Jame1030

testing my blogger

2008-11-10T14:18:00.002-07:00

does this thing still work?

Changes

2008-03-05T02:08:00.001-07:00

Check out what's in store for Jame1030.com: Jame1030.com

At this point I'm testing out WordPress, and I hope to have it live soon.
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99 Words...

2008-03-04T00:16:00.004-07:00

99 Words For...

I just couldn't resist posting this video.

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Now This Seems To Make Sense!

2008-02-26T22:46:00.003-07:00

World’s Largest Solar Power Plant Coming to Arizona in 2011

"The lucky sunny state of Arizona is about to become home to the world’s largest Solar Plant! Thanks to a just-announced contract between Abengoa Solar and Arizona Public Service Company (APS), the enormous solar plant called Solana will power up to 70,000 homes, and will be the first example in the country of a major utility getting the majority of its energy from solar. The 1900 acre plant will be completed by 2011 – IF AND ONLY IF Congress renews the clean energy tax credit that’s set to expire at the end of 2008..."

More

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More Motivators

2008-02-26T21:23:00.004-07:00

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The Truth Is Out There (Again)

2008-02-26T20:51:00.002-07:00

Mark your calendars for July 25, 2008!
The X-Files will be back to the bigscreeen.

The X-Files was my favorite show for the longest time. Granted the later years sucked (especially with Robert Patrick filling in Mulder's dissappearance). Nevertheless, overall the show rocked.

From what I've read, this trailer appeared after a Q&A with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson at the WonderCon (International comic book convention in San Francisco).

Chances are it will suck (again), but I'm sure I'll be in the theater on opening weekend anyway!

If the above video has been taken offline, try this link

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Is This Hardball?

2008-02-19T23:09:00.007-07:00

I love Chris Matthews and his show Hardball. He grills his guests and loves to give it to all that visit his show.

Tonight during the election coverage on MSNBC, Chris Matthews was talking to an Obama supporter and a Clinton supporter. Chris has been asking the same question for a few weeks now, and once again he whipped it out again tonight.

During the interview, Chris requested Texas Senator Kirk Watson to name some of Barack Obama's legislative accomplishments. Similar to other interviewees, Sen. Watson had a difficult time listing any accomplishments and was eventually dead in the water with no response.

After the segment, Keith Olberman came to Obama's defense and questioned Chris Matthews, "Can you name one accomplishment in the US Senate in the last seven years?"

Matthews responded, "that's a broader question that's requiring larger preparation." He was obviously had no answer.

He then said, "Why do you think they call this Hardball???"

Olberman: "Alright, but this isn't Hardball. This is the election results!"

In Obama's defense, here are some of Obama's legislative activity:

The Lane Evans Veterans Health and Benefits Improvement Act of 2007 (S.117), "to improve benefits and services for members of the Armed Forces, veterans of the Global War on Terrorism, and other veterans, to require reports on the effects of the Global War on Terrorism."
The American Fuels Act of 2007 (S.133), "to promote the national security and stability of the economy of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on oil through the use of alternative fuels and new technology."
The Voter Advocate and Democracy Index Act of 2007 (S.737), "to measure, compare, and improve the quality of voter access to polls and voter services in the administration of Federal elections in the States."
The STOP FRAUD Act (S.1222), "to stop mortgage transactions which operate to promote fraud, risk, abuse, and under-development."
The Nuclear Weapons Threat Reduction Act of 2007 (S.1977), "to provide for sustained United States leadership in a cooperative global effort to prevent nuclear terrorism, reduce global nuclear arsenals, stop the spread of nuclear weapons and related material and technology, and support the responsible and peaceful use of nuclear technology."

In the 109th congress, Obama sponsored 152 Bills or Amendments

In the 110th congress, Obama sponsored 113 Bills or Amendments

In the Illinois 93rd General Assembly, Obama sponsored 113 Bills or Amendments

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No, You Can't!

2008-02-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

Maybe not in the positive tone of the Obama campaign, but this one is clever.

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Across the Universe

2008-02-18T23:21:00.005-07:00

We've been waiting a while to see this movie. We missed it in the theaters. With its lackluster performance in the theaters and meager box office earnings ($25 million total as of mid December) I'm not surprised that many people missed it as well.

I think we saw the preview during the Transformers movie last spring/summer. It seemed pretty cool... at least it looked rather trippy and had an awesome soundtrack of Beatles music. Well, Beatles covers at least (this could have been either horrible renditions of classic songs or interesting remakes of long-time classics.)

Needless to say, I was interested in checking out this movie but not really hopeful for anything monumental.

So on Saturday my wifey and I had a quiet evening to check out Across the Universe.

Overall the movie reminded me of Chicago (but with cooler music) and seemed like it could/would be an interesting musical for Broadway.

The movie had over 30 Beatles songs, and they seemed to jam them into every possible nook and cranny of the film. Sometimes it even seemed a little forced, but with so many Beatles songs, they all perfectly fit into each scene.

The plot was ok but could've included more detail. The music was surprisingly pretty good, but it seemed as though the songs were used too much and therefore was thin in dialog.

One of the most impressive features of the movie was the way many of the scenes were shot. The cinematic style was very interesting, and some of the psychedelic scenes were very cool.

The cast was decent and the few cameo appearances (e.g., Bono, Selma Hayek) were alright but nothing special.

Overall, an enjoyable film. If you are a Beatles fan - you may go either way 1) this is cool and I will sing along to every song (I found that I did this a lot) or 2) this is a sacrilege of classic Beatles tunes.

I give this one 4 out of 5 stars.

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Yes We Can!

2008-02-14T00:49:00.002-07:00

Turn up the volume!

YesWeCanSong.com

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Facebook Stranglehold

2008-02-11T21:47:00.000-07:00

I've been using Facebook for less than a year now and have started getting deeply entrenched in the Facebook system. Myspace sucks and forget Friendster. So what's left? I heard that Myspace will be allowing third party applications (like Facebook).

The Myspace interface sucks and the customizations are pathetic. Why the hell do you have to "hack" the code in order to customize your boring page? Myspace sucks!

But as for Facebook, now we find out that they have you forever...

How Sticky Is Membership on Facebook? Just Try Breaking Free - New York Times:

"Some users have discovered that it is nearly impossible to remove themselves entirely from Facebook, setting off a fresh round of concern over the popular social network’s use of personal data.

While the Web site offers users the option to deactivate their accounts, Facebook servers keep copies of the information in those accounts indefinitely. Indeed, many users who have contacted Facebook to request that their accounts be deleted have not succeeded in erasing their records from the network..."

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KITT is BACK!

2008-02-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

I didn't even realize that this show was coming back!

I thought the Bionic Woman series remake could've been somewhat cool, but after watching a few episodes it appeared to be pretty lame. I think it lasted 3 weeks before it was deleted from my DVR record list.

So in reliving the Gen X 80's childhood, NBC is coming out with new and improved
Knight Rider.

It appears they have 3 different versions of K.I.T.T., and they look pretty cool. I'm pysched to check out the show, but I'm not holding my breathe.

Knight Rider TV Show, Series - Video Clips, Episode Recaps, Photos, Bios, Downloads | NBC Official Site

At least they'll have the Hoff on the series premiere movie! ;n)

How Many Five Year Olds Could You Take in a Fight?

2008-02-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

Just in case you find yourself in a real predicament...

How Many Five Year Olds Could You Take in a Fight?

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Jack Johnson: Sleep Through the Static

2008-02-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

Of course I got the new Jack Johnson album. I bought it legally... really, I actually bought it. Matter a fact - I can't even remember the last album I pira- I mean downloaded an album.

So I first found out about Jack's new album in December and was quick to pre-order the album as soon as the first single "If I had Eyes" was released. The song was pretty much what I expected... pretty much Jack's low-key laid back acoustic song. It grew on me.

Jack Johnson revamped his website and timed it with the release of his new album (this past Tuesday). The site is pretty cool, but I kinda liked the previous more simple layout better.

As for "Sleep Through the Static" I've had a chance to listen to the entire album several times. First things first... if you like Jack Johnson, then you'll probably like this album as well.

This album is slightly darker and (if you can believe it) even more laid back than his others. His lyrics are filled with social commentary, and his tunes lie somewhere in between sweet lullabies and laid back slow jams. After listening to the album I find myself unsatisfied and wanting more (and not in a good way). Not more of the same, but like the album is still missing the it song.

My only complaint is that there are no real peppy songs. Even when songs like "Hope" and "Go On" seem a little more upbeat, they fall flat of being another "Flake" or "Bubble Toes" or "Rodeo Clowns" or "Good People."

I'm sure this album will grow on me, and I'll end up liking it just like the others, but it sure ain't no "In Between Dreams" or "Brushfire Fairytales."

As for now, I give it a 3 out of 5.
(Sorry Jack... I love your music, but ya could've tried a little harder.)

Take a listen to the album on Jack's site and let me know what you think.

A Whole Lotta Nada

2008-02-07T00:03:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since I've actually sat down and just blogged about non-news topics.

So what can I say? There hasn't been too much going on.

Superbowl Sunday didn't interest me that much - obviously I'm not a football fan. I spent more time watching the Super Tuesday Primary results than on Sunday watching football. (My guy did really well, and I'm pysched and hopeful to see him win the nomination.)

With my wifey in between jobs right now, we didn't have a laptop anymore. We're both lazy and like to surf the interwebs while watching television. We were tempted to buy a laptop, but I ended up getting a laptop from work instead. The laptop is a decent size and it has like 4 gigs of RAM! (I create and manipulate a lot of large graphics on a daily basis.) Hopefully this doesn't mean that I bring more work home.

While I got a laptop two weeks ago, we were out at Best Buys this past weekend and found a smokin' deal on a Compaq laptop. We we bought it! So now we have a new laptop at home! Yay! At this point I'm not really impressed with Windows Vista, and I'm still trying to figure out how to use some of the Office 2007 features.

I had to goto traffic school last Saturday. I got caught by a photo radar camera - 11 over the speed limit. I swear, it's a scam. Just another way to generate revenues without using police resources. I got it in the mail a few weeks later. Some swear that you can ignore them, but sooner or later they'll find you. I figured it would just be easier to to take the stupid class and get it over with. It end up being 5 and a half hours of detention. We watched a video, the instructor gave his whole schpeel, and then there was a Q&A... a basic waste of a half of a Saturday. Fun - fun.

Speaking of fun... my tooth/jaw/body aching has finally gone away. After a week of pain and feeling like crap I finally feel 100% better. Even my jaw/teeth don't hurt a single bit. I can even chew with that tooth! Yay... root canal #2 worked wonders! And I guess I suffered from a short, minor bug/flu for a few days. Thank god all that went away!

And finally...

Happy (Chinese) New Year! (Chuc Mung Nam Moi)

(Ok, I cheated, my wifey just gave me the Vietnamese the translation)

Smells Like Teen Spirit (Ukulele Style)??

2008-02-04T23:38:00.000-07:00

I first thought that this was pretty funny - hence (yes, I used the word "hence") the reason why I posted it. But as I watched the entire video, it got kind of stupid. The original is/was an great song. This version is unique, but the British accent just murders the song.

Every Step You Take...

2008-02-02T00:46:00.000-07:00

If this technology is developed into a practical energy "source" it would amazing!

For most people, the word farm conjures up images of dairy cows out to pasture, or amber waves of grain. But for two Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate students, the term could apply just as well to the herds of people trudging through South Station or flooding the gates at Fenway Park.

The force of those feet striking the floor generates energy that - theoretically, at least - could be harvested and converted into electricity. What is a farm, after all, but a place to collect the resources people need - milk, wheat or even power...

Who to Vote For?

2008-02-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Somehow I remained undecided on who I wanted to support for the Democratic presidential nominee. It wasn't that I didn't pay attention to the political environment, and it definitely wasn't that i didn't care. It wasn't even that I wanted to wait so I could jump on the "winning" bandwagon.

It has really taken me this long just to discern the subtle (and some not-so-subtle) differences in policy positions and overall personality.

I finally decided on my candidate (just in time for next weeks primary vote). I think anyone that really knows me can probably guess who my candidate is.

In case you don't know to vote for, take this quiz:

SelectSmart.com 2008 Presidential Candidate Selector

My results were pretty right on!

Birthday and Ailments

2008-01-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

First thing:

Happy Birthday sweety!
My wifey turned 21 (for the 7th time) today.
Wish her a happy birthday here

So yesterday I had a root canal done. Today I have the flu.

WTF???

I woke up with a burning fever and aching all over.

Why? Why the hell did it have to hit me while recovering from my root canal??

This sucks ass.

I tried going to work today, and I ended up staying for about 2 hours. I felt like ass, so I went home and slept for most of the afternoon.

This sucks cause my wifey and I are going to dinner tonight to celebrate her birthday!

I guess it's time to load up on the dayquil! ;n)

Hot in Herre... Again?

2008-01-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

I was poking around on the VH1 website, and I found this crappy video/song by Jenny Owen Youngs (who the hell is she?):

This song is less than 6 years old!

Obviously, there is a severe suckage of talent and creativity these days.

Come on - at least wait a decade to remake a song (and at least do a decent job at it too!)

Dental Pain Sucks

2008-01-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

After a weekend of sporadic tooth pain (ranging from aching to excruciating pain), I called the dentist this morning. Luckily they were able to fit me in at 10am.

I knew what was in store for me. I just knew it.

My premonitions were correct and within 90 minutes I left with a root canal performed.

The actual root canal therapy wasn't that painful. The most pain came from the injections of anesthesia. I think it just sounds worse than it really is.

Of course I'm sick, so I had to see what they actually do to the tooth. All I could see was the evil-looking instruments they use. (Good ol YouTube)

At this point my mouth is beginning to really ache!

... time for more Hydrocodone! :n(

Well - Good

2008-01-26T01:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have to rant!

Why the hell can't people use well and good correctly? Why is this so difficult?

It's published in print. It's broadcast on every form of media. It's even used incorrectly by very intelligent people.

Good is an adjective. It only describes nouns and pronouns.

Well is an adverb. It only describes verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

No, "I did good" or, "I do not feel good."

This really bugs the shit out of me... almost as much as when my wifey fucks up the covers in bed, and I get short-sheeted!

Cloverfield... Afterthoughts

2008-01-20T01:47:00.000-07:00

After a long wait, we finally got to see JJ Abrams' Cloverfield tonight.

First of all, the entire movie is shot Blair Witch style through the shaky video camera. So if they shaky camera makes you motion sick then you may not like it too much.

I really didn't poke around too much to see what people were talking about, and I tried to stay away from any possible spoilers or potential fan theories. Over the past week I saw 3 of the main characters on G4. They didn't really give much away (which I appreciate now.)

I suggest that if you plan on seeing this movie whether in the theater or at home, you try to resist all the spoilers and see it with fresh eyes. At this point, I'm not sure seeing it again will be the same.

It's hard for me to go into too much detail about this movie without giving anything away. So if you want to know anything about the movie leave your question in my comments.

So obviously don't read the comments if you don't want to know anything.

Once the movie ended I think most of us thought, "Is it over? Is that it?" While some may find this abrupt ending disappointing, I felt as though it added to the first person pov effect of the movie.

Additionally, I found it very interesting (afterwards) that there was absolutely no music in this film (except the background music at the party in the beginning.)

I give this one 3.75 out of 5 stars.

I wish this one was a little bit longer (only an hour and a half long) and had just a little bit more character development. There's an obvious desire for some other plot information, but I'll hope for a sequel to answer those questions.

If you see this movie, let me know what you think.

Europe Photos!!!! (Finally)

2008-01-17T00:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's been almost 2 weeks now since we've been back from Europe (I still miss being on vacation). I'm such a slacker.

I can't even blame work for keeping me busy - work has been pretty light since I've been back. While I haven't had to put in any "extra" time on some deadlines at work, it's been taking me forever to go through all 1500 photos from our trip.

After culling through all my damn shots, I think I chose about 480 photos to keep online. And since my parents hate going through my hundreds and hundreds of photos in each album, I slimmed down the number of photos in half and created a "Best Of" album.

Hopefully I'll have my wifey's trip journal posted as well soon.

Enjoy!

It Sucks Being Back!

2008-01-09T10:04:00.001-07:00

Ok, so we've been back since Friday, and I've been very bad about
blogging and getting my photos online.

How was the trip?

The short answer: the trip was freakin awesome! We had a lot of fun.
It was cold, but that was expected. No major problems except for a few
"small" mishaps for my clumsy wifey.

As far as blogging is concerned, I plan on getting a mini trip site up
soon. So that should take care of all the specific details of what we
did. Hopefully that will be up this weekend. Otherwise, I haven't
really blogged cause every non-work moment on the computer has been
devoted to getting my photos organized and tweaked. For 8 days in
Europe I took about 1500 photos. There's got to be a few good photos in
there, right?

Sit tight, the photos are coming soon!