Lost in Racism

from Steve at fm4

The problem is that Japanese characters in the movie are moulded into that old false stereotype. The attitude that all Japanese people are eccentric or overly-polite and the only way for anyone from the west to interact with them is to talk over their heads at their expense. And here it just seems like almost every time a Japanese person appears on screen, he (or she) is there as padding for a sarcastic observation by Bill Murray's "Bob".

Come on? Are you serious? That's the whole point of the movie. It's two people lost in a culture they don't understand. Everything seems over the top to them, strange and mysterious. Everyone and everything is a stereotype the first time you encounter it. Bob and Charlotte don't understand the language. All they have to go on is sight. They can't see if someone is smart and witty when they can't understand the words that are coming out they're mouth. I think any smart person watching this movie can tell that your're not seeing a movie about Japan. Showing the people of Japan is not the goal of the film. It just so happens that the story takes place with Japan as a backdrop.

In the interview below, Kai Yu says that you never get to know the Japanese characters in the movie beyond face value. I think he makes my point by saying that there's a rift between the main characters and the Japenese characters, and that they don't interact in any deep manner. Like I said that's the point of the movie. They can't interact because of the language barrien. I guess in a way the deep and meaningful conversations are lost in translation.

I don't mean to be so sarcastic about this, but people need to understand that not everything has to be politically correct. The next thing I'll here is that a kung fu movie is bad because it shows an Asian actor doing martial arts. Do Asians, and minorities in general, need more roles in Hollywood? Yes. But only where the story calls for it. Don't take away from a story to please people.

title: Lost in Racism - Reality Check Interview with Kai Yu
length: 3:53
MP3 (3.732MB)

The Passion

My grandma took my sister and me to watch Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. It's such a harsh movie, so violent it made me turn away several times. The most terrible scene is when the Romans whip Jesus, and the whips tear pieces of his skin away, and the entire time they laugh as they torture him. It's such a moving movie. People cried, gasped, and even whimpered in the audience. Whether you believe or not, this movie is great.

I don't understand all the so called controversy surrounding this movie. They make it sound that after viewing it mobs will rush out of the theater and start hunting Jews. While I agree that by turning Jesus over to the Romans and asking for his death, that small group of Jews are to blame, this happened two thousand years ago. Get over it. And besides, this was supposed to happen. It's the reason Jesus was born. It was God's will. If anyone is to be hated after watching the movie I would say it's those damn Roman bastards. The laughing and extreme beating are so bad, you have to hate them. But we're not going to blame Italy, are we? Actually, don't let Bush see this movie or we may. The whole point of the movie is to love thy enemy and turn the other cheek.

Nation Update

The Rogue Nation of Teq is a very large, socially progressive nation, notable for its burgeoning spider monkey population. Its intelligent population of 56 million enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated.

The enormous government juggles the competing demands of Education, Law & Order, and the Environment. The average income tax rate is 34%, but much higher for the wealthy. A substantial private sector is led by the Furniture Restoration industry, followed by Uranium Mining and Information Technology.

Anti-government web sites are springing up, sex offenders find themselves 'cut off' from any ability to repeat their crimes, the people elect the Supreme Court justices directly, and torture is illegal. Crime is relatively low, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Teq's national animal is the spider monkey, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its currency is the teq.

Teq is ranked 44th in the region and 98,578th in the world for Largest Automobile Manufacturing Sector.

What's a Nintendo?

Dowingba did a really cool feature on his blog: If bloggers were classic Nintendo games. Here's what Dowingba wrote about me:

Freon of Plan B: Freon = Airwolf. One of the lesser known of the genre, but unjustly so. This one is greatly entertaining, and includes some stunning visuals, to boot.

Thanks for including me D.

And speaking of the stunning visuals, I just watched Lost in Translation again and wow. My grandma said it was boring and while I agree that it has no plot, it's still beautiful. I drift from scene to scene like in a dream. It's such a soothing movie. I love it.

GREY TUESDAY

The day of protest has arrived. Here's a few links to download The Grey Album:

chez lubacov
mancuso media
textz
many more.

Enjoy

Fantasy Baseball

If you like baseball and want to try you hand at running your own team, come over to Yahoo Fantasy Sports and join my fantasy league. It's going to be me and some guys from work but we have room for more. All I ask is that you put an effort into being active throughout the season. Baseball takes more time than football. Since there are more than one game a week you have to manage your roster more often than football. So join up.
League ID# is 79415
Leauge name is Suncoast
Password is casino
Our live online draft is on Sun Mar 7 8:00pm PST

Album #6:The Grey Album - Danger Mouse

Track Listing:
01 Public Service Announcement
02 What More Can I Say
03 Encore
04 December 4th
05 99 Problems
06 Dirt Off Your Shoulder
07 Moment of Clarity
08 Change Clothes
09 Allure
10 Justify My Thug
11 Interlude
12 My 1st Song

I've never been a big fan of Jay Z, every now and then one of his songs is enjoyable, but for the most part he's boring. His production is just very predictable and hasn't changed since Big Pimpin. So when I heard about Danger Mouse and his remix using Beatles tracks I wasn't expecting much. But it definitaly made Jay Z twice as good. Don't get me wrong, his voice and lyrics are still boring, but with the cool music production behind him it makes him tolerable. Definitaly a must download. Even if you don't like rap, you should download this because you can. You can download it at illegal-art.org, which up till yesterday was the number 1 result for a Google search on The Grey Album. Seems Google removed them. That's just fucked up. Seems to me 'tha man' is putting him down. Do do your part to fuck the man.

Album #5: Lo que te conte mientras te haci­as la dormida - La oreja de Van Gogh

Track Listing:
1. Puedes Contar Conmigo
2. 20 De Enero
3. Rosas
4. Deseos De Cosas Imposibles
5. Geografía
6. Un Mundo Mejor
7. Tú Y Yo
8. La Esperanza Debida
9. Vestido Azul
10. Adios
11. Perdóname
12. La Paz De Tus Ojos
13. Nadie Como Tú
14. Historia De Un Sueño

I downloaded this for my sister. I've heard the single on the radio, Rosas, and I like it so I gave the entire CD a listen. Ungh. It's ok. That one song is the only one that really sticks out to me. I grew up on Spanish pop music and there's nothing new on this CD. Really the only great thing is her very sexy Spanish lisp. But other than that it's very run of the mill kind of stuff.

Grey Tuesday

Wanna stick it to tha man? Then you might want to join in on this protest. I kind of want to host the album myself but getting sued doesn't sound like fun. But then again, they can't get us all, right? I'll definitely turn the site grey for the day. Gray?

Tuesday, February 24 will be a day of coordinated civil disobedience: websites will post Danger Mouse's Grey Album on their site for 24 hours in protest of EMI's attempts to censor this work.

DJ Danger Mouse created a remix of Jay-Z's the Black Album and the Beatles White Album, and called it the Grey Album. Jay-Z's record label, Roc-A-Fella, released an a capella version of his Black Album specifically to encourage remixes like this one. But despite praise from music fans and major media outlets like Rolling Stone ("an ingenious hip-hop record that sounds oddly ahead of its time") and the Boston Globe (which called it the "most creatively captivating" album of the year), EMI has sent cease and desist letters demanding that stores destroy their copies of the album and websites remove them from their site. EMI claims copyright control of the Beatles 1968 White Album.

Beauty Incarnate

I'm just playing around a little with the formatting on the site. It's late so I'll do more tomorrow. For now I'll leave you with a Scarlett Johansson scan from Blackbook:

Ashtray's Are Illegal

I'm a nonsmoker, but even I agree the laws are going way too far. To make ashtray's illegal is ridiculous.

The ashtray was there, he said, because a customer came in the store with a cigarette. Rather than make her go back outside, Arno let her snuff it out in the ashtray.

Ashtrays are outlawed, according to Health Department spokesman Andrew Tucker, so that "there is not an invitation to smoke in the establishment."

If people want to smoke let them. It should be up to the establishments whether to allow smoking or not. If you don't smoke don't go. It's that simple.

Shock & Awe

Here's another way of getting around the RIAA. It's from the guys at The Big Hack by way of downhillbattle.org:

A music file, after all, is just a very large number. So if a Metallica song is the number 5, for example, you could break it up into 3 and 2 (3+2=5). But a Madonna song could also be broken up, into 3 and 8, let's say. Since 3 can be a part of both songs, no one can claim a copyright on it, and the same goes for 2, 8, and every other number. Combine uncopyrighted numbers in the right way, and you end up with a copyrighted song.

They are releasing two demo CDs to demonstrate this. The first CD, titled Shock, is already out. Almost makes you think why nobody's thought of this before now.

Anti-Valentine

Books

Jennifer Government - I was first attracted to this book by the cover. The eye with barcode is very cyberpunk in my mind, though this book isn't. I read the back and wanted to get it, but was short on cash that day. A few day's later I ran across NationStates, an online nation simulator based on Jennifer Government. I really liked the game so I had to read the book. I went Amazon and use their search engine to read the first 30 or so pages of the book. I definitely liked what I read so I went and bought it. That Amazon feature is cool but not for reading an entire book.

It's a very quick read, but very well written. I'm going to buy Max Berry's other book Syrup because I like his style. Hopefully he'll explore the world of Jennifer Government again because it's very unique.

The Da Vinci Code - I've been reading a comic book series called Rex Mundi and I was surprised to see that they're both based on the same thing. A book called Holy Blood, Holy Grail. So I totally ate this book up. I love the subject matter of Catholic Church coverups, Jesus Christ's bloodline, and secret societies. This book moves along at a quick pace with no boring parts, yet it gives you a lot of information.

Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, Book 5) - I just started this series about a year and a half ago, and it's probably my favorite fantasy series. It used to be the Wheel of Time, but Jordan just takes too long to do anything. I got scared while reading this book. Not because it's scary per se, but just because it gives me an uneasy feeling deep inside. It's just a creepy world King is showing us. I was kind of annoyed in parts where the characters would discover a secret but it wouldn't be revealed to us until later. For example "and then I removed the mask and I saw a..." What the fuck, just tell us.

Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1) - I really love all the Neal Stephenson books I've read. He just has a unique way of writing that sucks you in. The problem with this book though, is it's so dense. It's long but that's not the problem. There's just to much information at times and you end up getting confused. Parts would fly by and then other's it felt like walking through mud. But it all comes together at the end. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Browser Goes Down

So I thought I'd start using a newreader to keep up on blogs and websites. I opted to use newsmonster, and that turned out to be hell. Supposedly it intergrates itself with Firefox which I happen to use instead of IE. I thought cool and installed it. It said to restart the browser so I did. A little java cup icon opened up in my system's tray and that was it. I clicked the Firefox icon again and nothing happened. I restarted my computer and tried opening it again and nothing happened except for that little java cup opening up. So I re-installed Firefox and it opened this time, but it had half the space taken up by newsmonster, which I couldn't close, I couldn't uninstall it. So I ended up just removing Firefox from my computer and installing it fresh. Thank god I had backups of my bookmarks, UI settings, etc. Everything works normal again.

On a lighter note, I really liked my experience with Firefox. Usually when they released a new version, I had problems with the install, nothing big but it wasn't smooth. This time around it was a click click operation. And all my setting migrated over unlike previous times. Two thumbs up for Firefox.

Connecting the Virtual World with the Real World

I remember back when I played Everquest all day long instead of going to class, that it was annoying having to log out of the game to check email, or send an IM to a friend. I mentioned several times how Everquest should have a built in program to allow you access to other programs while still logged in. For example, you're running around killing rats and snakes, and then you decide to check you email, so you run over to the nearest pub, drink some Bog Juice and jump on a computer in the back room. You access the computer, a little window opens, Voila, you're on the WWW. This is exactly what Ludicorp is talking about at ETCON. It's about time.

What happens when you expose the mechanisms for interaction with a massive multiplayer online game as a set of web services APIs and simple out-of-application interfaces for end users? The state of the game world, maintained by a set of server-side processes, becomes a model shared across multiple platforms from which the game world can be accessed. This proliferation of accessibility allows for interactions, which are not confined to a single client, platform or even network, and allows subtler, more pervasive modes of mixing game action and awareness with web, instant messaging and mobile experiences.

RSS feeds include files and remote scripting and can pull data from the game world onto a player's blog or into their own custom-designed game start page. And the same logic can be applied to other applications, allowing interactions between users to transcend the application where their relationship was established. IM bridging -- through 'proxybots' -- allows users to chat with their in-application buddies over more mainstream messaging architectures or perform simple commands and queries without loading the client software.

Finally, using a RESTian interface, developer-users in the community can come up with their own applications and make those available to everyone, creating the possibility of ubiquitous availability over the net's heterogeneous patchwork of platforms.

Movies

Blade Runner - I enjoyed this movie a lot. I love the cyberpunk genre and this really does it justice. I watched the director's cut which, from what I understand, doesn't have the voice-over by Harrison Ford. I understand how voice-overs can hurt a movie by giving up to much information and lowering the intelligence factor of the movie. But there were a few parts were I would have liked a little extra information, whether through a voice-over, or just more character interaction and dialogue.
I liked the way the future was shown, for some reason I'm attracted to the dystopic environment. It's the kind of place a hero could rise to save the people. Though that's not what this story is about. I also saw a lot of religious icons. Doves, and nails though hands being the one's I can recall. I think Edward James Olmos character could have been developed more. At the end I was left wondering about him and what his story is. I only saw it once and definitely need to see it again.

Holes - When this movie first came out I thought it would be stupid and said I would not watch it. I finally did last night and really liked it. Light, funny, fast paced, good use of flashbacks, and an overall cool story. A movie for kids but also entertaining for the older crowd.

Paycheck - Sucked ass. A really cool concept ruined by this movie. Bad acting (I can't believe I ever liked Affleck), bad lines, just overall shit.


Girl with a Pearl Earring - I loved this movie. The main reason I went to watch this was Scarlett Johansson, whom I love from previous movies, but she didn't quite hit me the same way as before. She does a great job with her part, but the thing I really liked about her other characters is missing from this character. But she is still great and so is the movie. I really liked the idea of trying to guess why and how that painting came around. And because this particular painting is so enigmatic, more so in my mind than The Mona Lisa, you have to wonder about it. I have Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring as my desktop image and I find myself staring at it for periods of time. Just thinking about who she is. The movie does a good job of giving the painting a life.

Eight Legged Freaks - I really only got this movie because of Scarlett Johansson (again), and because the Blockbuster guy said he liked it and likened it to Mars Attacks which I liked. She didn't have a large part, so she really didn't make or break the movie, so when I say I liked this movie it's not because of her. I liked the special effects, it was funny and entertaining. I wish they'd had the DVD version to watch the special features but the VHS did have deleted scenes after the credits, which was the first time I'd seen that on a VHS. Cool movie.

Barbershop 2: Back in Business - I laughed a lot during this movie, I think more than the first. Good movie with a good message.

The Perfect Score - The final Scarlett Johansson movie for today. This is the kind of character I love her for. Sassy, smart, sarcastic, all things I love in a woman. Funny movie, while not to deep it's still very enjoyable. I like the fact she can do a great movie like Lost in Translation and a total teen movie like The Perfect Score. She did Perfect Score first and it's been shelved for a few years and only released because she's popular in Hollywood right now, but still I liked it.

That's it for today, I think I'll do comics and books tomorrow.

The Rogue Nation of Teq

Here's another game I play online. In this one you make up your own country, with it's own motto, currency, and animal. Then you fill out a form with different questions, this gives your countries original stand on issues. Then you get a different issue every day, and depending on what you do, your countries law's change. So you could make a country that is a dictatorship or a hippie haven. It's not the greatest action game ever, but it's fun. It's all based on the book Jennifer Government by Max Berry about a future where corporations are the nations. I haven't read it yet but it's on my list.

My country.

UPDATE:I've now moved to Urbanites. I probably won't take leadership of this region but it's funner with more people. You can move there by clicking on your current region, probably in the Pacific, and then clicking the move to a new region link.

Join My Lair

Let me set you straight on something. What you've "seen" so far is nothing. The world you live in's just the sugar-coated topping. There's another world beneath it, the real world -- and it's a fucking bloodbath. If you want to survive in it, you'd better pull your head out of your ass. Follow me into the shadows. I hold they key to your survival. To eternal life. Come.




/ooc it's a game, click the link above to play.

Art Student

I was cleaning up my hard drive today and found some pics I have of my friend Kelly's artwork from high school. Here are some of my favorite pieces.

Album #4: God Loves Ugly - Atmosphere

Track Listing:
1. Onemosphere
2. The Bass And The Movement
3. Give Me
4. Fuck You Lucy
5. Hair
6. God Loves Ugly
7. A Song About A Friend
8. Flesh
9. Saves The Day
10. Lovelife
11. Breathing
12. Vampires
13. A Girl Named Hope
14. Godlovesugly Reprise
15. Modern Man's Hustle
16. One of a Kind
17. Blamegame
18. Shrapnel

I know these reviews are starting to get behind a little bit, but I am downloading an album a week. Actually a couple a week, but I pick one and give it extra listening time. It just takes me awhile to put a review up. This week I decided to go for something a lot harder than the last couple. Atmosphere is the kind of rap I love. The fact that they're white has nothing to do with it. I love what they rap about. The themes and subjects of the songs are interesting, I can relate to some of them, I like the flow of the rhymes. But I guess it all comes down to the bass beat. Hip Hop is built around it. It's the beat of the heart. Good Hip Hop has that beat that just makes your body move. I can listen to The Shins or Sigur Ros or similar artists and I just listen, it's antiseptic, it's not an complete experience because my body doesn't get into it. I'm not saying I start dancing like a drunk fool, but I feel it inside, each cell vibrating like a balloon that's to close to a speaker. Not all Hip Hop does this to me, actually lately only a small minority does, but for the most part it my preferred genre.

Now concerning this album. Atmosphere consists of a DJ: Ant and MC: Slug. The beats are great. Ant varies them so they don't get old, he uses different styles and speeds to make them unique. For example Saves The Day has running water and a guitar and A Girl Name Hope sounds like a RZA track with a woman's voice looped in the back and used in the chorus.

Now the lyrics are beautiful. Slug has a very distinct voice and his lyrics are very deep. It sounds cheesy but you can feel his pain. He talks about some of the same things Eminem does, but Slug is more real. He doesn't do it to shock people, just inform them.

#12 Vampires
she lurks in the alleys, with a wrong reality
allegiance, and honor, keep it all in the family
consumes the young, the blind, deaf, and the dumb
drains the vein, and puts them under the thumb
she's on the television, celebrate the status quo
energy to push mute on the remote control
break the beat, shatter the measures into pieces
all i've left is the breath, and the world i've put to pieces
it's difficult, to figure out who to fear, gettin older by the minute, younger by the year
will the hunger disappear, metabolism slow, world domination is the goal
now let's gather the kids, and take em out to the styx, teach em all how to live
come, take my hand and walk with me, before the vampires lock down the twin cities

this world is a vampire, she eats her kids, let's hide the bodies under the bridge
this world is a vampire, she eats her kids, let's hide the bodies under the bridge
this country's is a vampire, she eats her kids, let's hide the bodies under the bridge
this city's is a vampire, she eats her kids, let's hide the bodies under the bridge

#6 God Love Ugly
i wear my scars like the rings on a pimp
i live life like the captain of a sinking ship
the one thing that i can guarantee
i'm like a stepping razor, i suggest you stay fair with me
been payin dues for a decade plus,
before that i was just another face on the bus
tappin my foot, to the beat on the radio
dreamin 'bout the mic and the money and the ladies
oh mom, i promise im gonna be large
someday im gonna stop tryin to borrow your car
gonna go far, with charisma and skill
until they put my face on a million dollar bill

My favorite track, because of the subject is #4 Fuck You Lucy

she said that she still wants a friendship
she cant live her life without me as a friend
i cant figure out why i'd give a damn to what she wants
i dont understand the now before the then
...

Fuck the what happend
i got stuck
they can peel pieces of me off the grill of her truck
used to walk with luck
used to hold her hand
fell behind and played the role of a slower man
i wanna stand on top of this mountain and yell
i wanna wake up and break up this lake of hell
I feel like a bitch for letting the sheet twist me up
the last star fighter is wounded time to give it up
on a pick it up mission
kept it bitter
getting in a million memories just to forget her
the difficulty in keeping emotions controlled
cookies for the road
took me by the soul
hunger for the drama
hunger for the nurture
gonna take it further
the hurt feels like murder
interperate
the eyes
read the lines on her face
the sunshine is fake
how much time did i waste?
Fuck you lucy for leaving me
Fuck you lucy for not needin me
I wanna say fuck you
because i still love you
no, im not ok
and i dont know what to do

Best burn so far. And coincidently, this album is not RIAA affiliated. Just a happy accident. Actually our of the four albums I've reviewed, two are safe and two are not. The Shins being the other safe one. Well that's it for this post.

UPDATE: I took the download off so as not to go over on my limit. You can find it on any P2P network and that goes for the entire album. I myself used Soulseek.

Zoom

This is actually a really cool piece of jewelry. Nice breast too. Whether it was intentional or not, who cares? I've seen nipples on the CBS show CSI, they were on a dead girl laying on a table in the morgue. Is the difference because one is dead and one isn't? Show more tits, who cares!


from drudge report

Naked By the End of the Song

I knew something was going to happen when Timberlake got to the part in the song about getting naked. Is that a piercing or a pasty? Either way it's the coolest part of a boring Super Bowl.


Janet Jackson with a breast exposed during Super Bowl half time.

UPDATE
Quoting drudgereport.com

Top CBS executives approved a musical skit where Janet Jackson would expose her breast during the MTV-produced Super Bowl half-time concert, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

"The decision to go forward went to the very top of the network," a well-placed source explained from New York.

The groundbreaking scene came during the most-watched television broadcast of the year -- and during the dinner hour for the nation's west coast viewers.

In a press release before Sunday's game, CBS's sister outlet. [VIACOM's] MTV promised "Janet's Shocking Moments."

"I'll get you naked by the end of this song," sang performer Justin Timberlake, moments before he ripped off Jackson's top, exposing a bare breast -- the nipple covered by a tassel.

CBS's main New York switchboard was immediately bombarded with complaints about the stunt, network sources said late Sunday.