March 16, 2008
07:22 pm
It’s highly addictive!
My mouth is watering, and I even know where Slurm comes from. Makes no difference. I’ll be standing in line to buy a six-pack.
In a related filing,
On February 25, 2008, Twentieth Century Fox, producer and distributor of the TV show Futurama has filed to protect the trademark Slurm in relation to “carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks; fruit drinks; fruit juices; mineral and aerated water; bottled drinking water; energy drinks; syrups and powders for making soft drinks and other beverages, namely soft drinks, fruit drinks and tea; coffee-flavored soft drinks; Ramune (Japanese soda pops); powders used in the preparation of isotonic sports drinks and sports beverages”. [Trademork]
My mouth is watering, and I even know where Slurm comes from. Makes no difference. I’ll be standing in line to buy a six-pack.
In a related filing,
On November 7, 2007, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening filed to protect the trademark Life In Hell, in relation to his long-running comic featuring Akbar and Jeff and a bunch of anthropomorphic rabbits.
This new filing, however, departs from previous filings and covers “entertainment services, namely, an ongoing television series featuring animated and live-action programs, comedy, drama and music; production of television programs containing animated and live-action programs, comedy, drama and music; production and distribution of feature films containing animated and live-action programs, comedy, drama and music”.
March 11, 2008
04:08 pm
The Red Carpet Calls
…and just my luck, I’m 3,000 miles away.
DC Shorts, the film festival I co-founded, is a finalist for the Washington, DC Mayor’s Arts Awards for Innovation in the Arts. The award is the most prestigious given by the city.
Tony Gittens, Executive Director of the D.C. Commission on the Arts says, “Washington’s artistic talent rivals that of any major world-class city. The Mayor’s Arts Award is our way of acknowledging the amazing contributions made to Washington’s cultural vitality.”
We are so excited — and would love to see you support us at the free ceremony at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Monday, March 17, 2008, at 6:00pm. Yes, it is St. Patrick’s Day — but we promise you will be out by 8:00 — in time for green merriment.
The evening is free and open to the public. No tickets are necessary for the award ceremony, but it is suggested that you RSVP to or 202.724.5613 so the DCCAH can anticipate the audience size.
I wish I could be there myself, but the honor of nomination doesn’t include a plane ticket for me… but you’ll find my pal Jon Gann, the one who roped me into doing a film festival.
…and just my luck, I’m 3,000 miles away.
DC Shorts, the film festival I co-founded, is a finalist for the Washington, DC Mayor’s Arts Awards for Innovation in the Arts. The award is the most prestigious given by the city.
Tony Gittens, Executive Director of the D.C. Commission on the Arts says, “Washington’s artistic talent rivals that of any major world-class city. The Mayor’s Arts Award is our way of acknowledging the amazing contributions made to Washington’s cultural vitality.”
We are so excited — and would love to see you support us at the free ceremony at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Monday, March 17, 2008, at 6:00pm. Yes, it is St. Patrick’s Day — but we promise you will be out by 8:00 — in time for green merriment.
The evening is free and open to the public. No tickets are necessary for the award ceremony, but it is suggested that you RSVP to or 202.724.5613 so the DCCAH can anticipate the audience size.
I wish I could be there myself, but the honor of nomination doesn’t include a plane ticket for me… but you’ll find my pal Jon Gann, the one who roped me into doing a film festival.
08:56 am
Fan Fic
My idea for a “Doctor Who” episode:
The time is spring. People all over America are preparing for night’s sleep by turning their clocks forward by an hour in preparation for Daylight Savings Time.
In the morning when they wake, they are astonished to discover that the collective concentration on the time jump has resulted in a real time jump, and the entire planet is now living one hour in the future, confusing the hell out of everyone as timey-wimey anomalies abound and paradoxes begin to form.
Can the Doctor unravel the mess in time, or will Earth plunge into a time whirlpool?
::grin::
My idea for a “Doctor Who” episode:
The time is spring. People all over America are preparing for night’s sleep by turning their clocks forward by an hour in preparation for Daylight Savings Time.
In the morning when they wake, they are astonished to discover that the collective concentration on the time jump has resulted in a real time jump, and the entire planet is now living one hour in the future, confusing the hell out of everyone as timey-wimey anomalies abound and paradoxes begin to form.
Can the Doctor unravel the mess in time, or will Earth plunge into a time whirlpool?
::grin::
February 27, 2008
06:55 pm
February 19, 2008
07:37 pm
50 is the new 30
Carrie Fisher is one of those women who was gorgeous when young but reached a phase in her 40s when she wasn’t quite as glamorous. But then after a certain age, she suddenly became beautiful again: take a look at this photo of Fisher from the Chronicle. Now in her 50s, she has entered a new phase of beauty. Gorgeous!
Carrie Fisher is one of those women who was gorgeous when young but reached a phase in her 40s when she wasn’t quite as glamorous. But then after a certain age, she suddenly became beautiful again: take a look at this photo of Fisher from the Chronicle. Now in her 50s, she has entered a new phase of beauty. Gorgeous!
February 04, 2008
04:23 pm
It was a pain to build, but what craftsmanship
I find things like this fascinating:
View Larger Map
See that house there? That’s the Dream House that Mr. Blandings built. Seriously!
When they filmed “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House,” in 1948 they built an actual, practical house on the Fox Ranch (today it is Malibu Creek State Park). The house was built at 7/8 scale in order to make Cary Grant appear taller, and the interior walls are “wild” — moveable — to allow for flexibility in filming.
Before the Fox Ranch was converted to a park, the same house was used for the plantation in “Roots.” Today the house still stands at the entrance to the park, where it is used by the park rangers as an administrative office.
They don’t build film sets like they used to, eh?
I find things like this fascinating:
View Larger Map
See that house there? That’s the Dream House that Mr. Blandings built. Seriously!
When they filmed “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House,” in 1948 they built an actual, practical house on the Fox Ranch (today it is Malibu Creek State Park). The house was built at 7/8 scale in order to make Cary Grant appear taller, and the interior walls are “wild” — moveable — to allow for flexibility in filming.
Before the Fox Ranch was converted to a park, the same house was used for the plantation in “Roots.” Today the house still stands at the entrance to the park, where it is used by the park rangers as an administrative office.
They don’t build film sets like they used to, eh?
January 16, 2008
02:55 pm
Best of San Jose: Get High
Last weekend, I took a drive to Lick Observatory, which is technically in San Jose yet thousands of feet above it. As the crow flies, it’s about 14 miles from downtown, but in actual terms it’s 24 miles… and it takes a bit more than an hour to drive there. That’s because the road to the observatory was built in the 19th century to accommodate the horses used for construction, keeping the grade low. The narrow road winds through the foothills east of the city and up Mount Hamilton, with 365 pretty sharp curves and switchbacks along the way. Despite the reckless behavior of motorcyclists, I found it wise not to exceed 20 miles per hour on the trip.
The drive is tantalizing: round a corner and you suddenly realize how far up you’ve gone because a panorama is unveiled before you, mountains shrouded in clouds — and there is a point when you discover that the clouds are below you. The gradual grade of the road means that you don’t have a sense of going up a mountain so high.
One sees the observatory many times, just beyond trees or behind a ridge, but every curve means that you’re not as close as you think. Finally, upon arrival at the summit 4,200 feet above sea level, one parks at the observatory’s main building and looks across the parking lot to see the entire Bay Area from north of San Francisco to south of San Jose, spread out like a miniature 2D model.
The Lick Observatory itself is one of those old buildings that aren’t built like that anymore. Even the door hinges are beautiful. Inside are displays of astronomical photos taken by the observatory, along with some interesting artifacts such as the only seismographical record of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. (There’s a modern seismograph there as well, with the plot from October 30 last year when we had the 5.6 earthquake; the trace goes wildly off the map for a while and there are seemingly hundreds of aftershocks on the graph.)
The highlight, of course, is the great Lick Refractor, an enormous telescope housed within a beautiful dome with inlaid floors and steampunk architecture. Informal talks are given every half hour in the dome at no charge by knowledgeable University of California docents.
I was most interested in how astronomers manage to reach the telescope. Photos show the eyepiece at, well, eye level; but while I was there the telescope was a good 20 feet above. Does the telescope move up and down? The answer was fascinating. The beautiful inlaid wood floor actually rises and lowers around the central telescope pier through hydraulic power. A water tank on the next, higher peak provided the hydraulic lift in the 1800s when electricity had yet to reach Mt. Hamilton.
One last bit of slightly disturbing trivia: James Lick, the man whose fortune built the observatory, never made it to the top of Mt. Hamilton — until he died. His body is interred at the base of the telecope’s pier, beneath the rising and lowering floor where, hidden from view, a plaque marks his final resting place.
Last weekend, I took a drive to Lick Observatory, which is technically in San Jose yet thousands of feet above it. As the crow flies, it’s about 14 miles from downtown, but in actual terms it’s 24 miles… and it takes a bit more than an hour to drive there. That’s because the road to the observatory was built in the 19th century to accommodate the horses used for construction, keeping the grade low. The narrow road winds through the foothills east of the city and up Mount Hamilton, with 365 pretty sharp curves and switchbacks along the way. Despite the reckless behavior of motorcyclists, I found it wise not to exceed 20 miles per hour on the trip.
The drive is tantalizing: round a corner and you suddenly realize how far up you’ve gone because a panorama is unveiled before you, mountains shrouded in clouds — and there is a point when you discover that the clouds are below you. The gradual grade of the road means that you don’t have a sense of going up a mountain so high.
One sees the observatory many times, just beyond trees or behind a ridge, but every curve means that you’re not as close as you think. Finally, upon arrival at the summit 4,200 feet above sea level, one parks at the observatory’s main building and looks across the parking lot to see the entire Bay Area from north of San Francisco to south of San Jose, spread out like a miniature 2D model.
The Lick Observatory itself is one of those old buildings that aren’t built like that anymore. Even the door hinges are beautiful. Inside are displays of astronomical photos taken by the observatory, along with some interesting artifacts such as the only seismographical record of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. (There’s a modern seismograph there as well, with the plot from October 30 last year when we had the 5.6 earthquake; the trace goes wildly off the map for a while and there are seemingly hundreds of aftershocks on the graph.)
The highlight, of course, is the great Lick Refractor, an enormous telescope housed within a beautiful dome with inlaid floors and steampunk architecture. Informal talks are given every half hour in the dome at no charge by knowledgeable University of California docents.
I was most interested in how astronomers manage to reach the telescope. Photos show the eyepiece at, well, eye level; but while I was there the telescope was a good 20 feet above. Does the telescope move up and down? The answer was fascinating. The beautiful inlaid wood floor actually rises and lowers around the central telescope pier through hydraulic power. A water tank on the next, higher peak provided the hydraulic lift in the 1800s when electricity had yet to reach Mt. Hamilton.
One last bit of slightly disturbing trivia: James Lick, the man whose fortune built the observatory, never made it to the top of Mt. Hamilton — until he died. His body is interred at the base of the telecope’s pier, beneath the rising and lowering floor where, hidden from view, a plaque marks his final resting place.
January 10, 2008
08:07 am
They were too repressed in the 60s
I think that this scene from the “Torchwood” series 2 premiere is an update of an old Star Trek episode — specifically, this is what should have happened when Kirk met Finnegan on the amusement planet. Watch it and you’ll see what I mean.
I think that this scene from the “Torchwood” series 2 premiere is an update of an old Star Trek episode — specifically, this is what should have happened when Kirk met Finnegan on the amusement planet. Watch it and you’ll see what I mean.
December 14, 2007
09:24 am
The Three Year Itch
Something happened a few years ago: everything went on hiatus.
Futurama quietly went away. Dead Like Me went off the air. And I left DC for California.
But it all seemed to be just a temporary thing. First, Futurama returned; next month I’ll be returning; and soon, Dead Like Me will be resurrected:
Something happened a few years ago: everything went on hiatus.
Futurama quietly went away. Dead Like Me went off the air. And I left DC for California.
But it all seemed to be just a temporary thing. First, Futurama returned; next month I’ll be returning; and soon, Dead Like Me will be resurrected:
December 12, 2007
08:31 am
You’ve got to love a tall man
Evidently, he’s not quite as tall as the Washington Post’s photographer.
Evidently, he’s not quite as tall as the Washington Post’s photographer.
December 09, 2007
09:14 am
Question Time: everything is fake in TV land
I guess it was around Halloween — the exact date escapes me, since that pesky earthquake wiped all things from my brain around that time — when the Travel Channel presented the live ghost show from Winchester House here in San Jose. I was pretty amazed at the show, not for its alleged parapsychology but by the fact that the cast and crew were allowed to set up equipment and walk all over the gorgeous inlaid parquet floors in the front of the house, especially in the Grand Ballroom.
Well, yesterday I got some information from a Winchester House tour guide. Seems like ghosts weren’t the only trickery happening that night.
First off, the Travel Channel spent some big money on that show. They rented the entire house for two days, it was closed to the public as they prepped for the show. The cast and crew were allowed into rooms and places that even long-time tour guides had never seen before, which I think would be a dream come true — I’d love to be able to completely explore the huge house someday. The official count is 160 rooms, but I am certain that’s just an estimate; there are likely many rooms that are hidden or built around and no longer accessible.
Anyway, here’s the story of how they were able to stand on the forbidden parquet: it wasn’t real. In the live TV show, you can clearly see them wearing regular shoes in the ballroom, along with a large plasma screen on a metal stand. It turns out that the floor they are standing on was a fake one, overlaid on the real ballroom floor, covering and protecting the original.
One more question answered. It’s part of our free and friendly service at Just As I Thought.
I guess it was around Halloween — the exact date escapes me, since that pesky earthquake wiped all things from my brain around that time — when the Travel Channel presented the live ghost show from Winchester House here in San Jose. I was pretty amazed at the show, not for its alleged parapsychology but by the fact that the cast and crew were allowed to set up equipment and walk all over the gorgeous inlaid parquet floors in the front of the house, especially in the Grand Ballroom.
Well, yesterday I got some information from a Winchester House tour guide. Seems like ghosts weren’t the only trickery happening that night.
First off, the Travel Channel spent some big money on that show. They rented the entire house for two days, it was closed to the public as they prepped for the show. The cast and crew were allowed into rooms and places that even long-time tour guides had never seen before, which I think would be a dream come true — I’d love to be able to completely explore the huge house someday. The official count is 160 rooms, but I am certain that’s just an estimate; there are likely many rooms that are hidden or built around and no longer accessible.
Anyway, here’s the story of how they were able to stand on the forbidden parquet: it wasn’t real. In the live TV show, you can clearly see them wearing regular shoes in the ballroom, along with a large plasma screen on a metal stand. It turns out that the floor they are standing on was a fake one, overlaid on the real ballroom floor, covering and protecting the original.
One more question answered. It’s part of our free and friendly service at Just As I Thought.
December 05, 2007
01:13 pm
This is the 5000th entry
I didn’t really have anything interesting to say here, and the current political bugaboos are being covered by the vaunted Mainstream Media™. So, this is just a little note to let you know I have been writing so freakin’ much on this blog that I reached 5,000 entries with this one.
Woo hoo!
Milestone or evidence of too much time on my hands?
I didn’t really have anything interesting to say here, and the current political bugaboos are being covered by the vaunted Mainstream Media™. So, this is just a little note to let you know I have been writing so freakin’ much on this blog that I reached 5,000 entries with this one.
Woo hoo!
Milestone or evidence of too much time on my hands?
December 04, 2007
11:27 am
Star Trek keeps going and going and going and…
Just how much Star Trek stuff is out there? I was under the impression that the props and costumes from a show that went off the air in 1969 were likely in a landfill somewhere; but I remember seeing an exhibit of existing props and costumes at the Smithsonian a long time ago which included the Enterprise helm — which had been fished out of a garbage dump. It was in horrible condition.
Yet another Trek auction is underway, selling for the umpteenth time some of the stuff from the series. It’s money on a loop.
That last one is for T.K.
But wait, there’s more compelling stuff:
Update, December 7: I reiterate my surprise that there are any Star Trek props available anymore, what with all the auctions and what not. And yet, Viacom has announced the “Star Trek Tour,” a traveling exhibition of props and costumes. So, are these the real ones? I mean, how many captain’s chairs were there, anyway? I assumed when I visited the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas that those props must have been specially made for that exhibit, because they couldn’t have appeared there and be auctioned at the same time. Now we have a huge exhibit featuring items which I am certain I saw sold at Christie’s (for example, the Enterprise-A shooting model and Kirk’s command chair), which begs the question: are they replicas or duplicates; did the people who paid big bucks for original props get ripped off; or did the auction buyers loan them back to Viacom? The provenance of all this stuff is certainly suspect, and getting more so every day. Or is this just sour grapes from someone who couldn’t afford to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a piece of balsa and plastic?
Just how much Star Trek stuff is out there? I was under the impression that the props and costumes from a show that went off the air in 1969 were likely in a landfill somewhere; but I remember seeing an exhibit of existing props and costumes at the Smithsonian a long time ago which included the Enterprise helm — which had been fished out of a garbage dump. It was in horrible condition.
Yet another Trek auction is underway, selling for the umpteenth time some of the stuff from the series. It’s money on a loop.
LOT #1212
Nichelle Nichols “Lt. Uhura” duty uniform from Star Trek: The Original Series
1212. Nichelle Nichols “Lt. Uhura” duty uniform from Star Trek: The Original Series. (NBC-TV, 1966-69) Signature red velour duty uniform dress with black scoop neck collar and an original “engineering” Starfleet insignia patch at the left breast. Because of the way the uniform is tailored (with the zipper closure over the left breast), this duty uniform dates from early in the first season, as Ms. Nichols’ uniforms were re-designed shortly thereafter as it was difficult for her to get in and out of the dress. Comes with a letter of authenticity from Nichelle Nichols, as well as a color photograph signed by Ms. Nichols in her Starfleet uniform. One of the rarest of the Enterprise crew uniforms, this is the first Lt. Uhura duty uniform from the original series we’ve ever encountered, and is one of only two known to have survived. A rare and highly desirable uniform from one of the most important and influential science-fiction TV/film series of all time. $8,000 - $12,000
LOT #1216
Worf Starfleet uniform from Star Trek: The Next Generation
1216. “Worf” Starfleet uniform from Star Trek: The Next Generation. (Paramount TV, 1987-94) Starfleet costume worn by Michael Dorn as “Worf” in the TV series Star Trek Next Generation. The trademark uniform is mustard yellow and black with yellow trim around the neck. It has a piece of Velcro on the front where the communicator badge would have been fixed and fastens up with a hidden zip at the back. The trousers have built in braces. “Worf” wears this ripped uniform in the series seven episode ‘Genesis’ where the entire crew of the Enterprise is affected by a synthetic T-Cell which has made the crew members resort to their most animal like instincts. The uniform has bone-like additions to the arms and side and a small protrusion on the thigh where “Worf” has changed into his animal self, the back of the uniform has a large rip in it where a large spine extension has ‘burst’ through. The costume comes with the original costumer’s label from the production, which details the character and the actors name, the scenes and the episode name. $4,500 - $5,500
LOT #1218
Geordi’s VISOR from Star Trek: Generations
1218. Geordi’s VISOR from Star Trek: Generations. (Paramount, 1994) Prop VISOR worn by Lt. Geordi La Forge, a device that allows the birth-blind La Forge to “see” throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. Constructed of resin that is painted silver and gold, and measures approx. 6 in. in length. $2,000 - $3,00
LOT #1222
Jean Luc Picard’s “Enterprise E” command chair from the Star Trek films
1222. Jean Luc Picard’s “Enterprise E” command chair from the Star Trek films. (Paramount, 1994, 1996, 1998) This padded aircraft-style armchair is covered with burgundy-dyed imitation leather, and features armrests with simulated control panels which are designed to accept small LCD display screens. This command char was used by Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard’s Captain’s chair on the bridge of the Enterprise-E in three of the TNG films, including Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis. Measures 47 in. tall x 36 in. wide x 32 in. deep. $45,000 - $60,00
LOT #1241
The Holographic Doctor’s mobile emitter from Star Trek: Voyager
1241. The Holographic Doctor’s mobile emitter from Star Trek: Voyager. (Paramount, 1994-2001) Constructed of grey-painted resin and measures approx. 2 in. long, this device is a 29th century self-powered mobile emitter worn on the armband of Voyager’s holographic “Doctor” (Robert Picardo) that allows the Doctor to leave the previously confined area of sickbay. $600 - $800
That last one is for T.K.
But wait, there’s more compelling stuff:
LOT #1244
Original screen-used Energizer Bunny from the classic television commercials of the 1980s and 90s.
1244. Original screen-used Energizer Bunny from the classic television commercials of the 1980s and 90s.. This Elaborate working prop features the loveable Energizer bunny outfitted in a custom-fitted wetsuit and SCUBA gear, with front mounted bass drum bearing the Energizer logo. This fully-animatronic prop was used for an underwater scene, in which two SCUBA divers are shown swimming through the deep with an over-dubbed narrative mentioning an upcoming Jacques Cousteau-type nature special. Suddenly, this bunny comes barging through, as if intruding from another television commercial! (This commercial first aired on July 1, 1991). These TV ads are credited as being one of the most successful campaigns in advertising history, and the Energizer bunny grew from a cute television gimmick to become an icon of the 20th century. This hand-made pink bunny is fitted with air hoses which activate the arms and head, and additionally create bubbles to give the illusion that the SCUBA equipment is actually supplying air to our furry friend. Measures approx. 30 in. tall, and comes with a letter of authenticity from Eric Allard, the original creator of the Energizer bunnies, who custom-made all of the bunnies for this long-running series of commercials. $5,000 - $7,000
Update, December 7: I reiterate my surprise that there are any Star Trek props available anymore, what with all the auctions and what not. And yet, Viacom has announced the “Star Trek Tour,” a traveling exhibition of props and costumes. So, are these the real ones? I mean, how many captain’s chairs were there, anyway? I assumed when I visited the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas that those props must have been specially made for that exhibit, because they couldn’t have appeared there and be auctioned at the same time. Now we have a huge exhibit featuring items which I am certain I saw sold at Christie’s (for example, the Enterprise-A shooting model and Kirk’s command chair), which begs the question: are they replicas or duplicates; did the people who paid big bucks for original props get ripped off; or did the auction buyers loan them back to Viacom? The provenance of all this stuff is certainly suspect, and getting more so every day. Or is this just sour grapes from someone who couldn’t afford to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a piece of balsa and plastic?
November 28, 2007
07:03 am
Only true geeks will get this one
Yesterday, the day that Futurama returned, I printed out my boarding pass for this morning’s San Diego trip and discovered that my ticket number is something that could have haunted Bender in his most feverish nightmares.
Yesterday, the day that Futurama returned, I printed out my boarding pass for this morning’s San Diego trip and discovered that my ticket number is something that could have haunted Bender in his most feverish nightmares.
November 26, 2007
12:14 pm
Sometimes it is easier to do it yourself
This is a great story of taking matters into your own hands:
It’s a combination of The Crazy Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and the guys who created an apartment in the mall. [via Good Morning Silicon Valley]
This is a great story of taking matters into your own hands:
It is one of Paris’s most celebrated monuments, a neoclassical masterpiece that has cast its shadow across the city for more than two centuries.
But it is unlikely that the Panthéon, or any other building in France’s capital, will have played host to a more bizarre sequence of events than those revealed in a court last week.
Four members of an underground “cultural guerrilla” movement known as the Untergunther, whose purpose is to restore France’s cultural heritage, were cleared on Friday of breaking into the 18th-century monument in a plot worthy of Dan Brown or Umberto Eco.
For a year from September 2005, under the nose of the Panthéon’s unsuspecting security officials, a group of intrepid “illegal restorers” set up a secret workshop and lounge in a cavity under the building’s famous dome. Under the supervision of group member Jean-Baptiste Viot, a professional clockmaker, they pieced apart and repaired the antique clock that had been left to rust in the building since the 1960s. Only when their clandestine revamp of the elaborate timepiece had been completed did they reveal themselves.
“When we had finished the repairs, we had a big debate on whether we should let the Panthéon’s officials know or not,” said Lazar Klausmann, a spokesperson for the Untergunther. “We decided to tell them in the end so that they would know to wind the clock up so it would still work.
“The Panthéon’s administrator thought it was a hoax at first, but when we showed him the clock, and then took him up to our workshop, he had to take a deep breath and sit down.”
The Centre of National Monuments, embarrassed by the way the group entered the building so easily, did not take to the news kindly, taking legal action and replacing the administrator.
It’s a combination of The Crazy Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and the guys who created an apartment in the mall. [via Good Morning Silicon Valley]
November 23, 2007
04:46 pm
Geeky for Helvetica
A bit of nerdiness this afternoon: before Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) arrived, I predicted that it would feature one radical change to its interface: a change from the Lucida Grande system font (used for menus and interface elements) to Helvetica. I based this on two things: first, the beautiful iPhone interface; second, on the strange inclusion of Helvetica as the interface font for some disparate pieces of the beta version of Leopard.
Well, the release version arrived, and Lucida Grande is still with us — but so is Helvetica in the odd spot here and there, looking for all the world as if a change was supposed to have been made but was omitted for some reason.
Today, using the freeware Tinker Tool app, I changed all occurrences of Lucida Grande in my system to Helvetica. Surprise! It looks right. Like it was meant to be. I still say that the interface is going to change to Helvetica, but I can’t imagine now that it will happen in a point release. Perhaps in 10.6, two years from now? I also still say that they meant to change it this time around. The use of Helvetica in the new features (Stacks, iCal, Time Machine, etc.) obviously points to a plan to change the system font.
Take a look at these screen shots and tell me: doesn’t it just look right?
A bit of nerdiness this afternoon: before Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) arrived, I predicted that it would feature one radical change to its interface: a change from the Lucida Grande system font (used for menus and interface elements) to Helvetica. I based this on two things: first, the beautiful iPhone interface; second, on the strange inclusion of Helvetica as the interface font for some disparate pieces of the beta version of Leopard.
Well, the release version arrived, and Lucida Grande is still with us — but so is Helvetica in the odd spot here and there, looking for all the world as if a change was supposed to have been made but was omitted for some reason.
Today, using the freeware Tinker Tool app, I changed all occurrences of Lucida Grande in my system to Helvetica. Surprise! It looks right. Like it was meant to be. I still say that the interface is going to change to Helvetica, but I can’t imagine now that it will happen in a point release. Perhaps in 10.6, two years from now? I also still say that they meant to change it this time around. The use of Helvetica in the new features (Stacks, iCal, Time Machine, etc.) obviously points to a plan to change the system font.
Take a look at these screen shots and tell me: doesn’t it just look right?
November 18, 2007
04:38 pm
It’s possible that I own too many Apple products
November 15, 2007
02:07 pm
Happy 5th Blogiversary
Wow. It was five years ago this moment that I started this blog, and I can’t believe I’ve been regularly writing it ever since. I mean, really — five years? It seems much longer.
The years are flying by, nearly three years now in California, which is freaking me out — that means that I’ve blogged more from California than DC?
I obviously have a lot to say, and not really anyone to say it to, which is the very definition of a blog, don’t you think?
Perhaps I’ll go back in time and pick out some entries from this month 5 years ago. It is actually really interesting to go back in time and read things I wrote a while ago with fresh eyes.
Wow. It was five years ago this moment that I started this blog, and I can’t believe I’ve been regularly writing it ever since. I mean, really — five years? It seems much longer.
The years are flying by, nearly three years now in California, which is freaking me out — that means that I’ve blogged more from California than DC?
I obviously have a lot to say, and not really anyone to say it to, which is the very definition of a blog, don’t you think?
Perhaps I’ll go back in time and pick out some entries from this month 5 years ago. It is actually really interesting to go back in time and read things I wrote a while ago with fresh eyes.
- Premonitions of the future: OS X on Intel. November 16, 2002
- I refer you to my entry on October 24, 2007 about how the Federal government is swollen with private contractors at the expense of civil servants. Well, looks like I recognized this was happening: November 30, 2002
- Complaining about the poor treatment of “Futurama” back in 2002, and now in a week or so it will have a triumphant return: November 17, 2002
- On being fee-ed to death and my tiny revenge on AT&T. November 17, 2002.
November 13, 2007
10:34 am
Just because I’m a geek
Look what’s coming on Friday… I’m freakin’ out.
Look what’s coming on Friday… I’m freakin’ out.
November 05, 2007
10:55 am
Five and Ten
Geeks like me have been exceedingly happy with the revival of “Doctor Who” because of its devotion to the past — the new series is run by unabashed fans, so it has been true to its history and is really a continuation rather than a reboot. Old enemies have returned, old continuity has been respected, and yet not slavishly.
There’s been one thing missing: the Doctor Crossover, a staple of the old series when an anniversary rolled around.
Well, now that plot device/fan wank is back.
Next Friday, the 16th, a special “scene” will air on the BBC as part of the Children in Need fundraiser, featuring the 5th Doctor, Peter Davison, together with the current incumbent, David Tennant. I have to say that Peter Davison (who was only 29 when he took over the role in 1981) has aged particularly well, and 23 years after he left the show he looks much the same when he dons the costume and hat.
Here’s to cheesy nostalgia and fannish fun!
Geeks like me have been exceedingly happy with the revival of “Doctor Who” because of its devotion to the past — the new series is run by unabashed fans, so it has been true to its history and is really a continuation rather than a reboot. Old enemies have returned, old continuity has been respected, and yet not slavishly.
There’s been one thing missing: the Doctor Crossover, a staple of the old series when an anniversary rolled around.
Well, now that plot device/fan wank is back.
Next Friday, the 16th, a special “scene” will air on the BBC as part of the Children in Need fundraiser, featuring the 5th Doctor, Peter Davison, together with the current incumbent, David Tennant. I have to say that Peter Davison (who was only 29 when he took over the role in 1981) has aged particularly well, and 23 years after he left the show he looks much the same when he dons the costume and hat.
Here’s to cheesy nostalgia and fannish fun!
