==pla|\|ing lakes==

Saturday, January 08, 2005

Nice (maybe too nice) obit of recently suicided reporter Gary Webb, whose character and credibility with the general public was assassinated years ago, after he did a series in the San Jose Mercury News which he later detailed in his book Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion

Color me unconvinced that his death was really a suicide too.

2:45 AM - [Link] - Comments ()

Here's a second parsing of my movie/TV program list, the ones I recommend seeing after the top 25

Dirty Pretty Things
Shattered Glass
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
32 Short Films About Glenn Gould
The Source (1999, Chuck Workman doc on Beats)
The Last of Sheila
Calendar
The Weather Underground
Dollar (1938)
Prime Suspect (series)
For All Mankind
Eye Like a Strange Balloon
Stray Dog (1949)
Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles
In the Mirror of Maya Deren
Goodbye, Lenin!
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy - Working With Time
The Scent of Green Papaya
Secret Honor
The Return (Vozvrashcheniye)
California Split
Croupier
A Home at the End of the World
How to Draw a Bunny (doc on artist Ray Johnson)
Code 46

2:13 AM - [Link] - Comments ()

Panda Software has a free scan for viruses that disables them as well -- unlike any other program I've found

That's why I've added 3 of their ads for a while at least; also since I just availed myself of their services and knocked out a couple Trojans that I think were messing with my PC.

You have to check the box for "disinfect" for the program to disable what it finds. Otherwise you have to re-scan the folders in the report you get after the scan.

Let me know if you try it if it works for you.

I don't get any money back if you buy their stuff, BTW.

I do for the netflix ad though.

ADDENDUM: The scan takes a little less than an hour on a PC like mine (PIII 20GB harddrive). Also, you need to do all this with Explorer, I'm afraid...

1:40 AM - [Link] - Comments ()

Thursday, January 06, 2005

Playing around with adding findory headlines, as you can see at left

Switiched from news to blog posts just now, which I think I like better.

Any preferences out there?

9:17 AM - [Link] - Comments ()

Sunday, January 02, 2005

25 films I saw that really top the list

Films I enjoyed the most and are just very good films, if not classics:

Thirteen
Quai des Orfevres
The Return of the King
A Story of Floating Weeds
La jetée
The Puppetmaster (1993)
Waking Life
Talk to Her
La Dolce Vita
Girl With a Pearl Earring
Baran
A Decade Under the Influence
Tokyo Story
Onibaba
Early Summer
Facing Windows
Yi Yi
Jandek on Corwood
How to Draw a Bunny
Black Narcissus
Cure (1997)
Capturing the Friedmans
Hiroshima Mon Amour
American Splendor
Ordet (1955)

Obviously when the films were released has little to do with this list. I don't think any of them were released in theatres this year, though several were released on disc for the first time.

Also, this list excludes films I'd seen before which otherwise would have made the list:

Gosford Park
Insomnia (1997)
The River (1951)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Heart of Glass
The Killing (1956)
3 Women
Exotica
Dead Ringers
The Animal Kingdom
Stalker
The Parallax View
The Asphalt Jungle
Atlantic City
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
The Horse's Mouth
A Mighty Wind
After Hours (1985)
Lone Star (1996)
Fight Club
Donnie Darko
Arlington Road
Wonder Boys
L'Age D'Or
The Shop Around the Corner
Go

More lists to come, til you're sick to death of them.

1:42 PM - [Link] - Comments ()