Monthly Archive for September, 2005

List of Sudoku resources

Published
by
Andy
on 9/26/2005
in Observations
. 0 Comments

So apparently that little post I wrote about Su Doku puzzles is the most popular thing on my blog. Ninety percent of the search strings that lead people to this place have something to do with Su Doku. So, as not to disappoint those who do stumble here, I’ve decided to list a bunch of helpful Su Doku resources, which I’ll update occasionally when I find new items. This is basically to help those who find my site by searching for Su Doku, so they don’t have to guess which links on a search engine are what they’re looking for. So, here goes:

This list is far from complete; Like I said, I’ll update it when I find useful links.

Oceanic

Published
by
Andy
on 9/25/2005
in Log
. 1 Comment

Michelle in lighthouse

Michelle in a tiny lighthouse on a cliff on the Oregon coast.

OK. So we actually went to the Pacific Ocean over a month ago. But we forgot the digital and had to buy a little disposable 35mm at a gift shop, and we just now got around to developing it. Some of the shots turned out OK, but I’m just happy there’s photographic evidence of our having been there.

It truly is a majestic place. The Atlantic is very built up. There’s not as much “wild” coastline, not like there is here. Cliffs and giant rocks out in the water. It’s really cool. But don’t take my word for it, have a look for yourself.

Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (2005)

Published
by
Andy
on 9/25/2005
in Reviews
. 2 Comments

corpse bride

I like to think that death isn’t so bad. So does Tim Burton.

In “Corpse Bride”, the world of the dead is colorful and “alive,” while the land of the living is sad, muted and grey. Makes death seem like the better part of life, to me.

It’s nice to see truly original vision in these days of feature film adaptations of old television shows and mindless action yarns. I don’t predict “Corpse Bride” making any records at the box office. It’s not that kind of movie. It’s a brand-new fairy tale, and kids should enjoy it, even if they are a little frightened by some of the imagery. However, it’s also a story based on very adult themes, including a sinister murder long buried and forgotten.

The imagery is, of course, the key to this movie. It’s perfect. The production design, animation and character modeling are spot-on perfect in every way, or at least in every way that a layperson could discern it to be such. The clean lines and beautiful colors flow smoothly across the screen, and I have to believe that not everything was done with stop-motion animation.

In addition, the story is sweet and sad and melancholy in places, and it has the power to move an adult audience like few movies aimed at kids can. Also, it’s musical numbers rise to a new level, far above the sometimes awkward rhymes from Burton’s “Nightmare Before Christmas.” We can thank Danny Elfman for that.

All in all, “Corpse Bride” is a movie that transcends its medium and its genre. It is enjoyable by kids and adults alike, but for different reasons. Kids will enjoy the songs and dancing skeletons, as well as the cartoon humor injected in just the right places. But I’m afraid the bulk of the story and its meaning will fly over their heads, or six feet below. The two main themes of the movie, marriage and death, are two things easily explained to a child, but both concepts can take a lifetime to truly grasp.

I also like the movie’s not-so-tidy plot. I hate tidy plots. I don’t like simply happily ever after. I don’t like when everyone ends up just where the audience thinks they should. The conflict set up in “Corpse Bride” has no perfect solution, and in the end, we must accept a somewhat wistfully imperfect one. The audience learns to like and love the heroes of the story, and when it comes time to determine which bride Vincent (voiced by Johnny Depp) will end up marrying, I for one would have been happy to see him with either, despite the obvious “complications” of a union with the title character. So who does Vincent end up with? You’ll have to go see it for yourself to find out.

It gives Til Death Do Us Part a whole new meaning.

Pilate’s Dream

Published
by
Andy
on 9/22/2005
in Noteworthy and Observations
. 0 Comments

I dreamed I met a Galilean;

A most amazing man.

He had that look you very rarely find:

The haunting, hunted kind.

I asked him to say what had happened,

How it all began.

I asked again, he never said a word.

As if he hadn’t heard.

And next, the room was full of wild and angry men.

They seemed to hate this man.

They fell on him, and then

They disappeared again.

Then I saw thousands of millions

Crying for this man.

And then I heard them mentioning my name,

And leaving me the blame.

New Harvey Danger

Published
by
Andy
on 9/21/2005
in Observations
. 1 Comment

Little by Little by Harvey Danger

Most people turned up the radio when that song about paranoia came out in the late 90s, but they probably couldn’t name the band. Or maybe they could, but they wouldn’t recognize any of their other songs if their life depended on it.

Truth be told, “Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone” was a little spot of genius. Each song crafted and created with one hand of the pulse of what should be cool. Sadly, the album came and went, and too few people remember it.

Harvey Danger had another record, too, called “King James Version,” which was also excellent, but sadly nowhere on the music scene radar.

Now, five years since that record, they’re back with a new one, called “Little by Little,” and they’ve offered it up as a free Bittorrent download (mp3 and ogg) and written a rather to-the-point explanation for the free release. I won’t copy the whole thing, but here’s a sample:

We realize that digital files are the primary means by which a huge segment of the population is exposed to new music; we also believe that plenty of music lovers in the world will buy a record once they’ve heard it – whether via radio or computer.

Now, I may buy the record, but if I do it will be because of the disc with bonus materials included in the physical package. If I were a rich man, sure, I’d buy every record that I wanted to listen to. But I’m not a rich man. The fact is I’m the Average Consumer. I buy plenty of CDs. I also pay for music at the iTunes Music Store on occasion. Quite often, I’ll rip a CD that a friend has purchased. And yes, I also download music from filesharing networks and using Bittorrent (both copyrighted material and noncopyrighted stuff like live shows), and I won’t be made to feel guilty about it. Because for me, music is culture before it is business. I wish I could pay for all the new records I get, but at the same time, I refuse to go without music based solely on financial reasons.

So I agree with Harvey Danger’s decision, and I hope I am able to purchase their record when it finally shows up in a record shop in my town. They seem to understand my demographic:

Whether or not people will buy something they can get for free is obviously a big question, and there are facts and figures to support both sides of the argument. We think it’s not only possible, but likely. The more fundamental challenge is ensuring people have access to your work to begin with. #

Amen.