Evan Williams pointed to something
Evan Williams pointed to something called DomAPI, which sounded like just the kind of thing that interests me. Except, of course, for the part where just trying to load the Web site brings up the error "PublicId is not an object," followed by my browser (IE 5.1.3/Mac OS X) crashing. Twice.
Just for the hell of it, I looked at it IE 6/Win, and noticed the little buttons at the bottom where they say that the page is standards compliant. A little bit of checking, and... okay, maybe it's compliant, except for their HTML or their CSS. Oh wait, that's what they said was compliant.
Based on what I saw looking at it with IE 6, DomAPI is what they call a "Web Page Construction Kit," that's supposed to simplify building Web sites. Given that they've made it pretty darn clear, though, that they understand neither Web standards nor browser testing, I'll give it a pass for now.
On Wednesday, Meg pointed to
On Wednesday, Meg pointed to OpenTable.com as a place to get dinner reservations online. I was sure they didn't have anything local to us, so I didn't bother to try it out until today. I was happy to be partially wrong--while they don't have anything in our little town, they do have restaurants (and good ones!) listed that aren't too far off. I hope that they split Napa and Sonoma counties; after they do, they'll be even more useful to us. (Hey, Tom, they're taking reservations here for tomorrow--interested?)
Jason got the same spam
Jason got the same spam I got. What part of "Unsolicited Commercial Email" isn't clear?
In honor of tonight's West
In honor of tonight's West Wing, a few of our favorite Josh Lyman links:
- LemonLyman.com
- Josh's first appearance (1993)
- More Josh (1993-4)
I've always found change
I've always found change on the ground.
When I was a kid, finding a penny or a nickel was a big deal. Once I found a whole bunch of change in a clump on the sidewalk (it looked like someone's change purse or pocket had opened up) and I was happy for days.
I recently noticed that when I find change on the ground, I've started leaving it there. At some point, I started wondering why: is it because I'm old and out of shape, and don't feel like bending over? Is it because I'm doing well enough financially that I don't need the money?
I finally figured out that it's because I'm happy enough, and that I should leave it to make some kid happy, like the one I was 30 years ago. Just seeing it there was enough happiness for me; I don't need to keep it all for myself.
Goal for self: get to the point where I can start leaving coins around, to create more opportunities for happiness. At my current state of personal growth, that should take about ten years.
Finally! I've been swearing at
Finally! I've been swearing at this problem for months, and someone finally described how to Fix PNG images in IE. It turns out that it's really a Quicktime but, not an IE bug. Either way, I'm glad to have it solved.
Okay, this is stupid. Want
Okay, this is stupid. Want to read Between religion and morality, by Robert Scheer, but can't because you're not a Salon premium member? All you have to do is instead read Values Fall Prey to Hypocrisy in the LA Times, which appears to be the identical op-ed piece.
[Later note: the only difference between the two pieces (besides the title change) is that the LA Times put "New Age" in quotes, while Salon did not.]Back when I had my
Back when I had my health scare last year, Tara was incredibly helpful at finding me lots of useful info about new research. Now that I no longer need her as a one-woman clipping service, she's offering it to the world: introducing the Breast Cancer Blog.
Finlay Dobbie finds out the
Finlay Dobbie finds out the hard way about the American legal system's opinion of minors, and thinks that it's all Apple's fault. Here's a business opportunity: invest in a bunch of 15-17 year olds that contribute to Open Source. Have them add a couple of cool features. Declare everything they worked on to be closed, and sell the result for big bucks. Hey, they're minors, so the GPL doesn't apply to them!
Oh, cool! My Oscar blogging
Oh, cool! My Oscar blogging made the Daypop Top 40. What I found even more interesting is that it only takes 4 links here to make it #27 (as of now).
Note to self: Find out
Note to self: Find out why I should give a crap about BlueTooth. I've already got Wi-Fi for laptops, it's not difficult to plug in a cable to sync my Palm, and I can transfer stuff with other Palm users via IR anyway.
Readers write: The "blonde Australian
Readers write:
- The "blonde Australian nobody" is Naomi Watts. I'm told that I would know who she is if I'd seen "Mulholland Drive," but that was another among the many films I didn't see last year.
- There is a ribbon to protest the CBDTPA, but due to the DMCA, it can't be publicized.
Other comments?
From the important to
From the important to the ridiculous, yeah, I'm blogging my opinions on the Oscars.
Final tally:
- Moulin Rouge: 2
- Lord of the Rings ("The Hobbits"): 4
- Black Hawk Down: 2
- A Beautiful Mind ("The Schizophrenic Mathematician"): 4
The beginning started off with two voices doing intros. The guy was Donald Sutherland--who was the woman? (Later note: Glenn Close)
First on stage: Tom Cruise: Yeah, he's wearing braces. Hey, Sean, you're not the only one!
A short film with a bunch of people talking about how wonderful the movies are. I really have no idea who most of these people are, but I'm sure they're famous to a bunch of people who are more in touch with pop culture than I am. Laura Bush? Really big sigh. I sure don't care what she thinks.
Whoopi Goldberg enters from the ceiling, ala "Moulin Rouge" (aka "ADD: The Musical!").
The new theater looks pretty cool. I wonder what you have to do to get into the boxes--be so important that you get a good seat, but not so important that you have a shot at an award?
Best supporting actress: Jennifer Connolly, for "A Beautiful Mind." Never saw it... but then, I didn't see many movies last year. I did read the book, though.
30 minutes in, we're welcomed by the president of the Academy. What, nothing before this mattered?
Will Smith gets stuck with the job of explaining the technical Oscars, but at least they give him good words to work with.
Best editing winner: Pietro Scalia, for "Black Hawk Down." Another one I never saw.
Best makeup: if LotR can't win this, it can't win anything. Oh, good, it did. Finally, one that I saw!
Reese Witherspoon: good dress.
Cameron Diaz: bad hair.
A look at "In the Bedroom." Didn't see it. Looks really, really depressing.
Gah! I'm caught up with live, so I can't skip past any more commercials. I've barely watched a commercial since we got ReplayTV.
Ben Stiller can't just give an award. It always has to be about him. I am so willing for his 15 minutes to be over. I just do not find him to be funny.
Best costume design: Go LotR! Unfortunately, it's probably going to be Moulin Rouge--and yep, they win.
Whoopi starts to introduce someone who sounds like it ought to be Woody Allen, but it won't be, because he never comes to these things. I can't think of anyone else who fits that description, though. Wow... it is Woody.
Woody has more hair than Ron Howard. There is a god.
Woody introduces a montage of film clips about NYC, put together by Nora Ephron. Every film I thought of that ought to be there was there. Maybe not the clips I would have picked, but good job, nonetheless.
Jodi Foster, presenting best cinematography. She looks gorgeous, as always.
Best cinematographer: Rob Hahn, for "The Score." Nope, wrong universe. Rob, you wuz robbed! Actual winner: LotR. Hey, that makes two!
Mimes? There are mimes at the Oscars? I guess that when you have a captive audience, you can make them watch mimes.
Back from the commercials, and Whoopi is dressed as a maid, to present a look at "Gosford Park." Haven't seen this one, either (big surprise!), but it's on the list of films that I want to see that I won't get Tom to in a million years.
Helen Hunt: bad hair, bad tan, so-so dress, to present best documentary. A short film is shown of clips from documentaries, done by Penelope Spheeris.
Whoops, no, the award will actually be presented by Samuel L. Jackson. Helen was just introducing the clips.
Best documentary: "Murder on a Sunday Morning."
Best documentary short subject: "Thoth."
Cameron Diaz: hair is still bad, dress is so-so, presents the award for best art direction.
Best art direction: "Moulin Rouge."
Whoopi gives the technical Oscars an entire 30 seconds or so. And for those who hadn't previously noticed, there's a new category for best animated feature--about time, imo.
Best animated feature: "Shrek". Too bad, I thought that Monsters, Inc. was better. I thought the clips of each of the movies pre and post-announcement were cool. I'd like to see what the alternate versions of each of the post-announcement clips looked like, but they'll probably never be shown.
Halle Berry (so-so dress) presenting for sound direction.
Best achievement in sound: "Black Hawk Down." Wow, "Pearl Harbor" was actually nominated for something?
Best achievement in sound editing: "Pearl Harbor." Double wow... I was amazed that that turkey was nominated; I never thought that it would actually win anything.
Marcia Gay Harden (now, that's a dress!) presenting best supporting actor.
Best supporting actor: Go, Sir Ian! No, it goes to Jim Broadbent, for "Iris."
To honor LotR, Whoopi comes out with fake furry feet. God, I loved that movie. Cam was showing off his bootleg DVD at SXSW, and I seriously considered trying to figure out how to, ummm, separate him from it.
Ian McKellan and Maggie Smith introducing Cirque du Soliel. I guess they were the mimes I briefly saw earlier, but I still object to the concept in general. I can put up with this, although it seems to have little to do with the movies in general, because it seems that we're being spared musical numbers for each nominated song--yay!
I would like to state, though, that whoever had the idea that "Hey, special effects aren't very interesting to watch, so we need some people out in front of the screen so that we can't see any of the clips!" should be taken out and shot. Or at least should never work in Hollywood again. Throughout this piece, I kept wanting the Cirque to get out of the way so I could see the clips! Sheesh.
Kirsten Dunst (good, but not great, dress) and Toby Maguire to present the award for visual effects.
Best visual effects: "LotR." Well deserved, imo.
Ali McGraw and Ryan O'Neal give the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian award to Arthur Hiller.
Ben Kingsley (no tux, just a suit--why? And please, notice that I'm snarky about everyone's clothes, not just the women's) introducing a tribute to movie music. Okay, why couldn't the Cirque be out in front of these clips? And with John Williams conducting the orchestra, it feels rather self-referential that so much of the music he's conducting was written by him.
Sandra Bullock (interesting dress--I think I like it. Great hair.) and Hugh Grant present the award for original score.
Best original score: "LotR."
Denzel Washington is giving an award to Sidney Poitier (I think I spelled that right). Or was he just introducing Walter Mirisch? Nice clips talking about how much African-American actors owe to him for being the first. He comes out and accepts his honorary Oscar.
Oh, good, Whoopi did a John Ashcroft joke.
Hugh Jackman and some blond Australian nobody are giving the short film awards.
Best live action short: "The Accountant." Best animated short: "For the Birds."
Josh Harnett (in a bad tux) introduces the medley for best song. This was what I commented earlier that I was hoping we could avoid, but at least they're just lumping it all together so I can skip past it. I should probably watch it so I can blog any train wrecks, though.
Tom is surprised that Enya actually sounds like that without studio effects. I'm not convinced that she's not just lip-synching. Oh, cool--John Goodman is singing. I spent the whole song, though, hoping for the incredibly unlikely chance that Billy Crystal would show up to join him and Randy Newman. It's a shame that Paul McCartney thinks that it's necessary to dye his hair. Must be 'cause he's got a young babe now.
Tom's comment: "Wow, they're doing one big medley of all the best song nominees? Toilets must be flushing all over America as we speak."
Jennifer Lopez (wow--J Lo's got a good dress for once!) presenting the original song award. I think that that's the same hairdo I wore at my Bat Mitzvah 28 years ago, and it didn't look good on me then, either.
Best original song: Randy Newman, for "Monsters, Inc."
Yeah, right, it was going to end by 8:30. I think we're a long ways from over.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke present the screenplay awards. Bad dress, Gwyneth, bad dress!
Best adapted screenplay: "A Beautiful Mind."
Best original screenplay: "Gosford Park."
John Travolta and Sharon ("What woman wouldn't want to put her husband in a cage with a komodo dragon?" says Whoopi) Stone present the foreign film award. Great dress, Sharon!
Best foreign film: "No Man's Land" from Bosnia. I'm surprised; I thought that "Amelie" was a shoo-in.
Kevin Spacey comes out to do the usual tribute to those in biz who died in 2001, but instead asks for a moment of silence for the 9-11 victims. What color ribbon is Kevin wearing, anyway? [IMO, we ought to have a ribbon to protest against the CBDTPA]
I'm glad that George Harrison was recognized as a movie producer.
A look at "Moulin Rouge." Love it or hate it, it was an amazing spectacle. And if you saw it, you either loved it or hated it.
The titles say that Barbra Streisand was to present the award for best actress, but she instead introduces Robert Redford. Ah, Redford... I saw "The Sting" again recently. Jeez, that man was (and still is) gorgeous. Again, I suspect that he's dyeing his hair, and he doesn't need to, either.
Russell Crowe comes on the present the best Actress award. While I wasn't a big "Moulin Rouge" fan, that was one of the worst clips to show, imo.
Best Actress: Halle Berry for "Monster's Ball." She freaked out at first, but then recovers. She is just so damn happy that I'm happy for her.
At this point, my battery starts to give out (what, only four hours?
A look at "A Beautiful Mind." I think this is the last of the five nominated pictures.
Julia Roberts presents the award for best actor. Funky dress. Why aren't there better dresses this year?
Best actor: Denzel Washington for "Training Day." The pundits like to find themes in what wins, and I think that this year's theme is "Year of the African-American," between Sidney Poitier, Halle Berry, and Denzel Washington. Long overdue and well-deserved.
Tom disagrees with me about Julia's dress and thinks that it's fabulous, but I don't think that armpits are the feature that a dress should show off.
Local boy Mel Gibson shows up to present the award for best director. Why can't these guys wear tuxedos? Again, it's not just the women who are dressing badly this year.
Best director: Ron Howard for "A Beautiful Mind." Tom says, "It makes up for the one he didn't get for Apollo 13."
Tom Hanks presenting the award for best picture, four hours and ten minutes after the show started. Gonna be a lot of tired people on the east coast tomorrow, I suspect.
Best picture: "A Beautiful Mind." Ron Howard is one happy guy.
Related to my post about
Related to my post about the Hollings bill from a few days ago, Dan Gillmor has a call to arms: Bleak future looms if you don't take a stand. He's right. It's time for political action by voters against congresscritters who vote for less freedom, and vote to criminalize the use of computers, MP3 players, and other common devices.
Isn't this a story from
Isn't this a story from the "well, duh" department? Serious Gambling Problems Found for Many Nevadans.
All entries © 1999-2008 Tom Negrino and Dori Smith