Friday, May 28, 2010

A Good Write-up About Lost

‘Lost’ Finale: Best Show in Television History Comes to ‘The End’ Ben Shapiro, Big Hollywood

Agreed... 'Best show in television history'.

Though I disagree with this...

I was angry because I felt that the end of the show embodied a rather depressing underlying philosophy. At the end of the show, we find out that the alternate reality of Season 6 has in large part been a ruse. It wasn’t a different timeline created by Juliet’s nuke at the end of Season 5; it was a purgatory state created jointly by many of the Oceanic 815 survivors where they could find each other and remember their lives before passing to the next stage, presumably heaven.

The reason this was depressing is that you spend six years hoping for these characters to find happiness, only to realize that the only happiness they truly find comes after they’re dead. That may be comforting for some, but it depressed the living hell out of me.


[highlight by me]

For the main characters, no, they didn't find true happiness until they died. They were all deeply troubled individuals. He over looks Bernard and Rose. Sure they weren't 'main' characters, but they a had a part, especially in this last season. They seem to have it figured out a season or so ago, when they made a life for themselves away from everybody on the island.

Desmond too, in my opinion, found happiness before dying, though it took a few electromagnetic jolts to get him there.

My thoughts are that the sideways flashes, 'purgatory', or whatever you want to call it, was more of a parallel universe. You were there no matter what. As the past was the same as the present and the future, there was no time. Some died before finding 'happiness' (Jack, Locke, everybody else we saw die...). Others didn't.

Of the ones that we don't know how they eventually died, I think Hurley found the happiness. I don't think that Sawyer found it, that guy had issues as deeper than Jack.

Eloise, is interesting... She knew what was going on, but didn't want to lose he son again. I think we left Ben in the same state.

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Thursday, May 27, 2010

Video - Dog Caught in Fence, Happy Ending

A little hard to watch the first half, but the end is well worth it.


click through here if the embed isn't working.

More evidence that a Lab is the best dog in the world....

[h/t Ace of Spades

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Monday, May 24, 2010

My Thoughts on Lost

Let's cut to the chase, I loved the finale of Lost. The series ended just as it started, with a lot of questions. Some complain, but that is why I think it was so great. It wasn't your typical dumbed down television, here are all the answer so you don't have to use your brain and imagine....

Here is what I think...

  1. The 'sideways' flashes were 'purgatory', a place for their souls to get right for the next place (Heaven?). Like Jacks father said, and I badly paraphrase... "everyone dies, and moves on to the next thing. They do it by letting go".
  2. Everybody in the SWF's died at different times. People that died early in the show were there, people that we never saw die were there. I like to think that the the people that got on the plane survived and hopefully lived to be old people (with a lot of counseling). They hinted that Hurley with his #2 Ben had a good run protecteting the island, maybe thousands of years. Again, Jacks dad layed it out for us, in the SWF (heh) the past was the same as the present which was the same as the future.
  3. The island was a gateway to hell.... You die, you get sucked down the drain when the cork was out. It looked to me like the hell vacuum was so strong, it was gonna take everything down there anyway. (prolly why it needed protection) A black hole of hell... So strong, it sucked the smoke off of Flocke.
  4. Jacob was good, Flocke/M.I.B./Smokey/Samuel was bad (Actually, I know...). I was iffy on this until the last few episodes. I had hoped that it would be that way, but after watching for six years I kept my legs braced if they were to yank the rug out from underneath me.
  5. There is now way that I am hopping on that 737 to leave the island... If it is light enough to get off that primitive runway, it doesn't have enough fuel to get them far. ...And, how in hell do they know where to go? I would have felt much better about my chances on that nice 40-something foot sailboat.
  6. My only real disappointment.... After being irritated with Michaels screams of "Walt!" for like ages, we have no idea of why Walt was so special. I guess that is the problem with casting a 12 year old in a series that lasts 6 years. He looks a bit older now...


As I mentioned in my Twitter, the end had me bawling like a 3 year old... They already had me tearing up with a masterful mix of music, happy (everyone reunited, ready to move on), sad (island Jack dying). Then as Jack is laying down to die, you hear a woof, and Vincent the yellow lab comes out of the woods, licks Jacks face, and lays down beside him...



[watch a YouTube of the end here...]

Damn. I'm having hard time even typing this. This would have gotten me a few months ago too, but after losing my good buddy Clyde, this absolutely gutted me. Last month, I was Vincent to Clyde's Jack, holding him as he went to sleep, last night we saw the opposite. I have no doubts Clyde would have done the same beside me. Didn't sleep a wink last night, not dwelling on Lost, but thinking about Clyde.

I would have made just one change as director... I would have Vincent rest his head on Jacks chest. Don't know if I would have been able to handle that though...

That last moment was literally the grand cherry on top of the cake. Boy did it hurt (for me), but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Lost was already my favorite television series ever (decided that a few years back), but now I am fairly sure that it will never be topped.

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Sunday, May 23, 2010

The Greenland ice cap looses 1/3 the volume of Lake Erie EVERY YEAR! That means...

...that it will be gone in 12,500 years.

Read 'On Being the Wrong Size' from Watts Up With That? by Willis Eschenbach.

The gist... (for those of you who only like 'clicky' enough to get this far...) Facts such as the title are worthless without scale.

If you read this article from the Grist (the gist from the Grist, I'll be here all day), it reports how much mass the Greenland ice cap is losing annually.

Scott Luthcke weighs Greenland -- every 10 days. And the island has been losing weight, an average of 183 gigatons (or 200 cubic kilometers) -- in ice -- annually during the past six years. That's one third the volume of water in Lake Erie every year.

...

The good news for Luthcke is that a separate team using an entirely different method has come up with measurements of Greenland's melting ice that, he says, are almost identical to his GRACE data. The bad news, of course, is that both sets of measurements make it all the more certain that Greenland's ice is melting faster than anyone expected.

[highlights by me]

Holy crap that is a lot! Lake Erie (huge) would be drained in three years at that rate!

One problem... I see no mention of the size of Greenlands ice cap. (See 'On Being the Wrong Size'.) If you compare the rate of loss to that you find out that the GIC is losing 0.005% to 0.008% of its mass a year. At this rate, Greenland will be ice free in.... wait for it... 12,500 years!

A little more scale for you, 8000 years ago we were coming out of the Stone Age.

An a little more scale yet (with pun), I need to lose some weight. At this rate, it will take me over 50 years to lose A POUND!

Of course, those numbers aren't as alarming...

Like Mr. Eschenbach, the writer of 'On Being the Wrong Size', this greatly annoys me. Why does everything have to be reported in this way? The statement, "...losing 1/3 the volume of Lake Erie" is no different number-wise than "..it will disappear in 12,500 years".

Alarmism.

The good news is, today with the inet, I can find out the big picture sitting here in my underwear with my coffee. Wasn't really that convenient back in the day. Libraries frowned upon guys that needed to lose weight drinking coffee in their underwear while browsing.

The bad news, very few people seem to do that.

BTW, Lake Erie is the smallest of the Great Lakes by volume. If he had used 'the' great lake, Lake Superior, the ice cap would be losing 1/75 of its volume a year. Again, that doesn't sound as scary.


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Thursday, May 20, 2010

That is one slammed VW!

Slammed VW's were the shiznit when I was in high school.... Never saw one this low.

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Monday, May 17, 2010

Coffee Mug



Here a bean, there a bean
everywhere a mean bean

More Descendants


Everything sucks.

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Sunday, May 16, 2010

Franken-Bike... It Lives!

Here it is, the culmination of my weekend project. Franken-Bike.




I believe this thing has a part that has hung off of every mountain bike that I have owned except my newest (haven't upgraded anything on it yet). It all started with a '93 Stumpjumper M2. As far as I know, the only part in common with that bike is the purple Chris King headset. Later I cracked that frame and Specialized replaced it under warranty with the red one that I currently have. The front wheel with the Machine Tech hub and blue nipples, and Avid brake levers are from my second bike, an AMP B2. The pedals, crank, stem, bars, shifters and saddle are from my third bike, a '97(?) Specialized FSR Elite with a Manitou triple-crown fork. (can't find a picture).

This is gonna be my 'road' bike, as my current bike, while awesome on dirt, is miserable to to pedal on asphalt. I took a spin in the neighborhood this evening, and the thing scoots. On caveat, I have to watch out a lot smaller obstacles... I about went down rolling over a little half inch rock.

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Friday, May 14, 2010

Beautiful 'Classic' Caymans...

The Cayman Interseries: HSR, Road Atlanta from TangentVector on Vimeo.



What a great idea... Gather up a bunch of Porsche Caymans for a racing series and slap classic Porsche racing liveries on 'em. Even the pink pig (one of my favorites!) is in there (3:05).

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Tuesday, May 04, 2010

LeBron's Elbow...

Just started following Lebron's Elbow on Twitter. Hilarious! here are a few gems.

In the training room getting "loosened up". Lot of rubbing and oil involved. I'll be shocked if I make out here without getting pregnant.
12:54 PM May 3rd


Delonte West brought a guitar case to practice today. I almost crapped myself until he opened it and it was filled Gummie Bears.
about 7 hours ago


...and...

Bedtime. Not gunna lie I'm pretty bummed. So to cheer myself up I glued LeBron's head to his pillow.
about 21 hours ago

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