The Evil Eyebrow

Month: June 2005

  • Golf by Ear

    Yesterday, I watched attentively as Tiger Woods and Peter Hedblom teed off on the last round of the 2005 US Open Golf Tournament. Dad and I paid attention until about the third hole and then we left to go to a Father’s Day dinner. This was immediately after Retief Goosen, the leader at -3 teed off.

    After dinner, I got back into my car and traveled home from Birmingham to Marietta, which takes about 2.5 hours. I was curious how the tournament was proceeding, so I found a CBS affiliate on the AM dial and listened as I drove.

    Golf by radio is fascinatingly tense! I found myself all hunched up over the wheel, breathless as Tiger tried to make his par on 16. I groaned with the gallery when he missed. I thought, when I turned on the radio, that I’d just find out the leaderboard and then go back to my Killers CD, but I was hooked and listened until Michael Campbell missed penultimate putt (to a soft groan) and then sank his 2.5 foot bogie putt to win the Open.

    It was strangely fascinating.

  • Mr. and Mrs. Smith

    What can I say about Mr. and Mrs. Smith?

    This movie was exactly what I expected, alas. A mite bit disappointing, but it did not lack in eye candy.

  • Jesus and his Lungs

    There is an AP article today concerning the possible cause of death of Jesus of Nazareth. (acutal title Jesus may have died of a blood clot in his lungs, Israeli doctor says By GAVIN RABINOWITZ, Associated Press, Published on: 06/09/05 )

    The gist of this article is that Jesus may not have died from asphyxiation and blood loss, but instead from a pulmonary embolism. The article goes into more detail.

    As the husband of an academic, I’m aware of the need to find things to publish, and as a card-carrying geek, I’m additionally aware of the occasional desire to investigate something odd, but in this case I have to ask, “Who really cares?” This was almost 2,000 years ago, and the historical evidence is sketchy at best, when it comes to medically significant details (and, of course, there are those who argue that there are no historical data at all, merely the Bible).

    It just goes to show that there are some strange things people will argue about.

  • GIS for the Common Person

    This CNN story shows that geographic information systems (GIS) are reaching deeper into the populace.

    Having some experience using GIS for transportation planning and just generally screwing around with maps, this latest trend is specatacular! Many feliciations to Google and Google Maps for coming out with a beautiful map interface.

    Of course, the linked CNN story doesn’t quite come out and say that the technical ability to take a list of addresses and turn them into a geocoded graphical layer (i.e. stick them on the map) is not exactly plug-and-play. But it’s getting better!

    My job provides me with access to ESRI ArcGIS which is the most powerful GIS program available. Unfortunately, it’s also the most expensive, unaffordable by persons who want to merely tinker. The trend of smaller GIS products coming to the market will make it easier for people to know and understand the power of maps. (it will also teach them how easy it is to manipulate data to represent what you want, with a map. NEVER trust a map on TV)

  • LOST

    Jenn and I watched the pilot for Lost (ABC) last night (again) and noticed that, after the monster? made it’s night-time, rip-up-trees-while-making-noise appearance, the black lady a.k.a. Lt. Uhura said something to the effect of, “Reminds me of something from home, in the Bronx.”

    Hmmmm… Subway? Steam power?

  • Additions to Reading List

    I’ve added some books to my reading list at www.jbwr.net/web/bp/books/recent_books.html

  • Revenge of the Sith: After The Fact take II

    SPOILERS!

    We went to see Revenge of the Sith again last night. ‘Twas just as good action-wise last night as it was the first time, although I found myself daydreaming during any scene with Annakin talking to Padme (except for the end).

    I’m still a bit disappointed by the beginning battle scene. It had the potential to be very edgy, and instead is sort of blah. The CGI is really cool, but the whole package is a bit thin.

    The most well-done scene of the whole movie is probably when Newly Minted Darth Vader appears in the council room and all of the little paduwan come out of hiding. “Master Skywalker. There are too many of them. What are we going to do?” . . . Phzzzzz! Great scene.

    Jenn and I also agree that the staring-across-Coruscant scene between Anakin and Padme was pretty good. Actually, I think Hayden Christensen did a great job in the movie as long as he didn’t talk. He made an excellent evil-transitional Jedi.

    “So this is how liberty dies; with thunderous applause.” I can see where people would have drawn inferences to the current situation in America, but I think it’s merely coincidence. I will put money, though, that Lucas probably changed the line, “If you’re not with me, you’re my Enemy,” from “If you’re not with me, you’re against me.” ‘Course, I’m just guessing.

    Apparently, this or last week’s Entertainment Weekly had a bunch of reasons why Episode III was odd. Included were some obvious ones like, “How come it took 19 years to build the first Death Star and only 4 to do the second?” Also, how did Obi-Wan, Owen, and Beru age so much between III and IV? My favorite was, “How come Padme just stares into space all of the time. Don’t they have books?”

    My biggest physics issue with the movie was the fight on the lava planet. How come these guys didn’t just ignite and turn to ash? Molten rock is awfully hot, and to glow like it was, it needs to be something like 1500 degrees celsius (don’t quote me on this one). That’s enough thermal radiation to fry your average car, much less a Jedi.

    It’s a good thing Yoda lost his lightsaber in the battle with Palpatine, or he might have helped train Luke to be better and then Luke wouldn’t have lost a hand leading to the meeting-of-the-mechanical-hands moment in the second death star which precluded a Darth Vader the Second murderous rampage and thus ending all hope for the rebellion. Or am I stretching?