Posted by barb on May 19, 2005 in
Movies 4/5 stars
Yes, I’m one of the millions of Americans who took time off from work to see this on the first day. It was worth it! I wanted to be a “virgin” going in — I avoided all of the previews and tv promos (much to Andrew’s annoyance). Why? Well, going in, we already know the major plot points: Anakin turns into Darth Vader, Luke and Leia are born, the Jedi are decimated, Yoda and Obi-Wan go into exile, Palpatine takes over the republic and declares himself emporer. Since I already knew what the major plot points had to be, I wanted the “how” of them to be a complete surprise.
I really enjoyed this last installment of Star Wars. It was far better than Episode I, and better even than Episode II. I can’t compare it to A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, or Return of the Jedi — those were so integral to my growing-up years, that nothing will ever compare to them. However, it was a very strong finale for the series.
< Spoilers Ahead >
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Tags: reviews
Posted by barb on May 18, 2005 in
Memes, Etc. The “3” meme, via Cheeky Prof.
3 names you go by:
* Barb
* Barbara
* Snuggles (that’s Andrew’s name for me — if you’re not him, don’t try it)
3 screennames you’ve had (besides blog pseudonym):
* rhombitruncated
* astrowoman
* cubeoctahedron
3 physical things you like about yourself:
* smile
* eyes
* hair
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Tags: dumb fun
Posted by barb on May 17, 2005 in
TV I can’t be the only person who enjoyed Enterprise, because it did stay on the air for four seasons, and I was a bit sad to see it go. I was more sad to see it go with such a sucky finale.
< Possible spoilers ahead >
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Tags: reviews
Posted by barb on May 15, 2005 in
Movies 3/5 stars
I never said I only watched intelligent movies. I loved The Brady Bunch growing up, and really liked the first movie. This one was fun too.
Tags: reviews
Posted by barb on May 14, 2005 in
Movies 4/5 stars
With reviews of this movie all over the place, Andrew and I didn’t know if we’d enjoy it or not. Turns out I loved it; he hated it. I have read the book, several times, but not for many, many years, so I’m not burdoned by remembering the exact story. Not all of the “funny moments” worked, but there were enough that I had a lot of fun.
Tags: reviews
Posted by barb on May 13, 2005 in
Movies 2/5 stars
This film noir parody just didn’t do it for me. There were many moments where I could tell that something was supposed to be funny, but it wasn’t. I did laugh a couple times, but more often I rolled my eyes.
Tags: reviews
Posted by barb on May 13, 2005 in
Science Musings I received a question through Ask a High Energy Astronomer with such attitude that I wanted to slap the author. She said that she had asked an “Ask an Astronomer” service at NASA when she was a lot younger if dark matter could be made up of tachyons, and was disappointed when the answer was basically “no”. Luckily, she says, this answer didn’t dissuade her from pursuing physics. Now, as a 4th year physics student, she’s dug up a paper (“Quasars as bubbles of dark matter: evidence for axion and tachyon matter in the Universe“) that says that tachyons are a dark matter candidate, so she asks us again if dark matter could be tachyons.
Well, didn’t I feel shamed? Um…no. In fact, I was kind of pissed off. Here’s what I wanted to put in the answer I wrote:
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Tags: rant, science
Posted by barb on May 12, 2005 in
Memes, Etc. You are a Brainy Girl!
Whether you’re an official student or a casual learner, you enjoy hitting the books.
You know a little bit about everything, and you’re always dying to know more.
For a guy to win your heart, he’s got to share some of your intellectual interests.
A awesome book collection of his own doesn’t hurt either!
What Kind of Girl Are You? Take This Quiz 🙂
(Blame the Red-headed Stepchild)
Posted by barb on May 12, 2005 in
Memes, Etc.
You Are 20 Years Old |
20
20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what’s to come… love, work, and new experiences.
|
(Blame Mushi)
Tags: dumb fun
Posted by barb on May 12, 2005 in
Science Musings Hopefully anyone reading this blog already knows that buying star names is a total crock. However, I thought I’d share this FAQ from the IAU on Naming Stars. The IAU (International Astronomical Union) is the organization that assigns names (or designations) to celestial bodies and the features on them, and their names are the ones that are recognized internationally. They don’t sell star names. If they don’t sell star names, then anyone else you might send money to for a star name is just BS.
The FAQ, though, is rather entertaining and written with a sense of humor (yes, scientists do have a sense of humor, believe it or not). Here’s a sample:
Q: Surely the courts will recognize the name I have paid for??
A: Try to contact your lawyers. Chances are that they will either laugh their heads off or politely suggest that you could invest their fees more productively…
Q: But what about the companies that sell pieces of territory on the Moon and other planets? Those are within reach, we know, so surely I own the piece that I have bought?
A: See the answer to the previous question. As a minimum, we suggest that you defer payment until you can take possession of your property…
Tags: rant, science