Bulletproof Ideas

[Dave/Scott]
Recommended Viewing: V for Vendetta Trailer.

I really liked this movie. It’s not my favorite, but it’s a reminder of how freedom is to society. It’s sad that this movie will be most likely misinterpreted on the basis of a viewer’s political bent. Viewers leaning towards the left in the political spectrum will likely draw “similarities” between the radically conservative administration depicted in the movie to the current Bush administration (the original graphic novel was loosely based on the Thatcher administration, actually), while those leaning towards the right might see this as a glorification of a terrorist. I saw this movie as thoughtful and entertaining, as well as being the best adaptation of Alan Moore’s work to film. Perhaps this movie might interest viewers into looking into other Vertigo (an imprint of DC comics leaning to more mature or adult works) publications such as 100 Bullets, Ex Machina, or Y: The Last Man.

“Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. There is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof.”

Movie of the Moment: V for Vendetta

Crisis on Parallel Universes

[Dave/Scott]
Recommended Reading: “Is our universe about to be mangled?” New Scientist Space. 23 Feb. 2005.

I wonder if anyone will get the play on words I put I the title of this post? Well, I got this link off of WarrenEllis.com and though it was interesting enough to post about. I’m not going to even begin to try to explain Hanson’s idea about parallel universes with possibilities to destroy or assimilate on another, so instead, here’s a snippet:

Our universe may one day be obliterated or assimilated by a larger universe, according to a controversial new analysis. The work suggests the parallel universes proposed by some quantum theorists may not actually be parallel but could interact – and with disastrous consequences.

Song of the Moment: “Into the Void” by Black Sabbath

New Music Sales Approach?

[Dave/Scott]
Recommended Reading: “Labels Halt Downloads to Increase CD Sales.” The New York Times. 9 Mar. 2006.

Here’s a necessary snippet from the article:

But there's one big difference: even though fans could hear "So Sick" on the radio for the last two months, they couldn't buy it at popular online services like iTunes or Rhapsody, or anywhere else for that matter. Breaking from the music industry's current custom, the singer's label — Island Def Jam — decided not to sell "So Sick" as an individual song before Ne-Yo's album hit stores last week. Label executives worried that releasing the track too early might cut into sales of the full CD — a fear that figures heavily in the music world's lumbering entry into the digital marketplace.

The results of fans' pent-up demand for Ne-Yo are now clear: his CD "In My Own Words," burst onto the national album chart yesterday at No. 1, with sales of more than 301,000 copies, easily ranking as the biggest debut of the year so far. And just as eye-popping: the digital single of "So Sick" sold almost 120,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Here are a couple of my thoughts on this. Like the article says, delaying digital sales after initial CD sales could prove to boost CD sales. However, what’s to stop CD buyers from ripping CDs and sharing songs themselves, possibly stunting sales of the digital versions of the songs found on something like iTunes?

♪…KICKING AT A DEAD HORSE PLEASES YOU
NO WAY OF SHOING YOUR GRATITUDE
SO MANY THINGS YOU DON’T WANT TO DO
WHAT IS IT? WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO LOSE?...♪

Song of the Moment: “The Struggle Within” by Metallica

Rock & Roll Sabbath

[Dave/Scott]
Recommended Reading: “Metallica Goes Sabbath For Rock Hall Induction.” Billboard. 8 Mar. 2006.

I guess you can say it’s about time for Black Sabbath to get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They inducted U2 before them, a band 20 years younger than them. One thing a lot of people don’t know is that Ozzy kept on turning down induction nominations in the past, essentially stating that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was for a bunch of retired bands, which isn’t so true anymore, especially since U2’s still touring strong these days. Icing on the cake here for me is that Metallica’s inducting the band as well as covering an unnamed Sabbath tune, so I’ll have something to watch on TV later this month.

♪…WHEN I FIRST MET YOU, DIDN’T REALIZE
I CAN’T FORGET YOU, FOR YOUR SURPRISE
YOU INTRODUCED ME, TO MY MIND
AND LEFT ME WANTING, YOU AND YOUR KIND…♪

Song of the Moment: “Sweet Leaf” by Black Sabbath

Photoshopped and a Race War

[Dave/Scott]
Recommended Viewing: A Scanner Darkly Trailer.

This movie interests me solely due to the fact that it looks like every frame of video was put through one or two Photoshop filters (posterize and cutout maybe). I might have to go see this art-shop scifi thriller.

Recommended Viewing: X3: The Last Stand Trailer.

Wow, I really want to see this now. I’m hoping it’s as good as the trailer (linked above). It also seems they’re going to give the Oscar-winning actress in their cast a chance to act for once in the series.

When the air is still... And the night has fallen... There is only one question you must answer... Who will you stand with?

Movie of the Moment: X3: The Last Stand

Intruder Alert!

[Dave/Scott]
After finishing an interview for a Midtown firm one of my interviewers decided to check his e-mail on his way to show me around the office. What he found was an e-mail warning building occupants of an armed suspect that police believe had entered the building. This resulted in me staying in the building an extra hour than was intended. Gotta love Midtown.

♪…WALKING DOWN THE STREET, SHOOTING PEOPLE THAT I MEET
FULLY LOADED TOMMY GUN
HERE COME THE DEPUTY, TRY FUCKING GETTING ME
GOTTA FUCKING GET UP AND RUN…♪

Song of the Moment: “Stone Cold Crazy” covered by Metallica