Orlando: Comin' at Cha!

I'll be 4 months old this week!

Technorati tags: baby | Orlando Pessoa

'Eureka' Debut Sets SciFi Channel Record

From SyFy Portal:

(July 20 2006) - More than 4 million viewers tuned into the Tuesday night premiere of the new SciFi Channel original series "Eureka," setting a new ratings record for the cable outlet, according to several online news reports.

The July 18 two-hour debut got a 3.2 household rating, including 1.9 million aged 25-54 and 1.7 million aged 18-49, SciFi Wire said. "Eureka" was the No. 1 cable program on July 18 in household ratings, in total viewers and in the 25-54 and 18-49 demographics. It was also the highest-rated and most-watched premiere telecast of a cable original series in Tuesday prime time this year, the report said.

Ratings for "Eureka" put it ahead of the debuts of sister SciFi Channel series' "Stargate SG-1," "Stargate: Atlantis" and "Battlestar Galactica."

"Eureka" follows a U.S. marshal who stumbles on a small Pacific Northwest town that's actually a secret government research facility populated by the best minds in the nation, Zap2It said. Their research, however, makes the town a place where a lot of odd things tend to occur.

Wow, I can't believe this did so well! It was so boring. I mentally tuned out 15 minutes into the pilot.

Read more...

Technorati tags: scifichannel | eureka | tv | scifi | science-fiction

The Top 50 Movie Endings of All Time

Filmcritic.com has posted a list of the top 50 movie endings of all time. While I find some of the choices odd (the endings of A History of Violence, King of New York and Dead Again weren’t all that), I was glad to see that a few of my favorites -- The Thing, The Usual Suspects and The Empire Strikes Back -- in the mix. Surely Invasion of the Body Snatchers belongs here as well?

The list is here, but be warned -- spoilers abound.

Technorati tags: movies | film | critics | scifi | science-fiction

New writer looking for a writing partner

I figured I’d pass this along, ‘cause... it can’t be real.

A writing mailing list I belong to had the following in it the other day:

Subject: New writer looking for a writing partner.

"My story is based on a true story. I was almost murdered by the brother of Rick James. You have my permission for someone to contact me who may be able to help me tell my story."

Cough.

Okaaaaay.

Shamu Takes Out Kayak

Oh, shit! Did that guy die?

Sword Vs. Bullet

Is this for real?? A katana slices a bullet in half! -- www.Vewgle.com - The Google Video Forum

Second Half Predictions

Yes, we’re a couple of weeks past the halfway mark in the baseball season, but I forgot to blog about it then, so I’m doing it now.

These were my predictions back on April second:
American League

• East: New York Yankees


• Central: Cleveland Indians


• West: Oakland A’s


• Wild Card: Toronto Blue Jays

National League

• East: Atlanta Braves


• Central: St. Louis Cardinals


• West: San Francisco Giants


• Wild Card: New York Mets

American League Championship Series

• Yankees vs. Cleveland

National League Championship Series

• Cardinals vs. Giants

World Series

• Yankees vs. Giants

World Champions

• Yankees

===

This is how you know I don’t have the Force. I can’t predict shit. Then again, neither could the Emperor (“I have foreseen it”), Yoda (“Forever will it dominate your destiny”)... Yeah, I’m drifting off topic.

Anyway, who could’ve known the suck-ass Tigers would get off to such a start? Why does Cleveland not have its shit together? How did the entire NL become the bitch of the AL, making even Tampa and KC look good (11-7 and 10-8, respectively)? Why doesn’t Boston have a 12 game lead over an injury-plagued Yankee team that boasts an outfield some days of Melky Cabrera, Bubba Crosby and Aaron Guiel?

It pains me, but these are my second half predictions:
American League

• East: New York Yankees (Fuck it. It can still happen.)


• Central: Chicago White Sox (I still don’t believe in Detroit.)


• West: Oakland A’s (I’m sticking with Oakland, but anyone can take this division. I’m tempted to pick the Angels).


• Wild Card: Detroit Tigers (But the Twins are impressing me with their winning streaks.)

National League

• East: New York Mets (I don’t think they’ll end the year 13 games in front, however.)


• Central: St. Louis Cardinals (Sticking with my original pick.)


• West: San Diego Padres (This division is up for grabs, but I don’t think the Giants can recover from an ineffective Bonds and Arizona went in a tailspin after the Grimsley thing.)


• Wild Card: Cincinnati Reds

American League Championship Series

• Tigers vs. White Sox

National League Championship Series

• Mets vs. Cardinals

World Series

• Mets vs. White Sox

World Champions

• White Sox

Vader Sessions (Episode 2)

I'm testing the YouTube "Post to Blog" function.

Another Funny Sports Blog

I found The Off Color Commentator’s blog in a roundabout way, ‘cause the author found my blog doing a Google search.

An excerpt:

Much talk in the New York papers about ARod's disastrous three-error game Monday night. Has he caught Chuck Knoblauch disease and lost all ability to throw accurately? Was he bothered by a sore foot? Simply an off night? Is he finally wilting under the pressure of playing in New York? One other possibility I'll throw out there -- perhaps the Yankees' third baseman was a tad bit distracted because he was worried his colon, spleen and liver were on the verge of exploding in the completely inhumane heat. Lord, it's hot in NY these days. Reminds me of the summer I spent in Micronesia. If it were legal and socially acceptable to go to work in a Speedo and dress shoes, I think I probably would.

OMG, I’ve been saying the same thing to my co-workers. Not about Speedos, about A-rod morphing into Knobby before our very eyes. Soon he’ll be hitting people in the stands with his errant throws. He botched a play at home tonight and because of that we’re in extra innings as I write this.

UPDATE: We just lost the game. Walk off homerun by Vernon Wells. Shit!

Vader Sessions

HILARIOUS!

Someone took scenes from Star Wars: A New Hope and replaced Vader’s dialogue with other dialogue by James Earl Jones from such movies as Claudine and The Great White Hope.

The Year Without a Santa Claus

Since we’re having a heatwave here in New York and I’m sweating like a mofo, I figure it’s appropriate to talk about Christmas.

I came across a news article the other day announcing that NBC is remaking one of my favorite holiday specials, The Year Without a Santa Claus. The original 1974 show featured the trademarked Rankin-Bass stop motion animation, but the live-action remake features John Goodman, Chris Kattan, Ethan Suplee, Eddie Griffin and Carol Kane. With a cast like that the remake could be really hilarious, or really, REALLY bad.

I’m not sure why I liked the original. I think it was the feuding elemental titans “Heat Miser” and “Snow Miser.” They had catchy theme music. Snow Miser busts out this rhyme when Santa's elves come to him for help:

I'm Mister White Christmas
I'm Mister Snow
I'm Mister Icicle
I'm Mister Ten Below
Friends call me Snow Miser
Whatever I touch
Turns to snow in my clutch
I'm too much!

So then the elves go to see Snow Miser’s brother, Heat Miser to try to cut a deal with him. Not to be outdone, the other titan shoots back (as if in a rap battle) with:

I'm Mister Green Christmas
I'm Mister Sun
I'm Mister Heat Blister
I'm Mister Hundred and One
They call me Heat Miser
Whatever I touch
Starts to melt in my clutch
I'm too much!

I don’t see how a live-action version can top this, but we’ll see.

Technorati Tags:
Snow Miser
Heat Miser
Christmas
Rankin-Bass
The Year Without a Santa Claus
Santa Claus

Lebanon civilian deaths morally not same as terror victims -- Bolton

From Yahoo:

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - US Ambassador John Bolton said there was no moral equivalence between the civilian casualties from the Israeli raids in Lebanon and those killed in Israel from "malicious terrorist acts".

Asked to comment on the deaths in an Israeli air strike of eight Canadian citizens in southern Lebanon Sunday, he said: "it is a matter of great concern to us ...that these civilian deaths are occurring. It's a tragedy."

"I think it would be a mistake to ascribe moral equivalence to civilians who die as the direct result of malicious terrorist acts," he added, while defending as "self-defense" Israel's military action, which has had "the tragic and unfortunate consequence of civilian deaths".

Wow, like, “fucked up” doesn’t even come close to describing Bolton’s attitude.

Read more...

The Best Damn Sports Blog

If you're a sports fan and you haven't stumbled across Can't Stop The Bleeding, you need to check it out. The writing is witty (and a bit mean-spirited) and the author really knows his sports.

Here's an excerpt from his review of last week's home run derby:

I’d already promised someone I’d lay off Big & Rich, but when will those clowns be satisfied? If they aren’t reducing Chuck Barkley to tears, they’re costing Chuck Eddy his job. How do mega-talents like Sam Cooke, Selena and uh, Dimebag Darryl get gunned down, but these motherfuckers manage to survive? Sarah Silverman’s participation in the subsequent Celebrity Softball Game makes her the second Mr. Show alumnus to have played alongside Franco Harris. The first, of course, being Brian Poeshen. Said trash-sports event was the second Dave Winfield public sighting this month, much to the chagrin of Ruth Roper, who reported a burning sensation.

Google "Ruth Roper" and refresh your memory about her and Dave Winfield. LOL!

BabyPlus Update

Back on January 26 I blogged about the BabyPlus prenatal system that I was using to stimulate Orlando’s brain in utero. Today someone visiting my blog left the following comment.

Anonymous asked:
Did BabyPlus work for you? Curious as to what feedback you may have on the product. I'm 23 weeks and am thinking of purchasing... Thanks!
My answer:

Baby Orlando has a pretty mild personality and I've noticed that he doesn't get freaked out by unusual sounds. He grins when I play the BabyPlus for him now that he’s born, so it's possible that he remembers the sound, but there’s no way of knowing for sure. He went through a period where he had a lot of gas, but he’s never cried for an hour (or more) straight the way a baby with colic does. Thankfully the gas problem didn’t last that long. BabyPlus couldn’t get him to latch on the way some of the testimonials claimed, but the breastfeeding debacle is the subject for another thread.

In short, I think he finds the sounds from the BabyPlus very comforting, but it remains to be seen whether he reaches his developmental benchmarks early because of the device. It can’t hurt. If it’s in your budget or you can get someone to buy one for you, go for it.

Virtual World Crimes

Is nothing sacred?

I’ve heard rumors that real-life organized crime organizations are muscling in on the multi-player games scene. That’s right – the foreign Mafias reportedly own virtual land and goods in MOORPGs. How sick is that?

Recently there was a big case in Korea where a group was using stolen player IDs, hiring kids to play the games and accumulate virtual cash, then the virtual cash was sold for real money. Some hundres of thousands of phony game accounts were created for this purpose. When I played Star Wars Galaxies I was aware that people were on eBay auctioning off $1 million credits for $10 and such, but I never dreamed that it had actually gotten to the point of being a criminal industry.

Read more...

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Movie Suggestions

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Movie Suggestions

The other day I came across this list I’d made over 10 years ago of books I’ve read that I think would make good and/or profitable movies. I think I’ve changed my mind about some of them in the last decade. For now I’ll list them.

• A Matter for Men


• Darker Than You Think


• Death Angel’s Shadow


• Faerie Tale


• Legacy of Heorot


• Lord Valentine’s Castle


• Seventh Sun


• Songmaster


• The Anubis Gates


• The Dark is Rising


• The Dragonriders of Pern


• The Forgotten Beasts of Eld


• The Hunters’ Haunt


• The Many-Colored Land


• The Riddlemaster of Hed


• The Stress of Her Regard


• The White Hart

Also on my list were the following which have already been made, are in the process of being made, or could use a remake.

• The Chronicles of Narnia


• The Dark is Rising


• Watership Down

Later I’ll revisit the list and explain why I picked these particular stories.

Hell’s Bells

Wow, the National League can’t catch a break in the All Star Game, huh? Reliever Trevor Hoffman snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by blowing a save in the 9th with the American League down to its last strike. A triple, two runs and an appearance by our beloved Mariano Rivera and the AL had sown up its ninth victory since 1997.

Ahem.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

I had to suffer through 11 wins in a row by the NL when I was growing up. It’s all good.

What Kind of Soul Are You?

You Are a Seeker Soul

You are on a quest for knowledge and life challenges. You love to be curious and ask a ton of questions. Since you know so much, you make for an interesting conversationalist. Mentally alert, you can outwit almost anyone (and have fun doing it!). Very introspective, you can be silently critical of others. And your quiet nature makes it difficult for people to get to know you. You see yourself as a philosopher, and you take everything philosophically. Your main talent is expressing and communicating ideas. Souls you are most compatible with: Hunter Soul and Visionary Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

The above is about 90% true. Scary.

Hmm. I'm really hooked on these Blogthings quizzes.

R.I.P. Cricket

I had to put my dachshund, Cricket, to sleep yesterday. She was 15 years old. She was a very healthy dog for most of her long life. She would occasionally get a skin rash in the fall (allergies), her back legs were getting arthritic and her eyesight became poor in the last few years, but for the most part she remained a spry and intelligent, if somewhat aloof, old lady.

She had been eating smaller and smaller quantities for months, but earlier this week Cricket stopped eating almost entirely. My mom took her to the vet on Thursday, and again on Friday. They kept her for observation overnight. On Saturday the vet told us that her examination had revealed that Cricket had severe kidney disease that was untreatable. We were given a prognosis that most likely she only had a few weeks left.

I didn’t want her to suffer and I certainly didn’t want her to starve to death, so I made the decision to have her put to sleep. It was especially tough to do since she did not seem in the least bit sick. She was feisty and alert when they brought her to us. She sniffed at the baby’s head excitedly and she wanted to be held. She acted like she wanted to go home.

I think the vet lied to me about the lethal injection. She first administered a sedative which was supposed to make the process more humane, but Cricket let out an alarming groan that I’d never heard before from her. The vet said that was a “snore.” When the poison was injected in her, she went fast, but she stared at me the whole time. That was bad.

This was the second dog I had to euthanize because of old age in the last three years. I hope I don’t have to do this again any time soon.

What Star Wars Jedi or Sith are you?

You scored as Mace Windu. You are most like Mace Windu. A celebrated Jedi master known for his unique combination of wisdom, temperance and foresight. You prefer the life of a scholar yet will charge into battle should the need arise. You created and utilize the Vaapad form for lightsaber combat. It combines the usage of The Force for acrobatic speed and precision found in Ataru, the defensive to offensive channel found in Shien/Djem So and a concentration of emotion often seen as a sign for falling to The Dark Side. You eventually are betrayed by Anakin Skywalker and are killed by Darth Sidious. Mace Windu 86% Obi-Wan Kenobi (Post Death of Qui-Gon Jinn) 82% Anakin Skywalker 71% Qui-Gon Jinn 71% Luke Skywalker 71% Yoda 68% Obi-Wan Kenobi (Pre Death of Qui-Gon Jinn) 61% Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus 57% Darth Revan 50% Darth Sidious 46% Darth Vader 43% Bastila Shan 43% Darth Maul 39% Exar Kun 21% What Star Wars Jedi or Sith character is most like your personality? created with QuizFarm.com

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Not a big surprise. I came out as Mace on some other test I took a year ago, so it seems consistent.

Welcome Back

I survived my first day back at work.

I was up way too early at 4:30 because Orlando was up and needed a feeding. I got to work a bit after 8, went to Medical to get a “fit for duty” card which I had to hand in to HR. I didn’t understand the “fit for duty” thing since the nurse in Medical didn’t do so much as take my pulse.

In HR they took the note from Medical and said go back to your department. No briefing or anything. So, I went back to my department. I immediately noticed that some intern had stolen my chair. I also noticed that the box that I rest my feet on was gone, but a plastic footrest that had previously been stolen from me was back, so I guess that’s (almost) a wash. That chair WILL be mine again.

There was a merger three days after I went on leave, so, as you would expect, there have been a lot of changes. The website has a new logo, a lot of consultants and full-time employees have been let go, and the org chart has been reshuffled. Some of the process documents I drafted before I left are no longer valid. The prices in the cafeteria have gone up, and the two lunch areas have been consolidated into one.

The day went by quickly, so that was good. I made it back home a bit after six. Orlando was asleep when I got in, but he was all smiles when he woke up. I guess he realized that I had disappeared for most of the day. So cute. Unfortunately I’m going to have to fight to get home by six, since one person in my group quit while I was away and a consultant has been given notice that she has to go at the end of the month. That’s too less people to do the same amount of work. *SIGH*

Enron founder Kenneth Lay dies at 64

Enron founder Kenneth Lay dies at 64 - Yahoo! News

Ain't this a bitch? He never had to pay for his crimes.

Star Wars Fan Film Awards

July 5th is the last chance to vote on this year’s batch of amateur fan films hosted at Atom Films. Although these are films made by non-professionals, many of them in the past have been quite good. It’s great that hobbyists can now do in their home what it took a small army of people to do back in 1977.

These are the finalists:

• Pimp My Ship Up: Boba Fett gets a makeover for Slave I. I found it a little slow. The highlight of the short was the Anakin Dynamite cartoon commercial. Very cute.
  

• Pitching Lucas: Studio heads try to convince George to incorporate their ideas into the next Star Wars movie. Really good costumes and special effects. The guy playing Lucas looked a lot like him too.
  

• Sith’d: A Sith lord plays a prank on a Jedi. Not very imaginative, but good makeup and costumes.
  

• Tebok the Ewok: An animated piece featuring two Ewoks stalking stormtroopers on Endor. Cute drawing style.
  

• Blue Milk: A young princess Leia makes a commercial for her favorite brand of milk. Cute kid.
  

• Confessions: Princess Leia tells us why she doesn’t like Han. Kinda boring.
  

• The Dating Show: Han has to choose from three princesses, a la The Dating Game.
  

• Han Shoots First: Spoof of the controversy over how Lucas changed the Greedo/Han confrontation in the special edition of Episode IV, then changed it back again.
  

• Lab 1138: British scientists invent the lightsaber, but suffer some mishaps.
  

• Memoirs of a Padawan: A fan reuses old footage shot by his father and gives it the MasterCard “priceless” treatment.

I voted for Pitching Lucas. Go here to cast your vote!

Be sure to check out past winners such as:

• Anakin Dynamite (2005)


• Pink Five Strikes Back (2004)


• Trooper Clerks (2003)


• Star Wars Gangsta Rap (2002)

How Evil Are You?

You Are 64% Evil

You are very evil. And you're too evil to care. Those who love you probably also fear you. A lot.

How Evil Are You?

Found 'Em: Battlestar Galactica Micro-heroes

Remember I mentioned that I hadn't come across any Battlestar Galactica Micro-heroes? Well, I found 'em (sort of) on someone's starwars.com blog.

The art is a different style than the standard Micro-heroes, but some of the characters are spot on. Check out Tigh with his bottle of booze. :D

But why do an icon for Kat but not for more important characters like Dualla and Tom Zarek?

Orlando: Xavier Institute for Higher Learning

My powers were tested for the first time today at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning! I'm too young to enter the school yet, but one day I will wear a costume and fight crime!