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Call a taxi. Sleep on the couch. Find a hotel. I've even had people sleep on the kitchen floor. Judging from the way this guy [Brendan] was snoring, it's probably not as uncomfortable as you might expect. Do anything but get behind the wheel. And don't let your drunk friends drive. This way we'll all be able to indulge our technolust in 2003. If you *do* drink to excess [shame], I've heard from reliable sources that two Alka-Seltzers before bed with lots of water will help stave off a hangover. In the morning, tomato juice contains lots of acid [low pH, <7] to neutralize the basic [high pH, >7] blood pH levels responsible for that crappy feeling. Better living thru chemistry. Drink lots of water. It takes 6 parts water to process 1 part alcohol thru your system. James writes to say that he heard from numerous people, including a friend who is a social worker at an Detox center, that Gatorade helps get over the dehydration that comes with hangovers. Traffic to the article on how to make the perfect latte has skyrocketed. Google [world's best search engine] has ranked it #1 for a query for the terms perfect latte. It never ceases to amaze me how how traffic a prominent Google ranking can channel to the site.
Saw Gangs of New York yesterday. Excellent .. might be an understatement. Strong story throughout. Well told, with flashes of brilliance [the praying scene, for example]. Putting it on my official Recommended list. Long movie. Be ready to sit. Pee before you go in. Kant say enough good about it. Not sure the average viewer will glean all that this richly layered movie has to offer. For example, there are a few cryptic themes, such as: Never look away (from what?) .. ]and[ .. The blood stays on the blade (why?) .. ]and[ ... Fight with honor (even if you die?) .. that you'll have to dig a little deeper to discern. Much as I like Leonardo and enjoyed both his performance and voiceover, I have to tip my hat to Daniel Day Lewis [who played Bill the Butcher]. I honestly didn't think anyone could out-shine Leonardo. Truly impressive performance. Interesting how their monster acting talents didn't clash, but rather complimented one another. This movie had no weak performances. Good use of contrast with both colors (white snow vs red blood, for example) and sound, light and dark. Interesting historical insights. I even loved the soundtrack. Anyone associated with this production should be proud. I know I would. For such a long movie, there were no slow spots. I didn't want to miss anything, so I had to pee for much of the movie. This film represents a directing Michael-Jordon flying slam-dunk for Scorsese. He actually appeared in the film for a few seconds, like Hitchcock used to do. Scorsese is one of the few directors who I have so much respect for that I see everything they do, regardless of what the critics say. [Actually a panning by the critics is usually a good sign that the film is worth seeing, cuz they're so out-of-touch with regular folk like you & me.] A little bloody, as might be expected with a film about street gangs and the struggle for power. [Sharon closed her eyes during those scenes. Girls: they miss the best parts. =) ] But I feel the writers deserve the ultimate kudos. This is a man's movie, written by men. If you catch this flick, it might be worth considering how one of the film's main themes of Fighting with honor plays against the recent terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, where many innocent women and children were killed, along with non-military men, which is viewed by most of the world community as dishonorable. The story delves into this point on several occasion and with much detail. When you see the film's final image, it's easy to see how the writers may've been sending a message that the attacks of 9-11 are viewed as both dishonorable and a disgrace to those who committed them.
This is a tough time of year for many people, who have no one special in their life. I was almost in this boat myself. [If you read the post for 23november, you'll see why.] We've invited over a few friends who might otherwise spend the holiday alone. You should've seen their faces light up. Tis the season to be jolly [and indulge your technolust].
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What's so nice about these daily tidbits is that they provide not only the word's definition and an example sentence, but also a brief historical background behind the word's origins, which helps me better remember its meaning. They also frequently compare the nuances of the definition with other words that have similar meanings. Today's word is: pseudonym. Yesterdays's was: williwaw. The Dog originally turned me onto this service. Words are power. Rad recommended.
I get lots of mail on the topic of digital copyright protection [both love & hate] cuz my Guide to Ripping & Encoding is a popular how-to for digital audio. Try searching Google for 'ripping cd audio' or 'guide to mp3 encoding' and you'll see what I mean.
At that time, most of the traffic to that page came via references from other sites, such as this one and this one. [There are literally hundreds of such references across the Net.] Since then it has slowly climbed up the rankings. Each month it moved up a few notches. For the first time in history, the ASPI guide now ranks in the top half of the first Google page. Maybe that's why it's slipped passed the Guide to Norton Ghost as the site's single most requested feature, which has traditionally held the top spot since the site opened [back when dinosaurs ruled the earth]. So far this month the ASPI page has been requested 58,963 times, while the Ghost guide has garnered 58,704 requests. So they are neck-and-neck. Of course, it will have to rank #1 for more that just a month before I change the official rankings. Note that the ASPI guide is also available with a black background, for readers with sensitive eyes. Altho web usage studies find that people prefer reading black text on a white background [similar to text printed on paper], some people feel that this is like staring at a 100-watt light bulb. There's even a printer-friendly PDF version, for those who like to kick back and read while reclining in their easy chair.
Scorsese was born & raised in New York [warning: dual pop-ups]. Anytime a filmmaker (or artist) is personally involved with his art/project, I feel the result will be richer than if it's approached as merely a job. No doubt Scorsese feels personally connected to this film, just as Coppola felt personally connected to Apocalypse Now (one of my all-time favorites), so I expect it to rock. I grew up near New Haven, about an hour north of the city. Not feeling very good. Got some type of crud in my chest. Feel like hammered dog crap. Nick came over today and played some games. Made me smile. He just turned 11. His mom is taking him and a bunch of friends to play paint-ball for his birthday.
Another creation from the minds at Google is Google Glossary, similar to Dictionary.com or Merriam-Webster, both of which I use a lot [along with Wordweb and Atomica]. You can learn about other new twists on search engines such as Google Viewer and Google WebQuotes at Google Labs. Most people prefer Google because it's fast and returns relevant results. For example, a search for the terms 'Norton Ghost' will lead to the Radified Guide, which most people call the best on the Net [more praise here]. Certainly everyone could benefit from the Google Toolbar. I use it regularly. Google's translation tools are also excellent. I prefer them over the others. All their services and tools are listed here. I heard that Google uses thousands of low-cost PCs networked together running the Linux operating system in what is called a cluster. You can read more about their technology here. Today there is virtually no subject [either good or bad] for which you cannot find tons of detailed information in seconds. Welcome to our brave new world. Thx to alilip for the heads up on the new Google toys.
Here's another:
Here's one that Wendy forwarded:
One more:
Okay. One more. But that's it. I really mean it this time!
I wasn't planning to see it, but we wound up at the theaters early, and the show we wanted to see (Analyze That) didn't start for another hour. Instead of waiting around with our thumbs up our caboodles, we opted to see Solaris. Glad we did. Different kind of film. Thought-provoking. But the theater was kind of empty. Weren't more than 25 people there. The British lead actress (Natascha) is talented and versatile. George Clooney did a nice job too - like nothing else he's ever done. The story is based on the (1961) novel by Polish writer Stanislaw Lem .. which is based around the first part of the poem: Death Shall Have No Dominion [from the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who named his poem after a verse of scripture: Romans 6:9]. It reminded me a little of Kubrick's (1968) 2001: A Space Odyssey. If you liked your Philosophy class, you should enjoy this film. Have a latte before you go, to bring your brain up to speed. The story provides much to ponder. This critic had this to say about it:
Might have to do it a few times. Worked the first time for me. I use IE6. Not sure if this works with other browsers such as Nutscrape. The image comes from file named favicon.ico that a friend (Krish) made for me. I missed Pearl Harbor day yesterday. Shame on me. I was stationed at Pearl Harbor for two years (while in the Navy). We worked on Ford Island, which is the island in the middle of Pearl Harbor. More about my Hawaiian exploits is posted here (I lived in on Ala Wai blvd in Waikiki with the Dog). Those were some of the best days of my life .. despite the Dog always trying to get us in trouble.
I liked it. (I like all James Bond flicks.) This was one of the better ones. Saw it on a giant screen out at the Spectrum. They seemed to break a lot of old 007 traditions. Halle Berry certainly spiced things up (as Jinx, born on Friday the 13th). The locations were interesting: North Korea, Cuba & Iceland. I even knew who the traitor was (the last person you'd expect, or course). Lots of the cool toys that a technophile like myself drools over. (Sorry Ted.) I noticed that several points were technically accurate (not necessary for an entertainment film, but still a nice surprise). Reminded me of the way Clancy researches his stories. Worth seeing.
Here in Laguna (Southern California), Santa Claus comes to town tonight, riding on the back of a big, red fire engine. The city does this every year. It's quite the festive event. Kids love it. Shops stay open late to accommodate shoppers with dollars. Streets are decorated with lots of pretty lights. Worth seeing if you live in the area. Might see you there tonight if Shar blows off yoga. Some of my favorite local eaties are posted here.
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28dec2002 - Gonna take off for a
few days to tend to some unfinished business. Afterwards I'll have some
Rad news to share. But in the meantime, I'll leave the site up for you
to peruse at your leisure. If I don't check in before the New Year,
have a safe and happy one. Most importantly, don't drink & drive. 
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