The Sky Has Limits

Change is here already (probably NSFW version)

While I'm 99.99% sure it was not part of Obama's platform, it would appear that the adult film industry is changing.  Recently, I happened upon the Not Bewitched XXX (NSFW) movie and I was pleasantly surprised.  Here is an adult movie that doesn't take itself too seriously and has fun with the fact that the plot is ridiculous.  I actually like snarky humor with my sex, because it deepens the entertainment experience (something Hentai has understood for decades).

As a fan of adult cinema, I miss the 70's and 80's porn with their awkward acting, ludicrous plot lines, and absurd situations.  Back then, no one was pretending that their excuse for showing skin in a movie had anything to do with real life.  As time progressed, egos (and paychecks) grew, directors fell in line with "reality entertainment", and everybody started thinking their shit didn't stink because they were making insane money.  That's probably part of the reason I have so much respect for Orgazmo (SFW trailer about NSFW movie...) and Boogie Nights (SFW)--they are parodies of the industry that point out some fascinating things, the former much less serious than the latter.

While there have always been lighter adult films around, this is a new breed of pornography.  Films like Debbie Does Dallas Again completely lack cohesion and style, and have none the personality or charm of the original.  But lately there seem to be producers interested in putting the fun back into porn.  Movies like Pirates (SFW) break budget and sales records, and they are close, but not quite there.  Apparently, the makers of Not Bewitched XXX were responsible for another parody called, Not The Bradys, which didn't hold my attention, but seemed like a step in the right direction.

I'm glad to see that the industry is growing in new (and better) ways, regardless of how else it has changed.  While I'm not sure I would put these films on par with the amusing jaunts of yesteryear, I definitely like the giggle with my snuggle.

Terabytes, Part 2

I have sunk to new depths.  I started searching for episodes of Hey, Dude! and You Can't Do That On Television.  The former, because I "Melody" had a direct impact on my idealization of the perfect female, and the latter, because as much as that show was promoting bizarre forms of bukkake, the sketch comedy was excellent for its time and the child actors were very good.

This Nickelodeon-themed search wouldn't be complete without an attempt to find Mr. Wizard's World, but (probably for the better) I was unable to find anything but what I have linked here.

Somebody help me.

Salvation

Reeling from the most recent monstrous episode of Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles, I discovered a search result entitled, "Terminator Salvation", and ended up with an 11MB HD trailer for the new Terminator film starring Christian Bale.  I have spoken of my hopes before, but the new seizure-inducing teaser creates some apprehension.  McG, however, seems to have the right idea.

Too bad Legendary Pictures isn't doing it, because those guys are really starting to shine as a production company that can get shit done.  With movies like 300 and The Dark Knight under their belt, they have been tapped for the upcoming Warcraft movie and the new movie based on the Watchmen graphic novel.  I have not read the comic, but that trailer looks pretty damn sweet.  I first saw it in the IMAX theater and was amazed, even though I knew nothing of the IP.  The guy who directed 300 is in charge, and while there are some obvious theatrical similarities, it seems fresh enough to be interesting.

Now that comics seem to be getting mainstream movie attention, we are seeing some high-quality cinema.  Considering the video games industry claims they gross more each year than the film industry, I would like have some equal treatment.  As I type this, I had listed Bryan Singer (of X-Men movie fame) as the director for the Warcraft movie, but now that I'm probing around, I cannot find the source for that info.  Here's hoping I didn't just pull that out of my ass.

Terabytes

I recently added a 1TB HDD to my collection of storage, which includes a 200GB, a 120GB, a 40GB, and an 80GB drive on my laptop.  Some quick math would indicate that I have 1,440GB of space, but you would be wrong.  I actually only have 1,342GB.

Since we are in an age where drives go as high as terabytes, the difference between the commonly advertised base 10 definition of a TB and the true count of a binary definition TB is very large.  While I am aware of this, it is still somewhat frustrating to hook up the freshly formatted drive and see that it reads shy of the expected space by a size almost as large as my laptop's only hard disk:  a 1TB drive with an NTFS format shows 931GB free in XP.  Until we put a law in place to prevent this kind of advertising, things will only get worse.  I suppose someday it will annoy enough people to get some attention.

In the meantime, I have discovered that having a ridiculous amount of space in combination with an excellent broadband connection and a standardized distribution format does not always mean good things.  Finding a set of 700 Star Wars hentai fan-art images ranks near the top of the "bad" list.

At the very least, I'm vastly broadening my artistic horizons, particularly by catching up on all the TV I missed over the last decade.  Let me recap some of the shows I have discussed in my blog over:  I have complete collections of Buffy: the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Scrubs, South Park, X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men: Evolution, Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force.  Recently, I have also added Family Guy, The Wire, and both the Dune TV Miniseries and Children of Dune TV Miniseries.  In the near future is Burn Notice, Dexter, and possibly Law & Order.

But it's like an uncontrollable force has taken hold in me, and I fear it.  I have begun to stray from the recommendations of friends and family and turned to the shows that were popular among those I hung out with shortly after high-school.  Anyone who knows of those days may not even have realized I had girl-friends (note the hyphen), but they were the main staple of my social circle.  Strangely, it seems to be happening again at work, where I've noticed that the people I drink with are all female.

As a result, I'm exploring new territory.  I now have all of Dawson's Creek, and I'm in the process of getting all of Charmed.  I know I just caused several of you to shudder, and before you ask--I checked, and my balls are still there.

According the Wikipedia, Dawson's Creek fought with a couple of other shows (including Buffy) for the top spot in WB's famous lineup.  Many people feel that it's strength and weakness lie in the overly-mature dialogue.  Although witty conversations between high-school teens helps elevate the show, it shatters the suspension of disbelief.  And the oddest part is that the young cast members are far better actors than the adults.  I have only seen two episodes so far, but I intend to push through the whole thing.

Charmed, on the other hand, is something I've been interested in for a long time (and not just because Alyssa Milano is one of the world's 5 hottest women).  I watched a few episodes here and there when I caught them on TV and they piqued my curiosity.  It seems well put together and the show survived for 8 seasons, so I think it's worth my time.  While I'm not sure the writing will be as clever, witty, and as relatable as Joss Whedon's work, it competed with his shows quite well.  Here's hoping I don't turn into a flaming poofer.

I have not stooped low enough to pursue Aaron Spelling's first big work or its spinoff, but any show that can claim 10 seasons and is then cancelled because it hit a low of 10 million viewers (twice what Buffy, Angel, or Charmed ever had) must have some merit, right?

In other news

While I'm sure just about everyone has heard the big news, I found a couple of interesting tidbits at Wired.com today.

The Good:  FCC OKs use of white spaces to deliver broadband

When I heard Google was pushing for this, I knew that they had an angle, but I also knew that they could have done it differently.  They could have gone through means of locking down everything in favor of their business model, but instead chose to support a more open alternative (arguably, in favor of their business model).  Of course, the current people taking advantage of this are complaining, but I think that is par for the course.

The Bad-Ass:  40-MPG, 450-horsepower hydrogen Scorpion unveiled

It delivers hydrogen technology in a completely different way, but connects to existing I.C.E. technology in a form of hybrid.  I think hybrids are the future, not because they have slightly better fuel economy, but because they encourage new technology and reduce dependency on a single (heavily imported) fuel.  Seeing this kind of thing in sports cars, a new class of vehicle--the "eco-exotic", promotes it's use in economy-class vehicles, as well.  Plus, that is a sexy-looking machine.

The Ugly:  AT&T tries out bandwidth caps

The other shoe has finally dropped.  While many could write Comcast's venture in this as part of its disgusting customer service track record, another player means that this is not just a segregated issue or a bad business plan.  It was bound to happen.  In the same way that 10 failed music artists drives up the cost of a CD from the successful one, I use far more bandwidth than the others in my apartment complex, and we all pay the same price for it.  I just wonder how long before Cox starts charging me more.

 

I voted today!

...and it was no big whoop, really.  The theater was Hitchcock quiet, there were 10 little booths, and only three were occupied at any given time.  Plus, because the lobby of the 20 Grand is gigantic, it wouldn't have been a problem for someone to find a private spot to vote in.  I guess I don't understand what these places that have lines around the block are doing.  Aaron says he thinks our paper ballot system (that doesn't require a dedicated booth to function) may actually empower our state to get more people through at a time.  That way, we aren't limited to the 5 booths our district could afford, and we aren't waiting for Grandma (who forgot her glasses) to accidentally pick Nader instead of McCain on a poorly calibrated *cough* (designed) *cough* voting machine.

Which brings me to an curious point.  Regardless of whether you saw the voting machine calibration news clip or not, you've probably heard about problems like this.  Let me break my point of view down for you:  5 years ago, my company purchased a Point-Of-Sale system (POS) that uses color touch screens to input table orders.  Aside from dealing with the complaints from the 6'8" servers about the machines calibrated by the 5'4" manager, the touch screens of our system--that was two versions behind the current--has worked flawlessly.  So much so, that I can't remember the last time one had to be calibrated.  Which begs the question, what the fuck are those companies selling machines to the election commission doing with our tax money?

Still, I would say I saw something cool as I was leaving my voting booth.  I turned around and noticed an incredibly diverse group voting: an elderly woman, a middle-aged man in a business suit, a young man probably under 21, and my own 30-year-old middle-class American self.  It was neat to think that regardless of who we are voting for, we are all participating for a common purpose.  One might even say a type of unity in the midst of our division.  It's something I wish I had felt much earlier (I turned 18 on an election year) but I'm glad I can feel now.  I just hope I don't end up feeling as disenfranchised as I do in the aftermath of the last election.

Fascinating Maps

The New York Times had a link to an interesting map today.  The default map provides a color-coded view of the generally perceived political stance of each state.  What is interesting is how much more red the map looks, which is odd considering how much everyone says Obama is doing better in the polls.  But if you click on the little button in the bottom right that says, "Electoral Votes", a map depicting states by color and size proportionate to number of electoral votes shows a much more blue point of view.  It's funny to see Montana compared to New York in terms of political power.