A Single Man

This movie surrounds around a professor (played wonderfully by Colin Firth) who had just recently lost his longtime partner of several years. The movie is well-paced, beautifully filmed, and very emotional... providing a nice step back from the fast-paced blockbusters of today. And it has a message that everyone can take away from it: enjoy the good parts of life and try to forget the rest.

listed in: movie, reviews | Comments (0)

Pizza Man Fire in Milwaukee

I had only been there once, but I think I can still say I will miss their amazing cheesy garlic bread. Since the area is very difficult to get to, and the photos various media outlets have taken are really crappy, I thought I'd take a couple for those wondering what the damage is like. It looks like they were still extinguishing some of the fire, 30 hours later.

listed in: milwaukee, pizza man | ∞

Mission: Fix Wiimote. Result: Failure.

One of my Wii Remotes recently broke. Not totally broke... you could still point with it and press the buttons, but it didn't measure tilt/movement anymore. Probably as a result of it being the output of frustration from playing the New Super Mario Brothers.

listed in: electronics, repair, wii | Comments (1)

Avatar

I just saw Avatar this evening at a 3D Imax, and I have to say it is a really good movie. The characters were very connectible, the story had an almost perfect and well-timed arc, some of the visuals were very stunning, and the movie got me going through a wide range of emotions.

I do have to disclaim that this is my first 3D movie (outside the ones at theme parks that do more gag 3D effects). I found it incredible how the 3D sucked you into a scene, and how much more real the actors became. I can definitely see this being the direction movies go in.

But was Avatar the best movie of all time? No. Far from it. The pro-environment anti-war message was a little too one-size-fits-all, and some characters outside the Pandora world were very underdeveloped. You can't compare it to classics like The Shawshank Redemption and Forrest Gump.

Was it the most visually stunning movie I've ever seen? No. Sunshine, 2001, Hero, Sin City, The 300, and The Matrix far exceed Avatar in beauty, just to name a few.

Was it the best human/CGI interaction I've seen? No. Arguably District 9 had more connect between the actors and computer generated alien creatures.

Was it the best 3D movie I've ever seen? Well, I don't have anything to compare it to, but I found the Alice and Wonderland trailer to be much more playful and the Hubble 3D trailer to be crisper and have much more depth.

And is this movie that revolutionary? I find it hard to put on the list with A Trip to the Moon, 2001, Jurassic Park and The Matrix.

But should you go see it? Yes. I'd even go as far to say that it's worth the $15, or whatever you end up paying for it. Just make sure you see it in 3D. I'm not sure if it would have held up without it.

listed in: movie, review | ∞

Goodbye GeoCities

Today marks a sad day. Yahoo is shutting GeoCities down for good. This website began on Geocities on February 22nd, 1998. I was in the "TimesSquare/Stadium" neighborhood at address 3423.

As much as people joked about GeoCities, it was a great place to create your first website. There was a vibrant community of volunteers (called "Community Leaders", which I was apart of), and a real sense of community between those that had websites there.

It was true social networking, almost 10 years before the concept really took off, and as many experts in the field agree, had Yahoo! managed it correctly, it could have been as popular and profitable as MySpace and Facebook, while as community-driven as Wikipedia.

I still have the email that was sent on January 28th, 1999:

Dear Homesteader,

Boy, do we have some exciting news for you! This morning, we
officially announced that Yahoo! has acquired GeoCities to
form a partnership that combines two unique things: the
powerful community you've created, and the powerful services
and features of Yahoo!

What does this mean to you as a GeoCities Homesteader? Well,
first of all, GeoCities will remain better than ever. Much
better than ever! You'll have lots more cool tools to use.
You'll have a larger variety of great features and
services at your disposal. And most importantly, you'll
have instantaneous access to more people on the Web - people
who share your interests and want to participate in the
community you've helped us create here at GeoCities.

The terms of the deal won't be finalized for about four more
months, but we can tell you that GeoCities and Yahoo! are both
thrilled about the partnership. It's a perfect match. We're two
of the most innovative, influential and popular companies on
the Web today. Our cultures, our values, our beliefs are in sync.
We share a common vision.

For GeoCities, the best news is that Yahoo! recognizes in us something
that only we can provide - a strong and committed sense of community.
And for that, we have you to thank. We've built this together.
And together we're shaping the future of the Internet.

...

Sincerely,

Tom Evans
President & Chief Executive Officer
GeoCities

Ha. Well, fuck you, Tom Evans, and fuck you Yahoo. You ruined a great thing.

My next question is: Is Flickr next? Or has Yahoo learned their lesson?

listed in: geocities, yahoo | Comments (1)