July 25, 2002

Last night, there was rain. My backyard has been a small plot of straw littered with dead leaves for the last four weeks. In a strange way, I'm looking forward to having to cut it again. Though I suppose, for a least a little while, my yard will be a plot of wet straw littered with wet dead leaves.

No More Late Fees

You can download all you like from the Internet Archive - they now have a selection of [changed 1/03-dsun] digitized films from the Prelinger collection. The collection is mostly government films, with some foreign and private sectors movies added. I've only downloaded one so far, but I'm looking forward to diving into the collection. Do you want to watch your public domain movie from your couch, instead of at your PC? Just buy a DVD player that accepts VCD's and follow these directions. If you must buy video for the home, you can always try the A.V. Geeks. I saw him give a screening at the 1708 Gallery a couple of years back – a mix of the educational, the risable and the inscrutable. I've known some of the people who make "ephemeral" video for my employer – training videos, strategic initiatives, etc. Just working around them, I was struck by how much effort and how much equipment goes into a simple "welcome to your first day here" video. I would like to think someday, someone will be able to download the video and witness a record of days gone by.

An Enron of Eyeballs

The SEC is now investigating AOL's accounting practices, in particular, how it booked advertising revenue. An excellent series on Washingtonpost.com outlines some of the unorthodox methods AOL used to set up advertising deals.

July 23, 2002

I admit it. I've been very distracted. And tired. And saturnine (and occasionally splenetic).

Rediscovering Television

Weekdays, in the early evenings, I've been lured into the narrative cadence of Law and Order reruns on cable. I suppose I'm making a discovery that others have known for the last decade; Law and Order is a mighty fine show. Each episode follows a formula of police investigation then prosecution. However, in the formula, the writers for the show have discovered a plenitude of twists and variations. The show is written and edited well enough to get me hanging on between commercials, where I'm lost on most shows. Admittedly, some people find that the formula has grown old. However, for a couple of weeks at least, it's been entertaining. And no, it's not just an unwholesome fixation on Angie Harmon (Mrs. Sehorn to you ruffians). I must confess though - she looks very professional in those crisp gray suits.

Movies

Aside from cable, it's been a good fortnight for movies. Last night was Amelie on the DVD player. Previous hits included The Royal Tenenbaums, Bottle Rocket and Todo Sobre Mi Madre. If you're researching movies, IMDB has a nice list of reviews; look for the "external reviews" link. Didn't you always wonder what the World Socialist Web Site thought of Amelie?

Dances with Mongrels

Over the last week, I have lifted my behind off of the sofa to walk Owen, a cheerful black dog staying with me while his owners were at the beach. The two of us went for fairly long walks around the Fan and Oregon Hill. Owen seemed to prefer sniffing around Oregon Hill; I suppose the Hill is just a little funkier.

So I'm Making a List

After my two week hiatus, I am now more focused than ever.

• Begin plowing through the pile of books – starting with Our Band Could Be Your Life
• Take the pencam for more walks.
• Stop trying to conquer the world.
• Come up with a non-award-winning image to suppress the fierce burning orange background.
• Methodically and meticulously listen to my CD's.
• Learn skills I'll never use – like XML and Java.
• Write something in the Blog every day. Or at least days starting with "S" and "T".
• Turn off the TV - enough with the crisp gray suits.