Friday, August 01, 2008

2 Movies 2day...

After getting back from Memphis (a trip for work), we left the next day to go to Omaha to see the family. 5 days later, came back, went to work for a day, then took 24 hours of dragging to get myself back together...

So today--my last Friday off for the Summer--I decided to go to the movies and see what was a must see for me, despite the reviews, X-Files: I want to believe. Then, after I picked up Nathaniel from day-care, the two of us decided to go see Space Chimps.

I've been waiting for the X-Files movie excitedly when first hearing about rumors over 2 years ago. I think Chris Carter has a great imagination, and have very much enjoyed all of his work. All signs for me were pointing that this movie was going to be, at least, enjoyable.  And it was, for a TV show.  

It was like visiting some old friends that you haven't seen in a long time, whose relationship had progressed much further along than you would have guessed, and coming face to face with the fact that as your life moved on, so did theirs.  Not that it is bad, just that it is not the same.  However, it had absolutely nothing to do with the story.

The story was interesting, but a bit long. (I don't want to spoil it for anyone.)  I'd have been happy with the typical TV show formula with the hinting at the relationship stuff, focus on the odd story, and get it over and resolved with an uneasy, uncertain feeling, all in 60 minutes.  It would have been one of the best episodes. As a movie it didn't hold up.  That being said, yes I'll be at the next one just because. 

I hope that Chris Carter finds a new story and new characters soon.  He is way too talented to be stuck in these same old (tired?) characters that I still hang on to.

As for Space Chimps, I was really looking forward to it.  Recognizing that it was a children's movie, I thought Nathaniel would be all over it.  Lately, everything for him is about outer space. We were a little late, but some nice people allowed us to cut in line, so we only missed the first 5 minutes.  The story was simple, the characters flat, the gags--at times--were funny.  The animation was good the special effects were cool, and everything was fine until the captain chimp got picked up by the alien and was about to get frozen in the puddle of freezing goo.

Nathaniel lost it.  It didn't matter that he was laughing at the aliens getting frozen throughout the movie, when one of the chimps were going to get it (he didn't) Nathaniel could not handle it.  He started crying real tears, and was visibly shaken by the situation.  Of course, this was right after a part that was kind of scary where the cute little alien (named Kilowatt) sacrificed his life to save two of the chimps.  

I got him to calm down and we continued to watch the movie another 10 minutes when the threat of freezing was brought up again. . . Nathaniel lost it, this time saying that he doesn't like this movie.  It took all the way out of the theater and into the bathroom break before he totally calmed down...

So Space Chimps:  Probably great for kids. . . a little too much for a little boy 2 weeks shy of his 5th birthday.


Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Web 2.0

Here is a short article I did for the Illinois Community Colleges Online Newsletter:

Whether or not you buy into the idea of "Web 2.0" - the 2nd generation World Wide Web or a slick marketing term - its implications are changing the way that people consume and develop information. For a good review of the history and definition of "Web 2.0" see the YouTube video of the same name:

Web 2.0 on YouTube

In a nutshell, Web 2.0 is about creating, contributing, sharing, commenting, tagging, and a whole lot of other things. Notably, the technologies that make up Web 2.0 can be utilized in a number of ways to create or enhance online learning environments.To that end, Go2Web20.net provides a compilation of tools that are available that can be used in these learning environments. Although the list is not comprehensive (it doesn't include Wikipedia), it does include a number of the more common sites (Facebook, Twitter). Plurk intrigues me.

http://www.go2web20.net/

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Is it their job to...?

My first post about a news article:

The US Supreme Court ruled today that prisoners in Guantanamo Bay could challenge their detentions in civilian courts in the US.

On Comcast.net News, George Bush is quoted as saying, "It was a deeply divided court, and I strongly agree with those who dissented. . .And that dissent was based upon their serious concerns about US National Security."

I know it has been a long time since I had American Government, and I could be wrong, but is it the job of the Supreme Court to make rulings based on national security? I thought the Supreme Court could only rule on constitutional issues. As I said, I might be wrong, but the issue here is individual rights vs. government rights, and the Bill of Rights is specifically targeted at protecting individuals from the government.

I agree with the ruling. Even though other rulings have said otherwise, "...all men [people] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Notice it does not say "all US citizens."

Please correct me if I'm wrong about the Supreme Court.

Friday, May 30, 2008

I seriously doubt it will be worth it...

Just came across a sentence in the June 9 2008 Time magazine regarding a Princess Bride online game. With a bit of googling...found this:

[This is where I was going to embed the video, but I could not find it. Go to the Princess Bride Game Website to see the trailer.

I loved this movie when it came out. I've seen the movie probably 25 times, and I've read the book 3 times. Yes, I'll try the game, but I'm expecting to be disappointed.

Special note: Mark Knopfler's score for the film was a perfect fit. I can't even read a fairy tale anymore without the themes running through my head.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

A new commitment?

Ok, so I finally did a third post--one that was no where near as interesting as the first two.  

I was recently catching up on some of my RSS feeds, when a post from Pamela Gay on her Star Stryder Blog caught my eye.  (Unfortunately I can't find the actual post so you'll have to suffer through my random recollections.)  She was discussing how in the evenings her and her husband hang-out and do the Web 2.0 thing...blogging, and the sorts.

It made me think that I could blog about things while I'm watching TV in the evening, or even while playing a game with friends, or sitting around as my wife wonders aloud how she got stuck with the dishes when she cooked...I know, I'm working on it...

Anyway, since the point of this blog is supposed to be about media (defined loosely) I thought I really should be more consistent and timely in my posts.  So, I'm recommitting my self to this blog.  Hopefully I'll think about it more often and make my comments.

There are a few things I want to talk about like music (Vampire Weekend), and books (Darkly Dreaming Dexter), and movies (Speed Racer and Iron Man), and comics (Vertigo Fables)...Anyway...so much to talk about...

If I can just hold myself to my commitment.

The Excitement of new Stuff

As the end of the year approaches, many opportunities come up to try new technologies that might not have been available earlier in the school year.  Keeping with many of the goals I set for earlier in the year, most of the technology I have been trying lately relates to podcasting or to that incessant craving to develop a website for something or another.

The end of the year has provided the opportunity for me to buy a new MacBook Pro.  When I was in college in the late 80's, like every other journalism at the time, I was exposed to the wonders of Apple computers.  PageMaker was everywhere in journalism programs (and from what I heard at the time, throughout the industry.)  I learned to use a desktop computer on the Mac my senior year in college.  In grad school, I continued to use the Mac, and my dream computer at the time, I think, was a Mac IIsi.  Well, I never got one, and as I moved into my career in education I became more involved with PC's.  I did not buy my first computer until about 5 years ago, and because I used PC's at work, the prudent thing to do was to purchase a PC.  I have been happy with my PC, and have done more with it than most users do.

However, the more I get into multimedia development and other interests, the Mac has been back on the horizon.  So, I finally got one, and it will probably serve me well for the next several years as I continue to explore podcasting web development, flash development, and other things.  If you have any ideas on things that I might want to try please let me know.

The next thing I'm really excited about is a Marantz Professional Recorder.  The CDR310 is what we are trying as I explore the easiest way possible to create podcasts for faculty.  This is a professional machine, one that you might find a radio reporter using to record audio for the creation of stories.  There are certainly some issues that need to get worked out for the podcaster (like setting up the mic for best sound, and things like that) but once configured, this machine literally records the program at the touch of a button, then stops recording at a second touch, and, if I understand it correctly, records it to a CD-ROM that could be passed to a technologist for quick publication.  I can't wait to give this a try.

We are also using iTouch to determine the possibility of offering online classes through the iPhone (to be purchased at a later date).  I've been working with video on the iTouch, which is pretty easy.  The CMS doesn't work to well, but that might just be some basic things that could be done with CSS.  I look forward to working the faculty member on this project.  Hopefully we'll have some things set-up by the end of the year.  Currently there are not too many applications for the iTouch, but if you crack it, there are some apps that are interesting, but not too conducive for education at this time.  With the release the SDK, it hopefully won't be too long before new apps start appearing.  Maybe we'll have to get a grant to pay for a developer to create some good apps for distance learning environments.

The other thing that I'm interested in doing is to get back into some web development.  In addition to setting up a development station on my new MacBook, I am hoping to set-up a SAKAI server to facilitate some collaborative work I do with the Board Game Designers' Workshop.  For some reason the server is a bit daunting to me right now, but I think a friend of mine will be able to help me over the hump...if he's interested.

I will be trying Adobe Flex for the first time next week.  Hopefully it will be something that we can use to help create some stronger learning environments.  From what I've seen, it might be a bit much for my "clients" to learn (only because of time constraints), but with the new PT developer coming with the new fiscal year, that might be something he/she could do to get started in their new position.  More later on this.

Oh, and one last thing.

The hazard of buying a new computer:  $3000 later, and you still don't have any software...URGH!

Friday, March 07, 2008

My wife can't stop watching Dexter

Several weeks ago, Dexter started on CBS. It was an unusual start date, but Wikipedia confirmed by suspicions that it was a midseason replacement caused by the writer's strike. I was immediately taken by the commercial which explained that Dexter was a serial murderer who worked for the police department. I thought he was a detective who specialized in serial murder cases and that he would be investigating his own crimes...

Of course, now that it was in my conciousness, I started noticing things, like it comes from the book Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay, and the show is really a Showtime Original series. Although I've not done the follow-up research to confirm, it appears that Lindsay has written a few books about Dexter.

Back in the 90's I was very interested in books about characters who were "insane" or had a different slant on reality. This led me to read several books--only two of which I can recall at this time: The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson and By Reason of Insanity by Shane Stevens--which allowed me to pursue this interest for a while. It was a bit of a dark time in my reading...but I still remember Stevens character who escaped from a mental instution, after spending his entire life there believing that he was the son of a brutal serial rapist/murderer: a product of one of the attacks. (NOTE: The exact details may be hazy, as it's been 15 years since I read the book). However, the detailed descriptions of actions and motivations in that book have stuck with me through the years (many of which I would feel uncomfortable repeating in this forum.)

So, naturally, I was predisposed to being drawn in to Dexter. Once I found out it was a Showtime Original, I was even more interested, as I was a big fan of Dead Like Me, a show that went off the air way before it should have. I will save any further comment on that until I get to watch all the episodes on DVD, with the extras. I promptly put it on my calendar, and Mary-Rita and I planned to watch it.

It was just as wonderful as I had hoped--although my initial understanding of the character/story was off. Turns out he is a serial killer who works for the police force as a blood splatter expert. He has a fascination with a serial killer that just started, in that there is no blood, "It's so clean," I think is what was said. The show plays out as a mystery that needs to be solved (who is the new serial killer), and a character study of Dexter, and how he deals with what he perceives as a personal egagement with him by the new serial killer--does that make sense?

Two things that I find especially interesting about the show is how Dexter became a serial killer, and his relationship with his girlfriend. Dexter's history, and how he got that way, is told in flashbacks with scenes with his father, who was also a police officer. I won't give anything away here as I'm still not certain how it will all playout once the history is told...but this is key to the story.

Now, the girlfriend is a little bit different, as the intersting part of the story is not the relationship itself, but how the two characters interact. Dexter met his girlfriend through his father. The father was called to the house for a domestic disturbance call (husband/boyfriend beating woman). The father thought Dexter would like the woman so he set them up to meet. They have been dating, but there is no hanky panky. Being a serial killer, he's just emotionally detached, and would prefer not to complicate things, and she being emotionally scarred from her previous relationship. Throw in a child for the woman and you have a really interesting situation. There is some wonderful tension whenever they are together...obviously they want to fool around, but there is always something there...which is always just fine with Dexter. He knows its going to come, but he's willing to just avoid it for as long as needed, not only to avoid the emotional complications...but sincerely out of concern for the emotional well being of his girlfriend.

So my wife and I sit down every Sunday night now, and watch the show. Me totally engaged by everything and her fascinated with the fact that she is even watching a show with a premise that she would normally find just this side of offensive. Its important to note that she spend the whole show sitting on the bed with the blanket pulled up over her nose...just in case something she doesn't want to see pops up quickly. She doesn't want to waste one second pulling that blanket over her eyes that she doesn't have to.

This is a really good show, and it's got wonderful characters. It makes me think about getting Showtime again so that we can see them first run without the editing. Now that the writer's strike is over, I may just have to get the DVD's to watch it. I'm hooked, and will probably read the books as well. I'd be interested in hearing if anyone knows other books that might be similar to those discussed here.