The Wall Street Journal today reports that the new trend in Japan is to base mainstream media like TV and books on blogs and other internety stuff like chat room logs. For example: A blogger who complains about how evil his wife now has a spin-off TV series, comic-book, novel and soon a movie. The content is often taken verbatium from his posts. I breifly considered finding you his blog, but its probably slammed and in Japanese so I lost intrest.

It's not the worst idea. If reality TV is so popular then reality books and movies should be a slam dunk. My problem is the name. Books based on blogs are being called "blooks". BLOOKS! It kinda makes you want to vomit, yes? But I'm a whore for a good bandwagon so I want to be on the record as coining the term Blovie to refer to a movie based on a blog.

Labels: art, culture, global, internet

# posted by Max : 10/05/2006 02:35:00 PM 0 comments

Our crew cracks me up. One was carrying a heavy box whilst at the same time trying to check out a girl across the street. Well he couldn't manage both at the same time and half dropped the box. But the capper - he said, "Hey lady, this box weighs 50 pounds. Slow down.".

Which brings up an important public service announcement: Attractive Women - Be sensitive to your environment. Recognize that your presence may cause males (and many females) to lose concentration. This momentary lapse may directly cause accidents. Be especially careful around motorists, construction workers, heavy equipment operators, factory workers, train engineers, and nuclear power plant technicians. Your presence may cause injury or even death. Thank you for listening.

Labels: culture, science

# posted by Max : 2/16/2006 12:59:00 PM 0 comments

Star Wars is over. Did you notice? This leaves a big hole in the universe of new SciFi content. I don't have TV, so I'm certainly not up on all the latest offerings but I do see a glimmer of a trend. I'll call it Neo-SciFi. Why? well because I want to coin a popular term (though it already seems in danger of being shortened to Neo-Fi). But I digress.

What is this Neo-SciFi you speak of? Its SciFi but with a new direction. Old SciFi is often typified by bad cliches:

• False Drama - "Gads the Robo-Mutant-Aliens are attacking, again!".
• One Dimensional Characters - the Dashing Idealistic Captain, the Buxom Nurse/Doctor/Psychic, or the Brash Loner Rebel
• The Magic Episode Reset Button - "Last week I got my stomach blown out, but this week I'm great!".
• Idiotic and Impotent Bad Guys - Week after week supposedly dangerous bad guys unload massive stock piles of ammunition and take heavy casualties; all while not putting a scratch in the good guys.
• Next Time on a Special Blossom - Uh oh, all the episodes are mostly the same! Better throw in a moral lesson episode. It's wrong to borrow without asking. "Glue, I need Glue!".
• Laser Pellets - Space fighters fly like jets, there is lots of sound in space, everyone and everything has a laser/photon/blaster on it. Lasers shoot pellets instead of beams, All planets are just like earth, all aliens are just people with bad acne.
• Uh, Its The Radiation - All this crazy technology, but because the gewiz-a-ma-hicky could solve everything and leave you with no episode; either we have to conveniently forget we have it or its magically disabled by an ion storm.

It's no wonder that female readers (and a good fraction of the males) probably stopped reading as soon as I said Star Wars. Further, its no wonder I don't have a date tonight.

Neo-SciFi is more drama and less SciFi. Like a good drama its motivated by characters, the interplay between them, the choices they make, the consequences of those choices, and how that forms a feed-back loop to the characters themselves. Further, in a good drama this is largely grounded by some gist of reality. This new trend is typified by Serenity/Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, and to a lesser extent Enterprise.

My blurb Here is unlikely to convert anyone. But If your on the edge about sci-fi you might want to add the first season of Battlestar Galactica and the Serenity movie to your Netflix cue.

Oh, and when the first Oscar for "Best Neo-SciFi" is given out you'll remember that you read it here first.

Labels: art, culture, space, television

# posted by Max : 1/19/2006 06:17:00 PM 0 comments

For the unaware: Postage rates have gone to 39 cents. Which may or may not dismay you. But what has dismayed me is the horrifically ugly Lady Liberty Flag stamp. This stamp is the generic stamp for those who ask for "some of the new stamps". A note to the United States Postal Service: Clearly you need some graphic artists. While I'm not the best I'm clearly better than what you have. Drop me a line. Some free tips: First while the image looks high quality here all this photographic detail becomes a grainy mess when compressed to stamp size. Second the hard edge between the Statue of Liberty and Old Glory has a super fake Photoshop look to it; It's as if the artist wanted to fool us into thinking that the whole composition exists. Perhaps I'm picking nits, but then again this is my website and I like to pick nits.

Lady Liberty, I apologize for the USPS's transgression on your image.

Labels: art, culture, image

# posted by Max : 1/18/2006 09:52:00 AM 0 comments

It's Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday. It's my understanding that the local police don't take Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday as a holiday. (but don't hold me to this.) Rather, they long ago negotiated St. Patrick's Day as their holiday. Irish-Catholics, go figure. Well Good for them. Silver Bow Properties will be doing the same. Our paid replacement holiday will be Friday March 17th 2006. Why? Well the crew wont belly-ache about working today, but likely wouldn't show up on St. Patty's Day at all. We might as well work with them. Happy Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday

Labels: culture, Silver Bow Properties

# posted by Max : 1/16/2006 11:08:00 AM 0 comments

Our buddy Mr. York took us hunting this morning. We saw a mule deer buck with some does and I somehow ended up being the only one with the correct tag. So I shot at it and (in my retardation) blew a chunk out of its lower leg. Its clear that I'll need to purchase my own equipment. If only to have something to be familiar with.

Robert and I chased it about 5 miles. Near the end when it was clear that it was long gone I happened to stumble onto a little house in a ravine. It was such an odd place for a house that I didn't see it until I was almost in it. Of course I riled up the dog and drew out the owner. I think he had more feet than teeth, but its hard to say as I was more concerned with the revolver (357 perhaps) he had tucked in the waist band of his sweats. He was not happy that I was trespassing. Considering how far I had gone its quite possible that I was. We agreed that it was best I leave, quickly.

York suggested that the buck will likely heal up and then regaled us with tales of giant three legged bucks. Robert suggests that their great healing is owed to there refusal to eat cheezy popcorn. Which sounds like crap to me. I didn't partake in his cheezy popcorn and I still have a wheeze from traipsing around after the damn thing.

Labels: culture, hunting, mood, opinion

# posted by Max : 11/13/2005 06:51:00 PM 0 comments

I have an anecdote:

A nice older lady was checking me out at Wal-Mart. And by that I mean she was ringing up my purchases not as in she was scoping my goods. Near the end her lazy manager, draped over a cash register, spoke. "Doris" (or whatever her name was) "turn off your light for lunch.". Doris was delighted and promptly turned out her number light, indicating her lane was closed. She grumbled a bit about how late her lunch was coming. "Those great Wal-Mart labor practices..." I said. Doris chuckled, "Well its better than when i was worked at Safeway. They never gave me a lunch at all.".

I'm a firm believer that anecdotal evidence is the weakest kind, but it is amusing none the less. Perchance those boycotting Wal-Mart should instead not shop at Safeway.

Labels: culture, economics, opinion, politics

# posted by Max : 11/06/2005 04:35:00 PM 0 comments

An amusing set of girl-less BBQs has occupied yesterday and early today. girl-less only in sense that no prospects for Mrs. Detjens emerged. Amusing in the sense that it was my first 4th/3rd of July here in Butte. Perhaps the most beautiful display I've ever seen. A whole city celebrating without fear of the capricious and arbitrary stomp of CA government jackboots. Here is a short movie of the civilian fireworks. Robert took some excellent photographs. I spliced them into a time-elapse video of the fireworks display.

Pretty!

I bought so many fireworks I couldn't launch them all.

Billy-Bob growled and nipped at me this morning. I was able to calm him and get him to go where I went.

I'll be going to the BLDC loan committee meeting this week. Wish me luck.

It's been well with Robert and Christina. I needed to remember that I can only modulate my own actions; and that even when it seems the responsibility lies with others changes to improve myself can often have astonishing improvements in my relations with others.

Tomorrow will be a busy day.

So far today (beyond related activities and cleanup) I read some from Game Developer Magazine, watched an episode of Voyager (As I write) an episode of SG-1 (thanks to mom for the recording) and cleanup from yesterdays BBQ. I think that's why I'm such a hit with the ladies.

I am feeling a renewed sense of purpose. Not only for the soon-after activities of today and tomorrow but for the renewed pursuit of even more ridiculous aspirations such as starting a game development company.

It remains for me to layout my apartment upstairs and check on a payroll error. Ralph will be getting his payroll raise next week to 8$. His mother died while mom was here. I owe mom a call. My phone died yesterday. Sumit also called on Saturday. I was good to here is voice. It sounds like he might swing out here whilst on a trip to Idaho (Boise most likely). But I don't have the bastards phone number.

Labels: Butte, culture, image, Montana, Silver Bow Properties, Silver Bow Software

# posted by Max : 7/04/2005 03:41:00 PM 0 comments

The new batman movie was quite enjoyable. I like the usage of the Scarecrow as sorta thinner mid-tier DC baddie that didn't overwhelm the more important hero's journey elements of the batman backstory. A more compelling character like the Joker would have been too much.

Keeley is off for a few days. She sorta sprung that on me after I offered her the job. Rampant grumpiness has ensued.

Keri is in town. We are going to the Virginia City Follies (I think) tomorrow. I'm debating stopping by and hastling Bartender Girl some more. But it's probably a wasteful and self-destructive endeavor. But I don't want her to think I'm seeing Keeley. Keeley and Craig mentioned a hot raven-haired woman was at a newish coffe shop. I saw her at the Art Walk. They are quite right. Very Tasty. It requires further investigation.

The Art-Walk was pretty nifty. Its where a number of temporary "Phantom Galleries" are put up with all manner of artists. We had a "Phantom Gallery" here with a Yellowstone themed ceramics artist and a regional outdoorsy photographer. Very cool.

Labels: art, Butte, culture, Montana, movies, recomendation, review

# posted by Max : 6/17/2005 09:58:00 PM 0 comments