:: Venting Insanity ::

:: Saturday, June 26, 2004 ::

cuteness overload
Okay... I finally did it... I joined

I've been thinking about it ever since I saw it on Laura's nav column (or, as she calls it, her gutter...). I thought it was just a cute little icon... Anyway, in one of our crazy OAA chats on AIM, Heather posted up her referral link. Apparently, you earn gold for referrals which enables you to buy stuff for your character.

Anyway, I was poking around a bit and I thought it was very cute... so I finally joined. I didn't join under a referral though... didn't want to have to choose between Laura and Heather. ^^;;

snapple "real fact" #305
The 4th Earl of Sandwich invented the sandwich so he could eat and gamble at the same time.

Now there's a noble cause for invention... {{rolls eyes}}

do people ever learn?
Minn. Man Charged With DUI for 23rd Time

Twenty-three times!!! Sheesh!

snapple "real fact" #251
There are more French restaurants in New York City than in Paris.

let's talk about sex
Politicians tell men to have more sex

Heh... just read it... it's kind of amusing.

snapple "real fact" #304
In 1900, 1/3 of all automobiles in New York City were powered by electricity.

:: Wednesday, June 23, 2004 ::

the big guy backs down
Microsoft Renounces NT 4.0 Support Extensions

I know of a lot of places that still use NT 4.0... one of which I probably shouldn't tell you with out killing you... ~_^

snapple "real fact" #260
Underwater hockey is played with a 3-pound puck.

I didn't even know there was underwater hockey.

e-scams
New E-Scams and Warnings

Just an FYI from the FBI.

I got this e-mail:

Attention--FBI e-mail hoax alert! Have you recently received an e-mail, purportedly from the FBI, with the subject "Your IP was logged," warning you about illegal downloading of movies and software and saying you are under FBI investigation? If you have, please be advised that the e-mail is a fake--the Bureau, even though it
does investigative violations of Intellectual Property laws, does not investigate or notify persons under investigation as outlined in the e-mail. It may also contain a virus. If you've received the e-mail, please contact the FBI at www.ifccfbi.gov.

snapple "real fact" #270
Colors like red, yellow, and orange make you hungry.

spaceshipone hits 62 miles up
To the Fringes of Space

The New York Times really loves to insert opinions and tones into their work...

Anyway...

Even though they only hit 400 feet past the border of the atmospheric and sub-orbital flight, it's still a great acomplishment that private citizens were able to get themselves up that high. With some modifications and working out of a few bugs, it's only a matter of time before they're able to get themselves to the Moon.

Perhaps it'll only be for the tourism industry at first, but I think expanding into a commercial space flight industry could mean more than that. It would spur research into possibly setting up other legitimate businesses and possibly residency. There's already results being published about the long term effects of space flight and zero gravity. With people pushing in the right direction, it could become a viable venue for businesses and, eventually, the common tourist... not just the rich guy.

snapple "real fact" #343
The term 007 was derived from 20007, the home zip code of many Washington, D.C. agents.

you'd think they'd finally get the hint
4 Rivals Almost United on Ways to Stop Spam
Industry Alliance Touts Authentication in Fighting Spam

"But, I don't like spam..."

You and everyone else. It seems Microsoft, Yahoo!, AOL, and EarthLink are going to try to work together to start eliminating spam better. They each already have various ways to stop spam. Now, they want to combine their efforts for the benefit of the consumer. While each still seems to carry their own agenda, it's good to see that they're willing to share at least a little bit and accept ideas from each other.

snapple "real fact" #337
Farmington, Maine, celebrates Chester Greenwood Day to honor the inventor of earmuffs.

:: Sunday, June 20, 2004 ::

movie fun
Estelle and I went and saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban last night. I'll try not to post too many spoilers... ^^;;

Anyway, I wasn't as impressed with this one as I had been with the first two. Perhaps I was expecting too much? Who knows... However, it was still very good for fans of the movies.

Marauders fans might be disappointed in the look of Sirius, Remus, and Peter... mostly because a lot of the fans are focused on them as teenagers. Plus, many were disappointed in how they casted James. However, you have to remember that the group had been through a lot because of You-Know-Who, so they're not exactly going to have their boyish charms anymore. Sirius spent years in Azkaban, Remus has been trying to deal with the reality of what he is but without the support of his friends, and Peter's been living in hiding so people will think he's dead. They've been under a lot of stress, especially after the death of James and Lily, and, with the rumors of You-Know-Who being back, it's probably not bringing back the greatest of memories.

However, I liked how the new characters were portrayed. It was an interesting twist to hear Remus speaking of Lily as if he had one had a crush on her. In a way, it could almost be expected since here was someone dealing with a horrible reality, and she was willing to help him regardless of who, or what, he was. That support probably meant more to Remus than Lily would ever know.

Another noticable part in the movie was the showcasing of more students. The Quidditch match where Harry falls from his broom was in the movie... and we got a glimpse of Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff Seeker. We also got to see the Patil twins, Dean Thomas, and several others that haven't really been seen in the other two movies. No Oliver Wood, tho'... the Quidditch Match wasn't really long enough. You got a few short spots of the different team members, but they weren't really recognizable as the weather was terrible.

I did enjoy the Boggart scene in Lupin's first DADA class with the students. They lined up, and everyone took on the boggart in the closet. Parvati saw a large snake, Ron had his spider, and poor Neville had to deal with Professor Snape. It was quite amusing to see Alan Rickman in the clothes of an old woman.

The graphics were great. The dementors are thoroughly evil looking with billowing, tattered cloaks. They would literally suck essence from the characters. You could see them breathing them in. Buckbeak looked very real... like a hippogriff could be real, but you could really believe he was there with the actors. Also, they clearly show the development of Harry's patronus. It starts as a shapeless shield on his first two summons, and shows up as fully identifiable stag on the third showing. They didn't show the stag again on the fourth shot (which was just a repeat of the third time because of Hermione's Time Turner), and I think it would have been nice to see the stag charge across the lake as it was described to do in the book.

It was quite obvious that the movie was done by a new director. Certain areas have a different look... Hagrid's hut is down the hill instead of out the front door... the Whomping Willow isn't in the courtyard outside the Great Hall, but off to the side of the property. The shots were more artistic, the changes of season were clearly defined with an art shot of a leaf falling or the snow covered hillsides or buds beginning to develop on the branches of the Whomping Willow. Of course, the mood was usually lightened and brought back to 'Wizarding Standards' by the Willow shaking the snow off its branches, or shaking the dead leaves off at the end of fall.

There were some ups and downs of the movie, and, like I said, I wasn't as impressed by it as I had been by the first two. I did still enjoy the movie, and I would recommend it to the fans.

snapple "real fact" #340
There is an underground mushroom in Oregon that measures 3.5 miles across.

That's a big mushroom...

How to make a Jessi-Lynne

Ingredients: 3 parts friendliness 5 parts brilliance 5 parts empathy

Method: Add to a cocktail shaker and mix vigorously. Add a little cocktail umbrella and a dash of fitness

Username:

Personality cocktail
From Go-Quiz.com