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January 31, 2009
Insect photography engineer style
So, you're a retired electro-mechanical-hardware designer and you want to take photos of insects flying. The solution? This thing. He says his setup allows for super fast shutter releases (50ms is way too slow for him.. try 10ms) with an electromagnet to activate the shutter, which, by the way, is triggered by laser beams. Results here.
His "Waterfigures" are impressive, too.
An uneventful day
More here. (via MeFi)
January 30, 2009
.01 cents 4 Gold
How Cash 4 Gold works. (via waxy)
January 28, 2009
Last baby on earth
Time lapse of a 9-month old playing. Him being so alone reminds me of some kind of weird version of I am Legend. (via kottke)
The Internet is on computers now?
A look at newspapers online in 1981. I love that they interview someone who "Owns a Home Computer." Also, "for the moment, at least, this fellow isn't worried about being out a job" guy is now out of a job. (via waxy)
January 26, 2009
How to make hikaru dorodango
How to make hikaru dorodango (shiny mud balls).
January 23, 2009
Gigapixel!
1,474 megapixel image from the inauguration. More info.
January 21, 2009
I know what I want for my birthday
Obama the action figure. Maybe he can fight the Bush figure.
I bet he has a cool coat hanger
Cheney: Former VP or current Indiana Jones villain?
January 19, 2009
English problems
January 18, 2009
Surfing Lake Superior
And you thought walking to your car was cold.
January 16, 2009
Official 24 Season 7 predictions
Not sure who watches 24 besides Siskow, Dustin and Aimee and I. With four episodes down, here is your chance to post your predictions. Whoever gets the most right wins a stuffed crust pizza*. Even if you don't watch the show you have about the same chance of winning. If you don't want spoilers, don't click this link:
*Not really, unless I can have some
Ok, here's what I think will happen:
Tony will go bad again.
Bill will die.
Jack will torture at least 13 more people.
Chloe and Janis will fight. Chloe will win.
Bill Garnier from Band of Brothers will be one of the "corrupt" in the White House.
Star Wars: Retold
(by someone who hasn't seen it) This made me laugh. (via MeFi)
January 15, 2009
Plane > water
Great roundup of the plane crash off of NYC. Those things really float.
Brrr.
It's -17 degrees here this morning. How about where you are?
January 12, 2009
I need to find a rubber hand now
"Hack your brain" -- dumb headline but some funny/interesting ways to trick your brain. And I'm pretty sure you just need a blindfold for the first one, not just ping pong balls, but I could be wrong since I'm not a doctor. (maybe your eyes need to be open?)
Tiny art
Willard Wigan, micro sculptor. Amazing stuff. (via kottke)
January 09, 2009
Growing up Star Wars
Flickr pool: Growing Up Star Wars (via MeFi). This one is great. Need to dig up the photo of me playing with Darth and Han circa 1982-3.
How many Miticlorians do you have?
Yes, now you can use the force. Lightsaber not included.
January 08, 2009
If I ate at Burger King, we might not be friends anymore
Burger King: Free Whopper if you unfriend 10 on Facebook.
Last Flight from Da Nang (1975)
One of the more amazing news stories I've seen. (via kottke best links of 2008)
January 07, 2009
This one's for Cody
Resolved: Bush is the worst president of the past 50 years. Four pundits debate. You can listen to the edited or unedited version on NPR's site. (via)
January 06, 2009
Apple drops iTunes DRM
No more digital rights management and no more limit on the number of computers you can put your iTunes songs on. This is good. I was considering using Amazon more because they are DRM free already, but iTunes has a better interface and it saves a step or two.
January 05, 2009
Bye bye analog
How to watch a little bit of history: analog TV going off the air at midnight February 17th. (I think that means staying up on the 16th until the 17th rolls around)
January 04, 2009
A banker? Really?
I once completed the trail having survived three broken wagon wheels. It took me 10 days to find an Indian to trade with for the third wheel, and I still scored 6,000 points. The other day, I saw you quit the trail immediately after your wagon capsized in the Kansas River. You lost only an ox and a hundred pounds of food. I drank myself to sleep that night.
No son of mine plays Oregon Trail like that.
January 01, 2009
Thoughts on The Karate Kid
I have a confession:
Before very recently I had never watched The Karate Kid the whole way through.
I was 6 when the movie came out in 1984. Probably a little too young for the film. In the years following I'd seen bits and pieces on TV or at a friend's house, but never from start to finish. But I did watch the Saturday Morning Cartoon ("Mr. Miyagi! The shrine!")
Here are a few observations:
It's basically Rocky for kids. John G. Avildsen directed both, and they have a similar story: underdog fights for dignity and the girl. With one huge exception, and I'm not sure how this fits into the big picture yet (possible spoilers): At the end of Rocky, Rocky loses to Apollo Creed but "wins" in the sense that he met his goal to go the whole match without, well, getting killed or knocked out. He went the distance. That and the company of Adrian was good enough for him.
During the semifinals In The Karate Kid, one of the Cobra Kai (love that name) kids hits Daniel with an illegal attack to the knee. It looks like Daniel is disabled and it's over. Well, at least he went all the way he could before getting hurt. Stop the presses! Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita, nominated for an Academy Award) has a secret Japanese healing (or pain suppression) technique! Daniel gets back into the ring to take on the Cobra Kai ringleader Johnny. I'm not sure the message is: a) happy endings are good, b) "anything is possible" 1980s attitude triumphing over the disillusioned post-Vietnam 1970s, or c) none of the above, I'm over thinking it.
Also, if this film was made today, Daniel's knee injury would probably be career-endangering, resulting in multiple surgeries and probably a lawsuit by his mother.
This kind of brings me to my next point:
The film is very 1980s. When Daniel shows Ali (Elizabeth Shue) the car Mr. Miyagi gave him, he says she should drive and she is surprised. He replies something along the lines of, "Sure, why not! It's the 80s!" What? Women didn't drive in the 70s? I'm not sure what the line means but it's a great one. For more evidence of the film's 80s-ness, see: the soundtrack.
There are some cheesy moments. Evil sensei John "Sweep the leg" Kreese hams it up throughout the movie. As Aimee points out, he's basically the child of David Hasselhoff and John Travolta:
Other cheesy moments: the Cobra Kai gang's antics in general, the classic misunderstanding because the guy sees his girl with the antagonist and leaves right before she hits him, and some corny dialogue by Mr. Miyagi. Overall, the acting was okay, and I think Ralph Macchio did a fine job as Daniel.
There are also so nice moments. After his training one day, Daniel finding Mr. Miyagi drinking away his problems is a touch that I don't think you'd see in movies geared toward kids nowadays. Especially with Miyagi encouraging Daniel to drink. If you think back to earlier scenes with Miyagi acting weird, it might be because he had too much to drink. If he's an alcoholic it might tie in to the scene where he chops some beer bottles that local hicks put on his car. I liked this exchange, too:
Daniel: All right, so what are the rules here?
Miyagi: Don't know. First time you, first time me.
Daniel: Well, I figured you knew about this stuff. I figured you went to these before. Oh great, I'm dead. I am dead. You told me you fought a lot.
Miyagi: For life, not for points.
Daniel's method of training might have been an elaborate plan to get teenagers to want to wax cars and paint fences. Okay, maybe not, but it was clever of Mr. Miyagi to do it that way.
Oh, and by the way: There's doing to be a remake starring Will Smith's 10-year-old son Jaden. My childhood will be retroactively ruined by the remake of a movie I never watched during it, I think.
I think we will have to watch this in film class if I ever teach it again.
Finally, because you've earned it by making it this far, the stunning conclusion to The Karate Kid.
(And the alternate version where Johnny wins. Ha.)
P.S. the whole movie is on Hulu.
P.P.S. just to be thorough "Sweep the Leg" by No More Kings (with the original actors!)
