Gnorb.NET

I saw this Google ad a few weeks ago, and a recent message in the Suncoast Linux Users Group’s mailing list reminded me of just how funny I thought this was:

Linux Comparison
Get The Facts: Windows vs. Linux.
Read The Independent Analysis Now.
www.microsoft.com

Uhm… independent?

What would Haikus look like if they were invented during a Sci-Fi conference, instead of feudal Japan? They’d probably have a lot less to do with nature and a lot more to do with Star Wars. Here’s a few that I thought up while my brain recovered from an expedited learning experience:

Listen, Luke:
I am your father.
Live with it.

A Doctor.
Not an Engineer.
He’s Dead Jim.

All Your Base
Are Belong to Us.
Make Your Time.

My wallet –
is no longer here.
Where’s Bender?

*So Long, Hitchhiker.
Will you live as Agrajag?!
(Thanks for all the fish.)

*Yeah, it’s 5-7-5. Live with it.

If you have any others you’d like to post, go ahead and do it. I’d like to see what you guys come up with. (Nothing obscene, please.)

Tonight, I was watching the movie Unbreakable, where Bruce Willis(*) plays what’s essentially the same role he plays in just about every movie (that of a rough-neck, or an “average Joe”), but with a slight twist. After a train crash kills 130 people, but leaves him unscathed, he figures out he might just be a real life super hero. I won’t go into it further because of (a) lack of interest in making this a review, and (b) lack of interest at spoiling it for anyone who hasn’t seen this movie. Overall the movie’s pretty good, but what got me was the spectacular ending.

Now, this isn’t a review, but it got me thinking: why would I or would I not consider this a good film to me? I don’t mean one in which the acting is marvelous or in which the directing is first rate, but rather one which I enjoy, regardless of whether it’s graced by the wonderful performance of a top-tier actor, or by a wannabe that probably shouldn’t have even been given the chance.

I guess the mark of a good movie is one which I think about in the days following my seeing it. Some movies I’ll watch and never again give them another thought. Others I watch and find myself dissecting them for the next few days, trying to understand the stories from a quasi-impressionist view, where instead of watching them and looking at minute details within the story line, I study how I felt for that one instance in which I watched, and what I remember of the threads in the story line. I’ll even go as far as continuing the tale within my own mind. In essence, after watching a good movie, I bring it to life within myself, making it — I suppose — my own.

(Of course, after I finish dissecting it with my mind, I’ll go back and watch them again and again, especially if they have on-film commentaries and extra features. To that end, the Lord of the Rings series was by far the best movie set I’ve watched. Do they have awards for DVD extras?)

Anyone who’s ever created any work of art, be it a movie, play, painting, or musical piece, strives to reach the audience in such a way that the story being told — regardless of the format — is embraced by its audience to such a degree as to have it become a part of their very being, something that will stick with them for the rest of their lives, even if only at a semi- or sub-conscious level. Or rather, especially at a sub-conscious level. I suppose it could be argued that to reach this level of intimacy with the audience — where your work is now a part of their sub-conscious being — is the highest level of success for a work of art, even above the much-revered iconic status, even though it pays less than the whole “iconic” thing.

But just in case you want to know: No, Unbreakable is not one of those movies. At least not for me. Edit: Although I gotta say, I liked the movie enough to want to buy it. (Aug 22, 2005)

(*) - Hey, Bruce Willis might only stereotype himself in certain roles, but I tend to like his movies. Enough for me to readily know his name and face, at least, which is actually saying a lot, considering I generally don’t pay attention to actors whatsoever. Speaking of which, doesn’t Bruce look a bit like that guy who played Michael Garibaldi in Babylon 5, Jerry Doyle? Just a random observation.

Nothing challenges a man’s sexual identity like a pink CAT5 cable. (This one’s made by Belkin.)

I just came back from getting my car’s oil changed at the dealership where I normally go for service. The mileage was sitting at just over 83,600 miles, slightly over 3,000 miles since my last oil change. The 83,600 miles — well that’s not really striking until you realize that I got my car, brand new, in mid-2002. It had a grand total of 25 miles on it at time of purchase. (Not bad for 2.5 years, eh?)

Normally, when I take my car for an oil change, the mechanic sticks a little reminder sticker on the top-left of my windshield showing when I should next bring my car in. The sticker has two boxes, one for the date, the other for the mileage. When I got my car back, I saw the sticker. And smiled.

On one side, the sticker read 86,500, indicating at what mileage I should bring the car back. On the other side, instead of a due date, I see a happy face. Apparently, this mechanic caught on to the fact that it doesn’t take me more than about a month and a half between oil changes. (Edit: It’s now at about 98,000 miles; Aug 22, 2005.)

What I find most interesting is the message that little smiley sent. As I looked, I could imagine what, if it could talk, the smiley face would say. “Don’t even bother looking for the next due date. You’ll be back way before that happens.”

Someone at my car dealership obviously has a sense of humor.