NY APPEALS COURT SAYS F-BOMB DURING PRIMETIME OK!

Thanks to [http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/004579.html|this story] at PCWorld.com, I've just come up with a great new name for a rock band:

The Fleeting Expletives

"Fleeting expletives" happens to be what the FCC calls off-handed swears uttered by folks on TV who maybe didn't mean to say them. The appeals court has said this rule banning such off-the-cuff fucking and shitting is unconstitutional.

FUCK, YEAH!

I mean, uuh... wait, this is the Web, FUCK, YEAH, that's what I meant!

 

*Apologies to my mom who actually reads this blog.

YOUR COMPUTER HAS BLOOD ON IT

Yummmy blood!

OK, I shouldn't be quite so dark about this. But that thing you're reading this text on has this stuff in it called coltan--coltan is what they call columbite-tantalite in Africa and it's used to make a number of basic computer parts that are also common in just about any gadget you own. What does this have to do with yummy blood? Well, it turns out that coltan is mined in the Congo and illegal mining operations have been used as financial sources for the military occupation of the Congo. Think of it like Blood Coltan, you know, like Blood Diamonds, only no Leonardo DiCaprio.

According to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coltan|the Coltan page] at Wikipedia.org:

Owing to the difficulty of distinguishing legitimate from illegitimate mining operations, several electronics manufacturers have decided to forgo central African coltan altogether, relying on other sources.

All three countries named by the United Nations as smugglers of coltan have denied being involved. Austrian journalist Klaus Werner has documented links between multi-national companies and the illegal coltan traffic.

I'm still using my computer and you should too. I just think it's important that those of us who can afford computers (and other gadgets) understand where they come from and part of why they are affordable to us.

Sure, some of the coltan in your electronics may not be Bloody, but like the diamond in any piece of jewelry, you can't be completely sure someone didn't die for it. This is still true even if the company that made the device promises that they didn't get the coltan from the Congo.

Personally, I'm going to assume my laptop is bloody and use that quiet guilt to further inspire my continuing work to change things, even if I am only able to change things a little.

Any change is better than nothing, right?

BAMAKO (2007)

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Sadly, no. This is one of those movies that means well, but masks it's inability to deliver a clear, solid narrative with fascinating subject matter and faux "technique".


Technically any good? Bleh--no. Not at all. It was slow, heavy-handed and ultimately one-sided. I was shocked at how bored I was. The good thing I can say about it was that it was nice to see so few white people on screen and it was nice to see so many black people who weren't gangsta-types. Sadly, these blacks were largely poverty-stricken citizens of the African nation of Mali, but still. How often do you get to see an African movie about African people starring actual Africans?


How did it leave me feeling? Asleep. So, buy a ticket or a DVD to support the cause of raising awareness of how the World Bank and the IMF treat developing countries like Mali. It's seriously messed up.


Final Rating? DNS - Do Not See - Alright, do not watch but support the cause for sure.

FBI ARRESTS MAN FOR DISTRIBUTING TV SHOWS

Wow, if this doesn't make you feel all safe and secure during this "War Against Terror", I don't know what will!

/sarcasm

The following cutting comes from [http://imdb.com/news/sb/2007-06-04/#tv5|a June 4, 2007 post] at IMDB.com:

A Chicago man has found himself caught in a tangled web after admitting that he found four never-before-broadcast episodes of Fox's 24 on an unnamed website, then uploaded them in January to the website LiveDigital.com. Acknowledging that the man, Jorge Romero, was not the first to post the pirated copies on the Internet, the FBI said that he was nevertheless being charged with distributing them. He was identified after Fox TV, which airs 24, subpoenaed LiveDigital demanding that the uploader by identified. In a statement, Fox said that it hopes Romero's case "will serve as a powerful warning that uploading copyrighted TV shows and movies to the Internet can be a crime with significant penalties and will be prosecuted as such."

YEP, that's right--the FBI is going after, not the men behind 911, not the guys in the White House (who have broken a few laws, themselves), not again drug runners, but are in fact going after (apparently) something much more important, bootleggers. That's right, uploading unaired episodes of 24 can get you in front of a judge.

This is so unbelievably absurd, it's not even funny!

"So, Agent Johnson, you got any leads on domestic terrorism?" Agent Smith asks.

"Oh, no, but I'm real close to nailing this guy who watches 24 illegally!"

"Snap! Get that bastard! Uh, say, did you have to snag any episodes, you know, for evidence? I hear the new shows are kind of good."

"Of course, man! I'll email them to you!"

OK, so the dude in Chicago got in trouble for distributing the episodes, not just watching them. But so friggin' what? Is the money the Fox people lost worth a man's freedom? Worth more than putting FBI agents on jobs that actually keep humanity safe, as opposed to oppressed?

I used to know a guy who worked in the (paraphrasing here) Copyright Enforcement Department at Warner Brothers. I asked him how he handled bootleggers when he found them. He told me they'd find them at scifi conventions and rather than arrest the bootleggers they'd just scoop up the tapes and throw them away because actually prosecuting these guys would cost more than the company was losing.

Of course, now they don't have to do it themselves, they just call the FBI who are more than happy to put aside their jobs protecting Americans to protect their big, fat bottom line.

Don't you just love it when companies get better treatment than us normal citizens?

Project365 day 155

Project365 day 155 2007 06 04, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Check it out! I'm NOT in a coffee house!!



Actually, I'm trying to see if there is free WiFi at the mall closest to my

temp gig. Sadly, there was not. However, it is a pleasant change of pace!

Appointing the World Bank President

Hey, here's something interesting that I just heard on the podcast at UprisingRadio.org. Turns out no where on paper does it say that the US President has to appoint the president of the World Bank. In theory, it seems that, anyone can put forth a nomination, it would just be a question of the World Bank board (I guess?) taking your nomination seriously.

So, why does the US President get to name the head of the World Bank when there is nothing that promises him/her the right? Apparently, it was a courtesy that stuck. After WWII, back, when the WB (the World Bank, not the defunct TV network) and the IMF (the International Monetary Fund, not the Impossible Mission Force) were founded, Europe was allowed to select the head of the latter and the US Prez was allowed to choose the former.

And this has been the FACT-O-THE-DAY!

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

YOJIMBO (1961)

[asin: B000K0YLZ0]

Positive Experience/Entertaining? HELLZ, yeah! Sugoi, ne! (It was COOL!)


Technically any good? About the only problem I ever have with period samurai movies is the lighting. I mean, it's the 1800s, Japan is still largely isolated from the west, it's night, and they're indoors yet no one has candles, torches or any other flames exposed to light the scene, yet, it's lit! Acting-wise, it's great stuff, of course--it's not "realistic" in a modern American sense since it's a Samurai movie. Samurai movies are to Japan what Shakespeare is to the west. That said, this movie was incredibly well acted (Mifune has his reputation for a reason) and the story is awesome. Everything is solid with this movie. If you haven't seen it and dig samurai movies, I highly recommend it.


How did it leave me feeling? Very satisfied. While not as good as other Kurosawa films, this movie is definitely worth seeing.


Final Rating? SIYL - See If You Like this kind of movie - Samurai films are not everyone's cup of green tea.

Click the poster image above to buy this movie on DVD or buy it with it's sequel SANJURO!

Project365 day 154

Project365 day 154 2007 06 03, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

BUTT, BUTT, BUTT!!!



Me on a bench at a bus stop after having seen an Akira Kurosawa double

feature of YOJIMBO and SANJURO at the New Beverly in Hollywood. Check out

NewBevCinema.com for more info!

Project365 day 153

Project365 day 153 2007 06 02, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Yes, it's another coffee house shot, but it's a NEW coffee house shot!! As

in, a new coffee house that I went to! Well, I've been there before, just

never took a pic of myself. So, this is the Amsterdam Cafe on Magnolia,

just east of Vineland. I was there to meet with some fellow veterans of

NaNoWriMo.org. :) The wall behind me has a mural painted on it of a brick

wall that's been partially knocked down to reveal not North Hollywood (where

the AC is) but a forest--very cool! Check out http://Amsterdamcafe.us for

more info!

Project365 day 152

Project365 day 152 2007 06 01, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Uhhh, not sure what's up with this here pic! Just me smilin' for no

apparent reason!



Hey, it's not another coffee house shot!!