Saturday, December 30, 2006

Goofs

I find it silly that the Internet Movie Data Base has a space for "Goofs." Movies are always full of goofs, but we ignore them in order to enjoy the show. (Yes, I just watched "The Prestige.")

Friday, December 29, 2006

Why this blog sucks

Good bloggers spend lots of time crafting long articles. I don't have that much to say, so my blog sucks. But, hey -- a picture of a Pepsi Blue can!

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Old beverage

Bought this bottle of Orbitz blueberry melon strawberry flavor beverage in 1996. Drank a couple bottles of it. The floaty bits are sorta chewy, but not particularly flavorful. But it looks cool. Hence my not tossing it out. But really now, I've had this for 10 years. Silly.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Depressing Christmas movie

In the mood for a depressing, cynical, darkly-funny Christmas movie? Harold Ramis' 2005 effort, "The Ice Harvest." You're welcome.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Chrome logo

Why is this logo done in a chrome finish? Is there motorcycle riding in the movie? Perhaps a heavy metal soundtrack?

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Yard ornaments


Perfect for your yard.

Furniture Mart, a little north of Anoka on Highway 10.

Friday, December 15, 2006

A safer helmet










This article in the New York Times suggests that car drivers treat helmet-wearing bike riders with less care than they treat bike riders who are not wearing helmets.

But I don't feel safe without my helmet. What to do?

Introducing the Wilmet -- or maybe the Helwig. Drivers think you're not wearing a helmet, so they give you a wide birth, but you are still wearing a helmet, so you feel comfortable.

Problem solved.


Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

New logo

A couple years ago Lawson Software came up with this new logo. Pyramid. Flat color. Suggesting documents or something.









This summer they started using this logo. Globe. Shaded, 3-D. Suggesting world domination?

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Fight!





I know that these little thingies have something to do with rating blog posts. But just look at them fighting it out in their little spaces. So cute. Such a ruckus.

Pieces




So, what do the pieces of a regular and a new basketball look like?

I don't know, but this is my guess.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Basketball

There's some controversy over the new NBA basketball. Some of the players don't like it.

I think the old style looks nicer graphically. More hand made.

The new one looks like it was designed on a computer. A little over-tricky.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Spelling

Does a misspelling completely discount an argument?

Monday, December 04, 2006

Classic














This design is not cool.

Where are the soft shadows? The reflections? The 3-D logo? The dayglo colors? The up-to-the-minute typography with fonts you'll be buying next year?

What's wrong with this package?

Maybe it's gone so far past cool, it's cool again.

Friday, December 01, 2006

Sharpest

Looked at the Madden football game and a driving game on a PlayStation 3 played through a high-def television.

The cars look more alive than the football players. The grass football field is way too over-detailed. Can there be too much detail in grass?

Yes.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Conversation

On the bus.

"Starbucks!"

"That the one you hang out at?"

"No, that's Grand and Otis."

"Mmm."

"This one has a fireplace."

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Products placement

Final James Bond comment. In "Casino Royale" there's an exchange mentioning two watchmakers within seconds of each other.

It goes something like this:

"Do you wear a Rolex?"

"No. Omega."

I don't think either watch is shown.

I'd bet both Rolex and Omega paid to be in the conversation. Probably Omega paid more.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Practice

In the new James Bond movie, "Casino Royale," the bad guy tortures Bond in a complicated manner. Throughout the scene, I thought, "That guy is certainly accurate with his rope flinging. He must practice."

Monday, November 27, 2006

Louise Lasser is back!



I've been a big fan of Louise Lasser since she was in "Bananas" with Woody Allen. She was also in the comedy soap opera "Mary Hartman Mary Hartman." A funny lady with a distinctive look.






I recently saw "Just Like Heaven," the Reese Witherspoon movie. One of the players is Ivana Milicevic. Looks alot like Lasser. Seems to have some comedic ability, too. Milicevic is a bad guy in the new James Bond movie.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Nitpick

The Internet, bless it, has room for every last nitpick and quibble. I present to you, a blog that comments on silent panels in daily cartoon strips:

The Silent Penultimate Panel Watch.

Personally, I love a silent panel. Rhythm. But if two people find a need to point out whenever a silent panel is used -- and judge whether for not it was needed -- have at it.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Whiine

The Wii controler is very light. But after a half-hour of swinging it around all over the place it seems very heavy.

It's like carpal tunnal syndrome for your entire body.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Thank

Thanksgiving and the big shopping day after it are only in the USA, right?

'Cause the Canada-based cartoon strip, "For Better Or For Worse" is ignoring the holiday today.

Thankful for that.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Bob

I remember being really disappointed and confused about the 1977 Robert Altman movie, "3 Women." I'd read lots of very favorable reviews and was excited to bask in the genius that is Altman. I liked "M*A*S*H" and I liked "The Long Goodbye" -- this would be more of the same, right?

Then I saw the movie. It made no sense to me. I laughed when Shelly Duvall closed the car door on the hem of her dress and drove off with that little piece of fabric hanging out. That was the highlight of the movie.

But what was with Sissy Spacek acting all weird and putting on all that make-up? The woman in the pool? Didn't get it. Still don't.

Dream logic doesn't work for me. I need awake logic.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Mongolia

New publication in town. Name doubles as Web address.

Vita.mn

Like "vitamin," I guess, with the two-letter Zip Code-style "Minnesota" tossed in.

It's a youth-targeted weekly publication of a daily newspaper, the Star Tribune. (It uses the Star Tribune's typefaces.) (It republishes Star Tribune movie, music and, cough, art reviews.)

Back to ".mn", though.

Kinda cool that it completes a word with the Web address and that it stands for Minnesota.

But what, really, does the .mn domain stand for?

Mongolia.

Worn

I have an iPod. It's a couple years old and it's scratched.

I don't mind that it's scratched. I'm not proud that it's scratched.

It's my machine. I made all the scratches. The machine still works.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Coincidence











An eclipse is featured as a letter in the logo for both the tv show "Heroes" and the movie "Apocalypto." As an "O" in the first and as a "C" in the second.

Thud-thud-thud

The New York Times takes a serious shot at PlayStation 3.

Wonder what's gotten into that reviewer guy (Seth Schiesel)? Is there that much to hate about the new console?

The reviewer puts a big emphasis on PS3's network play capabilities, I guess they are not as smooth or nice as XBox360. At the moment.

And the reviewer discounts the potential of the PS3 hardware.

Seems a little much.

I understand wanting to review the thing first and fast, but for me, personally, I'm not going to buy either an XB360 or a PS3 until the new "Grand Theft Auto" comes out around a year from now.

I would guess that lots of the kinks will be worked out of PS3 by then.

One flew over

Saw "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" (1975) this weekend. Hadn't seen it since it first came out in '75. Remembered it as a depressing movie. And it still was depressing.

It was fun, however, to see the movie because so many of the players are now famous. Spot the future star.

Danny DeVito. Christopher Lloyd. Scatman Cruthers. Brad Dorif. Vincent Schiavelli.

All have gone on to bigger things.

There are also future connections in "Cuckoo's Nest."

DeVito/Lloyd in "Taxi."

Nicholson/Cruthers in "The Shining."

Nicholson/DeVito in "Hoffa."

And according to Internet Movie Data Base, "Goin' South" (1978) had Nicholson, Lloyd and DeVito.