Floating on Clouds

Here’s a beautiful image I found while floating around.

Dojo Info 11/27/06

1. Wanted: man to land on killer asteroid and gently nudge it from path to Earth
   Now… where have I heard that before…
2. Fantasy football leagues score big with fans
   This is my worst FF season ever. I’ll miss the playoffs in both of my leagues. So what do I do? Look forward to next year’s draft! Wooo!
3. Fake Chinese electronics perform better than originals
   Nobody makes better (more?) fakes than the Chinese. I wonder what percentage of their GNP is illegally created merchandise?
4. Amazon’s “loss leader” brings site to its knees
   Amazon marketed $100 Xbox 360s with the hope that the traffic would help sell other goods, but they didn’t plan on the traffic crippling their Web site.
5. Fed up with telemarketers? Try mooing
   I still like Seinfeld’s:
   Jerry: This isn’t a good time.
   Telemarketer: When would be a good time to call back, sir?
   Jerry: I have an idea, why don’t you give me your home number and I’ll call you back later?
   Telemarketer: Umm, we’re not allowed to do that.
   Jerry: Oh, I guess because you don’t want strangers calling you at home.
   Telemarketer: Umm, no.
   Jerry: Well, now you know how I feel. [hangs up phone]
   Here are some more tips I found.

Batman & Robin Stinks to the High Heavens

I’m flipping channels and come across Batman & Robin. Since I hadn’t seen it, I thought, “What the heck?” Now I wished I hadn’t. As good as Batman Begins was, Batman & Robin was that bad. Not just weak, but horribly wrong; it was laughable and frankly embarrassing.

We can’t point only at Clooney because, to be fair, the whole concept was a joke. Joel Schumacher deserves a lion’s share of the blame for every cliche and poorly executed scene. It was the polar opposite to Batman Begins’ attempt at superhero realism. Batman Begins was directed by Christopher Nolan who did an amazing job with Momento in 2000 and directed The Prestige, which I still need to see.

I just felt the need to warn anyone who might consider watching this movie. It’s now on my list of Top 10 All Time Worst Movies.

Dojo Info 11/25/06

1. Cyber Monday more myth than reality?
   Whichever day is the busiest, overall gift buying online is up and that trend is likely to continue.
2. Video: First look at the PS3
   Thinking about buying a Blueray player? The PS3 is currently your cheapest option. Still, I’m not sold on the idea that people want their gaming console to act like their computer.
3. Blockbuster signs deal to be exclusive renter for Weinsteins
   Like many Americans, I cheer for the underdog. I also want to give credit where it’s deserved. Since Netflix came up with the idea of home movie delivery and Blockbuster merely copied that idea and tried to run Netflix out of business with low-ball price busting, I’m going to boycott these Weinstein films to show support for Netflix.
4. Gametap
   If you haven’t seen it yet, head over and check out Gametap. Just play online for a monthly fee. New games added all the time. I know nothing about the performance but if the price is right, it might be a wonderful thing. Plus, it’d be fun to go back and time and replay those beloved games from our childhood, right?
5. Video: The James Bond title sequences
   James Bond fans… enjoy!

Mr. T Keeps It Real

For those of us who lived through the 80s, it was just like yesterday.

Survivor: Cook Islands – Week 10

Best episode ever! I am so impressed with Yul and his mad scientist strategy. When you think about it, he may be the greatest Survivor of all time. He’s got the strength for the challenges, he’s likeable and hardworking and he’s as smart as a tack. He’s the Dr. Will of Survivor!

Approaching Jonathan may have seemed like a no-brainer but by clueing him into the hidden immunity idol, he basically forced Jonathan’s hand. Yul could tell Jonathan that they were going to vote for whoever but all the while Jonathan would be wondering if it was going to be his name on those parchments. Simply brilliant.

Voted Off
How great is the rest of this season going to be with so many people wishing bodily harm on Jonathan? How genius was Yul’s pitch to Jonathan for the final two? Now we get to watch the Raro tribe meltdown and start picking petty fights. Things could not have worked out any better for Yul. Watching Nate cry like a baby after he got pitched was simply golden. How’s that for “keepin’ it real”?

It never fails, whenever somebody gets cocky, their end is near. Who wants to bet that Adam is next?

Happy Thanksgiving

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
—America the Beautiful

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Ultrasound Technology Is Amazing

The clarity and sharpness of some of these images is incredible. It won’t be long before proud parents will be walking around, showing off pictures of their pre-born children on their iPods.

What’s In a Name?

The Net’s all abuzz over Michael Richards comedy club tirade then subsequent apology on Letterman. While it’s certainly true that this kind of behavior is “uncalled for”, angry and purposefully mean-spirited, I don’t believe it is the bane of our existence like so many make it out to be.

Putting someone down by calling them a name is an attempt to make that other person feel worse about themselves, in the hope that the name-caller gets to feel better about their own person. If, for example, someone was to call me an “obese cow” while I’m actually not in the least bit overweight, how should I react to that? Even if they call me something that’s fitting, is it in my best interest to respond? Is that the optimum course of action?

Calling people derogatory names is a cheap, childish act but so many times people see it as a license. A license to be offended, to draw sympathy, to respond in anger themselves; an opportunity to escalate the conflict. It seems to me, that so many adult trials, when correlated to their schoolyard equivalence reveal some obvious behavior choices. What ever happened to:

Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me.

Dojo Info 11/20/06

1. Current style in graphic design for the web
   Great article on the elements of good design.
2. The Top 40 Bands in America, 2006 Edition
   Music bloggers cast their votes and here are the results. To show how out-of-touch I am, I only recognized 7 of them and one of those was Bob Dylan.
3. Semiconductors to give BMW split personality
   “Hi Sweetness, I’m X5. I couldn’t help but notice your amazing chrome tailpipes.”
4. New Web Site Dedicated to Regifting
   It’s more than just a Seinfeld reference… it’s big business! When’s the IPO?
5. Research shows benefits of cranberries
   “Cranberries are among the top foods with proven health benefits.” Yeah, that’s good and all but what about those Clanberries?!?

Some Ideas Are Just Too Good

From the latest Sports Guy mailbag. What a freaking awesome idea!

Q: My buddies and I were talking about appropriate punishments for dictators like Saddam Hussein, and we came up with an idea that works for everyone and could raise money for the International Criminal Court without using tax dollars. Why not charge admission for people to look at convicted dictators in their jail cells, kind of like a zoo for genocidal megalomaniacs? Think about it: you put them in small, basic cells behind plexiglass and charge 25 euros to watch them go about their day. Tourists could get baked at a local coffee shop and head over to the jail to gawk at Slobodan Milosevic sitting on a cot watching “90210″ reruns. You could even charge extra to feed them falafel pellets and shawarma biscuits. This would be a far worse fate for a once-proud dictator then being executed. Who wouldn’t pay 25 euros to watch Saddam Hussein in his underwear eating Cheetos?
–Kris, Washington

SG: DeVito from Washington, you’ve been bounced! That’s the new Greatest E-mail of 2006. And just for the record, I’d pay 200 euros to see dictators in zoo cages.

Dojo Info 11/19/06

1. Video: Samsung’s new 3G smart phone: BlackJack
   It’s tasty-de-la-licious!
2. Favorite Retro Pop Songs Ruined in Commercials
   So, so very true.
3. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft adopt same Web index tool
   Making life easier for us? Surely you jest. There must be another reason.
4. The Mad Rush for PS3′s Is On!
   You might want to wear armor out there people.
5. Scamalot
   Scamming the Spammers… I love it! All he needs is a neet undercover code name, like unDup3d.

‘Real’ Comedy

Now that I’m fully immersed in the world of Real Estate, I’ve got friends sending me links/stories about the topic. Here’s a great story from my buddy Heath. It just goes to show that where there is bureaucracy, there is crap.

A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client who lost his house in Hurricane Katrina and wanted to rebuild. He was told the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to the parcel of property being offered as collateral. The title to the property dated back to 1803, which took the Lawyer three months to track down. After sending the
information to the FHA, he received the following reply:

“Upon review of your letter adjoining your client’s loan application, we note that the request is supported by an Abstract of Title. While we compliment the able manner in which you have prepared and presented the application, we must point out that you have only cleared title to the proposed collateral property back to 1803. Before final approval can be accorded, it will be necessary to clear the title back to its origin.” [Actual letter]

Annoyed, the lawyer responded as follows:

“Your letter regarding title in Case No. 189156 has been received. I note that you wish to have title extended further than the 194 years covered by the present application. I was unaware that any educated person in this country, particularly those working in the property area, would not know that Louisiana was purchased, by the U.S., from France in 1803, the year of origin identified in our application.

For the edification of uninformed FHA bureaucrats, the title to the land prior to U.S. ownership was obtained from France, which had acquired it by Right of Conquest from Spain. The land came into the possession of Spain by Right of Discovery made in the year 1492 by a sea captain named Christopher Columbus, who had been granted the privilege of seeking a new route to India by the Spanish monarch, Isabella.

The good queen, Isabella, being a pious woman and almost as careful about titles as the FHA, took the precaution of securing the blessing of the Pope before she sold her jewels to finance Columbus ‘ expedition. Now the Pope, as I sure you may know, is the emissary of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and God, it is commonly accepted, created this world. Therefore, I believe it is safe to presume that God also made that part of the world called Louisiana.

God, therefore, would be the owner of origin and His origins date back to before the beginning of time, the world as we know it AND the FHA.

I hope you find God’s original claim to be satisfactory. Now, may we have our loan?” [Actual letter]

He got the loan.

Survivor: Cook Islands – Week 9

Once again I’ve let my personal life get in the way of my blogging, and for that, I’m forever in your debt. I hope you won’t hold it against me. On the plus side, I did get my Real Estate license, so “Yay!” But what’s going on with Survivor?!? I miss one episode and everything is crazy. Candice and Jonathan mutinied? Mutiny? What a great idea! I love that they’re continually mixing things up to keep everyone on their toes.

Just one comment about Episode 8. How great was it when Jeff was doing the play-by-play on the Drop the Cannonballs on the Targets challenge and Jonathan said something under his breath, then Jeff asked him what he said? So Jonathan is completely peeved because his new tribe had a lead, but his old tribe caught up and passed them so he whined, “Whatever Jeff.” To which Probst dryly replied, “And Jonathan is get irritated by me.” Classic! Go watch the video, it’s hilarious.

Voted Off
The underdog Aitu tribe wins their third straight immunity challenge which forces Raro to start cleaning house. First to go is the most non-productive member of the tribe, Rebecca. Even though no one, except maybe Adam trust the mutinous newcomers, they still keep them around and toss loyal Rebecca overboard. Nice.

Then in another Survivor twist, the unknown message in a bottle forces them to vote off another. Surprise! Surprise! Jonathan is saved because Jenny had talked about possibly voting Candice off and her boyfriend Adam chivalrously came to her rescue. Gotta factor in those hormones girl.

I’m still pulling for Yul, gotta love his consistancy and now Ozzy is growing on me too. No BS just letting his actions speak for themselves. At some point they’ll be at odds, but that’s what makes this game so great.

Spammers Must Die

Hi all, due to increased traffic, I’m receiving an abnormally large amount of spam. So, I’ve turn OFF comments until I can install some kind of spam prevention plug-in.

I appreciate each and every one of you for visiting this site! Well, except you bloody bots and spiders!

Update: OK! Let’s see if this Akismet dealie really works. Fire away!

Update 2: So far so good… no spam! If this keeps up, we’ll be naming our next son Kismet.

Update 3: If you’re reading this you must not have experienced the error (or figured past it) but apparently the plug-in might cause a problem with the Db connect, the solution is to type in www.21stCenturyPaladin.com without the “http://” and things become rosey. Who knew?