solar eclipse

Some views of last week's total eclipse of the Sun were better than others. One spectacular view occurred over Adrasan (near Antalya), Turkey and was captured there by industrious astrophotographer Stefan Seip. The above digital mosaic caught the Moon in several stages as it moved between the Earth and the Sun. During the center frame, a total solar eclipse was visible, the Moon completely blocked the Sun, the area became dark, and the magnificent corona of the Sun became visible. The foreground frame from the same location was taken during sunlight. The next total eclipse of the Sun will occur in August 2008 and be visible from parts of North America, Europe, and Asia.

source: NASA

Top 50 Indie Films

...according to Empire:

Big budgets, big names and a wide release are but three of the advantages enjoyed by studio films. An overriding concern to make money, interfering executives and lack of creative control are three more, rather less enjoyable, attributes. Because of this it's more often independent cinema you must turn to for examples of truly brave and innovative filmmaking and, assembled herein, you will find Empire's choice of the 50 greatest independent films: some of the boldest and most creative movies ever undertaken. Bearing in mind that to encompass all those that are independently financed would mean The Phantom Menace is an independent film, we've qualified all entries by ensuring they were made with what we consider to be an independent spirit. The final order then takes into account the quality of the film, the circumstances behind its production, the achievement of the filmmakers despite monetary and logistical constraints and its influence on subsequent projects. (the list)

#10 Mean Streets (1973)
# 9 Sideways (2004)
# 8 The Usual Suspects (1995)
# 7 Sex, Lies, And Videotape (1989)
# 6 Night of the Living Dead (1968)
# 5 Monty Python's Life Of Brian (1979)
# 4 Clerks (1994)
# 3 The Terminator (1984)
# 2 Donnie Darko (2001)
# 1 Reservoir Dogs (1992)

old pic

I dug up an old picture on the Interweb, well not all that old (2003.11.15). I am in the back row being one of the few not wearing a kimono. The photo marks my eighth month in Japan. Here is an idea- it might actually be an interesting profile pic.

Maher vs. Stewart

I'm a little puzzled as to why these two are not compared more often. Let me pick up the slack.

Bill Maher:

William "Bill" Maher, Jr., (born January 20, 1956; last name pronounced /mɑɹ/) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He hosted the late-night television talk show Politically Incorrect on Comedy Central and ABC, and is currently the host of the weekly Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO. He is known for his political satire, most of which comes from a left-wing perspective mixed in with some libertarian notions with regard to issues of personal pleasure, such as drug legalization and prostitution. However, the notion of Maher having any sort of libertarian credentials is highly disputed (See below). He skewers the right-wing with particular ferocity, but also occasionally challenges leftist orthodoxy and the notion of political correctness. (source)

Jon Stewart:

Jon Stewart (born November 28, 1962) is a Jewish American comedian, actor, author, and producer, best known as host of The Daily Show. The popularity of this late-night show has earned Stewart notoriety as "the most trusted name in fake news", a reflection of his purported stature as the "Walter Cronkite" for a younger generation. He has also gained attention as an outspoken critic of established news media sources. (source)

Ego buildup: (Maher wins)
Maher in general has been more modest since being fired from his trademark show "Politically Incorrect." You can see him delivering soundbites with a hint of hesitation. Still he favors and devotes more airtime to shocking one-liners that are entertaining as well as ture-ringing, if at the expense of excessiveness. The man is cocky within the realm of verity.

Stewart's humble beginning of a hit-and-miss career takes its tolls and protrudes into soaring ego following recent years' success. The man is arguably more intelligent of the two and perhaps than most if not all those in his playground of show biz. He pitches more political jargons, all amid gags result in some members of the audience scratching their head and playing catch-up.

Risible bits: (Stewart wins)
Real Time's "New Rules" proabably is the funniest segment of the show but it obviously puts entertainment above all. Guest's outbursts often render delicious surprise.

The Daily Show has got excellent doses of laughing gas. It's hard to pick one particular funny segment but I thought "This Week in God" when Steven Colbert was still on takes the cake. Often hilarious parts include conversations between delusional correspondents and sound-of-reason Stewart.

Eccentricity: (Maher wins)
Let's face it, after years of satire-dishing, cult-like following, and physical comedy (mostly facial) acting both hosts display some less than desirable behaviors occasionally. Although the energy of these men is the heart and soul of their respective shows, one can't help but think sometimes they're either drunk, high, or edging ever so close to insanity, which annoys the heck out of some guests, Stewart more so than Maher. Of course I'm really being choosey here.

Bottom line: (a tied game)
Real Time with Bill Maher, more resonable and sophisticated due to the panel format, suffers from a certain entertainment quota. Also the quality of the panel guests often dictates the level of intelligence on the show. One hour of Real Time per week is about as satisfying as a double quarter-pounder and as clear as a pellucid brook.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report (come on! these shows are the two sides of one coin and the brainchild of Stewart), brilliant while boisterous at time, strike a fair balance among themselves and Maher's HBO slot.

Scar.lett

Scarlett Johansson tops a lovely list of the "100 Sexiest Women in the World," in a poll of readers by FHM magazine.

"One of the best things for a woman to hear is that she is sexy," the 21-year-old actress, star of "Match Point" and "Lost in Translation," said in a statement. "I'd like to thank FHM's readers for the huge compliment."

Angelina Jolie is No. 2 on the list, followed by Jessica Alba, Jessica Simpson, Keira Knightley, Halle Berry, Jenny McCarthy, Maria Sharapova, Carmen Electra and Teri Hatcher.

Johansson ranked ninth on last year's list. Jolie was No. 1.

"It's remarkable how Scarlett Johansson has caught the attention of our readers," said Scott Gramling, the magazine's U.S. editor in chief, in a statement. "Her sultry voice and striking beauty certainly have a lot to do with that, but so does the confidence she exudes."

"She seems to be one of those women who would be equally at ease on the red carpet as she would just hanging out with the guys."

The magazine's May issue goes on sale April 4. (source)

About freaking time! If I ever cared much for the idea of a religion, I'd have started one for this goddess. Glamour does her career good but underneath all that glitter lies a less pretty yet more attractive nymph.

less is more

Recently I keep hearing sleeping less is good for you. If that's ture I might be among the healthiest.

My car, company-owned, has put me through iron tests of patience. Mechanical failures, flat, dead battery, worn-out tires and gears, funny smell and noises, and countless little mishaps. I'm just glad being in an area this rural the problems are much more approachable. Common sense might indicate otherwise, but folks around here help me out a great deal.

I started swiftly jogging down thoughts that come to mind when I am occupied with something else. I hope it helps me remember more of the few original ideas that often die a premature death.

March 2006 marks the beginning of a fourth year in Iraq and myself in Japan. The day the U.S. declared a full blown war was a day I remember with disturbing clarity being in a Bensonhurst laundromat one last time dragging damp clothes from the dryer complaining how they had gotten more expensive and at the same time hitting on that East European chick who worked there part-time. Miraculously we still keep loosely in touch but her no longer there and me no longer articulate through, thigh, and three with that on again off again Brooklyn accent. Maybe I never really had it down but my buddies from yesteryears in Kings seem to disagree. I loathe those streets as much as they're missed, with intensity.

political compass

This is mine:

Economic Left/Right: -4.88
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.03

Get your own political compass here.

multiverse in your mind?

Do nearly exact copies of you exist in other universes? If one or more of the multiverse hypotheses is correct, then quite possibly they do. In the above computer-enhanced illustration, independent universes are shown as independent circles or spheres. Spheres may be causally disconnected from all other spheres, meaning no communications can pass between them. Some spheres may contain different realizations of our universe, while others may have different physical laws. An entire set of parallel universes is called a multiverse. The human eye might represent the possibility that realizations of some multiverse hypotheses might only exist in the human mind. One criticism of multiverse hypotheses is that they are frequently difficult to test. Some multiverse hypotheses may therefore be great fun to think about but not practically falsifiable and therefore have no predictive scientific value.

...for now (source)

Ikkoku Kan (一刻館)

Just now I'd spent over 40 hours to conclude a feeling left hanging more than 15 years ago. I rushed through the entire series of 96 half-hour episodes of Maison Ikkoku (めぞん一刻) in a week. First aired on Fuji TV in 1986, MI is one of those animes that the protagonist is a guy you root for from the get-go all the while wanting to punch in the neck*, especially when a story is as long as this one (spanning seven years).

I've waited since 1989 for Kyoko Otonashi (音無 響子) and Yusaku Godai (五代 裕作) to finally be together. (yume ja... nai...)


Some fans are crazy enough to come up with the floor plans for the house. And here are some pics of possible real locations illustrated in MI.


*such found in Kimagure Orange Road (きまぐれオレンジ☆ロード) 1987-88, The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (超時空要塞マクロス) 1982-83, etc.