20,000,000 people are being held prisoner in North Korea. They are starving, resorting to cannibalism. Completely cut off from the world, they have no media and no sources of information except for occasional helium balloons carrying leaflets sent by sympathetic people in the South. It's as if they live 70 or 100 years in the past, but they exist under a governmental rule of law that would make Orwell piss himself. Concentration camps that would give Hitler a boner imprison "class enemies" (for example, people who leave picfures of Kim Jong-Il on the ground) and also their entire families (all of them) unto the third generation, and almost no one leaves these camps alive. It's as if a cult of twenty million helpless people is being kept there... And what are we doing about it?

Not a FUCKING THING. Too bad they don't have any oil.

I'm wondering whether it's worth it to stay behind the trailing edge of adopting Blu-ray. I imagine that using this technology is very much a personal decision and depends on a lot of factors, but I suspect that there's also a demographic sweet spot that Blu-ray adopters are living in, and I think it's mainly a financial thing (i.e. having a lot of disposable income not destined for other forms of entertainment).

Though I am typically defined as a "techie" the hardware I use for A/V is woefully primitive. My computer monitor is way more advanced than my TV (a roughly nine year old 32" Panasonic tube which still works wonderfully well); I no longer have a DVR and only use cable for Internet access, I use a PS2 for a DVD player, and my DVD collection is quite small - mainly because I only believe in purchasing DVDs that I can watch over and over again. I once had a stereo and speaker set, but found that I never really used it much, so I guess I'm not really an audiophile.

Anyhow, when I think about going Blu-ray, the following confronts me: I have to create a whole new ecosystem. I'll really need to get an HDTV, and I'll have to get a Blu-ray player. It would also make sense to get a nice little sound system, even a cheapo CostCo one. All of that will probably be around $3500 after taxes, I'm sure. When faced with this up front investment and set up effort, I balk a bit. I pause and consider how much time I really spend in front of a television. I have no desire to buy Blu-ray versions of the DVDs I already own, if versions of them even exist, so what would all that new hardware get me? I can always set up Netflix to deliver me Blu-ray disc rentals, but how extensive is the Blu-ray catalog really; do the movies I want to see even exist on Blu-ray? Is having a home theater really important to me at all? I think the answer is "not really" and I think that's a function of the fact that I go out more than I stay in.

I am leaning very heavily towards just ignoring Blu-ray altogether, and solely relying on streamed and downloaded HD content (via torrents or Hulu or Netflix or iTunes). It gives Sony less of a foothold in my world, it's more economically and environmentally friendly (fewer things destined for landfills). I know somewhere down the line I will be getting an HDTV, but it will only happen when my TV dies or when I make another big move to a new residence (it's way too heavy to move again, too much hassle). Ideally, I would like my next TV to have wireless and bluetooth built in, and allow me to stream content to it via various sources. I don't really care about having a gigantic display - maybe it would just make sense for me to get a 30" Apple Cinema display down the road and just use that for everything? I just wish it were more "television-like" where I could just plug in component cables or s-video and have those things pump a signal into it...

If you've never read the book, don't. Go see the movie, enjoy it (note that it's a drama, not an action film), absorb it, then go back to the book and get the rest of the story. It's a really well done movie... practically an art film really.

Don't bother going to see it in IMAX. It's NOT an action film.

The King Of Kong is now available as a Netflix instant watching movie. I highly, highly recommend this film! It's an incredible piece of modern cultural history framed by the eternal struggle of the underdog outsider versus the establishment. And hey, DONKEY KONG!!

I witnessed Steve Wiebe achieve the fourth ever known kill screen here in New York and heard him speak at MoMI. He's a great guy, and it's a great story.

GRINDHOUSE made my teeth whiter. GRINDHOUSE is fortified with all essential vitamins and nutrients. GRINDHOUSE has a refreshing smell and gets out the toughest of stains, and is safe for your pets.

GRINDHOUSE made me a goddamn better human being.

GRINDHOUSE will be one of the best movies this year. I think even in my Top 3.

Go see it as quickly as possible, and avoid as many commercials and trailers as you can so you can suck the most juice from it. For it is a ripe and juicy fruit, my friends. Ripe. And juicy.

heads soar through the air
blood spatters everywhere
that dude's leg came off!!

Aquamarine, or Ultraviolet?

I traded in a bunch of crappy DVDs I didn't want to watch anymore for some cash at Newbury Comics and bought the following:

MirrorMask
Boondock Saints
Punch-Drunk Love

Wooo! Good flix. Speaking of which, Netflix just sent me Greg The Bunny!!

I had some great company this weekend. Treyvana and boy came to visit, and we had a merry time. I feel that I could have been a bit more entertaining, but I found myself doing a lot of house related things like laundry and keeping the place generally tidy. We spent a lot of the time petting the cat and doing TV related activities, though we did go out to dinner Saturday night.

I did a fair amount of excellent cooking though (if I may say so). I finally bought the waffle iron I wanted, and used my homemade baking mix to make a dozen tasty, crispy Belgians on Saturday. Today I fired up the oven and quick cooked a skirt steak on my cast iron pan - turned it into three huge, delicious steak and onion quesadillas.

I think that I'm going to end up running a bed and breakfast some day. There's nothing I love more than having company and cooking for them.

I wrapped up my weekend by going to see Brokeback Mountain with Becca. Yes, I cried. There's nothing to my mind more tragic than not taking the chance. If you can see the path to happiness, and you have the ability to take that path, don't stop yourself from going down it. Regret what you have done, not what you haven't.

"But isn't there any hope?"

"For what? We hope or despair because of the way we've been programmed. Genes and randomness. That's all there is, and none of it matters."

"Does that mean you're not going to get married and have children?"

"I have no innate desire to get married or have kids. That's beyond my control. And really it makes no difference, since the planet's fast running out of natural resources and we won't survive to the next century."

"But what if you're wrong? What if there is a god?"

"If that makes you feel better."