Film Fetish: "Flags Of Our Fathers"

Flags Of Our Fathers (2006)
- directed by Clint Eastwood

Based on the best-selling nonfiction book of the same name, Flags Of Our Fathers takes place during World War II and follows the story of three soldiers whose lives are forever changed as a result of being "photographed" during the famous flag raising on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima.

Although I've only seen a few of Clint Eastwood's films, I'd definitely say I'm a fan of his work. I'm somewhat ambivalent toward this film however. It had all the great makings for a movie that I would enjoy: it's directed by Eastwood, it's based upon true events, it takes place during WWII, it's about war and humanity in the face of it, its focus is on the Pacific Theater, it has a great cast, beautiful cinematography, etc. The list could go on.

While I don't think the movie is in anyway bad, it did manage to fall flat for me. I had great hopes and expectations for the movie, which ultimately might be why I was disappointed. Certainly you would think that's the reason, but I still contend that there's nothing terribly gripping or engaging about the emotional story behind the film. It hit some perfect notes, but only briefly. There wasn't anything particularly profound about its meditation on heroism. And on a technical level, I found the editing/storytelling very annoying and at times frustrating. So much so that I was pulled out of the story at moments to ponder the reasoning behind these editing decisions. It all seemed nonsensical and intrusive. I know it sounds like I'm being harsh, but I really didn't hate the movie. Although, I wasn't in love with it either. Just sorta lukewarm about the entire experience. I suppose I'd ultimately recommend the film to anyone with a passing interest in WWII films, and certainly to those with a love for gripping action sequences.

6.5/10 Despite some misfired approaches toward the actual storytelling and editing of the film, it's certainly worth a viewing for anyone with a modest interest in WWII, The Pacific Theater, and wartime action sequences.

DS333, lukewarm.

Nocturnal Omission

So... I'm gonna be an ass today. :P I really don't feel like blogging tonight, the most I can do is post about how I'm not gonna post. :P Today was a weird day. Well not weird, but a bit busy. My brother and his clan stopped over, and the entire family had a really great time... I'm just feeling beat. Especially since I must've clocked in, I'm not kidding, about nine hours on the Wii... "Wii Sports" that is. I'm totally spent right now. :P

Since I was bowling, batting, pitching, serving, and swinging for most of the day... my body's feeling a bit wrecked. My feet in particularly are killing me. Probably didn't help, wearing steel-toed boots and all. ;) On the plus, I've really improved my tennis score. :P I think the perfect match for me is Eva & Tyrone... those are some killer opponents. ;)

Anyway, I didn't get to do my usual diving today... I've got 67 stories to dig through via Google Reader, not to mention a few forums, personal micro-blogs and various comment threads to check up on. I'd normally have this all done by the afternoon, but even I have to lay off the computer every now and then. ;) So I'm gonna go do what I do best... consume. Both food (Mmmm... spaghetti and Pizza Hut bread sticks) and media. Hope you all had a good one! :D

DS333, consuming.

001.039.365

• Today's been a real haze.
• Had a dream of my dead brother, in this amazing landscape of metal, refineries and pipelines. A wondrous landscape. Massive.
• I miss my brother.
  
• Decided to slum it today, wardrobe-wise, but went out with my Dad for lunch anyway.
• Surprisingly I didn't mind going as is... I was looking quite bohemian, which is always a good thing. ;)
• Went to Jim's #1. An oldie and a goodie. Had the chicken strips special with a rootbeer.
• Dished some dirt with my Dad, which is rare... since he was the one who was gossiping. :P
• Catching up on some podcasts.
• Realizing I'm not doing as much reading (physical media) this week as I had hoped.
• Decided to curtail my "drinking" to the weekends. So I've been going Jones Soda & Starbucks crazy the last couple of days.
• Thinking I'm gonna hit up the rest of my java chip frap tonight.
• I need to work on my dream journal, but I'm finding it difficult to work with pencil... colored pencil at that... color even more at that. :P
• Read a lot of forum threads today.
• Noticed I've gotten into the habit of catching a video right when it hits the Net, before it's hot.
• Watched the latest trailer for "Resident Evil 5" on the Microsoft XBOX 360. :( It made me wish I had one. Then I realized how much I hate Microsoft. I'll survive. ;)
• Going to see "The Simpsons Movie" tomorrow. Hooray! :D
• Think I need to rip more of my CD's into iTunes.
• I'm kinda tired. Not sleepy, but tired. Too much tech/net/computer today.
• Realized how amazing "The Lord Of The Rings" extended edition trilogy is, if only because I noticed I have 90% of the dialogue memorized.
• I watched "...The Two Towers" today and fell in love with the diction all over again. Hadn't seen it in months, but the words were dancing on my lips.
• Still haven't tracked my Twitterrific mark/hacker.
• I wanted to make a rootbeer float this weekend, but I don't feel in the mood... should I force myself?
• Calling it a night. ;)

DS333, quasi-listless.

Honors & Errors

One thing I love to keep tabs on are all of these statistics from the various websites I'm on. Mostly things like page views and posts, because I'm ever obsessed about catching the stats as they reach 333. I know I haven't talked about the number three on this blog, and it's significance in my little life, but I plan to eventually. Suffice it to say that I feel it's an important number, and never more when it comes in threes. So luckily I was able to catch the number when I made 333 posts on Twitter... but sadly, I didn't get a screen capture of it. What I did manage to capture, though, was the number of page views I got on my Virb profile when it reached the magic number. So here it is in all its glory. :P

What's funny is that I stayed up all night to grab this screen capture because I was aware I was near the mark when I saw the stat reach 332. Usually the number of views jumps more than one at a time, so I was worried that by the time I woke up I would've missed the magic moment. So I held a vigil that night... waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Very pathetic. :P

What I love more than keeping track of stats, is experiencing errors. A lot of the new Web 2.0 sites love to play cute and upload various obscure pics when you experience a server error or some such. He's one I captured from Pownce. Tres geek. :D

And while we're on the subject of errors, I'd thought I'd let you in on a particularly strange one. So earlier today I was at Starbucks because I wanted to cool off from being in my horribly stuffy room all day. And while I'm out, I had been in the habit of leaving my system on so that I could seed torrent files while I have the time and bandwith. But since my power outage scare a few days ago, I nixed that habit. So I had my system shut off while I was away, and came home and started up my Mac. I opened my usual apps: Path Finder, System Preferences, Firefox, Transmission, Adium, etc. And the one app I use to keep track of my tweets, the truly great one, is Twitterrific. Now you should know that I have Twitterrific set to log me in automatically upon starting the program. So I do so, and I get logged into someone else's account! It was the weirdest thing. And somewhat scary, because such a glitch makes you feel as though you've been compromised in some way... or at least your system has. I've chalked it up an odd glitch. But never the less I tend to find out who's profile I had loaded. I only know that they've a lot of Spanish-speaking friends. I'm in the process of tracking down exactly who it is got into my Twitterrific, or whose profile I got into. For no other reason than to let them know, since there's nothing they or I can do about the situation. Anyway... it was an odd error, and I felt like sharing. Enjoy! :D

DS333, flattered and malfunctioning.

Film Fetish: "The Notebook"

The Notebook (2004)
- directed by Nick Cassavetes

The story of a Summer romance sparked between two people from opposite sides of the tracks is read by an elderly man to an old woman suffering from dementia and memory loss. The tale of the two lovers recounts their first meeting, their Summer romance, their eventual break-up and their lives thereafter, coping with the loss.

Overall I enjoyed the movie. It would be hard to go too far into a proper review without spoiling much the story, so I won't. I will say that it's a few grades better than a typical romantic drama, although not one of the greatest ever committed to celluloid. I'm also a sucker for a film that spans considerable time in its telling, which this movie did. Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling were a real treat on screen. Their on-screen chemistry really made the story pop. A solid film overall. Perfect in you're in the mood for love.

7/10 A nice solid romantic drama that edges past the typical fare. A beautiful meditation on the idea of "the call unanswered" and "the left-hand path".




* Spoilers *

I think it would've been impossible to have heard about this film and not realize that the elderly couple in the beginning of the film were the same lovers in "the notebook". That being said, I did hear about this movie, and I knew this going in. It didn't ruin things, if anything it enchanced my experience. Sure... it does kill any tension we might have about wondering whom Allie will choose, but it makes the "b-story" all the more engaging. Seeing Allie in the grips of dementia is so heart-wrenching, and makes her momentary lucidity all the more uplifting. If anything, this movie is all about the last 30-minutes. Gena Rowlands is amazing. One of the greatest love stories ever.

DS333, (insert something cute & clever). :P

001.036.365

• Slept horribly.
• Not exactly an extremely humid day, but a sweaty one nonetheless.
• Had an amazingly tasty pepperoni calzone from Sbarro.
• Spent most of the day wrestling with "Wii Sports".
• Convinced I'm only a fan of "Wii Sports" tennis, bowling and golf. Baseball and boxing can suck it! :P
• Uploaded another piece of my artwork to my Virb profile.
• My brother came over today and we chatted it up a bit.
• Thinking of how tasty the rootbeer float I'm planning on making this weekend is going to be. It's a Jones Soda rootbeer! :D
• Wondering how Comic-Con is going.
• Experiencing a drought of sorts as far as media is concerned. Well at least from blogs.
• Mmmm... don't really have much to say today. I'm kinda quiet.
• I'm planning on polishing off the rest of my calzone and watching "The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers: Extended Edition". :D
• Goodnight. ;)

DS333, silenced.

Explained, "The Art"

It was only a matter of time until I began sharing my artwork with the world. That time has finally come. I'm adding "The Art" as another regular feature of this blog; a place to showcase my artwork. It'll be a slow rollout since I'm going through the process of re-digitizing a lot of what I had already completed. Actually I'm starting from scratch. I chucked everything I worked through in Photoshop when I was backing up files for the re-install of my system. Now that I have everything in place, I'm taking out the original pieces and re-scanning them and working them through GIMP.

For the moment, I'll just be working on uploading pieces I feel comfortable "letting go" with. For the most part, a lot of what I work on (even "completed" pieces) I feel are works-in-progress. Just mental snapshots of ideas I don't want to lose. I plan to go back through these "sketches" in the future and refine them. Personally, I don't feel I've perfected my technique... so it all works out quite well for the moment. Once I feel I've matured in that regard, I can go back and try to fully realize my visions.

Some of these visions though, are at a standstill. I've three books in the works, three "projects". The one furthest along, "David's Book / The Blue Book", contain some pieces I've more or less abandoned. I won't return to them, or share them, until I'm ready to go back and refine the rest of the work. At that time, I plan on releasing them alongside their "true" counterparts. The only works I want consumed, are the "completed" ones.

Okay, enough jibber jabber. The last thing I'll say is that I want this blog to be the ultimate "guide" to my Art. I've already begun seeding my work here and there on the Net with mild "explanations" of what I had in mind, but I want the explanations here to be the most detailed and involved.

I had planned to post some artwork with this post, but it's snowballed into a much larger post than I had anticipated. So I'll leave this as an "Explained" post for "The Art".

DS333, sharing.

The Art Of Flattery

So I gotta make this a short post tonight. Well I don't have to exactly, I just know I'm gonna be tied up for a while and by the time I get around to blogging I might be so out of it I might not even care, and could risk posting something horrible incoherent. :P

I was doing some diving and I came across this video on AOL Sessions of this band I don't know, Yellowcard, performing a cover of Radioheand's "High And Dry" off their "The Bends" album. Anyone who knows me should know I love Radiohead, and I also lover covers. Bringing the two together is a godsend. Anyway, I've almost always enjoyed what ever I've come across on AOL Sessions, 'cause when I do it's because I've been linked their from a favorite fan website. So I've been aware of the series, but today I noticed something new they're trying out: Under Cover Sessions. Which is basically a series of artists covering famous tunes. There seems to be a shitload of stuff to watch, and that's what I plan to do. I can't imagine tearing myself away from it until I listen to every cover, or at least the ones I can recognize.

I don't know why I love covers as much as I do, because I know of some people who are hyper-critical of them... and I just don't know why. So I've been thinking about why I love them, and nothing's really jumping to mind. I just love 'em. I love re-interpretation. I love interpretation in general... which of course is rooted in my love of symbols and myth. There's always something unique to each situation that every individual can suss out and integrate into their own stories, things that can't be unearthed by anyone else. So I suppose in some way, it's about perspective. Approaching certain things with a new perspective bears new insight. Insight that you can use to better define relationships you've formed in your own mind; it can help to support a vision. It can sharpen or obfuscate. The more voices you lend yourself to, the more likely you are to hear something you may have missed.

I think covers also reference this idea of exchange, communication and inspiration. It's feels like a free-flowing conversation between artists. The beauty of it, is that it can be all these different things. It can be about developing your own voice, cementing ideas you've created all on your own... owning a piece for yourself. It can be posessive in this way. Like being presented a chunk of metal, and working it to fashion yourself a sword. You can turn about the energy. Dominate the coversation. Or you can continue it, make it responsive. Keep in tune with an idea, refine it. Elaborate. Collaborate. But it can also be nothing more than honoring an idea. Giving praise. Homage. It's I suppose, in the end, the versatility of "the cover" that I relish so much. It's amorphous. It can be whatever you want it to be, and so goes back to my idea of interpretation. About finding your own voice. Using opposing thoughts and views to better define your own. Finding friends in enemies, and enemies in friends. Being open to communication. The fluidity of this sort of exchange mirrors a lot of what's happening now and making the world as beautiful and grotesque as it is.

DS333, pondering.

001.033.365

• Hating how activating the bullet format circumvents my previous formatting, i.e., switching to a black Times font.
• Very humid here in Cali today.
• I hate Summer.
• I looked hot today... as in sexy. :P
• Had some awesomely delicious steak wraps prepared right here at home.
• Still in love with "Wii Sports".
• Avoided working on the photos I recently uploaded to iPhoto.
• iLife '06 rocks major ass.
• My brother's coming home from San Francisco tonight.
• My brother met Robert Heron at the airport! I'm so jealous. :P
• Had two more Caramel Macchiatos tonight, new addiction?
• Hung out at Starbucks tonight, I needed the air-conditioning. ;)
• Finished the "city lights" on my "Japan" sketch.
• Can't wait for "The Simpsons Movie".
• Dying for some critical updates to the Pownce app.
• Should upload, or at the very least re-scan some old artwork tonight.
• Finding myself caught up with a lot of audio content the past couple of weeks, time to add some more podcasts to the rotation?
• Wish I could go to "Dawn-a-pa-Drew-za '07". :P
• ToriAmos.com released North American tour dates today.
• Super fuckin' stoked about Tori's Dec. 17th date here in Los Angeles, the final show of the tour!!! *in rapture*
• Watched a lot of DVDs over the weekend, I'm pretty much out.
• Guess it's time to head to the video store soon.
• Received another GQ in the mail, nix the video store, I've got a lot of reading to do.
• Wish I had been on the Harry Potter train from the beginning. I feel left out. :( :P
• Round 2 with "Wii Sports" right now, time to finish up today's "Howard Stern Wrap-Up Show" while I do so.
• Goodnight all you little divers.

DS333, catching up.

Film Fetish: "The Good German"

The Good German (2006)
- directed by Steven Soderbergh

Set in post-war Berlin as an homage to 1940's film noir, George Clooney co-stars alongside Cate Blanchett as an American journalist who crosses paths with an old flame (Blanchett) who is on the run from the American and Russian government who believe she holds the key to finding a potential war criminal and valuable scientific mind.

This should be short and sweet since the movie plays as a grand mystery, and delving too much into a proper review might spoil things (and by "might", I mean "surely will"). I should start out by saying that I only had interest in the film on a purely aesthetic level, I found the idea of a noir homage incredibly enticing. Although, I'm in no way a noir aficionado. In fact, I've only seen one proper noir film, "Kiss Me Deadly" (1955), which I found quite enjoyable. Having only a cursory knowledge of this school of film, what elements I am aware of are what drew me to this film. And the film delivered on all accounts. The score was beautiful. The cinematography, drop-dead gorgeous. My favorite element of noir, the femme fatale, was filled out beautifully by Cate Blanchett; she was born to play this archetype. And of course, the ending was bittersweet. I went in expecting the film would only deliver on a technical-level, but was surprised by an engaging, thoughtful crime/mystery-drama storyline. A beautifully solid film.

7.5/10 A gorgeous homage to old-school noir without being heavy-handed or masturbatory. An elegant balance of classic and modern film making. Also a great film for fans of crime, mystery and suspense.



* Spoilers *

The final scene between Jake (Clooney) and Lena (Blanchett) is one of the greatest scenes in cinema. Verging on the cliche, without going over the edge. Pefect on every level. I know I haven't spoiled much... but I really don't want to. Go watch this movie! :P

DS333, romanced.

A Little Bit Of Sweetness

So, just before my brother and his fiance had their "4th of July" barbecue, I went along with him and my folks to go grocery shopping for their big event. We wound up at a local Sam's Club, which is analogous to a Costco, if you're unfamiliar. It's basically a huge surplus store.

Anyway, I love those type of places. I'm all about mass consumption in any form. So I was making my way down the drink aisle and spotted this beautiful case of Jones Soda. Now, at the time, I'd never really been familiar with the brand. I'd heard about it, and seen their drinks in a few Starbucks, but I'd never actually tasted 'em. I've always wanted to give them a try, but for one reason or another it just never happened. I guess it wasn't fated. ;)

Once I saw that 24-bottle case at Sam's Club though, I knew it was the right time. Although, I didn't pick it up then. It was only until recently that I started jonesing for some Jones Soda. I kept imagining what it would be like, fantasizing actually. Like I said, I'd heard about the drink before... and what I had heard always interested me. I loved that they were called "pure cane sugar" sodas, as opposed to high fructose corn syrup. The latter sounding like lab-created forms of chemical toxicity. And Jones Soda, by comparison, always wound up seeming so wholesome and natural.

I'd also love seeing those customer-submitted photo labels on their bottles. I'd heard that you could submit photos to the company in hopes of your very own winding up on a bottle-label fit for mass consumption, turns out it's true. I also love how their labels are black & white. I don't know... their whole product image is quite unique. Certainly different from something like Coke or Pepsi.

So if you haven't guessed by now, I bought the case and I'm in love. I love even the actual feel of the bottle in my hand, that smooth hard feel of sturdy glass. I love how, when you raise the bottle up against sunlight the soda itself looks like liquid candy. Mmmm... I even love the smell of the drinks. They're as unique in scent as they are in color and flavor. It's such a sensual experience. And I was especially overjoyed about discovering their little "fortunes" printed under each bottle cap. You've the added benefit of Fortune Cookie koans without having to suffer through shitty, tasteless pieces of "cookie".

Anyway, I felt the need to spout off about my newest obsession. But as these things go, it'll fade eventually. Although it'll never been far from my heart. It's definitely something that'll stay in the rotation, but it's something I feel I'll tire with. That's probably only the case 'cause I'm in the habit of drinking two or three in a row, each night. :P And variety is the spice of life, so I can't subsist soley on this drink. I've actually been in the mood for Frappuccinos these past few days, another old obsession of mine that's faded away into the background, but that I feel is making a resurgence. But for the moment I'm all about the Jones Soda, and I'm quite happy. :)

DS333, slaked.

001.030.365

• Almost forgot to blog today, but then I remembered.
• Ate at one of my favorite places of all-time, Taco Boy.
• Had some tacos and some amazingly tasty seasoned french fries.
• Stopped over at Sam's Club.
• Bought a 24-bottle case of Jones Soda.
• Found a new obsession in the Cream Soda-flavored Jones Soda.
• Stopped by the video store, but came back with nothing.
• Ate some Cheez-Its, another favorite.
• Watched Clint Eastwood's "Flags Of Our Fathers" (2006).
• Still haven't reloaded my old iPhoto library, maybe tomorrow.
• Took my new jacket out for it's first walk.
• Considering whether or not to hit up Starbucks tomorrow.
• Sleepy.

DS333, sleepy.

Pa-Pa & MooMoo JuJu

Don't mind the title, I was just looking for something interesting. :P I don't call pasta, "pa-pa". Nor do I call milk, "moomoo juju". :P That last one I picked up from NBC's "Just Shoot Me". There was some episode that guest-starred Ana Gasteyer as a nanny whom David Spade's "Finch" was trying to lay. Anyway, she had this really funny bit where she burst into this crazy stream of baby talk. "Moomoo Juju" was one of the gems from that craziness... it's such an awesome phrase. To not call it "cow juice", but "moomoo juju" is shear brilliance. :P

So I wanted to extol the beauty of Pasta & Milk, and I needed to pair "moomoo juju" with something... the best I could come up with was "pa-pa". :P Hey, I'm not a professional comedian! ;) Anyway, nothing too spectacular about this post. I just really love drinking milk whenever I eat pasta. Tonight I'm having... or had two slices of pepperoni pizza from Sbarro, and I washed it all down with a tall glass of ice-cold milk. I touched a little bit of heaven tonight. ;) I love the combo because it seems and feels so hardy. It's a whole lotta carb, which feels heavy... and for someone who subsists mostly on water, milk is definitely more solid and thick. It seems wholesome and healthy. More than that it just tastes great. I love it. I love my pasta and I love my milk. :D

DS333, digesting.

Your Killer, My Lover

So I made an exciting little purchase today. I got this really amazing jacket from Macy*s... a GUESS Jeans number that's definitely in the vein of my paramilitary fetish, but structured more like a motorcyle jacket, only it's not leather but a durable, heavy cotton that feels almost like denim. I love it! I'm in love. :D I think it's gorgeous. And much like most of the clothes I purchase it's definitely got that assasin's edge I love so much.

I have this really huge crush on anything "assassin". I love stories about assassins, I love depictions of them, movies about them, etc. There's just this really sexy, dangerous, mystique about them that I can't resist. It's the quintessence of cool. I admire this ability to walk into any situation without fear or weakness. A hypersensitivity that's almost superhuman. In a way it's not just an admiration of assassins in general, or professional mercenaries... but of the incredibly self-disciplined and focused. Depictions of them, are almost robotic. But not devoid of life, just distant. Removed from the normal flow of everyday life. These people see beyond the superficial.

Anyway, I don't care to go any further into my Assassin rant for fear of seeming more off-kilter than I really am, or am not? :P I just wanted to explain my love for the Assassin. The killer. My lover. I can't see what there isn't to love. Cunning, coolness, strength, discipline, etc. We should all aspire to such greatness.

So for the most part, I love to model most of my wardrobe to my idea of the Assassin. Most of it is close to the body, fit. Durable. Muted in tone and color. Multi-functional. Protective. It's the kinda shit you wanna be wearing if the shit hits the fan. You never know when you'll find yourself in a barroom brawl. :P So I'm just happy to add another piece to my collection, especially one I'm so crazy over. I can't wait to live it in and truly make it my own. I'll probably wash it tomorrow and wear it to hell for the next couple of weeks so that it can adjust and conform to the contours of my body. It's as exciting as breaking in a nice new pair of Levi's. :D

DS333, in love.

001.027.365

So I'm thinking I should play around with a few of these little tools and settings I've at my fingertips. Since this is one of those short-form "rundown" entries I thought I'd try and mess around with this bullet mode/feature...

• Late start today.
• Had some beef & broccoli stir-fry.
• My brother came over today.
• Gave away a Pownce invite.
• Set up a Google Calendar account.
• Got my hands on a copy of Akira Kurosawa's "Sanjuro" (Criterion Edition).
• Scored another Simpsons' Squishee collector's cup from 7-11.
• Made my first "hole in one" in "Wii Sports" golf.
• Watched Nintendo's 2007 E3 Press Conference.
• Finally created a Mii of myself on the Nintendo Wii that I'm happy with.
• Feeling very happy today for some reason.

DS333, experimenting.

Film Fetish: "Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix"

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (2007) directed by David Yates

This is the 5th installment of the Harry Potter franchise. The series, being as immense and intricate as is, I don't see any easy way of synopsizing the film for casual readers. However, for those of you who are familiar with the franchise, Harry Potter finds himself amid scandal and rumor as the Ministry of Magic leads a smear campaign against himself and headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Albus Dumbledore who believe The Dark Lord, Voldemort has returned. Despite widespeard opposition among the general populace, Harry finds help in the form of a secret society who believes in the return of the dark lord, The Order of The Phoenix, and hopes to prevent his rise to power.

First off, I should preface this by saying that I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. More so of the film franchise than anything, since I haven't actually read a single word from any of the books. I've managed to catch each of the films in the theatre at or around opening week, and can't imagine missing any of the future films. Before I watched "...The Order Of The Phoenix" I'd have to say my favorite film of the series had to be "...The Prisoner Of Azkaban". After, I'd still say that hasn't changed... but "...Phoenix" definitely gave "...Azkaban" and run for its money. It's truly stellar. It only loses out to "...Azkaban" because I feel more confident that that film is more easily accessible to casual viewers who are unfamiliar with the world of Harry Potter, and yet it still manages to cater to both audiences, a tricky feat to be sure. Still, if you're familiar with the world of Potter, "...Phoenix" delivers on all accounts. It's fuckin' awesome. I can't even get into how well the previous films are tied together in this film. It's spectacular. A definite must see for any Potter fan. And if you're not, I'd imagine the production design and special effects are more than enough to carry you through the film to a satisfying end. Definitely one of the strongest films in the lot.

8.5/10 Arguably the best Harry Potter film to date. Certainly one of the best fantasy films ever made and a special effects wonder.



* Spoilers *

Best part of the film? Hard to choose, since there are so many. If you're a careful observer of the films, there are a myriad of little treats to enjoy in this one. Despite that, you don't need to be much of a fan to enjoy the final battle between Professor Dumbledore and Voldemort... fuckin' amazing!!! Stellar in every way, especially in the actual execution. Something I could easily imagine reading... but could never think would translate believably on film. ILM managed to do it though, and it rocked... well worth the price of admission alone. :D

DS333, anticipating.

Digital Revolution

Phew! Just finished a pretty lengthy session of "Wii Sports" on the Nintendo Wii (of course :P ). But more extraordinary than anything, is that my parents went along for the ride. I've gotten them to play before, around the time I first hooked up the system... which was sometime last month. I just get a real kick out of seeing them use any piece of technology (and enjoy the experience)... especially something so sophisticated and yet easy to use. They're very oldschool. Both grew up on the Arizona reservation and for the most part have avoided getting too familiar with any piece of tech. I'd imagine the one piece of tech they feel confident using is a VCR... and that, only because they've had decades to get familiar with it. Although I don't blame them for being so adverse to learning to use tech. For the most part, all of it is much too complicated than it needs to be. User experience is approached from the perspective of an engineer. I can wrestle with just about any piece of tech right off the bat, but only because I'm so familiar with various types and such. I'm a product of the digital revolution. To expect your users to be as sophisticated with a new piece of hardware is a real cop-out and a failure in design and execution. The triumph comes in developing an inherent sense of intuitiveness. It's all about plug and play. Ease of use. And that's where Nintendo went sooo right with the Wii.

I love the rewards they're claiming for their innovation, for this true digital revolution they've help nurture and foster. And it's not just financial gain, but it's critical acclaim... which is most important. They've sorta turned the gaming world on its head. Made people think differently about what constitutes success. That the focus is on the user and user experience speaks worlds of why I love that company so much. And maybe I shouldn't say the "company", but the spirit of the company. Their willingness to change, at the risk of financial ruin I find commendable in the highest regard. And it's not about being gimmicky or novel for the sake of being novel... it's really about focusing on the experience. True innovation in every regard. I couldn't be more happy about how the Wii in conjunction with the Nintendo DS is kicking the shit out of Microsoft and Sony. They're too lazy. Too impotent. Too pedantic. They deserve to fail. :D

I relish the day when I can piss on the graves of my enemies. :D

DS333, The Malevolent.

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Missions Accomplished!!!

I saw "Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix" this morning. More on that in a later "Film Fetish". ;)

Also headed over to the Grove to spend some one-on-one time with the iPhone. And sadly, it wasn't quite the meeting I had expected. All in all, it seemed sorta buggy. I know you can't use the keyboard in landscape mode all the time, but I couldn't get it activated once! :( The iPod itself would randomly shut off while I was going through my demo, I couldn't even get through one song in its entirety! :( Safari along with Google Maps was just as buggy... it'd sorta just stop, reset and return me to the home screen. :( I'm chalking it up to a bad unit... that and my notorious reputation for crashing any bit of software or hardware I come in contact with. :P Or maybe the ones on display have been through too much *S* I will say that the thing looks slick. All the praise couldn't have prepared me for the awesome beauty of the LCD... fuck does that look gorgeous. More than anything I just loved scrolling through menus with my finger... just swiping along. :) And my god, The Pinch!!! :D You do feel all Tom Cruisey à la "Minority Report". ;) Anyway, I definitely don't wanna First Gen iPhone (as if I could afford one otherwise :P )... but the meat is there, and it looks good... only too bad it turned a bit today, tasted kinda bitter. :(

I also made it down to West Hollywood as expected and got some work done on my sketch. Although it went along at a snail's pace. Which, of course, is usual. There's gotta be a faster technique I can use. I know I use too much pressure on the pen and that adds to an overall slow down. But I just can't teach myself to use a soft touch. Oh well...

On the way home, I went through some more of "Ghost In The Shell"... but I didn't finish it. Which is a good thing, I don't exactly wanna be done with it so quickly. I'm enjoying the reading. It's a bit trippy seeing/reading snippets from the book that you recognize throughout the movies and anime. It goes a long way to show you just how powerful inspiration can be. If you can plant the seed, wondrous things can come to bear.

Anyway, that's enough for me. Being away from my system most of the day has me feeling a bit weird... I'm having some withdrawals. :P I let a few RSS feeds stack up, well not really... there's only a few, but I want to get to them right away. I've consumed every podcast and vidcast I'm currently subscribed to and there've been no updates today. :( The only real thing to consume right now are some blog entries... and like I said, there's only a few... 17 to be exact. :( Oh well, I'll struggle on. ;)

DS333, struggling.

Into The Crystal Ball

Tomorrow should be very exciting. First off, I'm planning to see "Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix" sometime in the morning... the very earliest show at a local theatre. I would've gone tonight, but I kinda wanna avoid what's sure to be a large audience no matter what... but why compound the offense and go out on a Friday night? I caught the previous Potter flick, "...The Goblet Of Fire", a few days ago for the second time in preparation of this one... so far, I've seen all of 'em in the theatre. All of them, save for one, alone. :P I know, kinda creepy... 20-something guy alone in a theatre full of children. *L* What can I say, I love those Potter films so much I'd risk any amount of social criticism to see them. ;)

I've been working my way through the "Ghost In The Shell" manga I ordered from Amazon not too long ago. I probably would've been finished with it already if I wasn't so consumed with my usual dose of podcasts, vidcasts and blogs... and I've been watching a few movies. Just a lot of little things have been keeping me from it. Tonight I stopped by a local Starbucks and hunkered down with the thing... and I'm loving it more and more with each page. All worries of being mildly disappointed with the work are quickly fading away... I'm loving the source material. It's not as polished and intricate as the anime series which it spawned, but there's still a lot there to enjoy. Anyway, I suspect to finish it tomorrow while I'm out and about in the city. I'll be buzzing to and fro on the Metro... so I'll have a lot of reading time on my hands.

After the movie I plan to hit up an Apple Store... the long-awaited meeting of DS333 and the iPhone will soon come to pass. I'm so excited! I've been consumed with every bit of news concerning the iPhone: reviews, articles, tutorials, advertising, hacks, etc. I feel like I'll be right at home with it once I have it in my hands. Still, no matter how much I prep myself beforehand... I'm always in awe when I behold a new Apple product in person. I'm sure to be in heaven. :D

If I have enough time and if I'm in the area (not sure which Apple Store I'm gonna hit up), I also plan to head over to West Hollywood. I've got a piece I've been working on that I MUST only touch while I'm in that city. It's my "Talking God" homage... a kinda... well I'll get more into it when I have it finished. It's just a sketch that I'm working on, a kind of embodiment of the city and homosexuality in general... I love to harness whatever sort of energy I can, superficially and/or spiritually, to help guide a piece to it's end. I figure what better way to influence my androgynous warrior than to plant myself firmly within a hive of homo activity. As a plus, I get to hang around tons of hot guys. :P

Anyway, that's what I see coming down the pike... we'll see if everything goes according to plan. Certainly not exactly as planned, but I'm sure to have a killer time all the same. I always do. There's always a story. ;)

DS333, prophesying.

Film Fetish: "The Hills Have Eyes 2"

The Hills Have Eyes 2 - Unrated (2007) directed by Martin Weisz

This is the much anticipated (at least by me :P ) sequel to the 2006 gore-fest, "The Hills Have Eyes". In the first film, a rabid group of radioactively mutated humans stalked an unlucky family in the New Mexico desert. In this follow-up, the same mutant family terrorizes a fledgling group of National Guard trainees in hopes of capturing the female recruits so that they might breed with them and bolster their dwindling numbers.

I have to say I had high hopes about this film. Since I was over the moon about the production of the teaser trailer. It seemed so stylish and creepy, and certainly in keeping with the mood setup by the first film. I was even more hopeful of learning about an actual plot. That the crazy mutant family actually had a mission or sorts intrigued me. But had I known this movie wasn't directed by the same director... I might've lowered my expectations. And I wish I had. I didn't particularly care for this sequel. It was pretty bad. And I mean bad bad. The acting was horrible. And in no way was this movie as jarring as the first one. It lacked everything that made me love the original. In fact, it's only my love of the first movie and its world that I give this movie a passing grade. Had I never seen the first, I'm sure I'd never want to see this one. All in all it was kinda borderline. A lot of the elements were just, "okay". Meh...

5/10 Only worth watching if you loved the first and are desperate for some gore.



* Spoilers *

The best part of the movie had to be the bit where the nerdy, cowardly "Napolean" goes postal in the depths of the mine after one of the mutants attacks his fellow recruit (I forget her name, the blonde chick) and proceeds to smash a huge rock into the head of our unlucky mutant over and over until his skull becomes a bloody mass of blood and bone. Pretty awesome.

DS333, disappointed.

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Boring day... as far blogging about it goes. This has been one massive consumption of media marathon. Watched a hell of a lot of "Howard TV". By the way, I don't think I've mentioned being a Howard Stern fan. Although I guess it would be obvious considering I have joined the "Howard Stern" group on Virb. Anyway, I watched a few recent episodes of Howard TV. And I've been catching up with some of "The Howard Stern Show" from last week... some good ol' "Mastertape Theatre". I'm sorta dying for some new Howard content since he's been on vacation for what seems like years (in actuality it's only been a week and a half; he'll be back on Monday).

Checking and writing some e-mail. And doing a lot of reading via blogs and forums. I feel a bit like a bot right now. Anyway, as I said, very boring in terms of anything especially noteworthy... so I'll spare us all and end the blog now. ;) Night kiddos.

DS333, the benevolent.

Film Fetish Explained

"Film Fetish" is the name of my new movie review "feature". I'm a huge film fanatic, so it seemed only natural that I make a place to rant on about the latest movie I've seen. I suspect I'll break these posts into three parts. The first will probably consist of a synopsis of the film including the title, of course, the director, release date, etc. Followed up by my "review"... I say review in quotes because I don't exactly want to judge the films, although that's exactly what I'll be doing. This all stems from my unease with critics or criticism in general, especially in film. I often feel critics lose sight of what it is they should be doing. They're more often concerned with the technical aspects of film, rather than the spirit of the art. I'm more concerned with the way in which film moves us. And certainly bad production can be a detriment to that experience, but I feel often people are hypercritical when they don't need to be. Even still, I will have scores... so take that for what it's worth. :P They're nothing to take too seriously though, just meant to indicate whether something is worth watching (at or above 5/10) or not (4/10 and below).

Finally, the third part of my film fetish feature will include spoilers for you intrepid readers *S*. I kinda need a place to fawn over my favorite bits, and I can't do that without spoiling the movie for those of you who haven't seen the film in question. So if you don't want to, you can bail out early. I'll have everything clearly marked.

Anyway, that's it! I've actually seen a couple of movies the past few days... but I'm cheating and drawing this out some more. Why blow my load all at once? Especially when I have a whole year ahead of me. ;) :P

DS333, planning.

Short Form

I'm taking a few pointers from some bloggers and really trying to commit to a short form approach to these posts. For one, it makes blogging all the easier. :P Secondly, well... there's nothing much more to say than that. ;) I'm just much more likely to approach this thing with a positive attitude if I know it's not going to take a shit load of my time... I don't want it to seem like a chore. Also, I've said before it's the sorta approach I appreciate from other blogger and vloggers. Sometimes short is sweet. ;)

Then again, I do want to rant on about certain things but I just don't see myself really going out of the way to plan something long form. I think the longer something is, the more structured it should be. And pinning down a structure for me means a whole lotta pre-drafting. And drafting sometimes seems like... well it doesn't "seem" like, it's definitely double or triple the workload. Ugh, being a source of media is a lot harder than I thought. It's so ridiculous when you think about what I'm outputting *L*. I'm not changing the world in any major way with my nonsense. But, I do want to be proud of what I put out there when I look back at it all. In fact, I've sorta considered this entire year-long project as one huge drafting session. I imagine the years after, I'll still be blogging. But I want to refine the things I've touched upon in more detailed articles. Y'know how stories change. Or maybe they don't exactly "change", but I know I can tell the same story over and over again adding something subtle to help enhance a certain perspective. Things are never as simple as they seem. And words can't always capture a moment or thought the way we would hope. My hope is that after months or years of poring over my material I'll drill down to the essence of what I mean to say. To what end? I guess this entire project is about voicing myself. Defining who I am. Painting a picture of who and what I am. These posts so far only offer glimpses of something more grand and complicated. But I believe that's the case with everyone, a struggle we all face... in any medium.

DS333, pondering.

001.018.365

Had the longest, most beauitful sleep today. After the barbecue yesterday, I was totally spent. If there's anything great about being dirty and working hard, it's that it makes you appreciate being clean and rested all the more. :P I was in heaven today.

My brother and his family came over today too. I always love those days, especially when the kids are over. I think they're the greatest little sentient life forms that've ever walked the Earth. They've such distinctive pesonalites; and all of them are amazing. So we broke out the Wii today. My brother borrowed it for the barbecue, so I got my baby back and hooked her up and played a 9-hole game of Wii golf with the monkeys. Sadly, one of the straps for the Wii snapped, but not during any actual play... it kinda just gave way as someone was picking it up from the couch. :( It was an oldschool remote, from the very first roll out, so I'm wondering if I can still get a replacement from Nintendo free of charge. Who knows?

My Mom was able to score a collectible Squishee cup from 7-11 (Kwik-E-Mart) for me today. She got a hold of the Marge cup, how appropriate for my Mom. ;) The other day I got a hold of the Lisa cup (how apt for me :D ), of course in green... since Lisa's such a preservationist, very clever I think. Anyway, I haven't personally seen the rest. But my Mom said she saw the Bart & Homer cups... hmmmm... I guess Maggie is the cup to get?

Washed some laundry today, which was great since I had some podcasts to catch up on. I got to run through a full episode of "This Week in Tech" (TWiT), which was great 'cause it's been a while since they rolled out a fresh episode. It was an awesome panel too. It was episode 103, by the way, incase anyone was interested. One of the better episodes of all-time.

Anyway, went around and did some other things... but I feel myself fading again, so I don't think I have the mental fortitude to trudge on. Just a quick little update tonight to make sure no cobwebs start to form on this blog. Time to wind down for the day.

DS333, winding.

Slick Grip

I had a long day today. Three hours of sleep and hours behind three sizzling, scorching barbecues for the better part of the day. I'm exhausted. I can feel myself slipping... so I wanted to get this out before I just plopped onto my bed and faded away to the Dreamscape. My eyelids are so heavy right now. :P I don't trust myself to check all my blogs, read comment threads, etc in order and then blog. I dont' think I'd make it. Anyway, hope you all had a great day... despite the workload I know I did. Very awesome Summer day. Now it's sleepy time...

DS333, slipping.

Ghosts & Love

Booyah! Amazon Claus delivered today! ;) I finally got that "Ghost In The Shell" manga I've been meaning to get in my collection for years now. I delved into it a bit while I was at my brother's house, but I haven't even scratched the surface. Which is a good thing of course. What's not a good thing though, is the mild shock of the manga not living up to the t.v. and film adaptations I've grown so fond of. I love them so much. But like I said, I only just got into it... I'm sure it'll ramp up. The art's pretty great and the story is there... and that's all that matters. It's just a bit more jokey and uhhh... light than the films and anime are. But that's cool...

The one thing I've thoroughly clawed and dove into is PJ Harvey's "To Bring You My Love". It's amazing how many 5-Star tracks are on this album. It's an auditory overload. It's so great. It's definitely a "break-up album", but the grandeur of the talent of the work overshadows any single emotion. So it's definitely not a downer... it's just downright beautiful. I'm in fuckin' love. :D And on that note, I think I should make some more love with this work... since I have it blaring in my ears right now (listening to "Long Snake Moan").

Anyway, I need some downtime. My brother's "4th of July BBQ" on the 7th is tomorrow/today and I gotta be up nice and early to help prepare for the festivities. It's all the way up in Pasadena and there are a few things I have to help the parents transport. Fun, fun, fun. ;) Night night you masochists. ;)

DS333's in love.

001.015.365

Phew... I almost forgot to blog tonight. I'm glad that at this point, had I missed a post I could have chalked it up to plain forgetfulness rather than a lack of will. Although, I would like to stop right now and head to bed. :P But, lucky for me it's one of these numerical, no-name posts... or what I like to think of as diary entries.

So, nothing major happened today. I've been plugging away on the Wii... playing through "Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition". I've already beaten the game and unlocked the Professional Mode. I've also gone through the "Separate Ways" and "Assignment Ada" storylines. Unlocked the Matilda, Infinite Rocket Launcher, and the Chicago Typewriter in both the normal campaign (Leon) and "Separate Ways" (Ada). But I've yet to fully tackle Professional Mode and "The Mercenaries". Both of which I've never completed on the Gamecube, so I guess it's been a long time coming. That "Mercenaries" bit is a real bitch. At least with Leon. Trying to get a 5-star ranking, I'm sure, will become the bane of my existence. :P

Anyway, I have to be up earlier than usual tomorrow to help my brother and sister out
with a BBQ they're planning on Saturday... so I should shove off now, or I'll be a complete zombie. Actually that's not entirely true. I find I'm actually a bit more wired and alert when I'm lacking sleep... but even still, I love sleep and my bed is calling to me. And who can resist that Siren's Call? :P

Have a good one people.

DS333, winding down.

The Eve Of Anticipation

I made an order from Amazon a few days ago, I don't remember exactly when. Possibly Friday or Saturday. And I believe the estimated arrival date is anytime between today and Saturday. But what's great about Amazon, at least with the previous purchases I've made, they always manage to deliver early. So I'm kinda expecting a visit from Amazon Claus tomorrow. At least I really hope so. I've been setting myself up for the big day. :P

I ordered an album that's long been overdue. "To Bring You My Love" by PJ Harvey. I would definitely say she's one of my top five music artists ever. Although she's not my absolute favorite, so it's taken all this time to finally get back on the ball and fill our her catalogue in my library. I've been somewhat hesitant about getting the album since TBYML marks her first as a solo performer, and a migration from the more harsh, punk-ish style of her previous three albums. But of course I know it's going to be good. Like all things in my life, they just need to be set up at the right time... in the right mood. I feel like all the pieces are in place to really get the most outta this album. I've been hearing great things and I'm excited about hearing something a little different from PJ.

I also ordered, "Ghost In The Shell"... which is a classic Japanese manga that has spawned and inspired a myriad of works in the tech/sci-fi world. I'm very excited about this book because it's the source material for all the supplementary works that I've immersed myself in within the "Ghost In The Shell" universe. I'm a huge fan of both seasons of GITS: The Stand Alone Complex. I've watched both feature films: GITS, and GITS: Innocence. And lastly the GITS:SAC film, "Solid State Society". I'm endlessly fascinated with that universe... and it's just odd that it's taken all this time to visit the source. It's exciting. It's a bit like back-tracking... I'm sure it'll be enjoyable noticing certain themes that are only brushed upon in the manga, but are expounded on in the later works I'm more familiar with. The only downside I'm sure will be all the fanplay within the manga; basically gratuitous sexual content objectifying women for the sole sake of titillating its traditional teenage male audience. And believe me, I'm no prude. I'm all about explicit. But for a work as great as GITS, or at least as great a work I imagine it will be given everything it's spawned, going down that road seems almost criminal. It devalues the work from the perspective of a casual observer. Which I'm not, so I don't really mind much. But y'know... just one of those things.

Anyway, here's hoping I get my beautiful little package in the mail tomorrow. It'll be hard deciding what to delve into first. Probably the manga! :D I'm most excited about that actually. Okay, well I need sleep now.

DS333, anticipating.

Jewelry Crisis!

I can't find my ring! >:O :( It's the one thing I make certain to keep on hand (no pun intended) at all times. I took it off to take a shower just now, and now I can't find it. It's the oddest thing. There's a certain place I always put it, and it's not there. Anyway, it's late... since that's when I usually post, so I'm gonna use the rest of night to track my baby down. Sorry for the lame post, but this is zero hour and I must become the hunter. ;) I won't be able to go to sleep until I find it. Wish me luck!

DS333, hunting.

Edit 3:20 AM PST: I found my ring! :D It somehow found it's way under my bed. Phew!

001.012.365

Ate some Subway and Frantone's leftovers today. And can I just say how much I despise a soggy piece of bread? I don't use oil or anything, but if you let that thing sit in the fridge the lettuce or pickle juice does a number on it. Makes me wanna vomit. Even more so after I did my patented freezer-flash-freeze on the sandwich and it warmed up *snaps fingers* like that in this Summer heat. Not a fan of soggy sandwiches... but I am a glutton, so I ate it anyway. :P

Also ate a pretty soggy piece of strawberry pie from Marie Callender's. Notice a pattern here? If I'm desperate enough, I'll eat pretty much anything. :P

Watched a few things today. Some "Hell's Kitchen" on FOX. Damn do I love that show, and it's so great that the show's trudging along as beautifully as ever even though its in its third season. I think kinda rare for most reality-TV shows. The sixth episode of "Clark and Michael" was also posted, one of the best so far. (By the way, I do mean to... someday, get around to posting hyperlinks to most of the things I comment on. I'm just a bit too lazy to do so right now. Or maybe I should just chalk that up to ignorance when fiddling with Blogger instead. ;) ) And I just wrapped up watching Episode 55 of "Cranky Geeks", 'cause I can never get enough of John C. Dvorak. This was one of the best shows ever, since it featured Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht as guests. There was this cool dynamic between those two and the regular John and Sebastian, a clashing of generations. More importantly, it was funny and who doesn't like a laugh? ;)

I think I'm on the verge of a headache, so I'm gonna wrap this one up now. I've been playing around with Pownce today, yet another Web 2.0, social-networking service... and yet another topic worthy of its own post. :P Right now I gotta scan some sleeves from two albums I ripped into iTunes the other day. I'm trying to be as diligent as possible about maintaining 100% Album Art completion for Cover Flow. And with that, I am out. Have a good one...

DS333, scanning.

Food Of The Gods

Today was as great as a Sunday could be, save for the heat. Have I mentioned how much I hate Summer in L.A.? It's ridiculous I know... because it's one of those things people crave, it's supposed to be idyllic and iconic of California but I just can't stand it. I'm just counting the days until Fall and beautiful Winter.

Anyway, today for the most part was all about spending time with the family. And as I've mentioned before... I'm sorta wrestling with how much I want to reveal in this blog. I don't know how personal I should get, or wanna get... not sure where that line is right now. So I won't go into specifics right now until I sort out what I wanna do with that. But I had a great time with the family.

The object of my affection for this post is all about Frantone's. It's the greatest Italian restaurant of all time. Well I wouldn't so much call it a restaurant 'cause in my mind those words are conjuring a vision of something more grand... when Frantone's is much more laid back and casual. But not so casual and Mom & Pop that I'd call it a pizzeria. It's somewhere in the middle for me. Anyway, if you ever find yourself in the Southern California area... go there!... immediately! They serve the greatest pizza you will ever taste. Or at least one of the greatest "types" of pizza out there. This pizza is more full-bodied and heavy. Great, thick, delicious mozarella that just oozes and stretches like you wouldn't believe... it's like some mythical webbing. The pepperoni is top-notch; not too thin and not to thick. Its just right. And the crust I wouldn't say is "thick", but it's definitely filling and it's not one of those horribly oil/grease-drenched
crusts. It's very much like a french bread, but not... it is in that it has the quality of being baked rather than, well I suppose every pizza crust is baked, but they don't always feel so. This does. It's lighter in color... I don't know hard to explain.

It all pulls together rather nicely. It's one of those death-row foods for me. It only sucks that it's so filling... as much of a glutton as I think I am, I'm pretty much done after the second slice. I'm actually heating up what remains of the third slice I tried to polish off earlier today, but couldn't. Just pulled it outta the oven... and I can't wait to dive in, so I won't. ;) Have a good one Net-Kitties.

DS333, drooling.

Hardware-On

I wouldn't be much of an Apple acolyte if I didn't bring up the iPhone this weekend, and since I am, I will right now. I have to say... if you're not much of an Apple enthusiast or maybe not even not an enthusiast, but just someone who doesn't care about the iPhone... this past week has been a rough one. Certainly there's been an oversaturation of iPhone news recently. I almost feel "bad" about talking about it even here, in my own "home". And it's not as though I have any incisive comments to make about the cellphone industry and the paradigm shift that the iPhone could represent, etc. I just felt like talking out of my ass about the iPhone. :)

I have to say that I've been pretty excited about the iPhone ever since Steve Jobs carried it out on stage at Macworld earlier this year. And let me just preface my comments by saying I hate cell phones. I hate 'em! Never liked 'em, never wanted one, etc. I've been a major hater pretty much since their inception (or at least their introduction into the mainstream market). And it's not so much about a hatred for the technology of phones per se, that's actually the one aspect that I can attatch myself to and enjoy. I've always hated the culture that cell phones represented; the total lack of public/social courtesy. Cellphone users have always represented "that guy"... and you know what guy I'm talking about. He's loud, obnoxious and totally rude. I hate these people who entrench themselves in public situations and thereupon drag you into their personal phone conversations and interactions. It's everything. The loud talking, the beeping and ringing, and the worst part of it all is that new thing where people use that grating, loud walkie-talkie feature. Shut! The! Fuck! Up! I hate those people... and at that point in time they make me hate the rest of humanity. If hatred were combustible, I could take out the entire planet when I find myself in the presence of an obnoxious cellphone user.

But as I've said, there's some things you can like about a cell phone. For instance, I think the whole subset of web design that the proliferation of cellphones has afforded is interesting. I'm a huge fan of the "WAP Queen", Anina and the future she represents. The Net in and of itself is fluidic, but the mobile market has brought that quality to a whole new level. The culture that phones have spawned in this respect I find endlessly fascinating.

And yet I've never wanted to delve into it. Never wanted a phone, etc. It's only when my brother got the entire family on a family cellphone plan that I was thrust into being a user. And for the most part I love it. As I've said, it's the more techy aspects of the phone that I enjoy. The way in which the phone can interact with web services like "Twitter" and "Jaiku" totally rocks my socks off. I love it. But just when you begin to truly love it, the experience of the phone always knocks you down. I'm a tech guy, so I can manage... but it doesn't mean I wouldn't like to manage easier. All cell phones are horrible and thereby great examples in shitty UI. They're so hard to use. And if not hard, just uncomfortable, frustrating and annoying.

But to bring it all around, seeing the iPhone in action back in January was a revelation. That a phone could work the way in which an iPod could, and if not, even better... I just... no words *L*. This past week I've immersed myself in all sorts of iPhone reviews, articles, videos, tutorials etc. And I'm just in awe of its beauty *L*. It's an amazing thing to behold... although at a distance. And funny to desire something you really have no need for. As I've said, I'm not a phone guy... but I want one so bad, or at least I want to use one. Really, if you haven't... you really need to check out the "iPhone. A guided tour." video on Apple.com. It'll change you. *L* I know it did me. Greatest thing of all though, I believe my brother has one right now!!! He's alluded to it. So right now I'm sooo excited about actually getting my hands on one and playing around with it. It's all the more exciting when you hear the phone getting so many glowing reviews. That they experience is what it's been sold to be is amazing. I can't wait. Anyway, it's such a technological marvel in hardware and software design and I can't wait to experience it firsthand. I'd normally head out to the Apple store after a hardware or software release, but it's so much cooler that I don't have to this time. I can't wait! :D

DS333, anticipating.