What a Happy Sounding Conference

FIRST ANNUAL HEART FAILURE HOLIDAY SYMPOSIUM will be held at Northwestern Memorial Hospital Conference Center, Chicago, IL, on December 2-4, 2005. Course directors are Patrick McCarthy, MD, and John O'Connell, MD. For further information: telephone 1.312.503.8533; FAX 1.312.503.4531; e-mail nums-cme@northwestern.edu.

tales of interest.

klimas: why have you subjected both 'sunset boulevard' and 'the philadelphia story' to not interested ratings on n'flix? n'flix has taken to recommending movies to me that i have already seen and ranked, and when they do, i enjoy clicking the little purple man to see what my so-called 'friends' thought of the film in question. occasionally, i'll take issue with the number of stars assigned to a particular movie; hell, i might prepare a little stand-up-style rant about just how tremendous a jack-ass said 'friend' happens to be.

but not interested? how should one take that? 'sunset boulevard' is universally revered as a classic, even among cynics. it invented and formalized a new, ironic approach to film noir, simultaneously self-reflexive and indulgent. deconstruction aside, the idea of a dead guy floating face-down in a pool as he posthumously narrates an entire feature film is, at least i think, kinda interesting.

'the philadelphia story' lines up the dead century's most charming americans in the same frame and gives them incisively witty things to say. charm without wit is overbearing and creepy; wit without charm is flat-out obnoxious. but put the two together and, at the very, very, very least, the result is interesting.

regardless, these two films are incredibly popular and likely to be recommended to many people you are affiliated with on n'flix. rather than not rating them (c'mon, their presence in your recommendations couldn't have been that frustrating), you emblazon both with the bold not interested. everyone now knows that so-called 'classics' mean nothing to klimas? whatever the reason, it is completely fascinating. but, hey, i'm just the prick who calls people on their n'flix ratings. what do i know.

Hmmm

For the past year, Google has quietly been shopping for miles and miles of "dark," or unused, fiber-optic cable across the country from wholesalers such as New York’s AboveNet. It's also acquiring superfast connections from Cogent Communications and WilTel, among others, between East Coast cities including Atlanta, Miami, and New York. Such large-scale purchases are unprecedented for an Internet company...

"The only thing I was worried about was the water..."

"...we don't worry about no wind," said Cray Bruce as he stopped for gas in Crowley, Louisiana, 160 miles (260 km) west of New Orleans.

defiant words from a defiant man. katrina balks; the category iv will likely leave new orleans in existence. but reuters.co.uk still predicts a recipe for disaster, peppered with painfully articulate descriptions of american geography for the benefit of europeans.

Tonight, Tonight

Let's shoot things up tonight.

I even wrote a haiku about it:

Plasma sword in hand
I eviscerate his gut
Klimas has been pwned.

The Day The Synthesized Music Died

The man they called Moog.

The panopticon

I know you city kids are going to get all uppity about me posting weekold City Paper articles, but I want to link it to a different article I read a while ago that was kind of thought-provoking.

Ellis says he's had firsthand experience with the cameras. "A Puerto Rican guy fingered me for robbing him on my way home form work on Memorial Day--right here on the corner, waiting for the bus," Ellis says. "I told the cops, 'Check the camera, because I didn't do it.' But they told me they didn't give a fuck about the cameras and locked me up for 32 days."

Why cameras, if they are used, must be ubiquitous and accessible by all.

To: Ricky Gervais

Re: Your new Show, Extras
From: Jeff Feeser

Dear Mr. Gervais, your show is very funny. I will continue to watch it.

Yours truly,

FeEz

Power Rangers? Inspiring Violence?

Yes, another blow was struck upon violent programming when an actor that played one of the Power Rangers is accused of murder.

Apparently he tied them to the anchor of their yacht and dumped the anchor overboard.

Insert your own power rangers joke here!

On The Subject of Halo...

Start saving your milk money.

Oh, and it's Wednesday.

What Hilarity Will Ensue?

Once we start tinkering with this?

My bet is on crazed half-man/half-croc beasts with a taste for flesh.

The Sun is there

With breathtaking reportage of our disgraced police chief's new talk show:

Norris expressed disappointment in the Ravens' first preseason game, and had high hopes for Jamal Lewis' return to the team after serving his own federal prison sentence. Lewis, Norris said, was fortunate he was sent to a federal prison that had weights. The first one Norris went to, in Mississippi, did not, and he and other inmates used cans of vegetable shortening and bags of rice in their place, he said...

On rumors that Simpson enhanced her buttocks for her role in the movie The Dukes of Hazzard, Norris commented, "Oh my god. Boy, am I disappointed."

Some days I wish I had decided to be a journalist.

This is the English language

And it looks kind of like SimCity.

And here i thought the game was 8 days long...

Here you are, videos of Halo 2 being completed start to finish in under 2.5 hours.


Link from a collection of speed runs in an article on 1up.com.

Food 'n' Booze...

So Anne and I are having a pot-luck party on saturday, august 27th. Bring yourself, bring your girlfriend, bring your booze, and bring some food. See you there.

Halo? Halo?

Tonight?

My fellow Americans

Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.

These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.

These two men are laying down their lives in mankind's most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding.

They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.

In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.

In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.

Others will follow, and surely find their way home. Man's search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.

For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.

— Richard Nixon, 1969

You guys like clicking buttons, right?

Weather warning: Heavy storms are currently sweeping the Malton area - citizens are strongly advised to remain indoors until the storm conditions pass, to avoid being trapped on the streets in poor visibility. (Server load has been getting worse, again, recently, with early-morning and mid-evening EST seeming particularly bad. Survivor-players are probably better off sitting tight in a safehouse until things calm down, rather than risking being stuck outside and getting a couple of minutes of "server overloaded" errors in the middle of a zombie horde.)

I've found this sort-of interesting pseudo-role-playing game online called Urban Dead. It's interesting in that a lot of the zombies are actually controlled by players -- after you die, you get to keep going as one -- and it seems like teamwork is important.

So, like, you guys up for it? It's free and you play with a Web browser, did I mention that? James K Polk, a noble fire fighter, is currently holed up in the Dungey Alley Police Station in Pashenton.

sharpe's challenge.

from the (yes, this is what i do with my day) sharpe appreciation society:

"The producers of Sharpe, director Tom Clegg and production staff are in Rajestan, India at present for 8 days doing a recce for the latest Sharpe film, Sharpe's Challenge. Whilst there is still some way to go, we are now hopeful that all should be well, and shooting should take place towards the end of 2005."

the excavation continues:

They determine that their problems don't add up to a hill of beans in this mixed-up world. Willard asks the piano man to play that one about "breaking on through to the other side." The Playboy bunnies appear, and everyone drops acid and has sex.

you should probably have seen 'apocalypse now' to enjoy this. -ed.

My dear/dearest/darling

the art of war, the art of letters; from the bbc:

That same war, a British soldier wrote a tongue-in-check pre-formatted love letter, which poked fun at the censors and revealed the cynicism many felt about the war:

"My dear/dearest/darling, I can't write much today as I am very overworked/busy/tired/lazy.
We/The Huns put up a bit of a show last night/yesterday with(out) complete/tolerable/any success. I am suffering from a slight/severe wound/shock/shell-shock.
How are the poultry including cows/potatoes/children getting on?
________________________ (Insert here protestations of affection - NOT TO EXCEED 10 WORDS)
Ever _____ (State what ever) xxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

A Question of Tape

Hey, is there a difference between a "DVCAM" tape and a "MiniDV" tape?

Apple finally gives the fuck in!

There it is, boys. A god damned multi-button mouse for the Mac.

It's about time.

the oracle at klimphi.

klimas:

ok, i've sacrificed two chickens, spread their entrails all over my desk, and now need to know the name of a good rss reader for my work pc.

in exchange i will teach you a 'secret' controller layout for halo that will give you a 'fighting' chance.

XBOX RULZ0RXZESZS!

Ok, I didn't get my own X-Box live account, but I have access to my bro-in-law's, so count me in for some ranked action. Unfortunately, it will be under his stupid login name...