So, I got my nice new toy last night.  I purchased an Alienware m7700 laptop recently.  It didn't break my budget, but nor was it cheap either.  I won't bore you with the specs, but it's got a beautiful 17" wide screen, a lightning fast processor, and weighs a ton.  As I told Jamie D. last night, it's really portable in name only.  I'm looking forward to playing some of my favorite games again - Sims 2, Civilization 3, and IL2-Sturmovik (a new flight sim I ordered, which I'm already calling one of my favorite games).  Over the next few days I'll have to make sure to eat occasionally and maybe check in on family and friends to make sure they're still alive and stuff.

As promised, my little droogs, here be five novels I deem fit for movie adaptation.  I have a clear sci-fi bent, so apologies for the limited selection.  Viddie well.

The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester - This is a science fiction novel and was the first Hugo Award winner (Best Science Fiction novel) in 1953.  This is somewhat of a forerunner to the cyberpunk storytelling that became more popular in the 80s, but here we have telepathy thrown in the mix.  Lots of good action sequences and memorable characters.

The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K. Dick - This is arguably the best PKD novel, as this was his only Hugo Award.  It's an alternate history novel where Germany and Japan control large portions of the United States.  What sets this story apart from other alternate history novels, where the "What If" factory is the main driver of the plot, is here we're more focused on how individuals are adapting or assimilating to new cultures and situations.  Very interesting and deep.  There's not much action going on, so it may not appeal to mainstream audiences.

The Long Walk by Stephen King - I just finished reading this recently, so it's pretty fresh in my mind.  It's not a King horror novel.  The story revolves around one hundred teenage boys participating in an annual walking contest, where the "prize" is anything they could ever wish for (intentionally ambiguous) and the penalty for losing is death itself (not ambiguous and sometimes shocking).  I liked this story because you really get inside the characters' heads and bear witness to their self discovery and self destruction, all hand-in-hand.  It's actually pretty depressing stuff.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman - Hey, another Hugo Award winner.  I'm detecting a theme.  This is more of a modern fantasy, if such a category could be conceived, where mythology is wrapped in the present.  The plot might be a bit too confusing for a 2 hour movie, as characters are shuffled in and out, but there are great opportunities for action and special effects.

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clark - Wanna guess what award this won?  Anyway, I'm still stunned this hasn't been made into a movie yet.  Perhaps because it's considered "hard science fiction."  This means there are no liberties taken with the laws of science, so no roaring engines in space.  However, 2001: A Space Odyssey would be in the same category, and look how that turned out.  This story involves a thirty-mile-long cylindrical starship of unknown origin that passes through Earth's solar system. It is told from the point of view of a group of explorers.  It's very mysterious, and ripe with thrilling moments.  Lots of opportunities for special effects.

I managed to see three movies this weekend - one by theatre and two by DVD - each with varying levels of success.

First, I saw Iron Man with Jamie H.  I never read this comic as a kid, but I always thought he was a cool character.  In terms of movie quality, I would put this a notch above Fantastic Four, but maybe a step below X-Men and Spider-Man.  Robert Downey Jr. was capable of bringing a layer or two of depth to the title character.  The special effects were well done, and the action sequences were easy to follow.  I have only one gripe about the movie.  All super hero movies generally follow a basic formula - The Becoming (or the origin), trying out the newfound powers, meeting the villain, someone powerless but important to the main character is put into danger, and then the final face-off.  With Iron Man, we get "The Becoming" twice, which really slows down the pace early in the movie.  It's still all well presented, and perhaps there was not better way to introduce the new hero, but that's just my opinion.

On a quick side note - It seemed to me this movie was advertised everywhere.  When I went to the hospital on Friday the nurse asked me what I was doing for the day, and I said I was going to see Iron Man.  She was like "That's a movie, right?"  I told her that it was, and hoping to give her a frame of reference I said it was based on a comic book character, like Batman.  She said she doesn't get out much, with work and kids.  She usually just watches a little tv, which includes The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Home Improvement.  I was thinking 'Holy Cow.  What is this, 1995?'  I thought she was gonna slap me when I said I rolled out of bed at 11:00 am.

Ratatouille.  That's just fun to say.  Ratatouille.  Anyway, it was an okay movie.  Not laugh out loud funny, but entertaining regardless.  I can't say the same for movie #3.

Here's the deal with Equilibrium.  Yeah, it stars Christian Bale, of Batman fame.  However, the plot is a silly mish-mash of 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and several other dystopic novels.  In this case emotions are forbidden and art is burned (sound familiar?).  The problem with this scenario, besides being totally unoriginal and impractical, is that all the actors are required to plow through their lines WITHOUT SHOWING EMOTION.  You can imagine how that instills a less than subtle mood of complete boredom with anything that going on.

You know what I really need to do?  Come up with a list of books I've read that should have film adaptations.  I think that's my next post, if nothing else interesting strikes me.

The NFL Draft was this past weekend, which is an unremarkable event for the most part, for non-sports fans particularly, but there was one interesting story that occurred on the second day.

The U.S. Military Academy recently implemented a rule which has the by-product of allowing athletes to play professional sports immediately upon graduation.  Caleb Campbell, a former safety for the Army football team, was drafted by the Detroit Lions, which means he will not be deployed to Iraq as an officer and platoon leader, as was planned with his training at West Point.  Why would the Army agree to such an arrangement?  During his days off while a player in the NFL, Caleb will be required to speak to high school student about the opportunities available in the Army and the military in general.

There are some with the opinion that Caleb is shirking his obligation and responsibility to his country by accepting this opportunity and others who think it would be bad for morale to see one of their own given an opportunity they did not have.  After reviewing this story, I'd have to say that I don't have a problem with it.  As long as Caleb meets whatever obligation the Army deems to be a fulfillment of his contract, I think this is a great way to show prospective officer candidates that military service is a valid pursuit and does not have to be just a last resort.  I hope he makes the Lions roster and finds success both on the field and off.

I feel like crap this Monday morning.  More so than usual, that is.

Last night Jamie D. and I went to the Chevelle concert, which also featured the opening bands God or Julie as well as Finger Eleven.  Jamie and I had managed to make our way near to the front, but as the night wore on that would come to be a temporary position.  God or Julie was okay, and perhaps one of the best opening groups I've seen in some time, which isn't really saying much considering the dreck I've had to listen to from opening groups.  Not halfway through their set we noticed it was quite warm at Sokol, the venue holding this event.  I could already feel myself starting to sweat and I hadn't even really started moving around much.

By the time Finger Eleven took to the stage, everyone was starting to... smell a bit.  Their performance was better than expected though.  Their current hit song is Paralyzer, which has an opening riff that sounds exactly like another song by Franz Ferdinand called Take me out.  Well, midway through playing Paralyzer Finger Eleven launched into Take Me Out, which was a cool moment.  Then they moved into Talking About Love by Led Zeppelin, and transitioned that into Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd, before finally returning to their own song.  It was all pretty nifty and really got the crowd going at the end of their set.

At this point, Jamie and I were sweating up a storm and hadn't had a drop to drink since the start.  Chevelle finally played, and the front of the crowd was really swirling at this point.  I knew something bad was going to happen when I couldn't feel anyone pressed against my back, and sure enough there was a mini moshpit going on right behind me, which isn't any fun when some 170 lbs. teenager goes flying into your back for the 6th time.  If I hadn't been holding Jamie up, I'd have given him an elbow to the face after the second time.  As it was, by the fourth song Jamie was feeling dizzy and had enough, so we relocated to a more comfortable spot.  The Chevelle songs were great.  They played all the good ones from their newest album, and a few older ones as well.

By the time I got home, at around 11:30, I was beat and fell right to sleep, then woke up for a shower, and went back to sleep.  Now I'm trying to focus on work while feeling like I have on a pair of earmuffs.  Sunday Night concerts are a bad idea.

Why a dog is a man's best friend:

Dogs think you sing great.
Dogs don't expect you to call when you are running late.
The later you are, the more excited dogs are to see you.
Dogs will forgive you for playing with other dogs.
Dogs can appreciate excessive body hair.
If a dog is gorgeous, other dogs don't hate it.
Dogs don't shop.
No dog ever bought a Kenny G or Hootie & the Blowfish album.
Dogs like it when you leave lots of things on the floor.
A dog's disposition stays the same all month long.
Dogs never need to examine the relationship.
Dogs understand that instincts are better than asking for directions.
Dogs don't hate their bodies.
No dog ever put on 100 pounds after reaching adulthood.
Dogs never criticize your clothes.
Dogs agree that you have to raise your voice to get your point across.
Dogs don't want to know about every other dog you ever had.
Dogs don't let magazine articles guide their lives.
You never have to wait for a dog. They're ready to go 24 hours a day.
Dogs have no use for flowers, cards, or jewelry.

Speaking about working-class and rural voters and speculating on why they have become frustrated with their economic condition, here's what Barack Obama had to say:

"It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Wow.  I mean, just... wow.  I don't own a gun or attend church, so I'm not personally offended by the comment.  I find it shocking how ignorant this makes Obama look though.  In one fell swoop he's completely misdiagnosed why people in rural areas value gun ownership rights and use religion to guide them during important decisions, like presidential elections, while also lumping these practices in with anti-immigrant and anti-trade opinions.

Someone this out of touch with a large swath of America seeks to be its leader?  Ouch.

I'm officially not fond of any of the remaining three presidential candidates.

Honestly, I haven't educated myself much about the controversy surrounding China's relation with Tibet, beyond what I've read on other blog posts, so I'm a little torn between two modes of opinion regarding the torch relay for the Olympics in China.

On the one hand I certainly feel a bit of schadenfreude in seeing China on the receiving end of such vociferous disapproval.  I have no doubt had the Olympics been held in the United States these same protests would have occurred.  It's nice to see someone else on the receiving end of such hatred for a change.

On the other hand, perhaps it's a bit naïve of me to believe politics should be divorced from sports.  I'm a little disappointed in protesters choosing this opportunity to voice their opinion on the Tibet issue.  The Olympic Games should be just that - games.  Not a soapbox to announce your political opinions.

With the previous disruptions of the torch relay in London and Paris, and with the torch soon to be passing through San Francisco, what do I hope happens next?  Here's my dream scenario:

The glorious torch is lit and the first runner sets off surrounded by a cadre of about 200 of the finest from the SFPD (all working OT of course, sucking tax dollars from The City).  Before it gets over half a mile though, fire-extinguisher wielding protesters, literally frothing at the mouth, descend upon the hapless torch-bearer.  Batons and riot shields - engage!  A ruckus ensues.  The torch?!  Tossed into the bay!  The crowd erupts in cheers and jeers.  More police arrive on the scene with tear gas in tow.  Cars get flipped and store fronts are set on fire.  After several hours order is somewhat restored, and the state of California shows yet again why they're know as the Granola State (home to fruits and nuts). 

That would be a great scene and I'd get something interesting to watch on The Daily Show.  Everybody wins.

With all that's in the news today about the Iraq war, misbehaving corporations, and an economy that may or may not be in recession, I thought it might be nice to check in on the kids:

On Wednesday, April 2nd, a 25 year old Omaha mother was ordered to trial for felony child abuse.  Besides the fact her house was littered with drugs and a loaded shotgun, her 4-year-old child told an interviewer she had smoked a joint, smoked marijuana from a bong and from a pipe.  The girl also demonstrated how she smoked marijuana by taking a marker between her fingers, pretending to light up, breathed in and breathed out, then coughed.  Home schooling is a lot cooler now than when I was a kid.

In another well-known story, a group of third-graders in a south Georgia elementary school planned to attack their teacher because one of the students was scolded for standing on his chair.  The plan included bringing a broken steak knife, handcuffs, duct tape, and other items for the job, as well as assigning children tasks including covering the windows and cleaning up afterward.  I think this gives us all a good reason to check out the "How many five year olds can you take in a fight?" website.

In Clinton, Conn. a 14 year old boy faces felony charges for bringing a homemade taser to school.  The device was made out of a disposable camera. He told police he learned how to make the taser on the Internet.  I think the good news from this is he was researching something other than porn.

And finally...

In Dallas, Texas, two people have been indicted in connection with a 12 year old runaway who was dancing nude at a strip club.  The sixth-grader danced at Diamonds Cabaret over a two-week period.  During the hiring process, when she couldn't think of a fake birthday, she told suspect "David" she forgot her birthday.  Our hero David then gave her a funny look and told her she would have been born in 1988 if she was 19.  When David asked to see her identification, she told him that she didn't have one.  He told her to bring one when she came back to work as a dancer.  In a related story, the Dallas Cowboys football team is looking to sign Adam "Pacman" Jones.  Mr. Pacman has been arrested not once, but twice, for altercations at strip clubs.  Hopefully for the Cowboys, Mr. Pacman likes them young.

Jamie D. and I had a mini-date night, going out to Carraba's and enjoying matching dishes of chicken gratella and calamari.  Very tasty.

On Saturday my dad managed to lose his dog, Otto, while helping my grandparents renovate a house in a less than nice area of town.  I spent about three and a half hours driving around with him in the car looking for Otto.  Fortunately, it turned out someone had found him several blocks away and called the humane society.  Otto is safe and sound with his papa again.  Dumb dog.

Jamie H. and I went to see Run, Fatboy, Run on Sunday.  It was a little better than Hot Fuzz, though a bit schmaltzy and predictable by the ending, but still a funny and fun movie.

I also watched the third episode of Band of Brothers last night, via Netflix DVD.  It seems to be a well-done series so far, though a bit hard to watch sometimes.  I get a little choked up occasionally, and I find myself saying "Jesus!" a lot.  Otherwise, very good and I'm looking forward to the next seven episodes.

So, what's been going on lately...

I bought two tickets to the Chevelle concert.  The total?  $66.60.  Concidence?  I think not!  I'm looking forward to April 20th.

My tournament bracket has gone into the crapper, as usual.  I'm actually considering skipping the pool next year, because my inability to guess winners in advance has really curtailed my enjoyment of the games themselves.

ONIONS!

In this season of Big Brother, I tagged Natalie as my favorite, because she has her talent in all the right places :wink wink::  She's so ditsy to boot.  Well, she finally won HoH and I was happy for her.  I picked Dick last season, so maybe I'm on a roll.

American Idol is starting to drag a bit, in my opinion, but it's been interesting to see Dave Cook evolve into a full-on rocker.  I was calling him Daughtry-lite early on, so hopefully he doesn't flame-out in the same way.

After a few extra listens, I think Walking With Strangers by The Birthday Massacre is a decent CD.  There are a lot of 80s influences, as Jamie D. pointed out, but there's an edgyness to it that I like.

There was Easter, and a Ferrari win, and an animated movie.  It's all such a blur now.  Looking forward to another fun-filled weekend.  

Fun Fact of the day:  I now have 9 keys on my key ring.

I had a fairly busy weekend, as usual, so let's get right to it.

Thursday night Jamie D. and I went dress shopping for her awards ceremony.  I actually don't mind clothes shopping for someone else, so long as it doesn't turn into the Bataan Death march and we go from mall to mall for days on end.  We picked out a very nice red dress, which another woman complimented her on when she came out of the dressing room.

Friday night my dad and I went to the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert at the Qwest Center with about 15,000 other fans.  I'm not a huge fan, to be honest, but this is the second concert of his I've attended.  I thought the Kansas City concert in 2000 was a little better, but for a man in his late 50's he can still really belt it out.  I was also a little disappointed in the crowd, but I think I should recalibrate my expectations when most of the audience is similarly in their late 50's.  They didn't match the energy of the band, in my opinion.  Regardless, it was a good time, and I think my favorite performance was Jungle Land.  After the concert I decided to have something to eat and nearly set fire to my kitchen by turning on the wrong burner, which had a soon-to-be flaming Rubbermaid container on it.  Oops.

Saturday night Jamie D. and I went to the awards ceremony for our work.  She was nominated for two, while I was up for none.  The food was average, as usual.  Almost no one I knew actually won, as usual.  The ceremony was long and boring, as usual.  Overall, it was a pretty disappointing night, but Jamie did look very nice in her dress, so that was a small victory of sorts.

Sunday, Jamie H. and I watched the opening Formula 1 race in Australia (the race was in Australia, we watched it from her living room).  I don't think I want to say anything more about it than that.  Very disappointing.  Lots of wrecks, and unlike NASCAR accidents are rare and don't make the race more interesting.

Final side note - during a quick shopping trip on Saturday I managed to dump an entire cup of Hi-C on my front seat in the car.  Upsetting, to say the least.

There are stories circulating in the media that a "cocktail" of pharmaceuticals are in your drinking water, because they can't be filtered out by common methods.  Tests in the DC area have found typical household disinfectants, caffeine, sulfamethoxazole (anti-biotic), and carbamazepine (anti-convulsive and mood stabilizer for treating bi-polar disease).

These chemicals pose no immediate health emergency.  There is probably little health risk and scientists are already studying the long term effects.  The cost of filtration may be too high when weighed against any negligible effects, or it may even turn out these drugs have a beneficial effect and there will be no need to have them removed at all.  Your government will determine the best course of action for you and your loved ones.  There's no need to be alarmist at this point, as any such overreactions will be counter productive.

Another fairly low drama weekend is in the books.  Jamie D. and I hit the booksale at the local library again.  I picked up four books for $10 this time - 50 Years of Great Writing by Sports Illustrated, The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, The Lost World by Michael Crichton, and a coffee table book about the history of Greece.

Also got my taxes done with H&R Block.  Looks like I'm getting back about $700 this year, which is a relief because I was afraid the sale of the house would sting.

One week till the start of the 2008 Formula One season.  On to victory Ferrari and King Kimi!

I was able to take Jamie D. to her first hockey game last night, which was my second game in a week.  We saw the UNO Mavericks play the University of Alaska Nanooks in the CCHA playoffs.  We scored really good seats at the Qwest Center in the upper deck and first row at center ice.  The game was played pretty well, though at the collegiate level the players aren't all the fast.  Nevertheless, the hitting was good and the goals were plentiful, as UNO won 4 - 3 without ever trailing in the game.  I think I might consider going to more UNO games in the future.  We had a lot of fun.

I've been the victim of a few average movies lately.  

It may surprise some people that I thoroughly disliked There Will Be Blood.  Sure, the acting by Daniel Day Lewis was superb.  Hypnotizing, even.  The story, however, bored me to tears.  Not because it slow, which it was.  It seemed like every opportunity for character or plot conflict was cut short.

Semi-Pro, Will Ferrell's latest comedy, felt like Talladega Nights lite.  Been there, done that.  His style of cartoonish physical comedy and verbal slapstick is starting to wear a little thin on me.

Be Kind, Rewind was only a little better because there was an attempt at a plot amidst the jokes.  Jack Black was a little more restrained, while Mos Def can't play anything other than restrained.  Lacking energy, some of the comedy was a little subdued, but it was still entertaining.

The lone bright spot hails from 1948.  I rented Rope from Netflix.  It was among Hitchcock's first films in color, and the first where he received credit as both director and producer.  It was shot all on one set, and is edited to appear as one continuous shot.  There are, I believe, about ten breaks in the movie where the camera moves behind an actor or an object to cover the entire screen, but only about half of these cuts are obvious.  The plot, which is based on a true story, involves two young, rich men that commit a murder with self-superior, Nietzsche-driven motives.  A party is hosted immediately afterward, where the victim lies in a trunk at the center of the room.  It's all a bit macabre for its time, but the effect is enjoyable.

The anti-affirmative action movement may be gaining some traction here in Nebraska. 

First, state senator Mark Christensen introduced a constitutional amendment to prohibit schools and other governmental institutions from using race, gender, and other factors in their hiring and admission decisions.  However, Senator Christensen pulled the measure because he said other lawmakers told him they wouldn't support his other bills unless this one was withdrawn.

A petition is now being circulated around the state for a ballot to clarify the language currently used in the state constitution, which says "Discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to."  The goal is to update to the following: "The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment public education or public contracting."

I've been against affirmative action since its inception.  It seems to me the current state constitution does a fine job of prohibiting it, but it just wasn't followed during legislation.  I'm surprised an update is needed to affirm what's already written.  I believe if the issue makes it to a public ballot, a ban on affirmative action would be imminent here in Nebraska.

I haven't been doing much lately, but my girl Jamie D. has really been on a roll lately.

First, she's been on the Dean's list every semester she's been in college, and actually made the Chancellor's list this past semester.  All this as a full-time student and graduating on time next year.

Second, she was just nominated for two awards at work, where she is a full-time employee.  One award is for outstanding service in her department, and the second is for outstanding service in a back-up position for our building.

Awesome job!  Congratulations, and good luck on your award nominations.

Let's start with a hypothetical situation.  I work for a multi-national company that has a profit margin in the billions with a capital B (that's not the hypothetical part yet).  While on vacation I get a little carried away during an argument at a strip club and decide to up and shoot some dude in the spine.  It happens to the best of us, okay?  Well, it turns out the dude in question isn't going to walk again.  The company I work for has a strict conduct policy, so I've been suspended.  Feeling guilty, the company also decides they're going to try to raise funds for the coming medical bills for the victim of my anger issues by holding some kind of charity event.  The dude and his family decide that's not good enough, as they were expecting an all expense paid visit to the hospital plus other expenses (home remodeling, new vehicle, etc).  As such, they sue... my employer.  Company making billions decides "Screw you.  Now you'll get nothing and like it."

Seems like a ridiculous scenario, but it's actually all playing out in real life between a football player named Adam "Pacman" Jones, a dude plus bullet named Tommy Urbanski and his family, and a billion dollar company named the National Football League.

Before I post some follow-up on a story I offered earlier about the City Council of Berkeley and Code Pink versus the Marine recruitment station in that city, I wanted to offer my opinion about war and dissension.

With this war in Iraq, like any war, there is an enemy.  Whether we should be at war with that enemy is debatable, but the fact that we are isn't.  There are a number of elements that go into our country's ability to make war, from recruitment to training to supplies to funding.  If anyone interferes in any way with the country's ability to make war, however incrementally, they are logically helping the enemy's effort toward victory.  In this case, I believe victory for our enemy means inflicting enough deaths upon American soldiers and civilians that the United States government will leave Iraq (and thus a vacuum of power in our wake).

In my mind, when the City Council of Berkeley passed a resolution that supported interfering with the Marines recruiting effort, through words encouraging their populace toward hindrance and empowering Code Pink to obstruct the stations abilities, they are thereby supporting our enemy's position toward victory.

That is treason.  

Now for the update.

After much protesting, angry emails numbering in the thousands, and negative coverage by many media outlets, the City Council of Berkeley decided to revisit their decision against the Marine recruitment station.  What was the result?  After a vote, they decided the wording was too harsh.  The message remains the same.  Code Pink also keeps their parking spot and permission to use whatever means to evict the station.  The council offers no apology to active duty marines or their families.