now ironically is being killed off by virtual competition. Not entirely sure how I feel about that, because I'd give a lot to be able to sit in the coffee shop at Oxford again chatting with the other regulars late into the night. From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@... Reply-To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 06:16:31 -0400 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Barnes and Noble bites the dust My hunch is that BN never really embraced the Internet or e-books, tied as it was to the old-fashioned world of physical books and stores. Personally, rave, I think that just might be why I like BN so much. I'm not big on e-books at all (I picked up a batch over the past few weeks, only because it was the only way I could get the books, as they're unavailable in print. E-books, for all the marvel they are, are dependent on tech to be viewable. If you've got a problem with your Kindle or iPhone or computer, you're SOL. Books don't break down, even when they fall apart. On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 8:35 PM, Kelwyn ravena...@... wrote: http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110381/clearance-sale-barnes-noble-didnt-evolve-enough?mod=career-leadership How did Barnes Noble (NYSE: BKS - News) fall so far so fast? The giant bookstore chain, whose superstores once struck fear into the hearts of independent booksellers everywhere, put itself up for sale this month, rendering it the corporate equivalent of the remaindered books it sells at a discount. The company said it made the move because its shares are undervalued, but to me there was an air of desperation about it. The simple explanation for Barnes Noble's decline is the Internet, which spawned Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN - News), e-readers and digital books. But that didn't have to be the end for BN, which had a dominant market position and should have out-Amazoned Amazon, leveraging its
Re: [scifinoir2] Warehouse 13 loses half million viewers
I've tried to watch Hawthorne, but it never captured my interest. Something about it seems too dour or downbeat for my tastes. It also would be nice to see some more brothers in lead--even romantic--roles, but that's not my main reason. As for Warehouse 13, I wouldn't worry too much about one week's numbers. The bigger issue will be to see how it trends for the whole of its run. I don't know if the crossover between Hawthorne and it would be that significant, so I doubt that show stole many people away. Don't know about Melissa and Joey. Were there other shows on at that time that could have siphoned away an audience that will simply catch one of the many reruns, or just watch online? For example, I find myself often in conflict when there are great shows on like The Universe, Pawn Stars, and other good historical, scientific, or documentary shows. Many times I have simply skipped the premieres of new eps of Warehouse 13, Haven, and even Eureka because I know they'll be rerun a million times. In fact, I rarely watch the Warehouse on first airing for that reason. Other shows I do like that include Royal Pains, Memphis Beat, Covert Affairs, and White Collar. I often skip those shows' new eps in favor of science shows whose reruns are less frequent or postioned much later in the night. Maybe something like that happened? - Original Message - From: Kelwyn ravena...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 20, 2010 11:16:33 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Warehouse 13 loses half million viewers http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/08/18/more-tuesday-cable-warehouse-13-drops-teen-mom-hawthorne-get-bigger-more/60355 Warehouse 13 was down 450,000 viewers on Tuesday. Did those viewers defect to Hawthorne (up 500,000 viewers) or Melissa and Joey which premiered with 2.145 million viewers? ~rave?
Re: [scifinoir2] Warehouse 13 loses half million viewers
It's the way nowadays. For example, if you count how many times Royal Pains and Burn Notice are re-aired in a week, it's hard to avoid them. Since I love both shows, I often watch an ep two or even three times in a week, especially Burn Notice now that the brother who'd joined the team is uncovering how Michael was using him. But no, shows like Top Gear, regular network shows that don't get re-aired, science programs that air at 9 pm, then inexplicably get reruns pushed to 1 or 2 am--I'll often choose them over something like Eureka, which I can catch on the rebound. Indeed, since most SyFy shows are rerun the very same night, just a couple of hours later, I often elect to watch them at that time as I'm retiring for the night. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 20, 2010 12:59:30 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Warehouse 13 loses half million viewers Strong possibility, Keith. Myself tonight, I'm passing on the new ep of Eureka at nine for a new ep of Top Gear. (Sacrilege, yes, I'm aware of that. But I am tuning in for the 11:00 airing.) On Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 12:55 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I've tried to watch Hawthorne, but it never captured my interest. Something about it seems too dour or downbeat for my tastes. It also would be nice to see some more brothers in lead--even romantic--roles, but that's not my main reason. As for Warehouse 13, I wouldn't worry too much about one week's numbers. The bigger issue will be to see how it trends for the whole of its run. I don't know if the crossover between Hawthorne and it would be that significant, so I doubt that show stole many people away. Don't know about Melissa and Joey. Were there other shows on at that time that could have siphoned away an audience that will simply catch one of the many reruns, or just watch online? For example, I find myself often in conflict when there are great shows on like The Universe, Pawn Stars, and other good historical, scientific, or documentary shows. Many times I have simply skipped the premieres of new eps of Warehouse 13, Haven, and even Eureka because I know they'll be rerun a million times. In fact, I rarely watch the Warehouse on first airing for that reason. Other shows I do like that include Royal Pains, Memphis Beat, Covert Affairs, and White Collar. I often skip those shows' new eps in favor of science shows whose reruns are less frequent or postioned much later in the night. Maybe something like that happened? - Original Message - From: Kelwyn ravena...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 20, 2010 11:16:33 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Warehouse 13 loses half million viewers http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/08/18/more-tuesday-cable-warehouse-13-drops-teen-mom-hawthorne-get-bigger-more/60355 Warehouse 13 was down 450,000 viewers on Tuesday. Did those viewers defect to Hawthorne (up 500,000 viewers) or Melissa and Joey which premiered with 2.145 million viewers? ~rave? -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
[scifinoir2] Clone Wars Great Fun on Cartoon Network
speaking of all our conversations about how the Star Wars movies lost quality over time, do you watch The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network? Tonight, nursing a summer cold and listening to major rainstorms, I sat down and watched a two-part ep tonight, and I must say I was impressed! The story centered around a bounty hunter named Cad Bane, who has stolen information about several Force sensitive children. At the future Emperor's behest, Bane sets off to kidnap the children. Darth Siddious then would have the children operated on to force their premature growth in the Force, and use them as a type of living remote sensing spies bound to his will. This was one exciting hour. The action was non-stop, there were lots of good battles, both in space and hand-to-hand, and even the acting was good. The voice actor behind Bane was suitably menacing, as were the others. And the way the subject matter was handled was pretty surprising for a kid friendly show. When the robot Siddious orders to operate on one of the children points out that the child might not survive, he replies, In that case I still lose nothing. Later, with the Jedi on the way, he orders the entire hideout destroyed, fully intending to kill the kidnapped infants as well. The music, action, acting, writing, and vivid colors on display all combined to make this a really fun hour. I can honestly say that The Clone Wars is in the main far superiour to the vast bulk of all the recent Star Wars movies. I could honestly watch this series on DVD, coupled with Gendy Tartokovsky's animated Clone Wars, and never watch the three prequel movies again, and be very, very satisfied.
Re: [scifinoir2] Barnes and Noble bites the dust
I agree with you and Charles. I miss Oxford--and it's comic book selling little sister, Oxford, Too--immensely. I still seek out small, independent coffee shops when I can. Places where I can sit on couches and talk to my wife and friends, places that don't feel corporate. It's unfortunately all but impossible to find small booksellers like that, but coffee shops like that fortunately abound. My wife loves to peruse magazines, and is always asking to go to the bookstore when we're out. I often demure, and she finally asked me about it, since i love reading so much. I had to explain that Borders and Barnes and Noble just weren't conducive to *comfortable* reading. They have big tables in cold, impersonal areas, or throw tables in chairs against the walls with little thought. People flock to them and mostly start typing away on their laptops while the coffee machines work in the background. Their reading areas never feel cozy or calm, never relax me, so I tend to pass for the opportunity. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 9:55:30 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Barnes and Noble bites the dust I admit to missing that as well, Charles, sitting around and chatting. Didn't get to do it often, with the demands of work, though. On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 8:28 AM, Charles Sheehan-Miles char...@sheehanmiles.net wrote: I made the comment to my wife a couple weeks ago that I'd be screwed if we had any sort of apocalypse (or lengthy power outage for that matter). After three moves in one year (and another one coming up in a few weeks), we got tired of lugging around dozens of boxes of books from state to state. After the last move, I donated more than a 1000 books to the local library, and replaced most of them with ebooks. I carry my library around in my pocket now, which is great… but when the battery dies, it really sucks. I have mixed feelings about Barnes Noble. I was a regular at Oxford Books in Atlanta for many years, met my wife there, got married in the coffee shop. Not long after BN opened up in Buckhead, Oxford started careening toward bankruptcy, due to a combination of bad management, too much debt, and sudden intense competition from a national chain. BN killed off many many independent bookstores, and now ironically is being killed off by virtual competition. Not entirely sure how I feel about that, because I'd give a lot to be able to sit in the coffee shop at Oxford again chatting with the other regulars late into the night. From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com Reply-To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 06:16:31 -0400 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Barnes and Noble bites the dust My hunch is that BN never really embraced the Internet or e-books, tied as it was to the old-fashioned world of physical books and stores. Personally, rave, I think that just might be why I like BN so much. I'm not big on e-books at all (I picked up a batch over the past few weeks, only because it was the only way I could get the books, as they're unavailable in print. E-books, for all the marvel they are, are dependent on tech to be viewable. If you've got a problem with your Kindle or iPhone or computer, you're SOL. Books don't break down, even when they fall apart. On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 8:35 PM, Kelwyn ravena...@yahoo.com wrote: http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110381/clearance-sale-barnes-noble-didnt-evolve-enough?mod=career-leadership How did Barnes Noble (NYSE: BKS - News) fall so far so fast? The giant bookstore chain, whose superstores once struck fear into the hearts of independent booksellers everywhere, put itself up for sale this month, rendering it the corporate equivalent of the remaindered books it sells at a discount. The company said it made the move because its shares are undervalued, but to me there was an air of desperation about it. The simple explanation for Barnes Noble's decline is the Internet, which spawned Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN - News), e-readers and digital books. But that didn't have to be the end for BN, which had a dominant market position and should have out-Amazoned Amazon, leveraging its brand and innovating when it began marketing and selling books online. I know exactly when BN lost me as a customer. Some years ago, to compete with Amazon, BN began offering free same-day delivery in Manhattan if you placed your order over the Internet by 11 a.m. I did so several times -- and not once did the books arrive when promised. Everything I have ordered from Amazon has arrived on time or earlier. Then came Amazon's game-changing Kindle, and instant delivery. Nothing I've read about BN's belated rival Nook has tempted me to try it. My hunch is that BN never really embraced the Internet or e-books, tied as it
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Barnes and Noble bites the dust
Agreed, there's a difference in the experiences. I guess for younger folks, the tactile experience is the button pushing and scrolling, which is as familiar to them as page turning and caressing the spine of a book is to us. I guess when those kids' children and grandchildren are reading, then those then-parents will complain about how you can enjoy reading a book when the comforting feeling of a keypad is replaced with swiping at holoimages in empty air. - Original Message - From: B Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 10:35:19 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Barnes and Noble bites the dust I miss that as well. I can't do the e-book thing. Comic books work for me in that format but I love the experience of holding and reading a printed book. The Kindle, Nook, I-pad, etc. can't seem to replicate it for me. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@... wrote: I admit to missing that as well, Charles, sitting around and chatting. Didn't get to do it often, with the demands of work, though. On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 8:28 AM, Charles Sheehan-Miles char...@... wrote: I made the comment to my wife a couple weeks ago that I'd be screwed if we had any sort of apocalypse (or lengthy power outage for that matter). After three moves in one year (and another one coming up in a few weeks), we got tired of lugging around dozens of boxes of books from state to state. After the last move, I donated more than a 1000 books to the local library, and replaced most of them with ebooks. I carry my library around in my pocket now, which is great… but when the battery dies, it really sucks. I have mixed feelings about Barnes Noble. I was a regular at Oxford Books in Atlanta for many years, met my wife there, got married in the coffee shop. Not long after BN opened up in Buckhead, Oxford started careening toward bankruptcy, due to a combination of bad management, too much debt, and sudden intense competition from a national chain. BN killed off many many independent bookstores, and now ironically is being killed off by virtual competition. Not entirely sure how I feel about that, because I'd give a lot to be able to sit in the coffee shop at Oxford again chatting with the other regulars late into the night. From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@... Reply-To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 06:16:31 -0400 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Barnes and Noble bites the dust My hunch is that BN never really embraced the Internet or e-books, tied as it was to the old-fashioned world of physical books and stores. Personally, rave, I think that just might be why I like BN so much. I'm not big on e-books at all (I picked up a batch over the past few weeks, only because it was the only way I could get the books, as they're unavailable in print. E-books, for all the marvel they are, are dependent on tech to be viewable. If you've got a problem with your Kindle or iPhone or computer, you're SOL. Books don't break down, even when they fall apart. On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 8:35 PM, Kelwyn ravena...@... wrote: http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110381/clearance-sale-barnes-noble-didnt-evolve-enough?mod=career-leadership How did Barnes Noble (NYSE: BKS - News) fall so far so fast? The giant bookstore chain, whose superstores once struck fear into the hearts of independent booksellers everywhere, put itself up for sale this month, rendering it the corporate equivalent of the remaindered books it sells at a discount. The company said it made the move because its shares are undervalued, but to me there was an air of desperation about it. The simple explanation for Barnes Noble's decline is the Internet, which spawned Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN - News), e-readers and digital books. But that didn't have to be the end for BN, which had a dominant market position and should have out-Amazoned Amazon, leveraging its brand and innovating when it began marketing and selling books online. I know exactly when BN lost me as a customer. Some years ago, to compete with Amazon, BN began offering free same-day delivery in Manhattan if you placed your order over the Internet by 11 a.m. I did so several times -- and not once did the books arrive when promised. Everything I have ordered from Amazon has arrived on time or earlier. Then came Amazon's game-changing Kindle, and instant delivery. Nothing I've read about BN's belated rival Nook has tempted me to try it. My hunch is that BN never really embraced the Internet or e-books, tied as it was to the old-fashioned world of physical books and stores. As BN focused on managing decline, a much more nimble Amazon could
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Barnes and Noble bites the dust
Nice thought, and very nicely written! You put me in mind of the fact that we also too often forget that a significant portion of the population isn't wired to the level of being able to replace books, mags, and even regular TVs with iPads/iPods, Kindles, and the like. Many of our people can barely afford to pay the rent, let alone buy ereaders, so the library will be a great place for them. - Original Message - From: angelababycat asrobin...@mindspring.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 12:53:15 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Barnes and Noble bites the dust I still like paper books too. But even if the book store market falls apart, there will be one last refuge: the public library. After decades of neglect, we have 2 new BEAUTIFUL libraries in walking distance of us in DC. They are busy with people of all walks. The librarians are far more helpful than clerks at a store. They couldn't print a list of top sci-fi books either. But because they're profesionals and perhaps tickled to see a sistah in the psuedo-hood looking for such titles, they gathered around the computer and really tried to help me. Plus, they now have on-line accounts for card holders, so you get reminders when your books are due, when your special orders are in, etc. And my daughter loves picking out as many books as she wants to take home. So maybe the fall of the mega book store will lead to the revitalization of the old fashioned neighborhood library where we can avoid the temptation of $5.00 mocha coffee messes, and get our hands on Charles' 1,000 books...for free. Angela --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , B Smith daikaij...@... wrote: I miss that as well. I can't do the e-book thing. Comic books work for me in that format but I love the experience of holding and reading a printed book. The Kindle, Nook, I-pad, etc. can't seem to replicate it for me. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Martin Baxter martinbaxter7@ wrote: I admit to missing that as well, Charles, sitting around and chatting. Didn't get to do it often, with the demands of work, though. On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 8:28 AM, Charles Sheehan-Miles charles@ wrote: I made the comment to my wife a couple weeks ago that I'd be screwed if we had any sort of apocalypse (or lengthy power outage for that matter). After three moves in one year (and another one coming up in a few weeks), we got tired of lugging around dozens of boxes of books from state to state. After the last move, I donated more than a 1000 books to the local library, and replaced most of them with ebooks. I carry my library around in my pocket now, which is great… but when the battery dies, it really sucks. I have mixed feelings about Barnes Noble. I was a regular at Oxford Books in Atlanta for many years, met my wife there, got married in the coffee shop. Not long after BN opened up in Buckhead, Oxford started careening toward bankruptcy, due to a combination of bad management, too much debt, and sudden intense competition from a national chain. BN killed off many many independent bookstores, and now ironically is being killed off by virtual competition. Not entirely sure how I feel about that, because I'd give a lot to be able to sit in the coffee shop at Oxford again chatting with the other regulars late into the night. From: Martin Baxter martinbaxter7@ Reply-To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 06:16:31 -0400 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Barnes and Noble bites the dust My hunch is that BN never really embraced the Internet or e-books, tied as it was to the old-fashioned world of physical books and stores. Personally, rave, I think that just might be why I like BN so much. I'm not big on e-books at all (I picked up a batch over the past few weeks, only because it was the only way I could get the books, as they're unavailable in print. E-books, for all the marvel they are, are dependent on tech to be viewable. If you've got a problem with your Kindle or iPhone or computer, you're SOL. Books don't break down, even when they fall apart. On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 8:35 PM, Kelwyn ravenadal@ wrote: http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110381/clearance-sale-barnes-noble-didnt-evolve-enough?mod=career-leadership How did Barnes Noble (NYSE: BKS - News) fall so far so fast? The giant bookstore chain, whose superstores once struck fear into the hearts of independent booksellers everywhere, put itself up for sale this month, rendering it the corporate equivalent of the remaindered books it sells at a discount. The company said it made the move because its shares are undervalued, but to me there
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Geeks cool off at box office
Really? I'd think more people just ignored him than actively hated him. Now, I've heard of people getting sick of Shia Labeouf, primarily because he's Spielberg's golden boy and seems to be getting a lot of roles all of a sudden. - Original Message - From: B Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 4:01:52 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Geeks cool off at box office There also seems to be some Michael Cera backlash going on. Some folks really hate that guy. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: I think the confusion here is an example of how the suits and prognosticators just don't get it. Anyone who expected Scott Pilgrim to do really big numbers needed to do more research. It's based on work that not a lot of people have read, its skews a bit younger in some cases, and the very ads for the movie feature mostly young teens. Frankly, I think a ten million or so box office is pretty decent and in line with what I expected. There is also the fact that a lot of school systems are starting back up again, so some of the target audience was out shopping for clothes and supplies and may have delayed going for a week or two. Either way, they need to do a better job in H'Wood of managing expectations and understanding that some pictures should only be expected to do decent money, and not all can or should be mega-blockbusters. - Original Message - From: brent wodehouse brent_wodeho...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 9:27:24 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Geeks cool off at box office http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/2010/08/17/15051616.html Geeks cool off at box office By CARL DiORIO, Hollywood Reporter LOS ANGELES - Geeks might be less dependable than gals but not necessarily less desirable. That’s the industry consensus after the simultaneous misfire of a fanboy movie and impressive launch of what only can be described as a chick flick last weekend. “Eat Pray Love� enjoyed a box office feast served up by overwhelmingly older-female audiences during the weekend, and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World� fought a losing battle to put geek butts in theater seats. Lionsgate’s older-males magnet “The Expendables� topped domestic rankings with a $34.8 million opening, but Sony’s book-based “Love� debuted impressively in second place with $23.1 million. The big love for “Love� followed lucrative outings by 2008’s “Sex and the City� and “Mamma Mia!� - which fetched $153 million and $144 million in their respective campaigns - and last year’s “Julie Julia,� a $94 million domestic grosser. The trifecta success of such female-targeting films makes it plain there is box office gold in the gender genre. (Opening audiences for “Love� were 72% female, with 60% of patrons 25 or older.) So niche pics can be lucrative. But what’s up with the penny-pinching geek squad? Universal’s “Pilgrim� traveled to just $10.6 million in a fifth-place launch. The studio puts the pic’s negative cost at $60 million after accounting for $25 million in tax credits. “If that film had been made for $15 milion-$20 million, nobody would be crying,� an executive at a rival studio said Monday. “But you have an offbeat movie with an offbeat title starring somebody who is sort of a niche-targeted guy to begin with.� Michael Cera’s topline turn in the comics-spawned “Pilgrim“ followed his roles in indie fare including this year’s “Youth in Revolt,� a $15.3 million domestic performer for Dimension, and “Paper Heart,� which took in less than $2 million for Overture after unspooling in August 2009. Even Cera’s pairing with Jack Black in Sony’s $43 million grosser “Year One� last summer represents mere chump change compared with his $144 million and $122 million outings among the ensemble casts of Fox Searchlight’s “Juno� and Sony’s “Superbad,� respectively, in 2007. By contrast, “Love� boasts the marquee magic of Julia Roberts and is based on a best-seller. But the question remains: If all creative and marketing considerations are equal, is the audience for a geek-seeking pic as big as that for a chick flick? “’Watchmen’ opened to $55 million, so I think the answer is yes,� a distribution executive mused. “Geeks can still rule, no question about it.� With a production budget estimated at $130 million, Warner Bros.’ comics-based “Watchmen� was considered a disappointment in fetching less than $108 million last year during its domestic run. But its big opening hinted at the enormous potential of fanboy movies that can tap into broader groups of moviegoers via positive word-of-mouth and mount leggy theatrical runs
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Geeks cool off at box office
Right. And frankly, a lot of comic-based movies nowadays--those based on big properties--pull in a lot of black people. At least, enough to add to the box office in a meaningful way. So do scif pics with black stars--which pretty much means Will Smith all the time. But I didn't even see any blacks featured prominently in the ads for Scott Pilgrim. That means blacks who aren't teens going with a gang of friends or who aren't into the comics probably didn't even take notice. I go to the movies with a group of blacks ranging in age from mid-20's to late '40s. From Batman to X-Men, they've gone to see the films 'cause they're based on known properties, they're event films, or, in cases like Men in Black orBook of Eli, to see the likes of Smith or Washington. But not a single person in the group uttered a peep about what I'm sure they see as a strange, nerdy movie based on a comic they've never heard of, focused on people who don't look like them. - Original Message - From: B Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 3:59:30 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Geeks cool off at box office Exactly. I plan on seeing the movie because I loved the comics but someone coming in fresh would be a bit bewildered at the whole thing. From what I hear it's excellent if you get it but if it doesn't scratch your itch you'll be less than satisfied. It's a niche film but early audience response may have skewed expectations. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: I think the confusion here is an example of how the suits and prognosticators just don't get it. Anyone who expected Scott Pilgrim to do really big numbers needed to do more research. It's based on work that not a lot of people have read, its skews a bit younger in some cases, and the very ads for the movie feature mostly young teens. Frankly, I think a ten million or so box office is pretty decent and in line with what I expected. There is also the fact that a lot of school systems are starting back up again, so some of the target audience was out shopping for clothes and supplies and may have delayed going for a week or two. Either way, they need to do a better job in H'Wood of managing expectations and understanding that some pictures should only be expected to do decent money, and not all can or should be mega-blockbusters. - Original Message - From: brent wodehouse brent_wodeho...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 9:27:24 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Geeks cool off at box office http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/2010/08/17/15051616.html Geeks cool off at box office By CARL DiORIO, Hollywood Reporter LOS ANGELES - Geeks might be less dependable than gals but not necessarily less desirable. That’s the industry consensus after the simultaneous misfire of a fanboy movie and impressive launch of what only can be described as a chick flick last weekend. “Eat Pray Love� enjoyed a box office feast served up by overwhelmingly older-female audiences during the weekend, and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World� fought a losing battle to put geek butts in theater seats. Lionsgate’s older-males magnet “The Expendables� topped domestic rankings with a $34.8 million opening, but Sony’s book-based “Love� debuted impressively in second place with $23.1 million. The big love for “Love� followed lucrative outings by 2008’s “Sex and the City� and “Mamma Mia!� - which fetched $153 million and $144 million in their respective campaigns - and last year’s “Julie Julia,� a $94 million domestic grosser. The trifecta success of such female-targeting films makes it plain there is box office gold in the gender genre. (Opening audiences for “Love� were 72% female, with 60% of patrons 25 or older.) So niche pics can be lucrative. But what’s up with the penny-pinching geek squad? Universal’s “Pilgrim� traveled to just $10.6 million in a fifth-place launch. The studio puts the pic’s negative cost at $60 million after accounting for $25 million in tax credits. “If that film had been made for $15 milion-$20 million, nobody would be crying,� an executive at a rival studio said Monday. “But you have an offbeat movie with an offbeat title starring somebody who is sort of a niche-targeted guy to begin with.� Michael Cera’s topline turn in the comics-spawned “Pilgrim“ followed his roles in indie fare including this year’s “Youth in Revolt,� a $15.3 million domestic performer for Dimension, and “Paper Heart,� which took in less than $2 million for Overture after unspooling in August 2009. Even Cera’s pairing with Jack Black in Sony’s $43 million grosser “Year One� last summer represents mere chump change compared with his $144
Re: [scifinoir2] World record data density for ferroelectric recording
I think true holographic optical storage could surpass the density, as you don't have to worry about issues like magnetic bleed through and the like. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 4:32:26 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] World record data density for ferroelectric recording World record data density for ferroelectric recording Ad Support : Nano Technology Netbook Technology News Computer Software Scientists at Tohoku University in Japan have recorded data at a density of 4 trillion bits per square inch, which is a world record for the experimental ferroelectric data storage method. As described the journal Applied Physics Letters, which is published by the American Institute of Physics, this density is about eight times the density of today's most advanced magnetic hard-disk drives The data-recording device scans a tiny cantilever tip that rides in contact with the surface of a ferroelectric material. To write data, an electric pulse is sent through the tip, changing the electric polarization and nonlinear dielectric constant of a tiny circular spot in the substrate beneath. To read data, the same tip detects the variations in nonlinear dielectric constant in the altered regions. We expect this ferroelectric data storage system to be a candidate to succeed magnetic hard disk drives or flash memory, at least in applications for which extremely high data density and small physical volume is required, said Dr. Yasuo Cho. In earlier experiments, the researchers had noticed one problem: When the data being written required that several consecutive marks be written next to each other, the written polarized regions expanded the normal diameter and coalesced to the point the bits were not distinct. Cho and Kenkou Tanaka then developed a method for anticipating strings of consecutive marks in the data and reducing the writing-pulse voltage by up to about 10 percent, which resulted in clear and distinct data marks. While ferroelectric storage has the advantage of using only electric methods -- nothing magnetic or thermal -- to achieve its record-high density, Cho and Tanaka are well aware that many practical improvements would be needed for commercial viability. Such advances would include increasing the speed and accuracy of reading the data and developing a low-cost ferroelectric substrate. Another risk is that existing data storage technologies continue to improve beyond the ferroelectric's capabilities. Disk drive maker Seagate, for example, has said it can envision achieving a density of 50 trillion bits per square inch. The article, Actual Information Storage with a Recording Density of 4 Tbit/inch^2 in a ferroelectric recording medium by Kenkou Tanaka and Yasuo Cho will appear in the journal Applied Physics Letters. -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
Re: [scifinoir2] Gary Kurtz Speaks Bluntly About George Lucas
Right. The online world used to be called Expanded Universe, but I can't find that particular site anymore. Now it's unto Databank or something. But yeah, all the aftermath stories show just how difficult it was to change the course of the Empire. There were battles a-plenty left. Indeed, often there can be more and more painful fighting after the evil leaders are gone. And the relatively small number of Jedi would be hard tasked to restore a moral center to the galaxy entire as they struggled to rebuild their Order and make sure their own don't give in to temptation again. For example, I do recall reading that the Emperor lived on in that shade form that Yodi and Obi-Wan used, and continued to wreak his evil influence on people. I know Luke is forced in a way to give in to the Dark Side, and I believe either his son or his nephew also fell to the Darkness for a while. Realistically, the ending Kurtz mentions, with Leia overwhelmed by the work to be done, and Luke walking away to contemplate a difficult future, would have been better. I'm surprised someone hasn't created a fan film where, right in the middle of the Ewok Lua, a force of ships loyal to the Empire didn't show up and bomb the place. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 6:28:56 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Gary Kurtz Speaks Bluntly About George Lucas Another spot-on analysis, Keith. Reminds me of a fantasy novel that came out a few years ago (the name of which escapes me), considering what happens after the happy ending, that there's the management and clean-up aspects yet to be done. And I've read a few of the SW novels, enough to see the strengthening foundation that been laid for the SWverse. One batch in particular regards the Mandalorians (the clones of Jango Fett that chose not to be Stormtroopers, packed up and left for Mandalor). They developed their own unique culture, and even a language unlike any in the remnants of the Empire. On Mon, Aug 16, 2010 at 10:19 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: The below from the interview really resonates with me. One problem i always had with Return of the Jedi was the ending. I kept thinking that just because the second Death Star was destroyed, and Vader and the Emperor dead, that only meant the work was beginning. After all, there was a huge interstellar apparatus in place that had aided and been complicit with the Empire's depredations. This system included the rule of whole solar systems, a corrupt Senate, leaders on hundreds of worlds loyal to the Empire that gave them money and power, a military dedicated to the Empire, and a dearth of Jedi to enforce the principles of the Old Republic. In short, the work was indeed just beginning, and tackling the task of a galaxy-wide makeover of a totalitarian state into a democratic one again would be a monumental task. Look at how the former Soviet Union is already struggling mightily with autocratic elements fighting with its democratic aspirations. They have a Prime Minister who was an autocratic president who's basically their strong man. So the Ewok lua as he put it, was indeed premature. I think that if you read some of the books, and study the Expanded Universe online, you see more mature, thoughtful, and in-depth treatments that handle that world a lot better than the kid- and crowd-pleasing movies. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: SciFiNoir2 scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 5:01:40 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Gary Kurtz Speaks Bluntly About George Lucas George Lucas, Mercenary Bastich First Class? You betcha, according to Kurtz... http://www.collider.com/2010/08/13/star-wars-and-empire-strikes-back-producer-gary-kurtz-speaks-bluntly-about-george-lucas-return-of-the-jedi-and-more/ -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] Free software can help with studies
I did a lot of research on AVG vs. Avast recently in the course of working on a friend's PC that was infected to the gills. AVG, to its credit, caught a rootkit infection hidden in a .sys file that controls the PC's ability to use TCP/IP--and hence, to network. Several other highly recommended programs like Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and Super AntiSpyware missed it. But that being said, I went with Avast as well for a more robust and configurable system, and general acknowledgment by the experts that it's a better anti-malware program. AVG is more popular, but Avast is better, from what I've read. And AVG bogs the system done with updates, whereas AVG at least does updates on login/reboot that can be gotten out of the way quickly. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 6:36:54 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Free software can help with studies I'm tooting the horn for OpenOffice and avast! yet again, and advising one and all to run from GoogleDocs as though it were plague-soaked. I tried it once, and ended up with something so jumbled that it didn't resemble the English language. And duck and run from AVG as well, unless you want something that'll shred your computer. My mother had it on hers, and the thing's toast now. An AVG run on her system takes close to forty minutes, while avast! is less than five on mine, and my HD is twice hers. On Mon, Aug 16, 2010 at 6:55 PM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: This article should be called Alternatives to Microsoft software. Back to school: Free software can help with studies By RENÉ GUZMAN STAFF WRITER Aug. 15, 2010, 5:30PM Share iconDel.icio.us iconDigg iconTwitter Yahoo! Buzz iconFacebook iconStumbleUpon Email Close [X] B ack to school means more than just hitting the books. It also means hitting the computer to bang out a term paper, create a PowerPoint-type presentation or simply go online to find out next week's assignments. Good thing the Web has plenty of free software to handle your course load. From word processing to image editing, you'll find a wealth of aptly named freeware that meets or even exceeds its commercial rivals when it comes to features and operability. And whether you download these freebies or just play with them online, they're sure to save you hundreds in software costs. (Trust us, we have the prices for some of the more popular software to prove it.) Here are a few must-have free programs to tackle your class work, whether you use a Mac or a PC. Freely. Word processor office suite Instead of : Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 ($149.99, Windows) and Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition ($149.99) Use: AbiWord ( abiword.com ), OpenOffice.org ( openoffice.org ), Google Docs ( docs.google.com ), Zoho Writer ( writer.zoho.com ), Zoho Sheet ( sheet.zoho.com ), Zoho Show ( show.zoho.com ) For a basic word processor — something you can write complex and multipage reports with - AbiWord is a fairly strong option, says Seth Rosenblatt, senior associate editor for the tech-resource site CNET. This downloadable program is super simple to use and saves documents in myriad formats, including Microsoft Word (.doc) and Office Open XML (.docx). If you'd rather keep your essays in the cloud, you can't beat the online word processors Google Docs and Zoho Writer . Both let you access documents anywhere you have a Web connection (computer or smartphone), import and export documents, and share documents online with real-time collaboration just like a study group within a screen. Need more than word processing? Rosenblatt recommends you download the productivity suite openoffice.org . We're talking about something that is designed to completely replicate or replicate as closely as possible, the toolset that comes in Microsoft Office, he says, but you don't have to pay for it. OpenOffice.org lets you write with Writer , design spreadsheets with Calc , craft presentations with Impress , play with graphics with Draw and make a database with Base . OpenOffice.org reads and writes most file formats, including those common to Microsoft Office. For similar office elements online, try Google Docs and Zoho productivity apps Zoho Sheet for spreadsheets and Zoho Show for presentations. Image editing Instead of: Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 ($99.99) or Adobe Photoshop CS5 12 ($699.99) Use: Photoscape ( photoscape.org ), Windows), Paint.NET ( getpaint.net ), Windows), Phoenix ( aviary.com , choose Image Editor), Picnik ( picnik.com ), GIMP ( gimp.org ) Whether you need to add visual aids to your book report or just zap the red eye from your study-buddy snapshots, you can't beat the image editor Paint.NET . The Web info blog MakeUsOf.com highlights this free Windows-only download, and it's easy to see why. Paint.NET sports a very
Re: [scifinoir2] Geeks cool off at box office
I think the confusion here is an example of how the suits and prognosticators just don't get it. Anyone who expected Scott Pilgrim to do really big numbers needed to do more research. It's based on work that not a lot of people have read, its skews a bit younger in some cases, and the very ads for the movie feature mostly young teens. Frankly, I think a ten million or so box office is pretty decent and in line with what I expected. There is also the fact that a lot of school systems are starting back up again, so some of the target audience was out shopping for clothes and supplies and may have delayed going for a week or two. Either way, they need to do a better job in H'Wood of managing expectations and understanding that some pictures should only be expected to do decent money, and not all can or should be mega-blockbusters. - Original Message - From: brent wodehouse brent_wodeho...@thefence.us To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 9:27:24 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Geeks cool off at box office http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/2010/08/17/15051616.html Geeks cool off at box office By CARL DiORIO, Hollywood Reporter LOS ANGELES - Geeks might be less dependable than gals but not necessarily less desirable. That’s the industry consensus after the simultaneous misfire of a fanboy movie and impressive launch of what only can be described as a chick flick last weekend. “Eat Pray Love” enjoyed a box office feast served up by overwhelmingly older-female audiences during the weekend, and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” fought a losing battle to put geek butts in theater seats. Lionsgate’s older-males magnet “The Expendables” topped domestic rankings with a $34.8 million opening, but Sony’s book-based “Love” debuted impressively in second place with $23.1 million. The big love for “Love” followed lucrative outings by 2008’s “Sex and the City” and “Mamma Mia!” - which fetched $153 million and $144 million in their respective campaigns - and last year’s “Julie Julia,” a $94 million domestic grosser. The trifecta success of such female-targeting films makes it plain there is box office gold in the gender genre. (Opening audiences for “Love” were 72% female, with 60% of patrons 25 or older.) So niche pics can be lucrative. But what’s up with the penny-pinching geek squad? Universal’s “Pilgrim” traveled to just $10.6 million in a fifth-place launch. The studio puts the pic’s negative cost at $60 million after accounting for $25 million in tax credits. “If that film had been made for $15 milion-$20 million, nobody would be crying,” an executive at a rival studio said Monday. “But you have an offbeat movie with an offbeat title starring somebody who is sort of a niche-targeted guy to begin with.” Michael Cera’s topline turn in the comics-spawned “Pilgrim“ followed his roles in indie fare including this year’s “Youth in Revolt,” a $15.3 million domestic performer for Dimension, and “Paper Heart,” which took in less than $2 million for Overture after unspooling in August 2009. Even Cera’s pairing with Jack Black in Sony’s $43 million grosser “Year One” last summer represents mere chump change compared with his $144 million and $122 million outings among the ensemble casts of Fox Searchlight’s “Juno” and Sony’s “Superbad,” respectively, in 2007. By contrast, “Love” boasts the marquee magic of Julia Roberts and is based on a best-seller. But the question remains: If all creative and marketing considerations are equal, is the audience for a geek-seeking pic as big as that for a chick flick? “’Watchmen’ opened to $55 million, so I think the answer is yes,” a distribution executive mused. “Geeks can still rule, no question about it.” With a production budget estimated at $130 million, Warner Bros.’ comics-based “Watchmen” was considered a disappointment in fetching less than $108 million last year during its domestic run. But its big opening hinted at the enormous potential of fanboy movies that can tap into broader groups of moviegoers via positive word-of-mouth and mount leggy theatrical runs. Warners’ “The Matrix” did just that. The 1999 Keanu Reeves starrer rang up $171 million domestically and spawned two sequels. “You can get lucky and hit like a ‘Matrix’ or a ‘Watchmen,’ or you can get unlucky and have a ‘Scott Pilgrim,”’ one industryite said with a shrug. The latter pic is expected to struggle to get past even $30 million domestically after opening so poorly. Its lack of commercial appeal might be conceptual in part. Directed by Edgar Wright (“Hot Fuzz“), “Pilgrim” displays a quirky campiness that played well with critics but calls to mind the critically lauded but commercially limited “Kick-Ass,” the Nicolas Cage starrer that Lionsgate unspooled in April and fetched $48 million in total U.S. and Canadian coin. That put the modestly budgeted actioner into profitability but lagged prerelease
Re: [scifinoir2] Movies that aren't in 3-D but should be
You can't see 3D in movies? Why is that? I assume you do have stereoscopic vision in everyday real life? What about the old ViewMaster? Does that work for your 3D vision? - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 7:34:18 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Movies that aren't in 3-D but should be rave, abso-frelling-lutely NONE. I'm on the record as saying that I'd rather have effects as background to telling the story, not as a crutch. Movies such as Avatar, which are dependent on the effect, are a different animal, in my eyes. Add in the fact that my brain doesn't process 3D effects... On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 7:02 PM, Kelwyn ravena...@yahoo.com wrote: Since the success of Avatar there have been a plethora of 3-D movies - many of which had no business being 3-D movies. This brought up the question of 2-D movies that should have been 3-D movies. For instance: Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World is a 2-D movie that would probably be enhanced by 3-D effects. Are there any others? ~rave? -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
Re: [scifinoir2] Come On, See the Noise: Airport Noise Converted to Power
Brilliant, and one of those why didn't anyone think of that before ideas! Reading this, I was for some reason put in mind of the Marvel hero Dazzler, who absorbs all sounds, which she then transduces into light as varied as strobe efffects, holograms, or actual laser beams. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 10:06:27 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] Come On, See the Noise: Airport Noise Converted to Power Come On, See the Noise: Airport Noise Converted to Power Anyone who’s been to an airport knows that airports are some of the noisiest places on Earth. The constant noise of the airplanes flying overhead, taxiing, taking off and landing can be almost deafening – but some good might one day come of it. This concept – the Green Noise converter – from designer Hung-Uei Jou would harvest noise from airports to provide the power for runway lights. Runway lights, of course, use a large amount of electricity since they need to be left on for long periods of time. Finding an alternative source of energy to lighten the electricity load on the grid would not only save money, but help to cut down on pollution from power plants. A small change, maybe, but a positive one nonetheless. Depending on the technical aspect, it may be possible to use this type of technology in other noisy places: city centers, sporting events, or even nightclubs. There aren’t any technical details about how the design would work, but it’s possible that the round pods on the ground would operate on piezoelectricity. When the sound waves vibrate the collection pods, the interior materials would produce small amounts of electricity. The tripod that supports the collection unit lifts it off of the ground enough to make it simple for airport techs to perform maintenance on the units and change the lights when they burn out. A screen on the side of each unit gives vital information about the unit’s status, such as how much of a charge it has remaining. -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray
I can understand that, certainly. I'm going to read that article in just a bit. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 7:30:50 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray Keith, I posted an article about an hour ago, an interview with Gary Kurtz, who worked with Messr Lucas on the first SW movies. I believe that I referred to Lucas as a Mercenary Bastich, First Class. The promise of more deleted scenes (which I recall as being a lure he used back in '97 when he churned out the Special Editions) alone is enough to put me off. Add in the fact that I don't own a Blu-ray, and it equals me keeping my ducats. On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 7:07 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: Why is that? - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 6:44:52 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray Even if I had the money, Keith, I wouldn't sully my wallet. On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 1:47 AM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: This deleted scene with Vader reaching out to Luke seems pretty cool. It sounds as if it has more of the grim feeling of The Empire Strikes Back. I don't have a Blu-Ray player yet, but not sure I'd buy this even if I did. I have at least two versions Lucas has released over the years--and I'm not even an ardent fan. I wonder how many different versions UPF's (Ultra Passionate Fans) might have? * http://bluray.ign.com/articles/111/1112481p1.html Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray The Star Wars Blu-ray release is now as official as it can be, as none other than George Lucas announced the films were coming to the format. I wish I could say it's coming out this year, but it's coming out next year, Lucas said to the packed audience at the Main Event at Star Wars Celebration V today, which was moderated by Jon Stewart . Speaking about what will be included, Lucas said, They'll be different kinds of additional material, adding, I think you've seen enough behind the scenes [material] for a lifetime. There's some really good material that will be included in there, [including] more deleted scenes that you haven't seen yet. Lucas said these newly released scenes would be kept separate from the film itself. In a surprise appearance, Mark Hamill then joined Lucas and Stewart on stage, to introduce one of the new deleted scenes, which he said was his original entrance in Return of the Jedi . Hamill noted the scene was short, but that it was for the UPFs in the audience – the ultra passionate fans. We were then shown the scene, which would have taken place after Darth Vader arrives on the second Death Star at the beginning of Return of the Jedi . We see Vader walking down a corridor and into an elevator on the Death Star. We then cut to Vader inside his medication chamber, a la Empire Strikes Back . As Vader sits there, the camera moves into a close-up and we hear him reaching out with the Force. Luke. Luke. Join me in the dark side of the Force. My son. It is the only way. As Vader continues to repeat Luke's name, we cut to a tight close-up of Luke, insinuating he is hearing his father's voice. it's a very ominous shot of Luke, who is wearing his cloak and hood, with the shadows from the hood blocking out his eyes completely - in line with how Darth Sideous' face is mostly hidden. As Vader's voice fades away, the camera pans down to Luke's hands, and we see that he is using a tool to complete work on his new lightsaber. Satisfied, he puts the tool down and holds the lightsaber hilt up, igniting it – in what would have been the first reveal of the green blade. We cut to a shot from the side and see Luke is sitting inside a cave on Tatooine, with C-3P0 standing outside, waiting for him – no doubt to receive his orders to head to Jabba the Hutt. That was it for the scene, but the crowd erupted in cheers at what was indeed a very cool new moment, from films we are all quite familiar with. The panel ended with one more surprise guest – Carrie Fisher . Alas, there were no other deleted scenes shown to us today, but Fisher cracked to Lucas, Did you put the nude scenes back in? She then turned to the audience and deadpanned, There was a huge me and Jabba porn scene. That's what got me into drugs. No further details were given on the Blu-rays as yet, which leave plenty to speculate about. It's safe to say from the Return of the Jedi scene being shown that this release will include all of the original trilogy, but while it seems likely the answer is yes, there was nothing definitive stated about the prequels being released simultaneously. And no, we didn't get any info on whether the original, pre-Special
Re: [scifinoir2] Insert Personality: Robot Head + Human Consciousness =
Yeah, but that's not it for me. It's that they still don't look and act quite all the way real, and that last few percentage points can be creepy. The Uncanny Valley, again. - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 10:47:50 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Insert Personality: Robot Head + Human Consciousness = They have several that are used as receptionists in Japan. I think that the difference between here and Japan is that they weren't bombarded with psycho robot movies for the last 60 years. On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 7:35 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: The Uncanny Valley strikes again. Really creepy-looking, and no offense against the lady that's the model, but when I saw it, I honestly thought it was a dude in a wig. I think that we need to be careful trying to unleash these almost-but-not-quite-human robots on the populace. That creepiness factor might make the more sadistic and violent elements among us get perverse pleasure in attacking the automatons. Fear often breeds violence, you know, and i can see a sick market for people building such robots expressly for the purpose of letting people maim and destroy them. in fact, that particular angle's been the topic of innumerable scifi stories over the years... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 4:53:55 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Insert Personality: Robot Head + Human Consciousness = Someone out there... please tell me to put down the Beretta I'm pointing at my screen right now. Mind you, I fully expect that such will happen, far sooner than we think (some rich, dying billionaire out there, wanting to cheat the Grim Reaper). That could be trouble all its own. A consciousness, able to interact with the Internet directly? To quote Bill Paxton from Aliens -- Game over, man. Any bad press? Gone. Any corporate takeover? Done so fast it would take days to sort it all out. If the guy likes porn? YouTube starts churning it out, whether it likes to or not. Anyone who'd like to use those ideas, feel free. Just let me know when they hit print, because I want to read them. On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 4:11 PM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: Insert Personality: Robot Head + Human Consciousness = The quest for artificial intelligence has led mankind to some pretty strange places, but the Terasem Movement has just taken it to a decidedly creepy new level. The non-profit agency is dedicated to educating the public about the necessity of extending life through cyber-consciousness. In other words, they believe that the human essence can be extended beyond life with the use of robots. They created this vaguely creepy robot called Bina48. The bot is the first privately-funded artificial intelligence robot of its type, and it’s modeled on a real woman named Bina Rothblatt. The real Bina spent many hours loading information into the head of Bina48, giving “her” a personality and the ability to converse with visitors. The above video documents Bina48′s interview with a New York Times reporter; it’s apparent that the technology can use a little refinement before we can trust it to store our consciousness after we die. But if its heartbreaking desires to have its own life, work in the garden and take over the world are any indication, we’d better start welcoming our new artificially intelligent overlords now. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvcQCJpZJH8feature=player_embedded# ! -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ -- If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script? -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray
Yeah, A New Hope and Empire are easily a cut above the others. Both feel more like real movies. They're not as full of kiddie stuff or gimmicks, the stories are better in each. Those two films really feel like war movies for adults. Return of the Jedi is good, but a bit less in story and execution. Still, very good. The prequels are all lower quality. The first two suck, the third one at least is adult again, with lots of killing (not just robots) but the quality is still below the initially released three flicks. - Original Message - From: George Arterberry brotherfromhow...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 16, 2010 1:31:41 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray We all know that Lucas is a slightly above average screenwriter but the series is perfect as it is. Empirre Strikes Back is my #2 favorite movie ever. From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, August 16, 2010 5:28:38 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray what about The Empire Strikes Back? That was a very good movie, and of course, had a completely different set of people behind the scenes creatively. A New Hope wasn't too bad, either. - Original Message - From: Bosco Bosco ironpi...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 1:19:42 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray The only Star Wars announcement I want to hear is that George Lucas has hired somebody competent like Peter Jackson or Christopher Nolan or hell, anyone else, to rewrite, redirect and remake from scratch the entire saga from start to finish. Then and only then is there a shot at redemption for his utter and complete destruction of what should have been the greatest science fiction legacy in history. Bosco --- On Sun, 8/15/10, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net Subject: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray To: scifinoir2 scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, August 15, 2010, 12:47 AM This deleted scene with Vader reaching out to Luke seems pretty cool. It sounds as if it has more of the grim feeling of The Empire Strikes Back. I don't have a Blu-Ray player yet, but not sure I'd buy this even if I did. I have at least two versions Lucas has released over the years--and I'm not even an ardent fan. I wonder how many different versions UPF's (Ultra Passionate Fans) might have? * http://bluray.ign.com/articles/111/1112481p1.html Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray The Star Wars Blu-ray release is now as official as it can be, as none other than George Lucas announced the films were coming to the format. I wish I could say it's coming out this year, but it's coming out next year, Lucas said to the packed audience at the Main Event at Star Wars Celebration V today, which was moderated by Jon Stewart . Speaking about what will be included, Lucas said, They'll be different kinds of additional material, adding, I think you've seen enough behind the scenes [material] for a lifetime. There's some really good material that will be included in there, [including] more deleted scenes that you haven't seen yet. Lucas said these newly released scenes would be kept separate from the film itself. In a surprise appearance, Mark Hamill then joined Lucas and Stewart on stage, to introduce one of the new deleted scenes, which he said was his original entrance in Return of the Jedi . Hamill noted the scene was short, but that it was for the UPFs in the audience – the ultra passionate fans. We were then shown the scene, which would have taken place after Darth Vader arrives on the second Death Star at the beginning of Return of the Jedi . We see Vader walking down a corridor and into an elevator on the Death Star. We then cut to Vader inside his medication chamber, a la Empire Strikes Back . As Vader sits there, the camera moves into a close-up and we hear him reaching out with the Force. Luke. Luke. Join me in the dark side of the Force. My son. It is the only way. As Vader continues to repeat Luke's name, we cut to a tight close-up of Luke, insinuating he is hearing his father's voice. it's a very ominous shot of Luke, who is wearing his cloak and hood, with the shadows from the hood blocking out his eyes completely - in line with how Darth Sideous' face is mostly hidden. As Vader's voice fades away, the camera pans down to Luke's hands, and we see that he is using a tool to complete work on his new lightsaber. Satisfied, he puts the tool down and holds the lightsaber hilt up, igniting it – in what would have been the first reveal of the green blade. We cut to a shot from the side and see Luke is sitting inside a cave on Tatooine, with C-3P0 standing outside
Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray
This was a really well written little e-mail. You managed to convey your feelings very vividly. I agree and felt the same way. Unlike Kurtz, i think prequels can be assume ideas. I love backstories, and like you, thought the backstory of the Star Wars universe would be great. And like you, I sat in the theatre and was stunned at what I saw. I hated that the entire first movie was wasted on Baby Vader, especially because the young actor was horrible! That Pod race--WTF? Midchlorians??? Jar Jar was the least of my issues. And note how with the first prequel movie, Lucas spent most of the film killing legions of robots, but very view living beings died. it all showed how he'd moved from films that kids and families could enjoy, but that still felt adult, to really kiddie level films, that reminded me of nothing so much as cartoons like G.I. Joe, where no one died. The body count went up in Revenge of the Sith, but by then so much damage had been done... - Original Message - From: Bosco Bosco ironpi...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 11:44:00 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray I'm curious. I have a really strong reaction to every film, post empire. The prequels are particularly hard for me because I had been waiting for that story to be told from the minute I became aware that it would be. I dont know exactly when it was but sometime around 12 or 13 probably after seeing Empire but before Jedi I began to hear talk about Lucas telling the backstory at some point. I had waited my entire life, multiple decades, to experience the Anakin to Vader story. Sometime around the moment JarJar Binks appeared on screen, I realized I was gonna get burned. Somehow, I just couldnt let go, like a mentally debilitated rubbernecker at a fenderbender, I watched the entire train wreck unfold. Nothing has ever been as artistically devastating or disappointing. What Lucas did to his legacy is criminal. What he did to the fans is worse. There are moments where I actually wish I had never seen any of it. B --- On Sun, 8/15/10, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, August 15, 2010, 2:48 PM Bosco, I'm sending this to a long-time SW fan, to get a reaction to this. I'll let you know what it is. On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 1:19 PM, Bosco Bosco ironpi...@yahoo.com wrote: The only Star Wars announcement I want to hear is that George Lucas has hired somebody competent like Peter Jackson or Christopher Nolan or hell, anyone else, to rewrite, redirect and remake from scratch the entire saga from start to finish. Then and only then is there a shot at redemption for his utter and complete destruction of what should have been the greatest science fiction legacy in history. Bosco --- On Sun, 8/15/10, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net Subject: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray To: scifinoir2 scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, August 15, 2010, 12:47 AM This deleted scene with Vader reaching out to Luke seems pretty cool. It sounds as if it has more of the grim feeling of The Empire Strikes Back. I don't have a Blu-Ray player yet, but not sure I'd buy this even if I did. I have at least two versions Lucas has released over the years--and I'm not even an ardent fan. I wonder how many different versions UPF's (Ultra Passionate Fans) might have? * http://bluray.ign.com/articles/111/1112481p1.html Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray The Star Wars Blu-ray release is now as official as it can be, as none other than George Lucas announced the films were coming to the format. I wish I could say it's coming out this year, but it's coming out next year, Lucas said to the packed audience at the Main Event at Star Wars Celebration V today, which was moderated by Jon Stewart . Speaking about what will be included, Lucas said, They'll be different kinds of additional material, adding, I think you've seen enough behind the scenes [material] for a lifetime. There's some really good material that will be included in there, [including] more deleted scenes that you haven't seen yet. Lucas said these newly released scenes would be kept separate from the film itself. In a surprise appearance, Mark Hamill then joined Lucas and Stewart on stage, to introduce one of the new deleted scenes, which he said was his original entrance in Return of the Jedi . Hamill noted the scene was short, but that it was for the UPFs in the audience – the ultra passionate fans. We were then shown the scene, which would have taken place after Darth Vader arrives on the second Death Star at the beginning of Return
Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray
The best Star Wars product out in recent years was the animated Clone Wars shorts done by Gendy Tartokovsky. those were amazing, and showed the Jedi and Sith in ways i'd never gotten to satisfaction by Lucas' movies. For example, i always felt the Jedi were never really shown as all the powerful--they just tended to jump around a bit and pull stuff out of peoples' hands with the Force. But Gendy showed some real power. there's one where Mace Windu is surrounded by a legion of robots, and goes freakin' Bruce Lee! He runs at superspeed, literally punches through the robots' metal bodies with his bare fists, sweep away dozens of robots at a time with a Force Wave that scatters them like leaves in a wind, and jumps like the Hulk. Now that's what I'm talking about! The Clone Wars CGI series on Cartoon Network is actually very good too. Amazingly good, in fact. - Original Message - From: George Arterberry brotherfromhow...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 16, 2010 1:31:41 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray We all know that Lucas is a slightly above average screenwriter but the series is perfect as it is. Empirre Strikes Back is my #2 favorite movie ever. From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, August 16, 2010 5:28:38 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray what about The Empire Strikes Back? That was a very good movie, and of course, had a completely different set of people behind the scenes creatively. A New Hope wasn't too bad, either. - Original Message - From: Bosco Bosco ironpi...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 1:19:42 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray The only Star Wars announcement I want to hear is that George Lucas has hired somebody competent like Peter Jackson or Christopher Nolan or hell, anyone else, to rewrite, redirect and remake from scratch the entire saga from start to finish. Then and only then is there a shot at redemption for his utter and complete destruction of what should have been the greatest science fiction legacy in history. Bosco --- On Sun, 8/15/10, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net Subject: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray To: scifinoir2 scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, August 15, 2010, 12:47 AM This deleted scene with Vader reaching out to Luke seems pretty cool. It sounds as if it has more of the grim feeling of The Empire Strikes Back. I don't have a Blu-Ray player yet, but not sure I'd buy this even if I did. I have at least two versions Lucas has released over the years--and I'm not even an ardent fan. I wonder how many different versions UPF's (Ultra Passionate Fans) might have? * http://bluray.ign.com/articles/111/1112481p1.html Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray The Star Wars Blu-ray release is now as official as it can be, as none other than George Lucas announced the films were coming to the format. I wish I could say it's coming out this year, but it's coming out next year, Lucas said to the packed audience at the Main Event at Star Wars Celebration V today, which was moderated by Jon Stewart . Speaking about what will be included, Lucas said, They'll be different kinds of additional material, adding, I think you've seen enough behind the scenes [material] for a lifetime. There's some really good material that will be included in there, [including] more deleted scenes that you haven't seen yet. Lucas said these newly released scenes would be kept separate from the film itself. In a surprise appearance, Mark Hamill then joined Lucas and Stewart on stage, to introduce one of the new deleted scenes, which he said was his original entrance in Return of the Jedi . Hamill noted the scene was short, but that it was for the UPFs in the audience – the ultra passionate fans. We were then shown the scene, which would have taken place after Darth Vader arrives on the second Death Star at the beginning of Return of the Jedi . We see Vader walking down a corridor and into an elevator on the Death Star. We then cut to Vader inside his medication chamber, a la Empire Strikes Back . As Vader sits there, the camera moves into a close-up and we hear him reaching out with the Force. Luke. Luke. Join me in the dark side of the Force. My son. It is the only way. As Vader continues to repeat Luke's name, we cut to a tight close-up of Luke, insinuating he is hearing his father's voice. it's a very ominous shot of Luke, who is wearing his cloak and hood, with the shadows from the hood blocking out his eyes completely - in line with how Darth Sideous' face is mostly hidden. As Vader's voice fades away, the camera pans down
Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray
Does the PS3 have all the bells and whistles of Blu-Ray? Yeah, I can see not wanting to replace perfectly good DVDs with BR disks. i think for a lot of people, the next move will probably be to just do digital downloads of movies that can be shown from a PC onto a flatscreen TV. - Original Message - From: George Arterberry brotherfromhow...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 16, 2010 1:37:10 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray I love the Blu ray function and trust me there is a difference , but again I'm not retooling my entire collection to blu-ray. From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, August 16, 2010 2:08:01 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray I don't have a PS3. A Genesis, SNES, and PS2, but no PS3. How do you like it as a Blu-Ray player? Have all the firmware upgrades allowed it to do all the latest stuff that Blu-Ray allows? - Original Message - From: George Arterberry brotherfromhow...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 6:40:28 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray I use my PS3 as a blu-ray player and I'll get it. But not in one swoop. I'll get Empire Strikes Back first. From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To: scifinoir2 scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sun, August 15, 2010 8:47:35 AM Subject: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray This deleted scene with Vader reaching out to Luke seems pretty cool. It sounds as if it has more of the grim feeling of The Empire Strikes Back. I don't have a Blu-Ray player yet, but not sure I'd buy this even if I did. I have at least two versions Lucas has released over the years--and I'm not even an ardent fan. I wonder how many different versions UPF's (Ultra Passionate Fans) might have? * http://bluray.ign.com/articles/111/1112481p1.html Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray The Star Wars Blu-ray release is now as official as it can be, as none other than George Lucas announced the films were coming to the format. I wish I could say it's coming out this year, but it's coming out next year, Lucas said to the packed audience at the Main Event at Star Wars Celebration V today, which was moderated by Jon Stewart . Speaking about what will be included, Lucas said, They'll be different kinds of additional material, adding, I think you've seen enough behind the scenes [material] for a lifetime. There's some really good material that will be included in there, [including] more deleted scenes that you haven't seen yet. Lucas said these newly released scenes would be kept separate from the film itself. In a surprise appearance, Mark Hamill then joined Lucas and Stewart on stage, to introduce one of the new deleted scenes, which he said was his original entrance in Return of the Jedi . Hamill noted the scene was short, but that it was for the UPFs in the audience – the ultra passionate fans. We were then shown the scene, which would have taken place after Darth Vader arrives on the second Death Star at the beginning of Return of the Jedi . We see Vader walking down a corridor and into an elevator on the Death Star. We then cut to Vader inside his medication chamber, a la Empire Strikes Back . As Vader sits there, the camera moves into a close-up and we hear him reaching out with the Force. Luke. Luke. Join me in the dark side of the Force. My son. It is the only way. As Vader continues to repeat Luke's name, we cut to a tight close-up of Luke, insinuating he is hearing his father's voice. it's a very ominous shot of Luke, who is wearing his cloak and hood, with the shadows from the hood blocking out his eyes completely - in line with how Darth Sideous' face is mostly hidden. As Vader's voice fades away, the camera pans down to Luke's hands, and we see that he is using a tool to complete work on his new lightsaber. Satisfied, he puts the tool down and holds the lightsaber hilt up, igniting it – in what would have been the first reveal of the green blade. We cut to a shot from the side and see Luke is sitting inside a cave on Tatooine, with C-3P0 standing outside, waiting for him – no doubt to receive his orders to head to Jabba the Hutt. That was it for the scene, but the crowd erupted in cheers at what was indeed a very cool new moment, from films we are all quite familiar with. The panel ended with one more surprise guest – Carrie Fisher . Alas, there were no other deleted scenes shown to us today, but Fisher cracked to Lucas, Did you put the nude scenes back in? She then turned to the audience and deadpanned, There was a huge me and Jabba porn scene. That's what got me into drugs. No further details were given on the Blu-rays as yet, which leave plenty to speculate about. It's
Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray
Amen! the Midchlorians had me gasping and laughing in horror, amusement ,and disbelief in the theatre. And more, what showed that Lucas had completely lost any understanding of the world he created was what I read in an interview with him. He was discussing Vader's fate, and said that what frustrated the Emperor was that Vader was no longer the uber powerful weapon of destruction he'd envisioned. he said that Anakin went from being potentially way more powerful than the Emperor to significantly less so, because of his injuries. Lucas actually said that because Anakin had lost his legs and hand, his command of the Force was lessened! I think he felt that the loss of body parts reduced the amount of available space for the Midchlorians, and the reduced bugs meant reduced powers. Can you believe that? He actually equated command of the Force with the state of one's physical body. That belies the standard held beliefs of powers of the mind/soul as being independent of the body, as well as his own mythos, where small people like yoda said that physical makeup didn't matter. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 16, 2010 6:01:14 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray Bosco, I was actually able to let Jar Jar slide as I did the Confederacy people (both fairly blatant stereotyping). My aww, F*CK NAW! moment was when they explained the secret of the Force as a bug in one's bloodstream. As I left the theater, I recall calling out to the manager, I want my money back. On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 11:44 PM, Bosco Bosco ironpi...@yahoo.com wrote: I'm curious. I have a really strong reaction to every film, post empire. The prequels are particularly hard for me because I had been waiting for that story to be told from the minute I became aware that it would be. I dont know exactly when it was but sometime around 12 or 13 probably after seeing Empire but before Jedi I began to hear talk about Lucas telling the backstory at some point. I had waited my entire life, multiple decades, to experience the Anakin to Vader story. Sometime around the moment JarJar Binks appeared on screen, I realized I was gonna get burned. Somehow, I just couldnt let go, like a mentally debilitated rubbernecker at a fenderbender, I watched the entire train wreck unfold. Nothing has ever been as artistically devastating or disappointing. What Lucas did to his legacy is criminal. What he did to the fans is worse. There are moments where I actually wish I had never seen any of it. B --- On Sun, 8/15/10, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, August 15, 2010, 2:48 PM Bosco, I'm sending this to a long-time SW fan, to get a reaction to this. I'll let you know what it is. On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 1:19 PM, Bosco Bosco ironpi...@yahoo.com wrote: The only Star Wars announcement I want to hear is that George Lucas has hired somebody competent like Peter Jackson or Christopher Nolan or hell, anyone else, to rewrite, redirect and remake from scratch the entire saga from start to finish. Then and only then is there a shot at redemption for his utter and complete destruction of what should have been the greatest science fiction legacy in history. Bosco --- On Sun, 8/15/10, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net Subject: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray To: scifinoir2 scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, August 15, 2010, 12:47 AM This deleted scene with Vader reaching out to Luke seems pretty cool. It sounds as if it has more of the grim feeling of The Empire Strikes Back. I don't have a Blu-Ray player yet, but not sure I'd buy this even if I did. I have at least two versions Lucas has released over the years--and I'm not even an ardent fan. I wonder how many different versions UPF's (Ultra Passionate Fans) might have? * http://bluray.ign.com/articles/111/1112481p1.html Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray The Star Wars Blu-ray release is now as official as it can be, as none other than George Lucas announced the films were coming to the format. I wish I could say it's coming out this year, but it's coming out next year, Lucas said to the packed audience at the Main Event at Star Wars Celebration V today, which was moderated by Jon Stewart . Speaking about what will be included, Lucas said, They'll be different kinds of additional material, adding, I think you've seen enough behind the scenes [material] for a lifetime. There's some really good material that will be included in there, [including] more deleted scenes that you haven't seen yet
Re: [scifinoir2] US Army Orders Lockheed-Martin’s Mystery Airship
Really?! I didn't know that. I was so impressed with that plane's hovering ability and maneuverability. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 16, 2010 6:12:54 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] US Army Orders Lockheed-Martin’s Mystery Airship I saw the same program, Keith, and a few others, famously including a segment of Heavy Metal on the History Channel. The pilot they interviewed was talking up the ship so lovingly that I recall thinking that he and it needed to get a room together somewhere. A few months later, as I was logging out of one of my Warmmail accounts, a story on the MSN homepage drew my eye. Pilot Stuck in Cockpit The F-22's canopy had a problem deploying (which later records showed to be a fairly endemic issue throughout the F-22 fleet), and the pilot inside, stuck for over two hours, was wearing a murderous look on his face. As I chuckled, I noted his name. It was the same pilot from the Heavy Metal segment. On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 10:27 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I only know about the F-22 through the PBS special that details the competition between Lockheed and Boeing for that Joint Strikeforce Fighter. The program's pretty cool, and the plane seemed impressed. Give us the skinny, please... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 12:19:48 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] US Army Orders Lockheed-Martin’s Mystery Airship Mr Worf, you know what the best job on the planet is right now? A Lockheed-Martin lobbyist. They manage to wrangle corporate welfare for their company without fail, no matter how magnificently L-M's projects may fail. (I refer you all to the F-22 debacle, because it was as hush-hush as this seems to be.) On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 7:54 AM, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com wrote: http://realitypod.com/2010/05/mystery-plane-order/ Read more: http://realitypod.com/2010/05/mystery-plane-order/#ixzz0wftfWvom Home » Military Tech , Science Tech » US Army Orders Lockheed-Martin’s Mystery Airship US Army Orders Lockheed-Martin’s Mystery Airship Posted by admin on May 2nd, 2010 // 3 Comments Advertise Here Lockheed Martin Advanced Development Projects is making perhaps the first realistic tests of a hybrid airship–a concept that dates back many decades but that is just now being tried at a significant scale. The Skunk Works had secretly built the craft and hoped for a quiet first flight at its Palmdale, Calif., facility, but a few passers-by noticed the strange object in the sky. The Defense Dept. is showing interest in two categories of airships–those that can carry large cargo at low altitude, exemplified by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) Walrus program, and those that can operate in high-altitude low-wind conditions and remain on station for long periods of time. The configuration of the Skunks Works ship indicates it is the former–a hybrid heavy-load carrier. The interest is across the services and the notional applications are diverse, ranging from logistics–delivery of an integrated fighting unit within theater, for example–to sensor, communications and even laser-weapon relay platforms. But airships aren’t there yet. Major unresolved issues could derail the airship dream, such as their traditional delicate ground handling, and possibly prohibitive economics and vulnerability. These issues have been debated endlessly on paper, and now Lockheed Martin, a prime airship proponent, is investing to seek real answers. Recentlys! U.S. Army LEMV Program ordered this 21-day endurance, 20K Altitude Hybrid LTA for AFPAK: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportuni… A hybrid airship derives most of its lift by being filled with a lighter-than-air gas such as helium. Overall, it is heavier than air and gains the final 20% or so of lift by flying like an aircraft, but with slow takeoff and landing speeds that allow operations from short unprepared strips. The Skunk Works made the first flight of its “P-791″ testbed on Jan. 31 at its facility on the Palmdale Air Force Plant 42 airport. The manned flight was about a 5-min. circuit around the airport in the morning and appeared to be successful. The company did not announce or want to discuss the flight. The P-791 is not part of a government contract, but rather an independent research and development project by the Skunk Works to better understand airship capabilities and technologies, such as materials, a company official says. However, it may also be a quarter-scale prototype of a heavy-lifter. TO GAIN MORE SPAN TO ACT LIKE a wing, the P-791 is three pressurized lobes joined together. An observer of the first flight says it was about the size of three Fuji blimps blended together. The Fuji
Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray
I agree. I too felt the shift with Return of the Jedi. I had issues with a lot in that movie. for one, had I written it, there's no way I'd have had Vader change so quickly. When he first takes Luke to the Emperor, he says he is your Master, my son, then after a hurt Luke is taken off, Vader wanders over to a railing and looks out into the night as if he feels bad! I remember in the theatre saying What the hell? Why is he so maudlin all of a sudden?. I kept thinking there had to have been prior interactions between Vader and Luke. Else, his quick influx of paternal attachment just made no sense. I also felt the climactic scene where Vader attacked the Emperor wasn't earned. Again, i just didn't see enough time given to justify that. I mean, Vader was a guy who had killed children, tried to kill his Master, and now all of a sudden he's sentimental?? And Sith, I completely agree. He watches Mace defeated, then drops to his knees and swears allegiance? Completely illogical! I still can't get how the Sith can so easily mask their true selves around the Jedi either. The Emperor and Anakin were all but twirling their moustaches, and Yoda, Mace, and the rest couldn't sense that at all? WTF? Let's not even start about how Anakin could have a suite apartment with his pregnant wife right under the Jedi's noses, nor how none of the medi-scans detected the presence of twins. And what's this dying of a broken heart crap? - Original Message - From: Bosco Bosco ironpi...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 16, 2010 11:33:14 AM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray Thanks. I try. I love writing. Too bad there's no money in it and loads and loads of soul wrenching work. Jar Jar wasn't the big issue for me, I just recall him being the first sign that it was time to insert the fork in the corpse of the legacy. The list of things that is wrong actually starts with Return of the Jedi and starts with the ewoks. It goes downhill from there. Revenge of the Sith was for me the deepest insult. The bad acting, the crappy direction, the totally unbelievable final conversion from Anakin to Vader with all it's sophomoric character motivation was a full and total betrayal. Total bummer. I spend a lot of time wishing someone would do it better. I'll bet it gets done. I hope in my life time. The fact that hollywood is stuck in recycle mode actual gives me hope for this one. --- On Mon, 8/16/10, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, August 16, 2010, 9:47 AM This was a really well written little e-mail. You managed to convey your feelings very vividly. I agree and felt the same way. Unlike Kurtz, i think prequels can be assume ideas. I love backstories, and like you, thought the backstory of the Star Wars universe would be great. And like you, I sat in the theatre and was stunned at what I saw. I hated that the entire first movie was wasted on Baby Vader, especially because the young actor was horrible! That Pod race--WTF? Midchlorians??? Jar Jar was the least of my issues. And note how with the first prequel movie, Lucas spent most of the film killing legions of robots, but very view living beings died. it all showed how he'd moved from films that kids and families could enjoy, but that still felt adult, to really kiddie level films, that reminded me of nothing so much as cartoons like G.I. Joe, where no one died. The body count went up in Revenge of the Sith, but by then so much damage had been done... - Original Message - From: Bosco Bosco ironpi...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 11:44:00 PM Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray I'm curious. I have a really strong reaction to every film, post empire. The prequels are particularly hard for me because I had been waiting for that story to be told from the minute I became aware that it would be. I dont know exactly when it was but sometime around 12 or 13 probably after seeing Empire but before Jedi I began to hear talk about Lucas telling the backstory at some point. I had waited my entire life, multiple decades, to experience the Anakin to Vader story. Sometime around the moment JarJar Binks appeared on screen, I realized I was gonna get burned. Somehow, I just couldnt let go, like a mentally debilitated rubbernecker at a fenderbender, I watched the entire train wreck unfold. Nothing has ever been as artistically devastating or disappointing. What Lucas did to his legacy is criminal. What he did to the fans is worse. There are moments where I actually wish I had never seen any of it. B --- On Sun, 8/15/10, Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com wrote: From: Martin Baxter martinbaxt...@gmail.com
