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Yet another perspective

If you wanted a nice, succinct summary, here it is. This was posted on YouTube on August 20th, but Brian was kind enough to alert me to it via Facebook. This particular guy points out all of the other socialized aspects of life we have, including police, water treatment, the coast guard and, in his example toward the end of the video, firemen. He outlines what it would be like if we had private fire insurance, and how you’d have to find a preferred fire department by your insurance company to come put out your fire…and you’d better hope you don’t have a pre-existing condition.

He also briefly points out that Medicare has maybe 2-3% of overhead, as they are a non-profit organization. Private insurance companies, on average, have more like 30-35% that they’re skimming off each of our dollars to pay not only overhead, but also their investors. Because they are “for profit.”

Anyway, it’s an amusing little video. It would be nice if all the crazies out there understood that they use socialized things all the time in this country (read: roads, police, military, sewers, parks, fire departments, etc.) and they don’t have a problem with those. All of those things are apparently “rights,” paid for by our tax dollars…but for some reason, quality, affordable health care isn’t a “right.”

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2010 will bring a few new experiences!

So, when I said “I have a feeling this school year will have a ‘whirlwind’ feel to it,” I was indeed talking about something a bit more specific (but wasn’t discussing much publicly yet). Liz requested a bit more information on such things, so I figured I could go ahead and bring everyone up to speed. 🙂

As most of you already know, or found out Friday via Facebook, Brooke is pregnant.

We actually found out toward the end of June, and told our respective parents/sisters around the July 4th holiday. At that point, we were about 6 weeks into the pregnancy and, as many of you know, that’s a bit early to go around telling people, as the chances of miscarriage are still a bit high at that point. We did wait, however, to tell our ‘rents until we had confirmed with Brooke’s primary care doc. We made another appointment with the OB/GYN doctors at SLU to get that ball rolling, as well, around the 8 week point. Once we hit 10 weeks, I told people at the lab; Brooke told people at her office a little before that, as it’s difficult to explain all these doctor appointments without giving some reason (especially when you’ve got a lot of stuff to do!).

Anyway, we finally got to hear a heartbeat on Friday afternoon (now at the 13 week period), and that’s when I put the news up on Facebook. We’re told that once you’re able to hear a heartbeat (usually around 12 weeks?), the chances of miscarriage drop dramatically. So far as we know, everything’s going splendidly! We’ll be doing an ultrasound on September 24th (~18 weeks), where we’ll hopefully be able to see the gender of the baby.

The baby is due February 24th. So, hopefully, I’ll have a newborn in time for him/her to witness my graduation!

So yeah, that’s basically it. Brooke has been feeling surprisingly well throughout this whole deal, with the exception of some headaches. She usually takes ibuprofen or naproxen for such things, but acetaminophen is all you can take when you’re pregnant (without a prescription for something more powerful, but still relatively safe for mom + baby). Brooke has noticed that she’s eating more for lunch now, and seems to be craving a few odd things here and there. I’ll keep reminding her to post things on her blog that are more specific to those points, though!

At any rate, 2010 is looking to be a pretty memorable year. My graduation, likely moving to a new town, having a kid…

What’s the worst that could happen? 🙂

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Review: District 9

I realized yesterday that I hadn’t written this up yet, which is rather uncharacteristic of me… I saw “District 9” on Sunday right before going to Whitney’s going-off-to-college party, and seeing Brett up at Westport…and then I had a committee meeting to work on…

This is one of those movies that kinda snuck up on people, and was released at the perfect time: the end of summer when there’s, mostly, nothing else out…and won’t be for awhile yet… It reportedly cost $30 million to make and grossed $37 million on its opening weekend, so it was a gambled that apparently paid off admirably.

The movie is actually based on a short film, “Alive in Joburg,” that was released in 2005 and made by the same director, Niell Blomkamp. “Alive” made quite an impression on Peter Jackson, as he saw it, loved it, and decided to produce a feature length movie based on the same material.

The plot centers around what happens after an alien spacecraft “runs out of gas” and gets stuck, hovering above Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1982. The beginning of the movie is set up as a documentary, where they do interviews with sociologists and politicians talking about how the “integration” of these aliens went into Johannesburg in the first few years. Set 20 years later, we find that the aliens are now relegated to District 9, slums that are maintained in the Johannesburg area, where the aliens are forced to stay and live. A conglomerate, Multi-National United (MNU), oversees much of their well-fare, providing them with food and security (but really just keeping them in these slums, in terrible living conditions). We later find out that MNU is also the world’s second-largest weapons manufacturer, and researching alien weapons is proving lucrative for them. The movie begins with MNU starting to relocate the aliens to a site further from the city, a place dubbed “District 10” (sequel, anyone?), which really just consists of white tents that remind you of what FEMA did after Katrina hit.

So yeah, while the movie is definitely “sci-fi” in scope, there are so many other issues being dealt with throughout, not the least of which is racism and genocide, set ironically in the backdrop of a place once ruled under Apartheid.

Suffice to say, it’s an excellent movie and one I’m probably going to want to pick up. Definitely the second-best movie I’ve seen this summer (behind…well…you know…). The effects, while containing noticeably-CGI-created aliens, were very good considering the budget…and leagues above that seen in “G.I. Joe.” The acting was quite good, especially considering that the cast consisted entirely of no-name actors.

But most importantly, the movie provoked a reaction. Whether it made you sick to your stomach to see an alien being beaten down by military officers for no reason, or you saw them being experimented on, or you saw their living conditions, you begin to imagine how, sadly, this kind of thing is happening right now…to human beings. It really does make you think, which isn’t necessarily something you expect out of the summer blockbuster scene.

Really, it just makes me fear what humans would do if aliens actually did get stuck here. I bet it would look a lot like “District 9.”

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Today’s Two Videos…

This _should_ come out in time for Thanksgiving…which would be awesome, ’cause I can only imagine the Thanksgiving crowd at Brooke’s ‘rents house doing some four-player New Super Mario Bros. This is the perfect game (next to Mario Kart) for putting a controller in someone’s hands and letting them have some old-school Mario fun…and all at the same time, rather than taking turns.

This one is another healthcare-related video, this time featuring Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) telling off some chick that was asking why he supported Obama’s Nazi policies. She apparently didn’t realize what she was getting into, especially in that Frank is not only quite liberal and out-spoken, but also Jewish…and he doesn’t take these types of “Nazi” comments lightly (nor should he…or anyone…). Anyway, it’s only a little over a minute long, but at the very least, watch the last 15 seconds when he says, quite possibly, the funniest thing I’ve ever heard come out of a congressperson’s mouth.

So, so true…

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School is getting…”interesting”…

A few quick points, as I’ve been very, very busy recently. I had a committee meeting today that went pretty well, I think. For those that don’t know, your dissertation committee is basically the group of people that say “you’re ready to graduate,” so these meetings are pretty important so you can keep them apprised of your progress toward (eventual) graduation.

Anyway, I went over all my recent data, much of which I obtained last week after fighting with some assays and finally getting them to work. Either way, the committee was pretty pleased with what I had to show them. Suffice to say, I now have a list of stuff to complete and, assuming I complete that list (or the vast majority of it) by December, then my Dec. meeting will be my last one before my actual Dissertation Defense next Spring.

So yeah, basically, this is a good indication that I’ll actually be able to graduate next May, provided nothing catastrophic happens. The list of stuff I have to complete, for the most part, is pretty straightforward and shouldn’t include the learning of any new techniques (and that’s usually what ends up causing “hiccups”).

On another, semi-related note, I’m the Course Director for Drugs We Use and Abuse, the undergraduate-level class that we, as graduate students, teach in the Fall each year. Because of this, I’ll be the person coordinating all of the lectures and deal with all the undergrads give their lame excuses for why they can’t attend class. It isn’t a huge responsibility, provided you delegate the duties, but it will make me busier than normal during the Fall semester. I’m very much looking forward to this, as I intend on teaching once I find (read: apply for) a permanent position post-graduation.

I have a feeling this school year will have a “whirlwind” feel to it.

And I certainly have my work cut out for me.

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To Put Things In Perspective

I really like Jon Stewart’s compilations off right-wing hypocrisy (you know, like when Bill O’Reilly says that it was the Nazis that went in and disrupted meetings…when, at the time, he was talking about Democrats… I doubt he still agrees…), which is why I post this. It’s a few minutes into the video, but the rest of it is very much worth the watch, anyway.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Healther Skelter
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes		 Political Humor Spinal Tap Performance

It just puts things in perspective, better than I’d heard elsewhere thus far.

On a side-note, Rawstory.com had a blurb up about how Jon Stewart is actually loved (well, “respected,” at least…) by many Neoconservatives, including Bill Kristol.

From the article:

“‘There is genuine intellectual curiosity,’ [Cliff] May told New York [Magazine]. ‘He’s [Jon Stewart] a staunch liberal, but he’s a thoughtful liberal, and I respect that.’ May isn’t the only conservative gushing about Stewart. While the movement professes a disdain for the ‘liberal media elite,’ it has made an exception for the true-blue 46-year-old comedian. ‘He always gives you a chance to answer, which some people don’t do,’ says John Bolton, President Bush’s ambassador to the United Nations and a Fox News contributor, who went on the show last month. ‘He’s got his perspective, but he’s been fair.’ Says Bolton: ‘In general, a lot of the media, especially on the left, has lost interest in debate and analysis. It has been much more ad hominem. Stewart fundamentally wants to talk about the issues. That’s what I want to do.'”

The author of the Rawstory article calls Jon Stewart “this generation’s Mark Twain,” and I think I’d have to agree.

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Science Again Confirms What We Already Knew

Edie isn’t the brightest bulb on the chandelier, or sharpest tack in the box, or whatever…but she certainly isn’t the smartest dog around, either.

And now, science has proven it.

A group at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver found that dogs can learn and respond to around 165 words, which places them in the same league as the average two-year-old. Amongst the highest performers, you would find Border Collies, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds. Heck, even the Poodle is up there.

Who’s at the bottom?

Well, among others, the Bassett Hound and the Beagle.

What’s Edie? Well, she’s mostly Beagle, but pretty sure there’s some Bassett Hound in ‘er somewhere, too…

I guess this explains a lot…

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A Movie-Filled Weekend

While there is a distinct lack of good television on this time of year (save for a few shining lights like “Monk,” “Psych,” and “Eureka“…), I’ve been watching a bunch of movies this weekend. I’ll give the brief run-down, with a few quick thoughts:

1). “300” (2006)

Excellent movie. I borrowed this one from Josh and watched it on Friday night, and geez, does it look nice on Bluray. I hadn’t seen it in a long time and I’d forgotten just how good the movie is. It’s really one of those timeless stories that is hard to dislike, unless you really distaste the over-the-top violence portrayed in the film (which I don’t mind). Either way, if you haven’t seen it, you really should.

2). “In The Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale” (2007)

I have long considered “Battlefield: Earth” to be the absolute worst movie I’ve ever seen (that is, worst movie that was actually trying to be a good movie…), but this one may give it a run for the money. Uwe Boll directed this gem (along with other classics like “Bloodrayne” and “Alone in the Dark“…) and did his best to pull from every “Lord of the Rings” cliche he could. The man shouldn’t be allowed to make movies anymore, but then again, few directors can produce such entertaining crap (and by “entertaining,” I don’t mean in a good way…). It’s the kind of movie you need to be drinking heavily to enjoy. You also should check out the IMDB page for the movie, as it’s unbelievable how many people you’ve heard of are in this movie…

3). “My Name is Bruce” (2007)

Back in high school, I watched a little movie called “Army of Darkness,” and this was my first introduction to the genius that is Bruce Campbell. He’s one of those B-movie actors that has reveled in it and made an entire career out of it. This movie (shown in some independent film halls and, otherwise, was direct-to-DVD) focuses on Bruce, playing himself, as he slowly wallows away in B-movie hell, until a small town nearby gets visited by an ancient Chinese god that starts going around killing people. Of course, since these people revere Bruce as a true monster warrior, they kidnap him and convince him to battle the beast. This movie was, in every way, better than “In The Name of the King,” and likely better than “G.I. Joe”… If you like Bruce Campbell, you must watch it.

4). “Gladiator” (2000)

After watching “300,” I realized I hadn’t watched this movie in a few years….which is truly a crime. It’s such a great movie and one of my favorites and, as I assume most of you know what this movie is, I won’t go into any descriptions (honestly, it’s rather nuts that it’s almost 10 years old now…). However, if you haven’t ever seen it, let me know so I can loan you the DVD. You really need to see it. Correction, you really need to buy it. Everyone should own it.

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Review: G.I.Joe – Rise of the Cobra

The first trailer I saw for “G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra” worried me greatly. In no way did it resemble the popular 80s cartoon of my childhood, and contained largely B-level actors and special effects.

For the most part, my initial assessment was correct.

The movie centers on the origins of the characters we know from the show, including Duke and Ripcord. At this point, Cobra, as an organization, doesn’t exist yet, but its leader(s) (specifically, Destro) are just getting started. A few old favorites, including General Hawk, Scarlett, and my personal favorite, Snake-Eyes, make their respective appearances early on, as you would generally expect: the Joes come in and save Duke and Rip Cord from the Baroness and Storm Shadow, then take them into their organization and train them to be the elite fighters they should be (wait…isn’t that how it happened in “X-Men?” …yup…)

The effects in the trailer looked terrible and, generally, they didn’t improve at all in the full feature film. There were definitely some cool sequences and transitions put in there, but a few extra effects dollars would have gone a long way to make it the spectacle it was trying to be. While they were at it, they should have tried actually spending some money on actors. Dennis Quaid (General Hawk) was barely a player (and wasn’t particularly good), and Christopher Eccleston (Destro) was wasted. Sienna Miller (The Baroness) did the best job of them all, in my opinion, but the guy they chose to play Duke was pretty horrible…and he’s the focus of the whole movie… Joseph Gordon-Levitt also makes an appearance, as well as Brendan Fraser…randomly…

There weren’t as many terrible one-liners in it as I would have expected, thankfully. There were actually a few funny moments, especially with the addition of Marlon Wayans (Ripcord) providing a little levity. Your trademarked “knowing is half the battle” was definitely in there as well, delivered by Dennis Quaid…and no, he wasn’t talking about staying off drugs… For the most part, however, the script and plot, as a whole, was derivative and cliche. Then again, it’s a movie based on a 1980s cartoon put out to sell toys…much like another franchise I know (that did it better).

That all said, it wasn’t as bad as it could be. Again, some of those action sequences were actually pretty sweet, but some extra money to make them truly top notch would have been welcome. While the acting was very, very bad overall, I didn’t really expect it to be good in the first place, so whatever…not a big loss…

Anyway, certainly not the best movie I’ve seen this summer, but I thought it would be a lot worse. I probably won’t be picking up the DVD, but I’m glad I saw it.

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A Digital Brave New World

I was listening to my NPR Science Friday podcast yesterday discussing the topic of who owns your digital data, broadcast on July 31st. The discussion covered a variety of different issues, including recent attempts by Facebook to retain rights to anything you post there, how Google plans on archiving all information digitally (it’ll take 300 years), and the ability of Apple to remove content from your iPhone any time it wants to.

One thing brought up in the discussion, however, was the idea of purchasing content. When you buy an album through iTunes, for example, you can burn that to a CD, putting it in a form that you can then access anywhere or anyhow you want. Music is one space where this kind of transaction has been pioneered and largely works well. In the software space, however, it isn’t really like that. If I buy a game through Steam, for example, I’m given a limited number of installs, otherwise I have to purchase it again [you can burn a backup, though, in that particular case]. More to the point, if I purchase a game on my PS3 or Wii digitally (i.e. PSN or WiiWare), I can only play it on that machine. What happens when the PS4 or Wii 2 comes out? Can I still play those games? Will they still work?

There are some forms of Digital Rights Management, used by the game company Electronic Arts (EA), that actually limit the number of times you can install the software. For the game, Spore, you would buy your DVD and then could install it 3 times. That’s it. So, if you reformatted your computer and needed to reinstall it, you’d lose one of your turns and have to do it again. EA had to intervene and remove that DRM because people got so pissed about it.

As another example, Brooke bought Bejeweled for her cell phone awhile back, then got a new one. So far as we can well, we can’t transfer that game to her new phone. So, did we ever really “own” the game? Because, if I “owned” it, I should be able to move it onto a new phone, just like if I bought a new stereo, I could put that same CD into it. Or a new TV, I could still watch the same DVD on it.

So yeah, it’ll be interesting to see what comes of this as more things go from physical media to digital media. Movies, likely, are going to go that way where you won’t buy a DVD anymore: you’ll have a digital copy of the movie. And while that digital copy will work for awhile, what happens when the new hot tech toy comes out that can’t play that old file anymore? I’ll have to buy it again.

I guess we’ve gotten used to physical media over the years, where I could take that movie on VHS and copy it over to DVD. Sure, it wouldn’t look as good, but at least I wouldn’t have to buy it again. It just seems like some of these efforts by corporations trying to “protect their property” are going so far as to turn what you think you own into something more like a rental. And, personally, if I think I’m “renting” something, I don’t think I should be paying so much to use it.

This isn’t something that worries me tremendously: it’s just something to think about.