[Movies] Thoughts on the 2013 Oscar Nominees

Well, the 2013 Oscar Nominees have been announced - and as usual the entertainment and social media spheres are weighing in on who got in and more importantly who didn't. It's always a bit of a mixed bag every year and there are bound to be folks who are unhappy about some of the results thus far.

For those of you who follow my Twitter feed, you may have noticed that I've been posting links to various opinions and commentaries on the nominees thus far along with some of my own views here and there - views that I'll echo here.

I definitely feel that of everyone "snubbed" for nominations this year, I feel most strongly for Ben Affleck and his work on Argo, which Tobie and I thoroughly enjoyed. Rarely has a movie had such a tremendous impact on me especially given how Affleck was able to convey high tension despite a general slow-paced scene with some excellent scoring. That certainly takes some skill. I truly feel that it's a shame he was passed on for a Best Director nod, but it's not like the rest of the competition ain't all that bad either.

As much as I agree with a number of points in terms of movies that could have made it as presented in the geek perspective piece on The Mary Sue and the more in-depth analysis of TIME's Richard Corliss, you have to admit that the movies that made it are pretty good too. And while I have not a chance to watch all of the nominees (who ever does before the awards night?) the collection of movies is most promising.

Case in point, this weekend Tobie and I are going to do our best to catch screenings of Life of Pi and Zero Dark Thirty - both movies that are vying for some key awards this year. We also have had Beasts of the Southern Wild in our movie queue and Amour does strike me as the sort of movie that I'd want to watch as well. And the Oscar nominations for these movies help reinforce the diversity of the nominees this year.

Yes, the geek in me feels bad that The Dark Knight Rises did not get nominated for anything (which is hardly a surprise) and I wanted Cloud Atlas to get more recognition. And yes, I totally wish that Dame Judi Dench had gotten nominated for her stellar work in Skyfall, but we just don't get everything that we want now do we?

Film critic Roger Ebert captured it best, I think in his opinion piece today. We all feel bad that some of our favorites did not get recognized but that does not take away from the fact that a lot of movies that aren't your "typical" Oscar fare managed to get nominated as well. And while Lincoln sort of represents the "traditional" Oscar movie that gets a lot of praise, we still have surprise nominees like Beasts of the Southern Wild and Amour managed to get noticed in the major categories. This is a year where we have both the oldest female and the youngest nominees for an Oscar yet - and both in the category of Best Actress.

So what did you think of this year's Oscar nominee round-up? Are there movies that you think don't deserve to be there? Or are there movies that were nominated that you were on the fence about watching but are now willing to see because of the notice of this award-giving body? Leave your insights in the comments!

[Daily Geekery] December 16, 2010

Well, my being sick forced me to stay home instead of going to work today. That's always a mixed blessing since it sucks to be home sick and unable to make the most of things. At the same time, it means my work duties will pile up a bit more, leaving me with roughly the same amount of work but with less time to get things done. You know how it is.

And by some strange coincidence, not as much stuff seemed interesting enough for me to share online. Go figure.

Links:

• Gizmodo: Court Rules That the Government Needs a Warrant Before Secretly Reading Your Email - Given the recent successes on the side of various governments to just seize ISP or web email data at will, this is an important and interesting US ruling.
  
• TIME: Runner-Up: Julian Assange - Person of the Year 2010 - Seriously speaking, I felt Assange contributed a heck of a lot more within the year of 2010 compared to Zuckerberg. Did Facebook do anything particular significant this year?
  
• Chrome Web Store: Chrome For A Cause - I know, this seems like it's fake or something, but it's still an official Google Chrome app, so that has to mean something right? It's only for four days, so I'm still game for it.
  
• Gizmodo: Why TIME's 2010 Person of the Year Means Nothing in 2010 - See, even Gizmodo's guys agree with me!
  
• CNN: House passes 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal - Sure, this is yet another baby step forward, but step forwards are always good! The bigger question is whether or not it will get through the Senate this time around given how the last bill was rushed to vote and failed.

Images:
 Graphjam: Harry Potter Logic
Videos:  OK Go GPS Parade (Back From Kathmandu)


And that's today's Daily Geekery!

[Daily Geekery] December 2, 2010

Busy, busy day, but what can we do? Despite my real life work obligations (yes, I have a day job), I still had some time to scour the web for items of interest. Hopefully, they're also interesting for you, but we can never really be sure about that now can we?

Although the occasional comment might help enlighten me ***hint*hint***

Links:

• Strange Horizons - No Return Address - A great short story that was shared on io9. It's definitely worth the read if you're not doing anything better during your lunch break today.
  
• Google Sightseeing: Carcassonne - Google Maps enthusiast site Google Sightseeing featuring the French city of Carcassonne, now made popular by a bunch of German game designers. Okay, so maybe the game has very little to do with the actual city and the game is only really popular in geek circles. And what do you think I am?
  
• io9: Frank Darabont fires The Walking Dead's entire writing staff - This news was certainly a surprise to many fans of AMC's The Walking Dead (like me and my partner). But another article in today's Daily Geekery may provide additional insight.
  
• Official Google Blog: Being bad to your customers is bad for business - While this may seem like a boring piece I found this to be a very interesting look into the Google thinking process. Wouldn't it be amazing if there was an algorithmic solution for most of our problems in the world?
  
• Tuned In - Today in Firing: Walking Dead Writers, CBS Early Show Hosts - TIME's James Poniewozik decided to weigh in on the news about The Walking Dead firings, and he points out that it may not be that bad a thing after all. After all, how much writing is needed for a show based on a comic book right? The core material and the premise is already there, right?
  
• Tuned In - Glee Watch: Sharing the Spotlight - Again, I love James Poniewozik given he's a great writer with a keen eye for analyzing TV in a highly analytical way. Plus we seem to think along similar lines. Case in point - this week's episode of Glee. Can anyone explain how the Warblers managed to snag a tie decision? Hello plot deus ex machina!
  
• Inquirer.net - Church questions RH survey: You can’t poll morality - I know, I know, I'm really beating this issue like a dead horse, but I can't help it. The CBCP is hilarious when you get down to it. Why listen to surveys after all - let's just ignore any evidence that people actually want the RH Bill! They're probably wrong in the end, right? *insert LOL here*
  
• Gizmodo - Cassette Lamp Is a Shining Ode to Analog - I'd post the photos, but there are a number of them worth examining. Besides, who wouldn't want to read up a bit more on a concept lamp made out of cassette tapes?

Well, have to run off for work. That's our Daily Geekery for today!

[Philippines] Cory Aquino (1933 - 2009)

Image via Wikipedia

Today at 03:18 AM, former president Corazon "Cory" Aquino died ultimately due to cardiac arrest. She had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 2008 and had been fighting the disease ever since.

She was TIME Magazine's Woman of the Year in 1986, the year of the first People Power Revolution. More than being a president, Cory Aquino will forever remain to be a symbol of the fight for democracy. Starting out as little more than a housewife when her husband Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. was assasinated and she soon found herself thrust into the world of politics, fighting for the ideals and dreams of her husband and millions of Filipinos.

While many will argue her true contribution in terms of her leadership or even her participation in demonstrations and her activism beyond her presidency, but ultimately she was a simple woman who loved her country and was never afraid to stand up for what she believed in. She believed in a bright future for our nation and made sure to keep our leaders on the right path - a mother that birthed a new age of democracy for the Filipino people with everyone one of us her children.

Rest well Cory Aquino. While we will mourn your passing, we will aslo celebrate your life and hope you finally get the rest you more than deserve.

[Finances] The Little Things to Save Money

Image via Wikipedia

The current financial climate (or you can be more blunt and call it a recession) has all of us thinking about money, whether how to get more of it or how to make the most of the little that we have. It's a natural reaction to leaner times, financially speaking, and it certainly promotes the exploration of new ideas and possibilities.

Since it's a lot harder to get more money, the natural alternative focus is how to save more money or perhaps spend less of it. It's all a matter of perspective, I suppose. Saving money has always been a great topic to write about and something that certain books, websites and blogs tackle on a regular basis. As of late, there have been some rather unusual yet interesting ideas put out there for consideration.


I think my interest certainly got piqued last week when this article came out stating that carrying bigger bills makes you spend less, which certainly was a novel concept. At first it seemed a bit wrong, but then when I really thought about it, I guess it does make sense.

The study behind the article seems to focus on frequency of spending versus total value spent, really. When you have smaller bills, you have a greater tendency of making that purchase decision more often, but admittedly in smaller amounts. With bigger bills, you are able to resist those impulse purchases more, however when you do spend, you end up spending a higher amount compared to the previous scenario. It's certainly something to think about and it helps you really be careful about what you stick into your wallet.

Another article that I just read today provides a more unusual tip - don't touch things to avoid buying them. This theory is a little stranger, but there's still basis. Apparently touching an item generates stronger feelings of ownership and thus it makes it easier for us to buy it.

Somehow it all taps into our imagining ourselves using the product, and that makes a lot of sense to me. As a sales training professional, we always teach potential sales agents about how one of the key buying signs is when the customer is able to visualize or imagine themselves using the product. Once they express sentiments of that nature, the agent should realize he already has the sale and just needs to close things quickly. It's the same principle here - holding an option makes you start thinking about how your life would be if you had this item and started using it.

How about you? What interesting or useful money-saving tips have you come up with (or come across)?

[Research] Sad Shoppers Spend More

shopper by teaeff.

Who hasn't resorted to "retail therapy" or in other words running off to the mall whenever we're feeling down and letting our wallets and our credit cards do the walking and talking. As much as this is somehow helpful, perhaps it's not the best thing to do.

In yet another study being conducted out there by our ever-fascinating scientific community, it seems that sad people tend to spend more and thus going to the mall when you're feeling low will increase the likelihood that you'll rack up some pretty significant bills by the time you get home.

The methodology of the study was pretty interesting: two groups of people were made to watch two different videos. One group watched a sad clip about the death of a boy's mentor. The other group watched a very non-emotional clip about the Great Barrier Reef. Then they were asked how much they were willing to pay for an insulated water bottle.

As it turns out, the people who watched the nature clip offered on average 50 cents while the group who watched the emotional clip offered an average of $2.00. Fascinating.

So somehow, feeling sad makes us more willing to part with our money. The scientists speculate this has something to do with trying to associate oneself with the value of other things as some sort of extension of ourselves. That might explain why shopping feels so good when you're feeling depressed - the higher the credit card bills, the higher your personal value is in some way.

The only way to break to cycle, at least accordingly to the scientists who conducted the study, is to break the focus on yourself. When you're feeling sad, the tendency to send more is somehow linked to those people who were thinking about themselves when viewing the clips. Thus, it can be okay to go to the mall as long as you think about other people or invite a friend to go with you and focus on talking about his or her life instead of your own. It may not be an airtight strategy, but at least it's something.

I wonder what else science is out to prove.

[Health] Sugar Alternatives Can Make You Fat

Sugar Free Goodies by mrs.McD.

In these sometimes horrifically modern times, we've found ways to cheat our bodies with the advent of sugar-free, fat-free, salt-free, MSG-free and whatever-free goods in order to promote "healthier" living through modern chemistry. At one time or another, we've all ventured into products like this in an effort to get a better grip on our eating habits and our weight without going the slower traditional methods of a balanced diet and exercise.

I've always felt that if you leave scientists along long enough, they're bound to create studies about pretty much anything. Now there's a study out that appears to indicate that sugar substitutes might not be all that and may actually lead to weight gain. Seems surreal? I know it was bad enough that they're possibly carcinogenic, but now they can't even perform one of their primary functions in life?

In a TIME Magazine article, the details of a Purdue University study were discussed and frankly I found the whole thing fascinating. The gist of it is that two separate groups of rats were fed different diets - one with regular sweeteners and another with artificial ones and their eating habits were observed.

The end result is that the rats of artificial sweeteners were discovered to eat more and thus gained more weight. This was attributed to the fact that perhaps on the biological level, our bodies are hardwired into thinking that the taste of sweetness is linked to higher calories and our bodies prepare to digest and process higher amounts of calories when we eat sweet foods. However artificial sweeteners only have the sweet taste but none of the calories, and thus our body is left prepared for nothing. The alternative becomes driving us to look for other sources of calories.

The findings seem highly related to a study by the University of Alberta that was centered around diet foods in general and how the same behavior was observed - when we eat empty foods, our bodies send us off in search of the "missing" calories.

Now overall, this is not to say that sugar alternatives and diet foods are bad. It's just that there are natural consequences that come out because of them and we need to be sure to be ready for them. Less sugar in our diets in definitely healthier in order to prevent diabetes and diet foods do help us curb certain cravings without the high calorie pay off after all. Just remember that if you find yourself hungrier, then it's because of the foods we've chosen to include in our diets and this just might not work to our advantage.

[Celebrity] Heath Ledger (1979-2008)

Heath Ledger by Howie_Berlin.

I still can't get over the news. It just seems all too surreal.

By now everyone knows the news that Australian actor Heath Ledger was found dead in a Manhattan apartment at around 03:00pm and was pronounced dead by around 03:30pm. Initial reports have been mixed including details like there being prescription drugs or sleeping pills in the room. Some say the pills were scattered around his naked, face-down body, while others say that there were no obvious signs of suicide.

The bottom line really is that as we wait for the official results of the Medical Examiner, we're all going to mourn the loss of such a brilliant young actor. At only 28, he has achieved a lot in terms of the diversity of his film career.

I'll always remember him for his break-out role in the film 10 Things I Hate About You, where we all got to meet this charming actor in a movie that wasn't quite your typical teen chick flick. He had a variety of films after that, but then I'll most remember him for his portrayal of William Thatcher in A Knight's Tale, which was a pretty fun movie.

Of course everyone will remember him for his landmark role in Brokeback Mountain or "that gay cowboy movie" as some people might refer to it rather crassly. That was an amazing performance for him and it got him as far as the Oscar nomination, but not yet the actual award. I was pretty sure that he'd get a golden statuette of his own soon enough. He did win the Best Kiss award for that movie though, if the MTV Movie Award nod counts for something.

Heath, you'll be sorely missed, and now The Dark Knight is going to become what The Crow became for Brandon Lee. It's a shame your flame was extinguished far too soon.

Related Links:

• E! News: Heath Ledger Found Dead
  
• CNN.com: Actor Heath Ledger dies at 28
  
• TIME Magazine: Heath Ledger: Star in Distress

[US] Huckabee and Paul Share a Bathroom

Political Port-A-Potty by jon|k.

As tiring as the US Presidential race has gotten over the past week, there are still more than a few interesting stories that manage to catch my attention. This one in particular just made me laugh and decide to actually Digg this one.

It seems amidst the flurry over the Iowa caucus this week, an interest drama of a smaller scale has been happening at 405 Sixth Avenue whose bottom floor currently houses the Iowa headquarters for rival candidates Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul. Spicy!

It seems the two Republican candidates moved into the same building last summer and set up camp there. The setup definitely has their respective campaign groups and supports encountering one another in the hallways, in the parking lot and of course the bathrooms both groups have to share in the basement as the campaigning for votes has gotten more and more intense in the weeks and very days leading up to the caucus.

This TIME Magazine article somewhat humorously documents the various run-ins between the two groups ranging from how different their respective campaign volunteers are (polite Southern women versus no-nonsense men) and even how they tend to use different building exits in order to avoid crossing paths as much as possible.

The article makes for a good read and helps us see the lighter side of all this politcal positioning in the US. While on the outside they're arguing over greater issues like the War on Terror or their respective stands on taxes, on the inside they're arguing over who keeps finishing all the paper towels. Now that's the human experience at its core.

[World Affairs] The Power of Bhutto as a Symbol

Symbolic Disappointment by funkfaerie.

Perhaps it's because I'm such a big Dune fan that I learned to appreciate some of the finer nuances of politics and manipulating large populations through symbols. You have to admit, Herbert's universe has always been amazingly diverse and complicated with different factions running their own agendas.

I couldn't help but apply this same line of though to the recent assassination of Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakisan and democratic advocate. Perhaps it's also because I'm currently reading the last of the three Legends of Dune books, which cover the events of the Butlerian Jihad against the thinking machines. In this particular conflict, there were a lot of symbolic acts and martyrs created just to support the jihad.

It certainly makes you think.

No matter how you look at it, the death of Benazir Bhutto can serve any number of purposes. She's just too high profile a target not to have some impact on the way things flow in any number of ways. Of course the country is now rampant with conspiracy theories with many of them holding some water in terms of their merit or possibility of being true.

Chief suspect these days based on the initial pronouncements of the Pakistan government and supported by some US Intelligence agencies is that this was a terrorist strike from groups like Al-Qaeda or the remnants of the Taliban. Symbolically, Bhuto represents the main thrust of the democratic efforts in Pakistan in the eyes of many of its citizens. It doesn't matter how little she achieved in the past during the two instances where she was Prime Minister of the country but more that she is one of the most visible driving forces in the opposition pushing for a return to democracy. They've publicly claimed credit for the killing across the web and in other venues, but then one can't blame them for taking credit at any time for something this significant.

However, one has to consider that this isn't Al-Qaeda's style when it comes to their own symbolic acts of terrorism. They're more known to strike large crowds and groups, trying to affect as many people as possible. They're not commonly known to practice assassinations in this manner. This is not to discredit Bhutto as a target of Islamic terrorists, just pointing out that this would be a new direction them.

We could go the route of Bhutto's own speculations before her death that the chief suspect would remain to be President Musharraf, current ruler of Pakistan who relies on the military to keep safe his power base. It wouldn't be totally impossible for him to be considered the guilty party given it has remained largely uncertain if the January 8 parliamentary elections will even push through. He had imposed military rule last month in order to re-establish order (and get rid of some pesky lawyers and supreme court justices as well) and the current state of unrest would be another excuse to do this.

While international pressure remains for him to pursue democratic efforts, especially from their chief War on Terror ally, the United States. Still, one cannot deny that the current environment hardly fosters the immediate continuation of the democratic process and any results from a rushed election would definitely be called into question.

However such an overt action would only hurt him and possibly trigger a civil war if the people believe he is the guilty of killing Bhutto and thus removing him from power. That might be what the perpetrators want - a way to remove Musharraf from power, even at the cost of Bhutto's life. Such is the power of symbols in human society and I wouldn't put it past any Machiavellian-inspired patriot to force Bhutto into becoming a martyr. This could also be part of a general destabilization plot by the Islamic terrorist groups who want to stop the democratic process and maintain civil unrest in the country, thus further pushing Musharraf to rely on a strong police and military action to keep the peace.

In the end, we can't help but look back at Bhutto herself, an amazing and brave woman who returned to her country knowing full well the power her death held as a symbol. She was a willing martyr in many ways given she knew she was bound to be the target of many enemies and still she returned to face them all, just in the name of democracy. While I doubt this is the path to democracy she envisioned, I can't help but feel that ultimately, her death may serve to bring democracy back to Pakistan far better than any of her efforts in life. Such is the irony of sweeping philosophical and political change, at times.

I feel bad for her 19 year old son Bilawal Bhutto, who is being eyed as a potential successor to her previous mantle as party leader for life for the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). While he is terribly inexperienced as a politician, this action as well serves more as a symbol of the continuation of her legacy. He's no longer an individual faced with a difficult choice - he too has become a symbol in his own right, a representative of the family name and a reminder of her legacy.

[TIME] Person of the Year 2007

Vladimir Putin by Miguel A. Lopes "Migufu".

In a somewhat surprise move, TIME Magazine's Person of the Year for 2007 is none other than Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite his run-ins with the US President George W. Bush over a number of issues and a few unsettling associations with allegations of a return to the old regime, TIME Magazine chose to recognize his many achievements during his 8 years are president and the fact that he makes it more than clear precisely who is running Russia these days.

I doubt this achievement of sorts will be globally accepted given the many freedoms Putin's government has curtailed in order to consolodate control and his more controversial views on a number of issues here and there. He's no crowd-pleaser either - he's all business and no nonsense to the core. The article about him as Person of the year had this interesting quote from a man who is no stranger to controversy as well - Henry Kissinger:

"He does not rely on personal charm. It is a combination of aloofness, considerable intelligence, strategic grasp and Russian nationalism."

Despite all the dirt surrounding his name, I have to admit I tend to admire the hardline views of Kissinger on the political arena.

The TIME article is lengthy but certainly proves the point of why Putin deserves to be their Person of the Year and needs to be watched closely as a major political force in Russia and the world in the coming years. Interestingly enough, the runners-up are Al Gore, J.K. Rowling, Hu Jintao and David Petraeus.

[Health] Reversing Circumcision

Naked fruit by hizonic.

Circumcision has always been a rather iffy subject. Some religions advocate it while others don't really care. Many argue the medical benefits of the procedure while others lament the side-effects. While it's hard to say whether it is right or wrong in itself, it seems there is a shift in the tides of opinion when it comes to how many folks, especially Americans, are thinking about whether or not to cut.

There's a growing movement against the procedure now, stating that it's along the lines of genital mutilation and the procedure leaves boys physically scarred and sexually disadvantaged. But that's not the clincher here - re-read the title of this post and think about it.

Recent news states that there's now a growing number of men who are "uncircumcising" themselves through the use of medical devices. Apparently once can buy these sorts of things online like the TLC Tugger and Tug Ahoy which pretty much hold your extra skin in place until it grow over the head of your penis. Voila! Instant foreskin!

The biggest argument for restoring foreskin seems to be centered around how sensitive the male penis is when uncircumcised as opposed to those without foreskin. Many claim there's a significant lack of sensitivity when you've been circumcised and this leads to impaired sexual performance and loss of sensation, well, down there.

However the basic hygenic arguments around circumcision can't be immediately ignored either. Circumcision helps reduce the risk of infection and a whole host of STDs brought on by how waste material tends to collect within the foreskin. With majority of the men in the world remain uncircumcised, it seems they're still alive for now. Normally reports citce how circumcision is uncommong outside the US especially in Europe and Asia, the Philippines is a heavy practioner of circumcision given the highly influential Catholic presence in the country.

I wonder if uncircumcision will evenr catch on here. We have a history of tryig to keep up with the Joneses when it comes to the US and we tend to look to them for guidance, whether I like this fact or not. Still, as one of the 25 or percent of the global male population who have been circumcised, I'm not necesssarily complaining just yet.

[Books] So Dumbledore's Gay...Now What?

dumbledore and lockheart by jahansell.

When J.K. Rowling shared Harry Potter secrets at Carnegie Hall last October 19, 2007, one of the most striking revelations from the talk was her announcement that Albus Dumbledore was gay, much to the delight of the assembled crowd. Given the positive response at the time, Rowling was beyond pleased and remarked, "if I'd known it would make you so happy, I would have announced it years ago!"

But she didn't, and there's something in that for sure. As much as I love the Harry Potter series, I can't help but feel that with the end of the last book, Rowling is continuing to milk the series for all it's worth. It's a tad convenient to throw in a statement like this for now with the last book safely released and the last 2 movies bound to be created and will continue the commercial success of the franchise instead of earlier on when it might have had more impact. As a out and proud gay man myself, I'm still not 100% sure about how I feel about this announcement.

Of course the news has been met with mixed reactions. Many are pleased, especially those who write slash fiction involving many of the Potter characters while others are naturally against it even more. Groups like the religious right were of course against the series long before, denouncing it as a pagan showcase of sorts and some going as far as declaring it was tied to the Christian devil. Phooey.

Today I came across this TIME Magazine article by John Cloud poses a different reason to be displeased with the announcement. What's interesting is that he doesn't take the side of the conservatives but instead shows why Dumbledore isn't quite the gay role model science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts should be looking for.

Ultimately, he does have a point. What we've just established is that Dumbledore is not quite a hero for queers across the world since he was a man who chose to remain in the closet rather than be open about his sexual nature, if this was truly the case. Sure, originally it was a children's book but towards the end many of the scenes were not meant for children alone. The characters had grown up so why couldn't Rowling take a stand for diversity by having any of her characters be openly gay in the same way she tried to address ethnic diversity just by describing characters to be diversely black, white, Asian, etc.

While I don't expect everyone to agree with his point of view, however it makes for a read worth Digg-ing at the very least.

[Movies] The Death of Ingmar Bergman

#5 - Ingmar Bergman - The Seventh Seal

The great Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman died last July 30, 2007, much to the loss of the global film community. While he was a giant in his field, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that most people these days have no idea who he is. The video clip above from one of his most famous works, The Seventh Seal, shows us one of the many images that have become commonplace in our cultural history - the image of Death playing a man for his life over chess.

I have to admit that on a personal level, I regret his passing in many other ways. While I've always known him to be a great creator of stunning films unlike anything the world had seen at the time, I admit the sad truth that I have never actually seen any of his movies. Yes, it's true! My knowledge of Ingmar Bergman has been limited to the world of trivia factoids and general information but not from firsthand viewing of his masterpieces.

With his tragic passing, in some ways the era has ended and now I find myself pressured to find his films somehow. He has suffered the same fate that Akira Kurosawa has suffered in my life. At least with Kurosawa, some of his movies lay in waiting as inherited from my father's movie collection. I promise to make the time to watch them soon enough.

So now the web is filled with mixed entries about Bergman's death, those who know who he was have done their best to pay tribute to him while others attempt to explain his relevance to the largely ignorant world.

I mourn his passing and the fact that he will no longer contribute to the filming industry with his unique genius. All that there is left to do is to pay homage to his genius and endeavor harder to finally getting around to seeing his movies, now relegated to another item on my to-do list.

[TIME Magazine] Safe Baghdad Comic

I couldn't resist reposting this - from TIME Magazine: Cartoons of the Week:

[Web] Non-American Fast Food Chains

I just read this interesting article over on the TIME Magazine website entitled The Hungry American, which talks about what international fast food chains coming into the US say about how we see them or something to that effect.

While I don't entirely agree with what the article had to say since some of his conclusions seem more like generalizations, it was amusing to see that the first fast food chain discussed is the Philippine's own number one fast food chain Jollibee! While it's not the best way to get yourselves on the map, as it were, it's interesting to see how far Filipino influence has penetrated.

[Web] Time Magazine Website Features

In case you haven't already noticed, I tend to favor TIME Magazine as a reference in a lot of my postings here on the Geeky Guide, and can you blame me? Their analysis pieces and columns are pretty top notch and they're pretty accurate in capturing the essence of the story in a pinch. It probably also helps that I have the TIME Magazine Top Stories module on my Google Personalized Homepage. Go figure.

I wanted to bring everyone's attention to a few features that caught my eye and the random article that just blew me away.

First up is the Four Years in Iraq photo essay of sorts, which is an interesting look at the Iraq war month after month using various images highlighting critical events starting from 2003 all the way to today. It's not just photos but quotes and news bits as well so you can remember everything that has happened between then and now. On a related note, there's also a striking photo essay entitled War of Shadows by Yuri Kozyrev has some amazing pictures of the war. They're all interlinked as part of one major multimedia look at the Iraq conflict, pretty much launched in time for the war's anniversary this month.

For you more entertainment-inclined folk, there's the on-going Judging American Idol feature as updated by resident TIME blogger James Poniewozik. He normally acts as time's TV and media critic and his on-going discussion of the popular singing contest has been developed into a full feature. He's pretty spot on in terms of estimates - he managed to accurately predict Stephanie's departure at least.

Other interesting pieces include Why the Buffalo Roam, which is a look at why the US Bison population is growing because people have started to eat them. Talk about irony! One last piece of interest is Limousine Liberal Hypocrisy is a run-down on why celebrities and public figures aren't really as "green" as they're claiming to be.

TIME Magazine has a lot of great reads - you might find something that strikes your fancy should you give it a shot.

[Web] A Refreshing Java Commentary

Go on, admit it - you've bought coffee at Starbucks at least once, buying into the mythos that surrounds the highly popular coffee franchise. Despite the long lines, the overly complicated products and the strange product offerings, we keep going back time after time.

I came across an interesting TIME Magazine article by Bill Saporito about the sorry state the coffee giant is in today in relation to an internal memo leaked to the public. In the memo, founder and chairman Howard Schultz talks about how people can no longer wake up and smell the coffee at Starbucks because of increasing automation. Saporito instead explains the real reasons the coffee experience has been lost, and does so very well.

This is an excellent read that I highly recommended to all you Geeky Guide readers out there. If you really like it, feel free to Digg the article as well. He manages to capture all of our frustrations in getting even a basic cup of coffee these days.

Photo linked from Flickr user the brothers giant's photostream.

[US] Oh No, Guantanamo!

It looks like Guantanamo Bay is back in the news because of a Tuesday US Appeals Court ruling that the prisoners' rights of habeas corpus don't apply if they're held outside of absolute US sovereignty like in say, I dunno, perhaps Cuba?

It doesn't make much sense now does it? Whatever happened to our sense of human rights being absolute in themselves. Aren't human rights, like those rights of legal representation and knowing the crimes you're guilty of fundamental to everyone? In the eyes of the Bush government, apparently not. Instead what they've done is to try and squirrel their ways into legality by declaring these detainees as unlawful combatants, thus outside of the need of an actual criminal charge in order to justify holding them indefinitely.

It's amazing how the Bush government just keeps on pushing forward without whim or care for the opinion of the rest of the world. What gives them the right to hold themselves above all of us? Why do they get to twist their laws to serve their purposes while trampling over the rights and freedoms of everyone else?

Related Links:

• [US] 5 Years of Gitmo
  
• TIME Magazine: Does the Gitmo Decision Make Sense?
  
• TIME Magazine: Losing Europe in the War on Terror
  
• TIME Magazine: Why Japan is Unhappy with the US

Photo linked from Flickr user poppy painted's photostream.

[Entertainment] Britney News Coverage

I tend to rely on my Google start page to funnel all my news feeds into one place so I can always check on what's going on in the world. It was weird how the recent news about Britney Spears made the front pages of major news services like Reuters, CNN and TIME Magazine. It was a strange sight - you have news about the on-going debate on the Iraq war, the bombings in India and, well, Britney going into rehab after shaving her head.

This is tops news for us now?



Sure, it's a pretty shocking site to see and the story around how she got to shaving her head was pretty freaky, but for the top news agencies to slap this on their front pages? Have we become so obssessed with celebrity brats like her who have clearly gone the deep end with their nightly clubbing sprees and reckless behavior?

Spare me.

Enough is enough, please? I know this still needs to be reported, but not on the front page - it can't be that important. At the very least, I'm glad she's trying to get help. Let's just see if rehab will stick this time around.

EDIT - Oh look - she's left rehab already. Somehow I doubt it's due to a miracle recovery, hehe. Again, this hits the CNN Top Stories page.

Related Links:

• Reuters: Britney Sperars checks into rehab
  
• CNN.com: Being 25 in the fast lane lands Spears in rehab
  
• TIME Magazine: Britney Spears Enters Rehab
  
• CNN.com: Spears leaves rehab after less than a day
  
• E! News: Britney's Revolving Rehab Door

Photo linked from Flickr user joaqooo's photostream.