So, a while ago (I honestly can't remember, let's say a month). I had this weird dream that involved driving to a town on the Mississippi that was this nice little replica of European/Germanic town. The town was on a steep hill overlooking the river, and totally touristy. It was a weird dream then, which I still remember bits and pieces of.
Last night I had a dream that took place in the same town. I don't remember much about the dream, but when I woke up I realized that it was the same place. As far as I know, this is a totally fictitious town that exists only in my dreams.
Weird.
8.05.2010
1.30.2010
6.03.2009
The Name Game
For no good reason, I've been giving thought to names recently. I have always had an interest in names; meaning, numberology, historical significance, etc. The book I'm reading has a unique name in it, and I'm reminded of my own daughter's name.
Kariana is a name that I pulled out of the ether. I used it for a D&D character (a kick-ass ranger for those who care). Names have an interesting ability. That character was actually never used in a real game. I often wished to create a new character that I could adventure with to finally give her the adventures she deserved. Even though she's never been used, I already have the entire character fleshed out in my mind.
When we decided to use that name for our daughter, I was a bit hesitant. It was as though I was giving up control of the name. Yet, choosing that name may have been the easiest part of the whole process. We knew that it was meant to be her name. We had more agonizing discussions on what her middle name would be, since her first name was always a given.
Once we knew we were going to run with it, I had to find out what it means. So consulting the interwebs, I stumbled upon that Kari (which is short for Karen, which is short for Katherine) means "pure," and Ana means "grace." So Kariana becomes "pure grace." Now, this amused me endlessly, as anyone who knows me knows that I am not graceful, and I cannot imagine someone with my genetic code not being cursed by that. It was not until she was two that I realized the true meaning of her name.
See, I'd been thinking of grace as in "elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action," and that may have been an error. Now, I'm a spirtual man still finding my way in the world so this was not readily apparent to me. The definition I should have been looking for is under the theological definitions of grace: the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God, the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them, a virtue or excellence of divine origin.
Now, we often refer to our children as blessings, and I admit to the father bias. But I can't help looking at her and believing that she is destined for something greater. I don't presume to know the way the world works, and I would never presume to tell her what her place is in the world. But I know the spark that I see in her eyes. She has fundamentally altered Kim and my life for the better, and I often wonder if she will have the same affect on the world.
Kariana is a name that I pulled out of the ether. I used it for a D&D character (a kick-ass ranger for those who care). Names have an interesting ability. That character was actually never used in a real game. I often wished to create a new character that I could adventure with to finally give her the adventures she deserved. Even though she's never been used, I already have the entire character fleshed out in my mind.
When we decided to use that name for our daughter, I was a bit hesitant. It was as though I was giving up control of the name. Yet, choosing that name may have been the easiest part of the whole process. We knew that it was meant to be her name. We had more agonizing discussions on what her middle name would be, since her first name was always a given.
Once we knew we were going to run with it, I had to find out what it means. So consulting the interwebs, I stumbled upon that Kari (which is short for Karen, which is short for Katherine) means "pure," and Ana means "grace." So Kariana becomes "pure grace." Now, this amused me endlessly, as anyone who knows me knows that I am not graceful, and I cannot imagine someone with my genetic code not being cursed by that. It was not until she was two that I realized the true meaning of her name.
See, I'd been thinking of grace as in "elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action," and that may have been an error. Now, I'm a spirtual man still finding my way in the world so this was not readily apparent to me. The definition I should have been looking for is under the theological definitions of grace: the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God, the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them, a virtue or excellence of divine origin.
Now, we often refer to our children as blessings, and I admit to the father bias. But I can't help looking at her and believing that she is destined for something greater. I don't presume to know the way the world works, and I would never presume to tell her what her place is in the world. But I know the spark that I see in her eyes. She has fundamentally altered Kim and my life for the better, and I often wonder if she will have the same affect on the world.
5.08.2009
5.04.2009
Snikt!
So, I went and saw Wolverine this weekend. Let me start by explaining a little about my perspective on the movie. I'm a casual comic book fan. Here's what I mean:
Facts I know: Cyclops' real name, Wolverine's claws are adamantium, what the Phoenix is, and so on.
Facts I don't know: Current active teams (Excalibur, X-Factor, etc), who built the Sentinels, etc.
As for the movie. I enjoyed it. After doing some post-movie research on who exactly was in it, I realized that the portrayal of some of the mutants could have been off-putting to some die hard fans, but that's not how I watched it. Was it engaging? Did I care? Did I stay up, even though it was a midnight showing and I had to be at work in 6 hours? The answer to all of these is a resounding YES!
Would I recommend it to my friends... hmm, this is a bit tentative. Friends that just want some popcorn and a movie. Yes. Friends that do know who built the Sentinels, that's for them to figure out on their own (but they'll probably see it anyways).
Here's the thing. I had no problem accepting the conventions of the movie. Wolverine and Sabertooth were half-brothers. Fine. Cyclops is used by Stryker's mutant army for eviltude. Sure. Humvees in the early 80s. HELL NO!. See, there's this scene where Wolvie's being hunted and the army chases after him. Helicopters are all Hueys (although I've been informed by a reliable source that Black Hawks were possible). But for this scene, suddenly two Humvees pop out of the woods. The problem: Humvees didn't start to get deployed until 1985 (I didn't see my first Humvee until 1994). To make the issue even more egregious, the previous scene showed the army tooling around in Jeeps, which is what they should have had!
Verisimiltude. Look it up.
Facts I know: Cyclops' real name, Wolverine's claws are adamantium, what the Phoenix is, and so on.
Facts I don't know: Current active teams (Excalibur, X-Factor, etc), who built the Sentinels, etc.
As for the movie. I enjoyed it. After doing some post-movie research on who exactly was in it, I realized that the portrayal of some of the mutants could have been off-putting to some die hard fans, but that's not how I watched it. Was it engaging? Did I care? Did I stay up, even though it was a midnight showing and I had to be at work in 6 hours? The answer to all of these is a resounding YES!
Would I recommend it to my friends... hmm, this is a bit tentative. Friends that just want some popcorn and a movie. Yes. Friends that do know who built the Sentinels, that's for them to figure out on their own (but they'll probably see it anyways).
Here's the thing. I had no problem accepting the conventions of the movie. Wolverine and Sabertooth were half-brothers. Fine. Cyclops is used by Stryker's mutant army for eviltude. Sure. Humvees in the early 80s. HELL NO!. See, there's this scene where Wolvie's being hunted and the army chases after him. Helicopters are all Hueys (although I've been informed by a reliable source that Black Hawks were possible). But for this scene, suddenly two Humvees pop out of the woods. The problem: Humvees didn't start to get deployed until 1985 (I didn't see my first Humvee until 1994). To make the issue even more egregious, the previous scene showed the army tooling around in Jeeps, which is what they should have had!
Verisimiltude. Look it up.
4.22.2009
No one will notice
I know no one reads this, but it's where I hide all the cool stuff. Today was particularly cool. If you weren't aware, President Obama was in Iowa today visiting a wind turbine tower factory. The fun part, I happen to work about a half mile from the airport. Unfortunately, while chained to my desk, I don't usually see planes coming and going. Sure we can hear when the Air Force Reserve stationed here does their maneuvers, and when coming and going into the building (and the wind is the right way) I get to see the planes landing. Close enough to read logos, but not close enough to get tail numbers.
So today, I ran out to grab some lunch. As I was walking out of the building, I noticed a Black Hawk (shout out to Todd) in the air. Rare, but not unusual. I remembered that the president was scheduled to show up sometime around now. On the way back to the office, I noticed another Black Hawk, apparently circling the airport. Now I knew something was up. I glanced over to my left and noticed a large plane on approach. Bear in mind, I just happened to be at the right angle at the right time to see it. Also bear in mind, Des Moines doesn't get 747 traffic.
I had a hunch that this was Air Force One, so I hurried to the top of the hill next to my office building. Sure enough, it was. We're near the end of the runway, so I got a pretty much head on view of watching her approach, land, and taxi on the tarmac. Since its been a little dry lately, there was even the fun effect of kicking up some dust as she touched down.
Awesome.
This marks the third time I've seen Air Force One (Ironically, the other two times were closer.) But she's still an awesome bird. (And it was kind of cool knowing that a president that I actually voted for was on board).
I felt a little guilty, like I wasn't supposed to be there because of security. I didn't want to linger and watch her finish taxiing, just in case I did get in trouble (for just watching). I think that's a bit sad. Apologies that I didn't have the foresight to grab the camera this morning (and yes I have a camera phone, but come on. I wasn't that close).
So today, I ran out to grab some lunch. As I was walking out of the building, I noticed a Black Hawk (shout out to Todd) in the air. Rare, but not unusual. I remembered that the president was scheduled to show up sometime around now. On the way back to the office, I noticed another Black Hawk, apparently circling the airport. Now I knew something was up. I glanced over to my left and noticed a large plane on approach. Bear in mind, I just happened to be at the right angle at the right time to see it. Also bear in mind, Des Moines doesn't get 747 traffic.
I had a hunch that this was Air Force One, so I hurried to the top of the hill next to my office building. Sure enough, it was. We're near the end of the runway, so I got a pretty much head on view of watching her approach, land, and taxi on the tarmac. Since its been a little dry lately, there was even the fun effect of kicking up some dust as she touched down.
Awesome.
This marks the third time I've seen Air Force One (Ironically, the other two times were closer.) But she's still an awesome bird. (And it was kind of cool knowing that a president that I actually voted for was on board).
I felt a little guilty, like I wasn't supposed to be there because of security. I didn't want to linger and watch her finish taxiing, just in case I did get in trouble (for just watching). I think that's a bit sad. Apologies that I didn't have the foresight to grab the camera this morning (and yes I have a camera phone, but come on. I wasn't that close).
11.11.2008
Knight of the future
So, it looks like someone in Hollywood reads my blog. Okay, maybe not, but it looks like the show is moving the general direction that I suggest...
According to the Hollywood Reporter the showrunner (executive producer in charge of the show) for Knight Rider is booting three of the actors (The two FBI leads, and the creator of KITT), and moving the show to more of a Michael out helping the common man, as opposed to the terrorist of the week.
Let's hope that this moves the show out of how I'd currently classify it: Seeds of awesome in a field of crap (and yet, I keep watching).
You can read the whole article at the Hollywood Reporter here
According to the Hollywood Reporter the showrunner (executive producer in charge of the show) for Knight Rider is booting three of the actors (The two FBI leads, and the creator of KITT), and moving the show to more of a Michael out helping the common man, as opposed to the terrorist of the week.
Let's hope that this moves the show out of how I'd currently classify it: Seeds of awesome in a field of crap (and yet, I keep watching).
You can read the whole article at the Hollywood Reporter here
11.06.2008
Little on the outside, powerful on the inside.
Let me be honest, I love our Mac Mini. It's small. It sips electricity likes no body's business (although waking from sleep has gotten a bit wonky since the last security update, it seems every other update does that). And did I mention it gets the job done. Also, it plays all my old (circa 2000 when I had money) Windows games perfectly with a shout-out to Boot Camp.
So, I was heartened to learn this.
Especially, since I keep razzing the 'rents to get a mac.
So, I was heartened to learn this.
Especially, since I keep razzing the 'rents to get a mac.
10.23.2008
Post election miscellany
Follow regarding the sex ed rant earlier, this was found in people magazine (here)
(SP is Palin)
"People: Has this changed how you talk about sex with your other children?
SP: I've always been a proponent of making sure kids understand – even in schools – they'd better take preventative measures so that they don't find themselves in these less than ideal circumstances. Perhaps Bristol could be a good example to other young women that life happens and preventative measures are, first and foremost, the option that should be considered –
People: Do you mean abstinence or contraception?
SP: Well, both. Ideally abstinence. But we have not been ones to say that students, should not know what preventive measures are all about. I've been taken aback by some criticism that mainstream media has thrown my way saying, Oh, what a hypocrite she is and she's now learned her lesson because she's been against sex education in the schools. And I'm like, when? Where? When have I ever said that there should be no sex education taught in our homes or even in our schools?"
(SP is Palin)
"People: Has this changed how you talk about sex with your other children?
SP: I've always been a proponent of making sure kids understand – even in schools – they'd better take preventative measures so that they don't find themselves in these less than ideal circumstances. Perhaps Bristol could be a good example to other young women that life happens and preventative measures are, first and foremost, the option that should be considered –
People: Do you mean abstinence or contraception?
SP: Well, both. Ideally abstinence. But we have not been ones to say that students, should not know what preventive measures are all about. I've been taken aback by some criticism that mainstream media has thrown my way saying, Oh, what a hypocrite she is and she's now learned her lesson because she's been against sex education in the schools. And I'm like, when? Where? When have I ever said that there should be no sex education taught in our homes or even in our schools?"
10.10.2008
How I'd fix Knight Rider
Like a glutton for punishment, I keep watching the new Knight Rider hoping that it'll get better. Why? Nostalgia for the past, perhaps. Wanting some mindless popcorn show (if you don't know what that means, ask Roger Ebert). Regardless, the show can do better.
First off, I'd ditch their reliance on the "KittCave." Now, I'm not saying that the cave itself is a bad idea, but so far they've returned to it several times an episode. It's like they can't have a mission that's farther than 100 miles from LAX (or wherever the undisclosed airport is). That was part of the appeal of the original series, that Michael was on his own. Related to that, note to bad guys (who are apparently technically sophisticated): keep an eye on the spy satellites and find the hangar that a black mustang keeps going in and out of.
Now, I thought the C-130 was a great spin on the semi from the original series, but they should bring the semi back. The C-130 is too impractical to always use for remote launches, and not exactly inconspicuous. Make the semi (and possibly even the C-130) a mobile KittCave. Also, KITT should not be spinning out everytime he pulls out of the plane. Think of the tires! Is it so hard to go the same direction? What a waste of kinetic energy.
Related to the KittCave and the team concept that appears to be working at the moment, Michael Knight should work alone. I'm not opposed to Sarah accompanying him on missions, and the tension there is fun, but this constant viewscreen crap is just that. First, its creepy that the driver and passenger can be watched at any time. Second, it's a great example of distracted driving and someone is going to get killed. Move the display to the center console like the movie.
The viewscreen gives me a chance to transition to my other peeve: KITT. Look, I get that he's a supercar. But he can do too much. We run the risk of what I'll call Superman syndrome. What's that you ask? Simply put: what can't Superman do. In the Golden Age of Comics, Superman turned back time and moved the sun. Suddenly, thug robbing bank is pretty insignificant. I'm all for cool new technology. Heck, I even let the transforming into a truck slide (although conservation of mass suggests that it should be a regular cab, not an extended cab). Hacking into a satellite, fine. Hearing a conversation over the next hill, less plausible. Embedded screen on the hood, fine. Creating a duplicate of a key which likely requires an RFID to work, um, no.
While I'm at it, why does everything have to be a voice command with KITT. Sure, that's cool and all, but let's say Sarah and Michael are both sitting in the car, is there a hierarchy of command in that case? Is someone calling from the KittCave able to activate it? Is it so darn hard to push a button! And a pet peeve: It's Pursuit Mode, not Attack Mode. KITT doesn't attack, he chases really fast. (I'd let Assault Mode slide, but not Attack)
Now, I don't have a problem with a team backing up Michael. To a point. If it's an opportunity to mix and match who goes with on a mission, great. If it's to provide childish or teenage humor, not so much. The original show wasn't a comedy, don't make this into one. And what's with the mysterious guy from DHS/FBI/I'm not sure. In the pilot they make it out to be a partnership with the FBI and Knight Industries. Suddenly, Michael is taking orders because he has to for no apparent reason. I can only hope the show gets awesome when Michael turns on him.
Like I mentioned before the show's plot needs work. Michael's past could be interesting, but not required every week, unless that's what the show wants to focus on. I don't need a perv (sorry, Billy), or a tease (sorry girl who teases Billy whose name I don't remember). Do your job, and if there's a chance to inject personality, we'll get there. I like girls in bikinis as much as the next guy, but that's not a plot. It's scenery.
Call me Hollywood, I'll help save the show.
First off, I'd ditch their reliance on the "KittCave." Now, I'm not saying that the cave itself is a bad idea, but so far they've returned to it several times an episode. It's like they can't have a mission that's farther than 100 miles from LAX (or wherever the undisclosed airport is). That was part of the appeal of the original series, that Michael was on his own. Related to that, note to bad guys (who are apparently technically sophisticated): keep an eye on the spy satellites and find the hangar that a black mustang keeps going in and out of.
Now, I thought the C-130 was a great spin on the semi from the original series, but they should bring the semi back. The C-130 is too impractical to always use for remote launches, and not exactly inconspicuous. Make the semi (and possibly even the C-130) a mobile KittCave. Also, KITT should not be spinning out everytime he pulls out of the plane. Think of the tires! Is it so hard to go the same direction? What a waste of kinetic energy.
Related to the KittCave and the team concept that appears to be working at the moment, Michael Knight should work alone. I'm not opposed to Sarah accompanying him on missions, and the tension there is fun, but this constant viewscreen crap is just that. First, its creepy that the driver and passenger can be watched at any time. Second, it's a great example of distracted driving and someone is going to get killed. Move the display to the center console like the movie.
The viewscreen gives me a chance to transition to my other peeve: KITT. Look, I get that he's a supercar. But he can do too much. We run the risk of what I'll call Superman syndrome. What's that you ask? Simply put: what can't Superman do. In the Golden Age of Comics, Superman turned back time and moved the sun. Suddenly, thug robbing bank is pretty insignificant. I'm all for cool new technology. Heck, I even let the transforming into a truck slide (although conservation of mass suggests that it should be a regular cab, not an extended cab). Hacking into a satellite, fine. Hearing a conversation over the next hill, less plausible. Embedded screen on the hood, fine. Creating a duplicate of a key which likely requires an RFID to work, um, no.
While I'm at it, why does everything have to be a voice command with KITT. Sure, that's cool and all, but let's say Sarah and Michael are both sitting in the car, is there a hierarchy of command in that case? Is someone calling from the KittCave able to activate it? Is it so darn hard to push a button! And a pet peeve: It's Pursuit Mode, not Attack Mode. KITT doesn't attack, he chases really fast. (I'd let Assault Mode slide, but not Attack)
Now, I don't have a problem with a team backing up Michael. To a point. If it's an opportunity to mix and match who goes with on a mission, great. If it's to provide childish or teenage humor, not so much. The original show wasn't a comedy, don't make this into one. And what's with the mysterious guy from DHS/FBI/I'm not sure. In the pilot they make it out to be a partnership with the FBI and Knight Industries. Suddenly, Michael is taking orders because he has to for no apparent reason. I can only hope the show gets awesome when Michael turns on him.
Like I mentioned before the show's plot needs work. Michael's past could be interesting, but not required every week, unless that's what the show wants to focus on. I don't need a perv (sorry, Billy), or a tease (sorry girl who teases Billy whose name I don't remember). Do your job, and if there's a chance to inject personality, we'll get there. I like girls in bikinis as much as the next guy, but that's not a plot. It's scenery.
Call me Hollywood, I'll help save the show.
