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9/11 Remembered by Stark
When the terror attacks happened on September 11, 2001 it changed a lot of people. Like most Americans, I struggled to understand the events and why they happened. Blogging had become popular during the early 2000′s. Luckily I had put my thoughts in a bottle and threw it out into the internet ocean. I prepared for the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by re-reading my various blog posts. Here are some of the highlights.
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On the 1st Anniversary I wrote this:
Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on American soil. This is one of those moments that will always stand out in our minds, the moment frozen in history forever. I’ve been resisting the urge to write about my feelings on 9-11 due to my part in the healing process. I felt like I needed to wait until the right moment to put everything down here. With the recent number of specials on Ch 7 (our local PBS affiliate) and other news channels, I’ve had a chance to reflect upon my thoughts and feelings. I now feel the need to share them here, some I have never shared with anyone before.
September 11, 2001 began like any other work day for me. I woke up to damn early in the morning, took my son to daycare and scuttled onto work. I was teaching a new group of techs in the classroom when one of my co-workers who had just walked into the building had informed me about the airliners hitting the World Trade Center. We had always been trying to play pranks on each other and for the first moment I thought she was making another attempt. I had an itch in the back of my mind that something was wrong so I poked my head back in the class and asked one of the students to pull up cnn.com. As she had walked away to open up her office I noticed that the news website had timed out. I didn’t think anything of it at the time and continued with the class. A few minutes later my supervisor had walked in to make a special announcement. It was then that I had realized that this was no joke, my co-worker had been telling the truth. The supervisor authorized anyone who needed to make any special calls to go ahead and do so. Two students immediately got up and left the class heading for the phone in the break room. Needless to say, we didn’t get much done in class that day. The reason the cnn website didn’t come up was due to high traffic. In fact we ended up having to pull up information from British news websites, which didn’t have the latest information. It was still early in the morning and rumors were only adding to the fear and tension. Our office building is near the Salt Lake International Airport. There were reports that airplanes had been ordered to land at the nearest possible airport but not all planes had been accounted for. The parents of my girlfriend worked at Hill Air Force Base, what was happening to them? I remember calling my Father because of the way I felt. We had talked for a while and I was in better spirits after conferring with him. I was also very happy to pick up my son from daycare that afternoon.
The days that followed brought more sadness. Our nation had been wounded. Sports and music on the radio had been discarded so that people could talk and say the things they needed to say. I remember the biggest thing I felt was that I was ashamed. I know that the United States is not a perfect country, however I wouldn’t give up living here for anything. Why did it take an act of cowards using religion as an excuse to slaughter thousands of innocent people to make me realize where I was living? To make me realize the sacrifice made by Law Enforcement, Medical Personnel and those serving in the Military for the safety and protection of my family. I vowed that I would never feel this way again. I’ve proudly displayed the American flag on my car or at my home. On the Fourth of July, the Star Trek club that I belong to put together a float for two city parades. As I walked down the parade route, it gave me the chance to see everyone come out and display their patriotism. I also made sure to shake the hand of a Layton Police Officer to thank him. I wanted someone to know that I appreciated what they were doing.
I remember reading an article stating the good that had come out of the Titanic disaster. The article went on to explain that it wasn’t a contradictory statement. The disaster had gone on to spur improved standards and practices for liner safety. I believe the same thing is happening here. Citizens of the United States and of other countries are starting to realize that there is more we can do if we work together. What can be done to prevent terrorism and that anyone can help. We can make a difference just by doing little things. I believe that we can reach the spirit of the 23rd and 24th centuries seen in Star Trek. It may take a long time to reach, but we are learning from our mistakes, dusting ourselves off and heading in the right direction.
So as I watch the specials and think back over the past year. I feel sadness for those who lost countless loved ones. I admire the bravery of the passengers who retook Flight 93 and prevented it from hitting its target. I am appreciative of those serving to protect my family. And finally I still feel some confusion. What the hell were the terrorists thinking? Did they not expect the United States and all freedom loving people of the world to not react in the way we did? Did they believe that we would crawl under a rock bloodied and in pain and stay there? Did they believe we would just roll over and surrender? HELL NO!!! Just as the Japanese had awoken a sleeping giant with the attack on Pearl Harbor, a new giant is now awakened. A lot of terrorists will not survive its wake.
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On the 2nd Anniversary I posted this:
I was wondering if I should post anything for the second anniversary of the 9-11-01 terrorist attacks. This day marks a major event in history, and it should be remembered for the right reasons. However I’m reminded of a quote by Joseph Sisko (Father of Captain Benjamin Sisko on Deep Space Nine) in the episode “Paradise Lost” when it looked like the mysterious Dominion was going to invade Earth at any moment (and it turned out there was only three agents on the planet). Someone asked him if he was worried that the Dominion was out there and could strike at any moment, his response was “Worried? I’m scared to death. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let them change the way I live my life.” In a way this is a very good quote for this day, and a very bad one at the same time. By living our lives, not giving in to fear and terror the cowards will not win. However part of returning to the way we lived our life before 9-11 includes the petty arguments that divided our nation. I was really proud of how this nation pulled together in the year that followed. However once the one year anniversary hit it seemed like everyone went back to their separate corners to pout. This terrorist thing isn’t going to go away in six months or a year. We don’t need to give up everything for security, but we still need to prepare and educate just as we would for a natural disaster. That will take a lot of work and a lot of understanding.
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So now it is the 10th Anniversary. Zuke suggested that we post where we were at the time of the attacks. I think this is a good idea because we still cannot forget what happened on that day. I did have other blog posts on my private site and later on Livejournal about the terror attacks and the aftermath. I would still remember every September 11th. I would still try to thank our local law enforcement and emergency personnel for what they do. To this day I still want to visit the crash site for Flight 93 to honor the passengers for what they did. I also remember thinking that this war on terror was the new cold war. Just as it took 40 years to resolve the cold war, the war on terror would not be an over night sensation. It would take years and dedication from a wide variety of countries and groups of people. Instead of giving into hate and rumor, I would try to make myself a better person. I would try to teach my children to contribute to a better world.
One last thought. I had not kept up on the rebuilding of Ground Zero. Until a few weeks ago I was not aware of how much progress had actually been made on the memorial and the new Trade Center tower. I am very happy to see that it is a lot farther than I expected. One day I will visit New York City. This memorial will be one of the sites I’d like to see.
A non-professional review of the Alpocalypse CD & DVD set
The cover to Alpocalypse featuring the four horsemen.
What do you do when you’ve been releasing comedy songs since 1978 and made good money from it? You release your 13th album because you still know how to poke mainstream media in the eye. That is exactly what three time Grammy Award winning “Weird Al” Yankovic has done with his new album and music video DVD, Alpocalypse. The victims of this music collection include Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Brintey Spears, Lady Antebellum, Justin Bieber, P!nk, Katy Perry, Owl City, Ke$ha and other artists you may or may not have heard of. For some geeks, Weird Al is the window to some songs that we may not get a chance to check out (since we may avoid certain music categories).
I have to admit that I was initially disappointed by the fact that about half of the songs on Alpocalypse had been previously released on the 2009 Grammy nominated internet-only album, Internet Leaks. I had already downloaded the songs that I felt were the highlights. But after several trips in the car I was happy that I had CNR blasting at full volume out of my windows.
In honor of the title, the four horsemen of the apocalypse will be our rating system.
CD Songs:
–Perform this Way (parody of “Born this Way” by Lady Gaga) Yes despite Gaga’s manager’s attempt to stop this parody from being made, it did get the green light from the costumed one herself. Gaga didn’t even know that Yankovic was trying to get permission for the parody until the twitterstorm hit the intertubes. The action of the fans helped prevent the album from being delayed. The song parodies Gaga’s various costume styles and stage antics. The best line from the song is “I’m sure my critics say it’s a grotesque display. Well, they can bite me baby – I perform this way.” This song gets three and a half horsemen.
–CNR (original song by Al Yankovic) I felt strange reviewing this song since I thought it was the best song on Internet Leaks (and thus already downloaded from Amazon). This is a style parody of the band White Stripes. The excellent lyrics finally puts to rest who would win the strongman battle between internet sensations Chuck Norris and Charles Nelson Riley. Best line from the song is the whole song. Because CNR is a sign of the apocalypse himself, this song earns five horsemen.
–TMZ (parody of “You Belong To Me” by Taylor Swift) This song fits. The moment you hear the parody you wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself when the radio stations were constantly over-playing the original again and again. Yankovic calls out the scumbags who run TMZ and other celebrity gossip shows (and shame on the general public for watching these shows so much). The best line from this song is the background announcer stating “Everything celebrities do is exciting” with a fake sincerity. Had the original not been played so much it may have received a higher rating, but I give it two and a half horsemen.
–Skipper Dan (original song by Al Yankovic) Another Internet Leaks hold over. However this song actually benefited from it’s inclusion on the new album. When I heard the song for the first time, I thought ‘eh’ and didn’t really play it again. I didn’t purchase the MP3 or play the youtube video again. Thus it didn’t get repeat play that CNR or Craigslist did. However while I was driving in my car or listening to the album at home, the true meaning of this song suddenly hit me. It wasn’t just about this guy who’s life turned out the way he wanted. It was about all of us who trudge through a mundane day at a mundane job. There are times I look up at the office and wonder “how the freek did I get here?” So now I appreciate Skipper Dan a little bit more. The best line from the song is “Somebody shoot me ’cause I’m bored to tears.” Originally this song would have received one horseman, but now I give it two horsemen.
–Polka Face (polka compilation) It has been a tradition that almost each Weird Al album has a polka melody on it. Only the “Weird Al” Yankovic and Even Worse albums do not contain polkas. This polka starts off with the traditional Liechtensteiner polka and then spins off into portions of “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga (which is also where the title of the melody comes from), “Womanizer” by Brittany Spears, “Right Round” by someone called Flo Rida (I hadn’t heard of him until now either), “Day ‘n’ Night” by Kid Cudi, the gawdawful “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum, “Baby” by Justin Bieber (I think that was the only word in the original song), “So What” by P!nk (you mean I’ve been spelling it wrong all this time?), “I Kissed A Girl” by Katy Perry, “Fireflies” by Owl City, “Blame It” by Jamie Foxx, “Replay” by Lyaz, “Down” by Jay Sean, “Break Your Heart” by Taio Cruz, “Tik Tok” by Ke$ha (which I had hoped would have been in it’s own parody) and finally the Whatever’s Left Over Polka by Al Yankovic. It’s pretty standard especially since it contains stuff you’ve never heard of. This song earns two horsemen.
–Craigslist (original by Al Yankovic) Another style parody (knocking on the 60′s music group, The Doors) that
Interior shots of the CD/DVD cardboard packaging on Alpocalypse.
was also an Internet Leaks refugee. The song spoofs various ads that one might find on the Craigslist site. The best line in this song was the open letter to the snotty barista. This song was posted at two and a half horsemen on the site.
–Party in the CIA (parody of “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus) I know that Perform This Way was the lead track (and most talked about just before the CDs release) but this song is what makes the album a classic for me. This is the song that I want to listen to over and over again. It’s peppy and disturbing (in a good way unlike Perform This Way) at the same time. Just the title alone tells you it is going to be about espionage and undercover operations and you can hear it before the music even starts. The first time I heard this song, I immediately started thinking about the parody youtube video that I wanted to put together. The best line is “We only torture the folks we don’t like. You’re probably gonna be okay.” Yeeaaaaaaayyaaaa it’s got four horsemen today.
–Ringtone (original by Al Yankovic) While Skipper Dan redeeming itself by repeat listening on the album, this Internet Leaks holdover still falls flat after many chances. So far the most annoying ringtones that I’ve heard from various cells have been the free ones that come pre-packaged on the phone itself. Even then the annoyances have been minor (unlike the major annoyance that we will be talking about soon). I would not have been sad had this song been replaced by a new original from Yankovic. There are no best lines in this song and none of the horsemen wanted to be associated with this song.
–Another Tattoo (parody of “Nothin’ on You” by B.o.B.) Another parody song that made me want to check out the original song at least once. It flows and ebbs smoothly like the original song and basically works for the most part. Yes it is a song about an obsession over getting more tattoos (which can remind you of some people). The best line is the Star Wars reference in the song (Yes I’m going to make you listen for it wuahhahahaha). This entry rates two horsemen.
–If That Isn’t Love (original by Al Yankovic) If anyone believes that the original songs written by Yankovic are not funny, I’ll point them towards this song. When I first hear this song I was wondering what song it was a parody of. According to the credits, it is an original. Yes it is a style parody of Hansen. But Yankovic thought of it, wrote it down and performed it. The best line is about how much milk he is willing to leave in the fridge for his love. Three horsemen for this song.
–Whatever You Like (parody of “Whatever You Like” by T.I.) Yes the name remains the same, but that is the only hold over from the original. Where the original explains how his girl can have what ever riches the singer is singing about, this song talks about how economical Yankovic can be. The best line in this song is “Yea, it’s all about the Washingtons, that’s right.” Three horsemen could afford this song.
–Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me (original by Al Yankovic) Do you remember the song Virus Alert from Yankovic’s last album Straight Outta Lynwood? It was basically a warning to everyone to stop sending those fake, out-of-date and inane virus alert emails. Well Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me kicks up a few notches and screams out the warning this time. Not only is Yankovic pleading for idiots to stop forwarding virus alerts, but all of the other stupid, moronic, idiotic, fake, untruthful and asinine emails that clog up our inboxes. (something I wish some family members would get the hint at) It was so refreshing to hear that someone else is just as bloody annoyed at these smegging things as I am. Yes, the whole song is the best line. There are Four horsemen to end the album with a warning. STOP FORWARDING THAT CRAP TO ME!!!!!!!!!
DVD Videos:
A quick note. The Perform This Way video was not on the DVD. I don’t believe it was done in time to make it to press. I’m certain there will be a future ‘best of’ DVD set in the future. However I thought it was funny when Madonna showed up during the line about how “original” Lady Gaga is.
A second note on the DVD. My copy at least would always run a continual play. I could start a video in the middle of the selection and it would continue onto the next video without prompt. Has anyone else experienced this?
–CNR (animated and directed by JibJab.com) This animated video fits the song perfectly. Charles Nelson Riley declares it so.
–TMZ (animated and directed by Bill Plympton) Where as some videos enhance the song, this video seriously detracts from it. Plympton is well known for his artistry. However the video deviates from the theme of the song and focuses on the ass shot of the actress portrayed in the song. It seemed like it was just stuck in a loop and over-used.
The Alpocalypse booklet, CD (red) and DVD (green).
–Skipper Dan (animated and directed by Divya Srinivasan) Pretty plain and basic, like the song. However it follows the song fairly well.
–Craigslist (directed by Liam Lynch) A live action video that contained psychedelic highlights commonly seen in videos by The Doors. The video compliments the song very well.
–Party in the CIA (directed by Roque Balesteros and animated by multiple artists) Just as the song was extremely awesome, the video enhances this as well. I like how they integrated Yankovic into the animation.
–Ringtone (directed by Josh Faure-Brac and Dustin McLean, lead animator is Steven K.L. Olson) I feel bad for this video. It tries to work with the material presented and follows the song very well. However with the song failing so badly, this video can only take it so far.
–Another Tattoo (animated and directed by Augenblick Studios) The animation seemed a little rough, but that seemed to fit the song. It was able to focus on the tattoos just as the song did.
–If That Isn’t Love (animated and directed by Brian Frisk) This video surprised me by how well it worked. It accomplished its goal in making the song better.
–Whatever You Like (animated and directed by Cris Shapan) The use of live images into animation was very well done in this video. Once again, it enhanced the song.
–Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me (animated and directed by Koos Deeker) When I first heard this song, I wondered how it would be presented. I feared a Virus Alert repeat. However Deeker was able to concisely deliver the message that this song portrays. Probably the best video after Party In the CIA and CNR. I plan to send a link to this video to all of those who annoy me with useless junk.
Packaging and Booklet:
The CD only item protected the CD in a standard jewel case. However I was disappointed to find out that the CD/DVD combo came in a cardboard package. I’m worried that the cardboard will not protect the two disks as well as I would like. Plus the cardboard is already starting to show some wear and tear as I get some use out of the set. I am curious on how the factory scenes in the packaging and booklet fit with the album theme. I’m glad to see that the lyrics are included in the booklet as I know a log of Weird Al fans who love to sing along. I noticed that TMZ was listed as a parody of “You Belong To Me” (where as the actual title is “You Belong With Me”). I did like the photo of Yankovic lounging with the other three horsemen in the back of the book.
Conclusion:
If you are still claiming to be a member of the Church of Yankovia then you already have this set (and probably has it as worn as mine is) and you are probably reading this review to see if it matches your own perceptions. For regular geeks, picking up this set will help you increase your geek cred (roll 2D10 for final results). Ok mundanes, yes you will want to pick up this CD. Despite the inclusion of Ringtone this album is fun and entertaining. From here you can start your path to the Dark Side of Geekdom. We look forward to seeing you on the flip side.
How fun was Starfest 2011?
Just watch these videos to find out. Yes Stark is in both of them. Oh and there are more coming soon.
Photos from Starfest 2011
So on the last podcast I announced that I would be geeking out at Starfest 2011 in Denver. It was requested that I post a random sampling of photos from the con. These photos were taken with my LG Optimus Droid and uploaded to Facebook so I could share them immediately. However there is one photo that wasn’t shared on Facebook so it is making it’s premier here. These photos do not even scratch the surface on the number of costumes, events and fans at the convention. This convention has spread to two hotels and attracts a HUGE number of fans of Anime, Horror, SF, Comics, Gaming, Fantasy, Robotics and more.
Click on the thumbnails to see the larger photo.
This is where fans of Harry Potter and magical worlds hung out
The Pepsi advertising campaign has made it to Andoria
Anime girls were everywhere at the con
Clubs would decorate the atrium rooms to advertise their groups
There was a contest to see who had the best decorations on the balcony
Starfest had a bunch of Authors, Artists and Musicians waiting to greet fans and sign autographs
Battlestar Galactica was well represented. Here are some classic BSG Cylons
In the dealers room, you could even find components for your freeze ray
A six foot model of the classic Battlestar Galactica was found in the Model Show
Soon blood and oil will spill accross the battlefield at this gaming table
Vehicles from different shows were presented. Here are some Ghostbuster cars
Unusual costumes could be found including this variant on an Iron Man suit
Mandalorians came to Hoth to hunt down the Jedi
Morena Baccarin signs autographs for the fans
Just about any costume could be found at the con including Planet of the Apes
Robot builders gather at RoboCon to show off the R2D2 or B9 units
Fleeing from the Cylon tyranny, the last Battlestar, Galactica, leads a ragtag, fugitive fleet, on a lonely quest—for a shining planet known as Earth
Even holograms were allowed into the convention
The USS Kelly holds a room party at Starfest 2011
The chapters of Starfleet Command's Seventh Fleet proudly display their banners at the Starfest Atrium
A character from the movie Suckerpunch
A full size Warhamer 40K costume
Even the dead came to life for this convention
PSA on Spam, Infections, Phishing and email scams
As a follow up to yesterday’s post about the breach of the Epsilon email providers (and mentioned on the Stolen Droids Podcast #2) here is some advice about spam, phishing and emails. Emails, instant messengers and social media posts (i.e. Facebook) are a major form of internet communication. While we will be concentrating on emails in this post, it can be applied to instant messages and social media posts.
When someone attempts to gather your information by tricking you into responding to an email or clicking on a bogus link in an email, it is called Phishing. Any company worth their salt will not ask you for information over email (or IM). On our last podcast, Zuke gave some really good advice about suspicious emails with links. If you think the email is bogus, use a google search to find the official website of the company and use that to correspond with them.
Another plague for emails, IMs and social media posts are links to websites that try to infect your computer. The basic form of these will be an email only containing a hyperlink. This should send up red flags from here to the Delta Quadrant. A step up from these may contain a short message asking if these images/video are of you? Or did you see the latest on (insert latest name here) celebrity. These can also be sent by IM or posted on a Facebook wall. A plaque that has been hitting Facebook is the “see who’s reading your profile” or “You’ve been tagged in a photo” link that could also be sent via email. Most of the time you can hover over the link and look in the lower left hand corner of your browser to see where the link is really going. Any link not ending with the generic top-level domains (common enders at the end of the website address like .com, .net, .org, .edu, etc. The best rule is, if it smells fishy, don’t click on it.
Another thing that has been bugging me lately with some of these spam and virus emails is how easily people give up their email addresses to these scumbags. Let me give you a big hint that could help cut back on that. Anytime you get an email from someone that says “forward this to everyone you know” DON’T DO IT!!!!! People just get in the habit of forwarding the same email without cleaning off all of the email addresses that you added to the email itself. It doesn’t matter if it’s a virus alert, search for a missing child, “facts” about a political issue, petition for a change or a candle to remember those affected by the XYZ disaster (most are bogus anyway) once you forward that email with all of your friend’s email addresses on it, you no longer control where that information is sent. I’ve been trying to tell my grandmother for years that these emails are bogus and only give spammers a chance to harvest her email lists. Yet on a daily basis I still get these junk mails from her (and others) that I have to delete.
So what do you do when you get a note from friends that your email, IM or Facebook account has been sending out virus/junk messages? First thing you would want to do is scan your computer for spyware, malware and viruses. There are several scanners out there, but I’ve used a few different ones. AVG has a free edition of their virus scanner. Spybot S&D and SuperAntiSpyware are two good anti-spyware programs. Malwarebytes will also help scan your system for malware on your system. These programs are also free as well for home users. Once this is done, change your passwords to your emails, IMs and social media. If your account has sent out anything, follow up with them to let them know not to click on the links and delete the emails.
The best part about the internet is sharing our knowledge. What tips do you have to combat viruses, infections, scams and spam? What programs have you found useful in removing infected systems?
Companies affected by the Epsilon breach
As we mentioned on Podcast#2, there was a number of companies that was affected by the Epsilon email service provider breach. Basically these companies had collected email addresses for its business use. The breach resulted in these lists being stolen and possibly used to by spammers to send out their electronic junk mail.
You may have received an email from one of these companies letting you know about the breach. But just in case someone is wondering if they are getting hit by a phishing scam, we are posting the known list of companies that have sent out warning letters.
Remember, no company worth it’s salt will ask you for your information via email. These warning emails were just warnings only. No links to follow or requests for information. If an email asks you to follow a link to update your information, it would be better to use a google search to find the official company website and use that for your correspondence back to them.
AbeBooks
Ameriprise Financial
Barclays Bank
Best Buy
Brookstone
Citibank
Disney Destinations
Hilton Worldwide
JP Morgan Chase
Kroger
Lacoste
Marriott International
McKinsey Quarterly
New York & Company
Robert Half
Target
Tivo
US Bank
Walgreens
You translated what into Klingon?
This was uploaded today. I thought she did a very good job with the details.
We’ve seen Shakespeare, the Bible and other works translated into the warrior’s tongue. So what would you translate into Klingon
How Europe Responds to Terror Threats, 2011 style
I have no idea if John actually wrote this, but I still thought it was funny. –Carl
The People's Front of Judea or is it the Judean People's Front?
How Europe Responds to Terror Threats, 2011 style
by John Cleese
The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats and have therefore raised their security level from “Miffed” to “Peeved.” Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to “Irritated” or even “A Bit Cross.” The English have not been “A Bit Cross” since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from “Tiresome” to “A Bloody Nuisance.” The last time the British issued a “Bloody Nuisance” warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.
The Scots have raised their threat level from “Pissed Off” to “Let’s Get the Bastards.” They don’t have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.
The French Government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from “Run” to “Hide.” The only two higher levels in France are “Collaborate” and “Surrender.” The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France’s white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country’s military capability.
The Italians have increased the alert level from “Shout Loudly and Excitedly” to “Elaborate Military Posturing.” Two more levels remain: “Ineffective Combat Operations” and “Change Sides.” The Germans have increased their alert state from “Disdainful Arrogance” to “Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs.” They also have two higher levels: “Invade a Neighbor” and “Lose.”
Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.
The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.
The Australians, meanwhile, have raised their security level from “No worries” to “She’ll be Alright, Mate.” Two more escalation levels remain: “Crikey! I think we’ll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!” and “The barbie is canceled.” So far no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level.
Geeks at NORAD tracking Santa
Now that Thanksgiving has passed, I feel that I can talk about Christmas (retailers and radio stations start way too early. This bugs me as a big fan of Thanksgiving).
I love having a Geek Wife. Not only am I married to someone who understand me, she also introduces me to more geek items that I wasn’t aware of. She introduced me to the website that NORAD set up to track Santa Clause on Christmas Eve. http://www.noradsanta.org/
NORAD tracking Santa just off the North American coast in 2007
It has now become a tradition on December 24th (Just as the International Date line crosses over to December 25th) to visit the website and keep an eye on where Santa has visited. The website will update every five minutes with different reports and videos on where Santa has been. At the time that Santa is scheduled to pass over our place, my wife would run past the kids bedrooms (they would be tucked in by that time) playing the Christmas bells (luckily we would already have the presents under the tree).
How did NORAD get in the business of tracking Santa through the skies? On December 24, 1955 an advertisement had been placed in a Colorado Springs newspaper asking kids to call Santa at the number printed and they would be able to keep track of Santa’s location through out the world. The only problem was the number was listed incorrectly in the ad. Instead of ringing the store, it rang to Col. Harry Shoup at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center. A ton of calls came in from excited kids asking where Santa was. Instead of hanging up on the kids, Col. Shoup asked his operators to find the location of Santa and report it to every kid that called. This started a tradition at NORAD that continues until today. Using satellite systems, high-powered radars and jet fighters several hundred volunteers track Santa and respond to telephone calls and emails from around the world (from both adults and kids). The Track Santa website with NORAD is translated into six languages. The 2006 tracking effort alone had 1 billion hits to the website (from 210 countries), a half a million calls were made to the hotline and over 12,500 emails were received.
Perhaps NORAD should alter their motto to “Deter. Detect. Defend. Deliver.”
James Bond (semi-spoilerish) and Trek trailers
Most of this mirrors Squishy’s comments, but I thought I’d add some of my own.
How to handle traffic on the freeway.
My wife and I had a date night so we took the opportunity to go see the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. As with previous James Bond movies, the title came from Ian Fleming. It was the title of a short story in Fleming’s James Bond short story book “For your eyes only.” As with previous title uses, elements of the short story were not used in the movie.
Quantum of Solace picks up right where Casino Royale left off. So I would highly recommend re-watching that movie before staring QoS. If you had any doubt if this was an action flick, that was disproven in the first minutes of the movie. James Bond having to take a lot of matters into his own hands reminded me of License to Kill and Die Another Day. I also enjoyed the Goldfinger tribute when one of the Bond Girls is killed and left for Bond to find.
I liked how Bond flushed out the members of Quantum at their secret meeting. It sounds like the type of scenario that a role-player would have used to trick the bad guys into tipping their hand. I felt sorry for Felix Lighter and the predicament that he had found himself in. But then again life is never black and white as this movie had a lot of shades of gray in it.
One of the things that I dislike in a movie is when it becomes predictable. We get to see this lovely futuristic hotel with a very fancy lobby out in the desert. The first thought I had when I saw the lobby was “I can’t wait to see this thing blow up” Heheheheh. I was not disappointed, but I was glad that this was the only predictable moment in the film.
The opening credits was more Bond like than Casino. The final scene (fans will know what I mean when they see it) at the end of the movie shows the final transformation to the debonair international spy we know and love.
One of the things I loved about Casino and QoS was how this reboot set up the beginning of James Bond. We get to see how a blunt instrument turns into the stylish operative we expect when we hear “Bond…James Bond” coming from the mouth of our hero.
Go see this movie if you have enjoyed the James Bond franchise. I will be buying QoS on DVD when it comes out. And for those who wonder about any hidden scenes at the end of the credits, QoS did not provide any so you can leave when you want too.
On an interesting note, I loved how the seats at the Junction were set up. Erica and I were able to cuddle while watching the movie (like we were sitting on a couch at home).
Sulu is ready for action....or is this Zuke?
On the Star Trek trailer: When it started, I didn’t even know we were watching the trailer for the new Trek movie. Not until you heard the actor state “James Tiberius Kirk” was any clue provided that this was the first scenes we would see. I highly recommend that you see the trailer on the big screen as it fit much better with all of the action sequences shown. I really believe that this restart (much like the James Bond restarts) will bring a lot of new fans into the franchise.
