Posted by barb on Nov 19, 2004 in
Movies 4/5 stars
This is a film based on the life of Alfred Kinsey, the man behind The Kinsey Institute for sex research. This is the Kinsey who published the book Sexual Behavior of the Human Male in the 1940s among much controversy.
The film was surprisingly entertaining — quite funny at times, especially during the first half. Liam Neeson did an excellent job playing Kinsey and portraying the excitement involved in scientific research. I also liked that, unlike De-Lovely did with Cole Porter, this film did not go into the potentially overly sentimental territory of Kinsey’s death.
Posted by barb on Nov 19, 2004 in
Memes, Etc. Got another one of these “getting to know you” e-mails from a friend, but with different questions than the last one I posted.
- If you could build a second house anywhere, where would it be?
My own private island someplace tropical
- What’s your favorite article of clothing?
My fleece pullover (I’m wearing it now!)
- The last CD you bought?
Peachtree Road by Elton John
- What time do you wake up in the mornings?
5:30 AM on work days, anywhere between 7 and 10 AM on weekends
- What’s your favorite kitchen appliance?
The breadmaker…yum!
- If you could play an instrument, what would it be?
Duh! Saxophone
- Favorite color?
Blue in most any of its shades
- Which do you prefer, sports car or SUV?
Are those the only choices?
- Do you believe in afterlive?
Yes
- Favorite children’s book?
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
- What is your favorite season?
Summer
- If you could have one super power, what would it be?
Talking to animals
- If you have a tatto, what is it?
A crescent moon with a shooting star
- Can you juggle?
Yup
- Name one person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to.
Mike (not fair to ask today, of all days)
- What’s your favorite day?
Of the week? Saturday; of the year? Christmas; of all time? September 19, 2004
- What’s in the trunk of your car?
Jumper cables, wiper fluid, window wipes, and the un-installed cargo net that came with my car
- Which do you prefer: sushi or hamburger?
Um, I’ll go hungry, thank you
- Who did you receive this from?
Kirsten
- What is your favorite flower?
Lilacs
- What is your favorite meal?
Mexican Haystacks
Posted by barb on Nov 17, 2004 in
Movies 2.5/5 stars
This is one of those movies that you watch because you know exactly what it’s going to be: fluffy, sentimental, and feel-good. It’s a little reminiscent of Dead Poets Society in the story — a teacher comes to a very conservative school and challenges students to break out of conformity — but without the edge. Not bad, though.
Posted by barb on Nov 14, 2004 in
Movies 5/5 stars
I don’t give many movies 5/5 stars (The Return of the King and Pirates of the Caribbean since starting my movie blog in April 2003), but this one absolutely deserves it. The story was strong, the characters fun and engaging, and the animation, as always for Pixar, incredible. And it made me laugh, dammit.
Posted by barb on Nov 11, 2004 in
Movies 2/5 stars
I rented this movie because Heath Ledger was in it. He’s very cute, and I’ve quite enjoyed him in A Knight’s Tale and The Patriot. Sadly, while The Order had very nice artistic direction, someone needed to go over the script again and help the dialog and action acutally tell a coherent story.
Ledger plays Alex Bernier, one of three priests left in the order of the Carolingians, known for their devotion to finding the truth. His mentor dies at the beginning of the film, prompting Bernier to go to Rome to investigate what happened. There are lots of scenes with people saying cryptic things and lots of odd characters roaming around, but very little is conveyed clearly about the actual plot of the film.
Posted by barb on Nov 11, 2004 in
Books Edited by Edward O. Wilson
This is a collection of pieces from all branches of science from publications in 2001. A few notable articles:
- “Abortion and Brain Waves” by Gregg Easterbrook
This piece offers a sane and scientific definition of when life begins, and when in a pregancy abortion should be banned. Often when religion and dogma are pushed to determine public policy, science steps in offering a compromise. The issue of death is one instance — death occurs when brain activity stops, even if the body is kept artificially functioning. So, why not define life in the same manner? Studies show that brain wave activity similar to that of an adult human begins roughly with the third trimester of pregnancy.
- “Seeing Scarlet” by Barbara Kingsolver and Steven Hopp
This article discusses the disappearance of the macaw from it’s natural habitat, while describing their trek to find the one last place on earth that the macaw might be seen outside of a pet store.
- “Ice Station Vostok” by Oliver Morton
This article talks about the dilemma posed by the lake buried under the ice under the Vostok station. By studying the lake and its possible life, we could understand how life forms and survives in the extremes of nature. This could be applicable to studying life on other planets, most notably Europa, the ice moon of Jupiter that may have a vast ocean under it’s icy crust. On the other hand, by just introducing a device to study the lake, we risk destroying the ecosystem. There is no easy solution — the hope is to develop some way to study the lake without introducing any contagions, but ther eis no way to know for certain that we’ve planned well enough.
This book was heavy with biology-type articles, which don’t intrest me as much. I actually skipped a few of these articles after a few pages instead of trudging ahead for completeness, unlike last time.
Posted by barb on Nov 8, 2004 in
Books by Mary Shelley
I’m always a bit apprehensive when I pick up a piece of “classic” literature. I remember reading classics in school and finding them hard to read and esoteric. Once again, though, I was surprised at how much I enjoy the classics — at least this one.
We all think we know the story of Frankenstein. A scientist goes against God and creates life, but is destroyed by his hubris, by his creation. Right? Well, yes, but we don’t really know the story of Frankenstein as Shelley originally told it. The “monster” that Shelley created was intelligent. He finds out what society is, tries to join it to have some companionship, and failing that he plots to force his creator to make him a companion. This is not your Bela Lugosi monster, but an eloquent, thinking monster. And, frankly, a much better story than we all know.
Posted by barb on Nov 1, 2004 in
Memes, Etc. Hello Kitty turns 30 this year! I loved Hello Kitty when I was a little girl…hmmm, still love Hello Kitty, though my favorite character is now Keroppi.
Posted by barb on Oct 29, 2004 in
Memes, Etc. Stumbled across this while editing APOD pages for this year’s CD. Have fun!
Created by Anu Garg
Posted by barb on Oct 25, 2004 in
Memes, Etc. For years, the only other October 25 birthday I knew about was Picasso…not terribly exciting. But today I checked out the Yahoo Birthday page, and found that I share my birthday with Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson‘s voice) and Ed Robertson (of Barenaked Ladies).
Though, according to the Yahoo birthday page, October 25 might not be the best day for happy history…
- In 1400 Geoffrey Chaucer died
- In 1918, the Canadian steamship Princess Sophia sunk, killing nearly 400 people
- In 2002 Senator Paul Wellstone (MN, my home-state) died in a plane crash
- In 1999 Golfer Payne Stewart and five others were killed in a plane crash
Let’s have some happy news!