« December 2007 | Main | February 2008 »
January 30, 2008
The Power of Information
When we think about all the amazing resources out there, we cannot even grasp the reach and scope of what people can find.
My son Chris has an account at Box Office Mojo. This is the place where you can get all sorts of box office information about the movies.
He has started to create "crowd reports" - basically a summary of what he saw at the theater and what he thought of the show. This is his report for Meet the Spartans (I corrected a few spelling errors)
Meet The Spartans
3:05
60-70 people (The theater was so big, it was almost IMAX size!)
Trailers:
Jumper (Actually looks cool. I'd see it.)
Fool's Gold (looks like a cute chick flick. It doesn't look too bad.)
Prom Night (Seriously. Did this really need a remake?)
Shutter (Geez. Another crappy horror movie. This looks dumb.)
Never Back Down (I 1st thought this was Step Up 2, but it's just a fighting movie.)
With the exception of Jumper & even Fool's Gold, the trailers were all horrible. I'll get in line not to see these movies?
Movie: One word to describe it. HORRIBLE! I know that I thought this was going to be funny, but I made a biiiiiiiiiiigggggggggg mistake. The first 10 minutes were a bit funny, but the rest was just poop, sex, & a bunch of pop culture references that weren't even funny.In fact, some parts of it were even disturbing, like beating up the child & the pit of death's garbage disposal. Notice that I didn't alert it as a spoiler, because you really shouldn't see this movie. It links to my new resolution. Never see movies like this again! D
The crowd didn't agree & laughed at a lot of the parts that were trying to be funny. But most of the audience was teens, so go figure.
--end--
High art - it isn't. But imagine a world where there are reports about the crowds and the reactions to public events. This is great that he has an outlet for writing and communication.
Think this is just the best.
This entry was posted in the following categories: The World of LibrariesPosted by cseeman at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)
January 24, 2008
The Danger of Making Wagers with your Children
The Danger of Making Wagers with your Children
(yet another thing off topic...)
My son Chris has been dying to see the Eddie Murphy movie, Norbit. This movie ranked among the worst of the year by the critics
and was just another 'sophomoric' movie with a male actor in a ‘big lady fat suit’ as his other role. Here is the description:
Norbit (Murphy) has never had it easy. As a baby, he was abandoned on the steps of a Chinese restaurant/orphanage and raised by Mr. Wong (Murphy). Things get worse when he's forced into marriage by the mean, junk food-chugging queen, Rasputia (Murphy). Just when Norbit's hanging by his last thread, his childhood sweetheart, Kate (Newton), moves back to town. In the comedy "Norbit", he'll show them all that nice guys sometimes finish first. (DreamWorks Pictures)
This move got typically bad reviews and was definitely not appropriate for kids. When it came out on DVD, Chris kept asking to see it and we kept saying NO. Finally, Pam, in what would have been the safest bet of all times, told the boy that if it earned an Academy Award Nomination, he could see it. So…we were both shocked and annoyed to see this the other morning:
Achievement in makeup (see all nominees)
--“La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse) Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald
--“Norbit” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount) Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji
--“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Walt Disney) Ve Neill and Martin Samuel
Norbit is now number two on our Netflix List. Lesson to be learned. Do NOT make bets with your kids…no matter how safe they appear!
This entry was posted in the following categories: Completely Off Topic! , Movies & Popular Culture
Posted by cseeman at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)
George W. Bush Presidential Library design contest
George W. Bush Presidential Library design contest
OK...this looks like fun!
The Chronicle of Higher Education is looking for serious, humorous, or adventurous designs for the Bush Library, drawn as if you’d sat down next to the president and sketched out your idea on a scrap piece of White House stationery. All submissions should be on the back of a size-10 envelope. The winning designer will win a brand new iPod Touch. The deadline is February 1.
My comments: Remember, you are doing this for the President...so no big words!
This entry was posted in the following categories: Completely Off Topic!Posted by cseeman at 08:10 AM | Comments (0)
January 21, 2008
CMU's Library Arcade
A game we can all appreciate this from the library world. Carnegie Mellon University (one of the great universities of the world) has created a set of arcade games to help students "develop research skills through entertaining and easy-to-repeat activities."
I could be wrong about this (most often am these days), but I am just not that sure about these!
Within Range (their LC Classification shelving game)
Give them thousands of points for effort and initiative. I just wonder...
Posted by cseeman at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)
January 04, 2008
Pew Internet and American Life Project survey, “Information Searches That Solve Problems”
New report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project survey, “Information Searches That Solve Problems”
This report looks fantastic. This is from the ALA site:
Members of Generation Y (ages 18–30) are the leading users of libraries for help in solving problems and in more general patronage, according to a Pew Internet and American Life Project survey, “Information Searches That Solve Problems” (PDF file). The survey results challenge the assumption that libraries are losing relevance in the internet age. Libraries drew visits by more than half of Americans (53%) in the past year for all kinds of purposes.
--end--
The 42 page report is co-produced by the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois.
Posted by cseeman at 06:44 AM | Comments (0)
January 02, 2008
The Invisible Ingredient in Every Kitchen
From the New York Times:
The Curious Cook - The Invisible Ingredient in Every Kitchen
By HAROLD McGEE
Published: January 2, 2008
Every cook relies every day on the power of heat to transform food — but most don’t understand it.
OF all the ingredients in the kitchen, the most common is also the most mysterious.
It’s hard to measure and hard to control. It’s not a material like water or flour, to be added by the cup. In fact, it’s invisible.
It’s heat.
This is always the biggest challange for me as a cook! Thought I would share this great article from the Times.
Posted by cseeman at 07:51 AM | Comments (0)