C A S S H E R N . C O M

Samurai Jack comes to the big screen as a live action movie written by the Warshowski brothers and directed by Terry Gilliam. At least that's what it looks like. I don't know what it actually is because it's all in Japanese. Look at the trailer and tell me I'm wrong.

Link thanks to Denormalize.

A Californian's View of the US of A.

papersplease.org :: Hiibel: "He's a 59 year old cowboy who owns a small ranch outside of Winnemucca, Nevada. He lives a simple life, but he's his own man. You probably never would have heard of Dudley Hiibel if it weren't for his belief in the U.S. Constitution. "

Link thanks to Denormalize.

Long story; short pier

Idiagram Examples

Heaps of cool diagrams here.

This is interesting. Mediachest.com is declaring itself as a social software site to help you organize, borrow, loan, and share books, CDs, DVDs, and video games. The idea is, it seems, to create a sort of virtual lending library of media between you and your friends. Unlike Friendster, this might actually be useful!

Between 1966 and 1967, Brian Wilson recorded the album Smile. This album, which has become an underground classic was reportedly responsible for Brian Wilson's spiral into depression, drug abuse, and madness. It was to be the Beach Boys' answer to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club. Now, after decades of speculation, the album is to be released

Salon.com News | Phone tower digging uncovers dinosaur egg: "Laborers digging up land to erect a telephone tower found what they thought was a large round stone in western India this week. But local officials said it as a 65 million-year-old fossilized dinosaur egg and villagers have been crowding in from miles around to peer at the find. "

Link thanks to Orkgrrrl

Repentant Nader Voter. Com


"Why? Tweedle dee is still tweedle dee, but tweedle dum has turned into a global tyrant."

Political State Report: straight from the trenches


From a MoveOn.org email: While the Presidential race dominates headlines, Tom DeLay's underhanded plans for Texas are quietly moving forward. DeLay's goal has been clear from the start -- to eliminate key progressives, and at the same time ensure that the makeup of the U.S. Congress stays solidly Republican.

One of DeLay's prime targets is U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett. Lloyd has been one of the most progressive leaders in the House. He was a leader against the rush to war in Iraq and has consistently stood his ground against the extremist policies of the Republican leadership. Here’s what Republican staffer Joby Fortson had to say in an internal memo, upon seeing what they were able to do to Doggett’s district: "ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha."

Classic Games from the Eighties
Aieeeeeee!

Salon.com Arts & Entertainment | Jewish leaders, Vatican meet on "Passion": "A Jewish leader met with Vatican officials this week to ask them to restate church teachings on the Crucifixion, saying Mel Gibson's new film contradicts the church's position that the Jews as a people were not responsible for Jesus' death. "

Little to report here except that the article does get it right that the Catholic Church officially recognizes that the Jewish people are not to blame for Christ's death and denounces all anti-semitism. On the other hand, they still fail to realize that Mel Gibson is not a Catholic.

Have the Neocons Killed a Presidency? - by Pat Buchanan: "And here is where Bush's present crisis was created.
Though he had internalized the neoconservative agenda for war, he had no rationale, no justification, no casus belli. Iraq had not threatened or attacked us."

Link thanks to Philos.

Has your apocalyptic tenor been dispelled?

Link thanks to Philos. P.S. "p" heh, heh.

I would just like to share this stunning insight, via Ariel Meadow: "burlesque is the new fire dancing"

Welcome to GIANTmicrobes!

Give the gift of illness.

CBS Pulls Advertisement on Medicare Prepared by Administration: "CBS said on Friday that it had stopped running a television advertisement for the new Medicare prescription drug law while Congress investigates its accuracy."

Kids Will See "R" Rated Passion

"The violence is necessary to understand the sacrifice Jesus made," says First Family pastor Jerry Johnston. His Baptist church has rented out a half-dozen theaters in Kansas City, Kan., and has reserved auditoriums the night of Feb. 27 for children 11 and older. Johnston concedes they'll be disturbed by the violence. "I hope they're disturbed enough to make their peace with Jesus."

Great. Just great. I was going to write all sorts of comments about how Johnston is obviously not a parent, but I think (or rather, hope) even people without children will recoil from his sentiments.

The Hobbit teaser trailer, directed by Peter Jackson
If only it were so! Here is a clever bit of editing for your enjoyment.

Crisis Magazine: "So error-laden is The Da Vinci Code that the educated reader actually applauds those rare occasions where Brown stumbles (despite himself) into the truth."

The Da Vinci Code is a real pulp page turner, which I have nothing against. I'm glad, however, that a reviewer has taken the time to point out (in great detail), that none of it is actually true.

Link thanks to Orkgrrrl

RavenBlack Games - Rules

More Spellcaster - here's a variant of the game also played on a server. Note that stats are kept!

Firetop Mountain Servers

The more I learn about Richard Bartle's brilliant game Spellcaster, the more brilliant I realize it is. Apparently I'm not the only one who things so. As I cruise the web, I keep finding more people who have been inspired by Spellcaster. Firetop Mountain is my latest discovery. It's an E-mail playable version of Spellcaster run through a server. I haven't had time to look into it very carefuly, but it has a great deal of potential. I'm amazed that no one has collected all the Spellcaster-related links on the web into one site (or maybe I just haven't found it yet). The fact that the game seems to have at least five different names is probably part of the problem.

Endless Online - Massive online RPG: "Imaging a world where everything is possible! A place where you can become rich and famous or fight evil monsters and become a hero.. Or just a normal peasant life as a citizen...Endless is a mmorpg under development where you can do all this and more !"

OH, say, this sounds exciting! I can become rich and famous to all the other rich famous people in whatever online world this is. I can fight evil monsters and become a hero. You don't see a game where you can do that every day! Why I could even life life as a lowly citizen in order to escape my mundane life as a lowly citizen. It doesn't get any better than this, with spelling mistakes.

Will the real Detroit skyline please stand up?: "They also provided a panoramic picture window that simulated the view of the Detroit skyline and two downtown stadiums snuggled against a seemingly vibrant neighborhood. The view formed the backdrop of the booth. In real life, though, at least 10 of the photo's buildings are abandoned hulks. Some are burned-out, roofless and scarred with soot. Artists touched up the photo by splashing light onto darkened windows and streets and adding roofs where there were none."

Link thanks to Boing Boing.

Join the clubbed: Catholics know pain of being bashed: "Catholicism has been represented far more frequently than any other faith. I've probably seen more films about the Catholic Church (and movies with nuns or priests as supporting characters) than all other religions put together. Just from the last four years, I could easily put together a Catholic Film Festival -- but I don't think too many Catholics would be pleased with the entries."

An interesting article about the negative image of Mel Gibson's "The Passion" against the history of anti-Catholicism in the movies. Unfortunately, the writer misses one important fact. Mel Gibson isn't Catholic.

PBS | I, Cringely . Archived Column

In which RXC discusses the connection between weapons of mass destruction and PowerPoint.

Salon.com Technology | Will the election be hacked?: "The machines were state-of-the-art products from an Ohio company called Diebold. But the code -- which a friend of Jekot's had found on the Internet -- was anything but flawless, Jekot says. It was amateurish and pocked with security problems. "

The Caucus Race

We brought our baby girl to her first caucus today. Tony said, "I never thought I would be raising my daughter to become Democrat." I replied, "That's funny, I always knew I'd raise my daughter to be Democrat!" But then, I come from a heavily political family on my father's side. (E.g. If you are from the south side of Chicago, chances are that you have heard of my great-aunt Miriam and cousin Clem of the Balanoff family.)

Previously, my only experience with a caucus was from a chapter in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. You may read it here.

Not Just for Children

"Adults can't get enough of Tolkien, Rowling and now Philip Pullman. Are we immature—or is 'kids' stuff' simply better entertainment?"


I hope that the Tolkien fans alone will take umbrage at this statement. Tolkien's and Pullman's trilogies are not children's books: they are grown-up books that appeal to children. Rowling's earlier books are children's books, but the series falls into the young adult category now. In the end, it comes down to marketing.

This much is true: children like strong narrative in their stories and are less tolerant of frilly "bridge passages" than adults. Perhaps, this is why, for many young adults, To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the first assigned novels in high school that they actually enjoy reading. (And yet there are no elves!)

Yahoo! News - Pentagon Cancels Internet Voting System: "The Pentagon (news - web sites) won't use an Internet voting system for overseas U.S. citizens this fall because of concerns about its security, an official said Thursday."

The Online Video Game Atlas

Incredible! The majority are console games, but they also have maps of Shinobi! (tsqui!)

Bush in 30 Seconds

Tasty morsels are a labor of love for Cupcake Royale owners: "Verite is so named because Hall wanted people to experience the 'truth in coffee and truth in cupcakes. Real ingredients, real flavor. With so much coffee in her background, it's safe to say Hall has the credentials to judge a bean. Caffe Umbria, to her, provides the most flavorful, complex coffee. She searched for the perfect ceramic cups for the cappuccinos and lattes, too, finding them in Italy. There's a proper ratio of steamed milk to espresso and the right cup can be just as essential as the right roast. Verite uses only filtered water for making coffee."

This cafe is a little ways up the hill from our house, and well worth the visit.

Ralph Don't Run


Dear Mr. Nader,

I voted for you in 2000 for a number of reasons. One of them was because I believed you when you said there was not much difference between George W. Bush and Al Gore. While I think the Democrats who voted for Bush instead of Gore are far more culpable for Bush's presidency than the people who voted for you, I am worried that, should you run for president again, Bush will serve a second term in office. For all of the criticisms leveled against Gore, I do not think that he would have brought us into a war against Iraq or have been a figurehead for the erosion of the Constitution. I would like for America to be more than a two-party system, but it is of the utmost importance that a Democrat win the next election. We can hold the candidate accountable to his promises without the anxiety of being arrested for exercising the freedom of speech guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Please put your support behind the Democratic candidate who wins the primaries and insist that the Democratic candidate be honest, honorable and fair. We need you to be a political watchdog, not a presidential candidate.

Sincerely,
Farida S. Dowler
Seattle, WA

Voyager Radio

Hey, this guy has a cool Internet radio station, and he links me! So check it out.