The New York Times > Movies > Critic's Choice: New DVD's Dave Kehr: New DVD's

Those damn liberals at the nytimes have a writeup about Alain Resnais' latest film. I didn't even realize he was still alive, let alone making movies. Good for him. The New York Times > Movies > Critic's Choice: New DVD's Dave Kehr: New DVD's The funny thing is how they mention that it's straight to DVD and didn't even get an art house run, because nobody would be able to make sense out of it. You'd think that Audrey Tautou would at least bring some business to the box office.

Here's his imdb page: Alain Resnais. Pretty amazing that he did "Hiroshima, Mon Amour" and "Last Year at Marienbad" back to back. I dont' know if I've ever blogged my top 10, or top 5 movies, but "Last Year at Marienbad" is definitely in there. Along with "Groundhog Day", "The Godfather", "Casablanca" among others.

Se7en is the 48th ranked film on the imdb top 250. While it's a perfectly good thriller/mystery, that is hilarious.

Amazon.com: Computers: VIEWSONIC TPCV1250S PM-1G 40GB ( TPCV1250S-1303 )

Check out the specs on this computer. For a 30 terabyte hdd, that ain't a bad price:
Amazon.com: Computers: VIEWSONIC TPCV1250S PM-1G 40GB ( TPCV1250S-1303 )

Best t-shirt......ever.

And if you go wearing shirts of Chairman Mao, you ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow.

This is the best thing I've seen all day:
RTFM shirt featuring Chairman Mao

George F. Kennan

I didn't even realize he was still around. Everybody should read this: The New York Times > Washington > George F. Kennan Dies at 101; Leading Strategist of Cold War

On a Japanese kick of late

drunken racoons
Originally uploaded by Nachosan.

This photo is so great. First, you have the expression on this lady's face and you have the background of the drunken tanuki. You may remember tanuki (minus his giant ball sac) from Super Mario Bros. 3. To learn more, visit your local library or go here: Raccoon Dog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Why Japanese want to learn English.

or at least, what the copyeditors want them to think.
Found via boingboing, go to the link for more reasons.
neomarxisme: March 2005 Archives: "This ad for the Gaba language school asks Japanese people to fill in the blank: 'If I could speak English, I would...' Ads with quotes from 'real people' in Japan are often written by copywriters, but even if these aren't actual answers, the responses provide a glimpse into the process of a Japanese company selling English to possible customers. (Click on ad to see a larger picture.

Here is a translation of the first several responses:

I would live in Hawaii with lots of dogs.
I would go by myself to buy in London antique shops.
I would eat all the desserts in the world!
I would go to [my company]'s foreign office and become project leader.
I would buy the materials for aroma therapy and mix them myself.
I would open a shiatsu massage parlor in Hollywood for celebrities.
I would lecture the loud foreigners on the train.
I would raise my children in America: one artist, one computer programmer.
I would go work in a foreign marketing firm.
I would start a dental office for foreigners.
I would run a surf shop in the Gold Coast.
I would live in a house where I could wake up and dive right into the pool.
I would want to increase my income by 100x.
I would publish a weekly manga magazine in the English language world. "

8 credit score myths - Mar. 16, 2005

It's really amazing that in our wonderful world of purchase power so many know so little about Experian, Equifax and Trans.... uh whatever that 3rd one is.

Yet, according to a survey released Tuesday, nearly half of all Americans don't understand what these scores measure or what factors go into them.

The survey, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation for the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and Fair Isaac Corporation, found that 49 percent of respondents do not understand that credit scores measure a person's credit risk, while 45 percent think – incorrectly – that a higher income will result in a higher credit score.

8 credit score myths - Mar. 16, 2005

The New York Times > New York Region > No Need to Stew: A Few Tips to Cope With Life's Annoyances

Nice little throwaway article with some nice ideas that I might try.The New York Times > New York Region > No Need to Stew: A Few Tips to Cope With Life's Annoyances

When subscription cards fall from magazines Andrew Kirk is reading, he stacks them in a pile at the corner of his desk. At the end of each month, he puts them in the mail but leaves them blank so that the advertiser is forced to pay the business reply postage without gaining a new subscriber.

Wesley A. Williams spent more than a year exacting his revenge against junk mailers. When signing up for a no-junk-mail list failed to stem the flow, he resorted to writing at the top of each unwanted item: "Not at this address. Return to sender." But the mail kept coming because the envelopes had "or current resident" on them, obligating mail carriers to deliver it, he said.

Next, he began stuffing the mail back into the "business reply" envelope and sending it back so that the mailer would have to pay the postage. "That wasn't exacting a heavy enough cost from them for bothering me," said Mr. Williams, 35, a middle school science teacher who lives in Melrose, N.Y., near Albany.

After checking with a postal clerk about the legality of stepping up his efforts, he began cutting up magazines, heavy bond paper, and small strips of sheet metal and stuffing them into the business reply envelopes that came with the junk packages.

"You wouldn't believe how heavy I got some of these envelopes to weigh," said Mr. Williams, who added that he saw an immediate drop in the amount of arriving junk mail. A spokesman for the United States Postal Service, Gerald McKiernan, said that Mr. Williams's actions sounded legal, as long as the envelope was properly sealed.

Those Wacky Japanese are at it again

Just for the record, Solid Neon sent this to me. It's an instant classic.
Backpage Article Display: "Pubic hair did the trick

Japan - A Japanese professor claims his country has the shape of its women's pubic hair to thank for its place on the world stage.

Professor Asaki Geino has published a thesis where he argues that the type of pubic hair a woman has affects her personality.

He says the pubic hair of Japanese women is of the type belonging to those who are good mothers, faithful wives and caring daughters.

The professor's thesis classifies women into five types, with most Japanese women having pubic hair like an 'inverted triangle'.

Professor Geinoe said: 'This type is characterised by faithfulness and fitness for family life.

'Women of this type are good mothers, faithful wives and caring daughters. I don't think I'm wrong when I say that precisely this type of woman helped Japan become the glorious country it is.'

On the other hand, women most likely to be unfaithful had pubic hair resembling the 'mouth of a river'.

'Usually female pubic hair grows in the form of an upside down triangle, but some women's is oblong or elliptical in shape,' the professor told Pravda.

'It's not that rare for women with oblong-shaped pubic hair to fall in love at first sight or fall head-over-heels with passion. They also don't like sitting at home on their own.' - Ananova.com"

Halo voiceover guy

Believe it or not, but this the guy who say "killing spree" and all those other fun things in Halo: Q&A: THEATER, Jeff Steitzer, by (08/24/00)

Random aside: "Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite" rocks my world.

Gene Ray - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This guy is an oldie, but goodie. Gotta love the Time cube:
Gene Ray - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Ray explained the 4/16 Rotation Principle, an important element of Time Cube, as follows: 'If Earth stood still, it would have mid-day, mid-night, sun-up and sun-down as 4 corners. Each rotation of earth has 4 mid-days, 4 mid-nights, 4 sun-ups and 4 sun-downs. The sixteen (16) space times demonstrates cube proof of 4 full days simultaneously on earth within one (1) rotation. The academia created 1 day greenwich time is bastardly queer and dooms future youth and nature to a hell.'

A typical Ray quotation is 'Time is CUBIC, not linear as stupid educators teach.'"

For more information, consult your local library or the following hypertext link:
Time Cube - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia