In conversation with Chris and Mike P, we began discussing the list of 50 movies to see before you die, and promptly decided that it clearly did not reflect any kind of a good list of movies, at least for folks of our generation. In particular, where were the legendary guy movies that we grew up with?
A rudimentary Google search led me to the Men's Journal ranking of the 50 Best Guy Movies of All Time. While their list was fairly respectable, I still think it's slanted towards older films from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, while my generation (which is pretty much the same as everyone reading this blog) grew up on films in the 80s and 90s. I did think their list of criteria for a true guy movie was pretty accurate:
- violence trumps sex, war beats peace
- only guys will love the movie, can't be too serious or too sensitive (aka no Meryl Streep)
- can be watched in groups over and over
- great lines of dialogue that can be recited in public and other guys will glance over and nod with understanding
- tend to be about soldiers, athletes, cops, loners in general
- straightforward moral - all that matters is being brave and honorable
With that in mind, I'm going to kick off a list of guy movies, in no particular order or ranking, grouping movies in the same series together. I'll be pulling from movies that I've seen myself first. Keep in mind that while these movies might not be great, they might not even be good - but they will be guy movies. Feel free to add suggestions for the list in the comments section. (The first part of this list is sifted from the Men's Journal list).
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TOP GUY MOVIES
1. Die Hard trilogy - soon to add a fourth installment. These are often on FX, TBS, or TNT, and I almost always invariably stop to watch. It's so incredibly hilarious when the TV censorship/dubbing replaces McClane's trademark "Yippee ki-yay, m***********!" with "Yippee ki-yay, Mister Falcon!"
2. The Terminator and Terminator 2 - Terminator 3 doesn't count. The T-1000 may be one of the coolest villains in action movie history.
3. The Matrix - For the geek circles I run in, this flick has provided tons of quotes that can be used in multiple situations. "I know kung fu." "Whoa."
4. Enter the Dragon - Just adopt a slow, heavy Chinese accent, and say "You killed my family, and you have disgraced a Shao-Win Tempo."
5. Fight Club - One word: brutal.
6. Office Space - "It's not that I'm lazy, it's just that I don't care."
7. The Rock - "What do you want me to do, kill him again?" The shower room scene with the SEALs still gives me chills.
8. Face/Off - One of the first introductions of Hong Kong-stylized filmmaking - lots of slow-mo, trench coats billowing, the gold dragon money clip.
9. Commando - "I like you. You're funny. I'll kill you last."
10. Predator - "I ain't got time to bleed."
11. Lethal Weapon 1-3 - You can't get much more "guy" than relocating your own dislocated shoulder. However, the last line of #4 ("We're not friends, we're family!") is enough to trump Jet Li's coolness and wipe that movie off this list.
12. Desperado - Copious amounts of bullets and blood. Has anyone ever figured out how he hid two large-caliber pistols in his jacket sleeves?
13. Rambo: First Blood - Spawned gun-toting American stereotypes the world over.
14. Men in Black - Will Smith's inclusion on this list is a little iffy b/c his personal charisma is enough to bring in the ladies too. But still, the banter between him and Tommy Lee Jones is great.
15. Top Gun - It must have pleased Cruise greatly to be out-acted by the airplanes.
16. Ferris Bueller's Day Off - "Bueller? Bueller?" It still amuses me to see his buddy Cameron on the bus in "Speed".
17. Above the Law, Hard to Kill, and all the other three-word Seagal movies - there's something about watching a guy with a ponytail breaking people's arms in exquisite detail.
18. Bloodsport - You haven't seen guy movie martial arts until you've seen Bolo breaking a guy's neck and then flexing his pecs.
19. Swingers - "You're so money and you don't even know it."
20. Monty Python and the Holy Grail - "'Tis but a flesh wound!"
21. Robocop - ED-209 was the first live-action mecha.
22. Happy Gilmore - "The price is WRONG, Bob!"
23. Con Air (nominated by Chris) - The Nicolas Cage trilogy is complete.
24. Gladiator (nominated by Chris) - while it might just be too good of a movie for this list, you can't beat the mini-monologue/rant ending with "... and I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."
25. Braveheart (nominated by Chris) - "Freeeeeeedoooooommmmm!" The graphic throat slitting scene still makes me cringe.
26. The Godfather 1 and 2 (nominated by Chris) - He actually nominated the entire series, but I understand that only 1 and 2 are really classics.
27. Scarface (nominated by Chris) - "Say hewo to ma leetle fwend!"
28. Rocky (nominated by Chris) - Did you know this won Best Picture and nominated Stallone for Best Actor and Best Screenplay? That's some kind of peak.
29. Goodfellas (nominated by Andrew N) - Gangsta.
30. Casino (nominated by Andrew N) - See #29.
31. The Untouchables (nominated by Andrew N) - Because baseball bats and spaghetti go together.
32. Full Metal Jacket, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and other Kubrick films (nominated by Andrew N)
33. Clint Eastwood's Spaghetti Western trilogy (nominated by Andrew N)
34. Bullit / Fast & Furious 1,2,3 (nominated by Andrew N) - For its shameless car porn.
35. Any James Bond movies NOT starring Roger Moore or Timothy Dalton (nominated by Andrew N)
36. Blues Brothers (nominated by Andrew N) - On a mission from God
37. Transformers: The Movie (nominated by Andrew N) - I can't believe I (Bob) forgot this one! How traumatic was it to see all your favorite Transformers dying?
38. Cool Hand Luke (nominated by AndrewN ) - Since he ate 50 eggs
39. Just about all Akira Kurosawa films with samurai (nominated by Andrew N)
40. Batman (1989) (nominated by Andrew N) - The only Batman movie not loved equally by girls, guys and girly guys
41. Army of Darkness (nominated by Andrew N) - Hail to the king, baby.
42. Tombstone (nominated by Andrew N)
43. The Professional (nominated by Andrew N)
44. Shaolin Soccer (nominated by Hanlin) - -1 vote
45. Iron Monkey (nominated by Hanlin)
46. Kill Bill 1 and 2 (nominated by Hanlin)
47. Snatch (nominated by Andrew W)
48. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (nominated by Andrew W)
49. Saving Private Ryan (nominated by Abe) - -1 vote
50. Black Hawk Down (nominated by Abe)
51. Glory (nominated by Abe) - -1 vote
52. Heat (nominated by Abe)
53. Raging Bull (nominated by Clement
54. Reservoir Dogs (nominated by Clement)
55. Animal House (nominated by Clement)
56. Field of Dreams (nominated by Cal)
57. Nothing to Lose (nominated by Abe) - "Why you gotta drive on the sidewalk man? People gotta walk there!"
58. Speed (nominated by Shally
NOMINATED BUT SHOT DOWN (3 or more votes)
The Princess Bride (nominated by Hanlin) - "Hallo. My name is Inigo MonTOya. You killed my father. Prepware to die."
Hanlin's reasoning: "i'd think that it's eccentric enough that gals won't really like it. the romantic stuff is too cheezy to take effect on girls. and no, princess bride doesn't have meryl streep in it."
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If you want anything struck from the list, vote for it in the comments - 3 votes will take it off!
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Team USA thoughts
Warning: Pure basketball post ahead
How much of a hoops junkie am I? Even now, in August and in the middle of the offseason, I'm still regularly reading almost all of the major basketball news outlets for info on Team USA as they get ready to begin the World Championships this Saturday. We've recorded and watched all of the televised exhibition games so far. A few thoughts:
- Before getting into Team USA... here's a priceless quote from Chris Wilcox after signing his free agent contract with the Seattle Sonics:
- Read former Laker John Celestand's interesting take on why there's more than just pride at stake in how well the US performs internationally. The short form is that for American ballers playing overseas, they ended up losing a lot of money from foreign clubs who no longer regarded American hoopsters with the same respect as they used to when the US lost its aura of invincibility in 2002 and 2004.
- The team's strength is obvious - athleticism up the wazoo. Thus far in the exhibition games, they've been able to physically overmatch almost every opponent by running a full-court press that eventually wore down every team into committing turnovers by the bushel. They're faster, quicker, and can jump higher than any opponent, and they have 12 guys who can do this.
- The weaknesesses on the team that I'm concerned about - #1 is the lack of reliable outside shooting. Joe Johnson (and recently, Brad Miller(!)) may be the only guys I'd expect to hit a wide open jump shot that is set up by a Wade/Lebron penetration or a double team on Brand. This should be less of a problem at the Olympics in two years when potential members of the team will include Kobe, Redd, and Billups, but this month they'll need some non-shooters to step up.
- #2 weakness is the defense. I can remember from both 2002 and 2004 how the US team just got smoked on fundamental but perfectly executed back cuts, screens and rolls, and pick and fades that resulted in wide-open layups and jump shots (see simple pleasure #6). While this year's version is emphasizing the full-court press to get people out of their regular offense, the better and more disciplined teams will still be able to run what they want to - the question is if Lebron, Carmelo, and the other not-terribly-defensively-minded US players can stick their man and not get their heads turned. Doesn't help that much that they just dropped Bowen, but that highlights...
- #3 weakness is rebounding. In the first exhibition game, the exceedingly mediocre big men of Puerto Rico (Santiago and Ramos) were able to make an impact inside because the US just doesn't have that many quality big men who can take up space, challenge shots, and grab boards. The SFs will have to make sure not to leak out on the break too early, but to aid on boxing out and chasing down rebounds. This is probably why Jamison (who was my original choice to be cut) was kept rather than Bowen.
- Carmelo looks like he's unstoppable going one-on-one on the offensive end. I'll propose some lineups below, but he should probably be the featured offensive option when he's in the game. He'll have to learn how to not force the issue into zone defenses however, and he'll have to play some D on his own.
- It would have been nice to give Bowen a shot at gold since he'll probably be too old to compete in two years at the Olympics, but given that his style of defense is typically very physical, it might not have translated well to the international style of play.
- If I were coaching with this roster of 12, I'd make sure everyone gets significant run in order to take advantage of fresh legs and superior athleticism. It seems that Coach K is going with one primary lineup in alternating quarters. Here are a few proposed lineup combinations:
PG: Hinrich
SG: Wade
SF: Anthony
PF: Brand
C: Miller
6th: Battier
I'd start games with this lineup as a defensively sound, halfcourt team. The beginning of games is usually when the opposing team is the most fresh, and so they'd typically have their best players in. Having the defense of Hinrich/Wade/Brand/Battier would help slow and wear down opposing teams' best players. On offense, Carmelo would be the primary outside shooting/slashing threat, with Wade as the penetrator/distributor and Hinrich/Miller spotting up for threes. Brand is also an option in the mid- to low-post while providing a shot-blocking presence that Miller lacks.
PG: Paul
SG: Johnson
SF: James
PF: Bosh
C: Howard
6th: Jamison
This is the lineup I'd bring in starting the second quarter, as they'd either be playing against some tired starters or some second stringers. This team is built to run, run, run. Paul is perhaps ready to take over the Kidd/Nash mantle as the best pure PG in the game, and with the direction of assistant coach D'Antoni (aka the architect of the Suns' fast break), the transition game is triggered by Howard blocking/boarding, James and Bosh filling the lanes, and Johnson spotting up for threes like he used to in Phoenix. Jamison can fill in either as a rebounder/trigger man for the break or to fill one of the lanes.
PG: Wade
SG: Johnson
SF: Anthony
PF: James
C: Brand/Howard
I'd consider using this lineup to finish the half and the game - although LeBron would be a bit undersized at the 4, the matchup problems this lineup would pose could potentially be worth it.
- Among the group of guys that regularly plays ball on Sundays, we sometimes have conversations about which NBA player we would be style- and athleticism-wise if we were all a foot taller or so. Based on my style of play, I've always thought that I'd be a cerain role-playing member of Team USA - and the following quiz confirms it:
Shane Battier
Take Which NBA player are you? today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Personality Test Generator.
How much of a hoops junkie am I? Even now, in August and in the middle of the offseason, I'm still regularly reading almost all of the major basketball news outlets for info on Team USA as they get ready to begin the World Championships this Saturday. We've recorded and watched all of the televised exhibition games so far. A few thoughts:
- Before getting into Team USA... here's a priceless quote from Chris Wilcox after signing his free agent contract with the Seattle Sonics:
“There is always going to be somebody who is hating on you. They hated on Jesus, so I can’t say they won’t hate on me.”
- Read former Laker John Celestand's interesting take on why there's more than just pride at stake in how well the US performs internationally. The short form is that for American ballers playing overseas, they ended up losing a lot of money from foreign clubs who no longer regarded American hoopsters with the same respect as they used to when the US lost its aura of invincibility in 2002 and 2004.
- The team's strength is obvious - athleticism up the wazoo. Thus far in the exhibition games, they've been able to physically overmatch almost every opponent by running a full-court press that eventually wore down every team into committing turnovers by the bushel. They're faster, quicker, and can jump higher than any opponent, and they have 12 guys who can do this.
- The weaknesesses on the team that I'm concerned about - #1 is the lack of reliable outside shooting. Joe Johnson (and recently, Brad Miller(!)) may be the only guys I'd expect to hit a wide open jump shot that is set up by a Wade/Lebron penetration or a double team on Brand. This should be less of a problem at the Olympics in two years when potential members of the team will include Kobe, Redd, and Billups, but this month they'll need some non-shooters to step up.
- #2 weakness is the defense. I can remember from both 2002 and 2004 how the US team just got smoked on fundamental but perfectly executed back cuts, screens and rolls, and pick and fades that resulted in wide-open layups and jump shots (see simple pleasure #6). While this year's version is emphasizing the full-court press to get people out of their regular offense, the better and more disciplined teams will still be able to run what they want to - the question is if Lebron, Carmelo, and the other not-terribly-defensively-minded US players can stick their man and not get their heads turned. Doesn't help that much that they just dropped Bowen, but that highlights...
- #3 weakness is rebounding. In the first exhibition game, the exceedingly mediocre big men of Puerto Rico (Santiago and Ramos) were able to make an impact inside because the US just doesn't have that many quality big men who can take up space, challenge shots, and grab boards. The SFs will have to make sure not to leak out on the break too early, but to aid on boxing out and chasing down rebounds. This is probably why Jamison (who was my original choice to be cut) was kept rather than Bowen.
- Carmelo looks like he's unstoppable going one-on-one on the offensive end. I'll propose some lineups below, but he should probably be the featured offensive option when he's in the game. He'll have to learn how to not force the issue into zone defenses however, and he'll have to play some D on his own.
- It would have been nice to give Bowen a shot at gold since he'll probably be too old to compete in two years at the Olympics, but given that his style of defense is typically very physical, it might not have translated well to the international style of play.
- If I were coaching with this roster of 12, I'd make sure everyone gets significant run in order to take advantage of fresh legs and superior athleticism. It seems that Coach K is going with one primary lineup in alternating quarters. Here are a few proposed lineup combinations:
PG: Hinrich
SG: Wade
SF: Anthony
PF: Brand
C: Miller
6th: Battier
I'd start games with this lineup as a defensively sound, halfcourt team. The beginning of games is usually when the opposing team is the most fresh, and so they'd typically have their best players in. Having the defense of Hinrich/Wade/Brand/Battier would help slow and wear down opposing teams' best players. On offense, Carmelo would be the primary outside shooting/slashing threat, with Wade as the penetrator/distributor and Hinrich/Miller spotting up for threes. Brand is also an option in the mid- to low-post while providing a shot-blocking presence that Miller lacks.
PG: Paul
SG: Johnson
SF: James
PF: Bosh
C: Howard
6th: Jamison
This is the lineup I'd bring in starting the second quarter, as they'd either be playing against some tired starters or some second stringers. This team is built to run, run, run. Paul is perhaps ready to take over the Kidd/Nash mantle as the best pure PG in the game, and with the direction of assistant coach D'Antoni (aka the architect of the Suns' fast break), the transition game is triggered by Howard blocking/boarding, James and Bosh filling the lanes, and Johnson spotting up for threes like he used to in Phoenix. Jamison can fill in either as a rebounder/trigger man for the break or to fill one of the lanes.
PG: Wade
SG: Johnson
SF: Anthony
PF: James
C: Brand/Howard
I'd consider using this lineup to finish the half and the game - although LeBron would be a bit undersized at the 4, the matchup problems this lineup would pose could potentially be worth it.
- Among the group of guys that regularly plays ball on Sundays, we sometimes have conversations about which NBA player we would be style- and athleticism-wise if we were all a foot taller or so. Based on my style of play, I've always thought that I'd be a cerain role-playing member of Team USA - and the following quiz confirms it:
Shane Battier
Take Which NBA player are you? today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Personality Test Generator.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Blogger improvements
Check out today's news on how Blogger Beta will improve your blogging experience. For example:
- dynamic pages - instead of having the rotating "publishing" icon, the new content will be saved to the database, and anyone coming to view the page will get it rendered on the spot. So, much faster publishing
- access control - private, protected, and public posts (a la Xanga)
- labels - categorize your posts (a la Wordpress)
- comment feeds
And a few other things.
It doesn't look like I'm eligible for beta, but if anyone is, try it out and let us know how it is.
- dynamic pages - instead of having the rotating "publishing" icon, the new content will be saved to the database, and anyone coming to view the page will get it rendered on the spot. So, much faster publishing
- access control - private, protected, and public posts (a la Xanga)
- labels - categorize your posts (a la Wordpress)
- comment feeds
And a few other things.
It doesn't look like I'm eligible for beta, but if anyone is, try it out and let us know how it is.
Monday, August 07, 2006
10 simple pleasures
Latest sign of age: after a weekend of hoops/softball at both the Canaan Sports Day and the regular Sunday hoops, the back of my left knee is annoyingly stiff every time I try to stand up from a seated position. Usually it's my right knee that gives me problems. This tells me that while I might be thin, I'm not particularly fit, particularly in my leg muscles and joints. I've found myself browsing Craigslist for stationary bikes... might be a worthwhile investment.
Got tagged by Chris to list out ten simple pleasures of mine... so here are a few, in no particular order:
10) falling asleep in a warm bed to the sound of rain, followed closely by
10a) the morning after a rainy night, with a fresh, crisp scent in the air and a perfectly clear view of the mountains ringing the Valley
9) listening to a highly-anticipated album of brand-new music for the first time
8) eating something that I've cooked for myself and realizing that it actually tastes pretty good. Doesn't happen too often...
7) making an obscure reference or quoting from TV shows and movies in the midst of conversation... and having someone recognize the reference. Even better is if they continue to riff on the reference by making their own.
6) performing a fundamentally sound sports maneuver that the opponent can't counter. For example, being on either the passing or receiving end of a perfectly-executed backdoor play on the basketball court is immensely satisfying.
5) reading in bed before falling asleep, usually a novel. Gotta give some time for the body to adjust to the sheets at night...
4) multitasking by exercising at the same time as other things, such as doing pushups/pullups/situps while watching TV or walking a few laps around the block while on the phone
3) being able to process my life and express it in words that I'm satisfied with, whether a blog post or a journal entry. These tend to be long
2) intelligent, stimulating conversation after a good meal with family or friends
1) hearing or seeing that I've influenced or inspired someone in a good way - doing more life reflection, eating healthier, and the like. It's nice to know that you make a difference
Got tagged by Chris to list out ten simple pleasures of mine... so here are a few, in no particular order:
10) falling asleep in a warm bed to the sound of rain, followed closely by
10a) the morning after a rainy night, with a fresh, crisp scent in the air and a perfectly clear view of the mountains ringing the Valley
9) listening to a highly-anticipated album of brand-new music for the first time
8) eating something that I've cooked for myself and realizing that it actually tastes pretty good. Doesn't happen too often...
7) making an obscure reference or quoting from TV shows and movies in the midst of conversation... and having someone recognize the reference. Even better is if they continue to riff on the reference by making their own.
6) performing a fundamentally sound sports maneuver that the opponent can't counter. For example, being on either the passing or receiving end of a perfectly-executed backdoor play on the basketball court is immensely satisfying.
5) reading in bed before falling asleep, usually a novel. Gotta give some time for the body to adjust to the sheets at night...
4) multitasking by exercising at the same time as other things, such as doing pushups/pullups/situps while watching TV or walking a few laps around the block while on the phone
3) being able to process my life and express it in words that I'm satisfied with, whether a blog post or a journal entry. These tend to be long
2) intelligent, stimulating conversation after a good meal with family or friends
1) hearing or seeing that I've influenced or inspired someone in a good way - doing more life reflection, eating healthier, and the like. It's nice to know that you make a difference
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Recent news items
Batman... Begins Again?
The new Joker for the sequel to last year's well-made "Batman Begins" movie has been cast:
Heath Ledger.
Did you do a double-take? I know I did. I haven't really watched much of anything with him in it, but the fan reaction appears to be either really excited or really scared. Well, Christian Bale worked out better than expected, and the guy did just star in one of the most critically-well-received movies of last year, so maybe there's some hope. I'm also hoping that the supporting cast - Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, et al make their way back too.
Full-body DDR
Some folks at National Taiwan University have come up with a next-generation Dance Dance Revolution, simply titled Dance Dance Dance (DDD), where instead of tapping on panels in rhythm to the music, you actually have to mimic the body positions that flash across the screen in rhythm. Check out this video - would you play this?
Email is like so yesterday, man
Back when I was in high school, email was still a novelty item. Started off doing everything from the command line, and then pine became a godsend. IRC became popular, and my first use of the WWW (NCSA Mosaic!) was to log on to some NBA sites and Star Wars sites. My HS was the first one to offer an Internet class, which gained enough notoriety that VP Al Gore (the father of the internets!) came to visit us - we were trapped inside our rooms while snipers patrolled the roof, as he sat and talked with students about email before the television cameras.
I bring this up because according to MSNBC, email is now pretty much obsolete in the minds of today's youth (no wonder it's so hard getting the HS kids to respond to email!), having been overtaken by less formal, shorter forms of communication such as IM and text messaging. Well, they'll have to learn proper email formatting, punctuation, etc. before long since the academic and business worlds probably won't be changing any time soon...
Ode to the F-14 Tomcat
Finally, I read a few news items saying that the venerable Grumman F-14 Tomcat, perhaps best known as Maverick's plane in the 1986 movie "Top Gun", is being retired this year after over 30 years of Navy service. It's being replaced by an advanced version of the F-18, the Super Hornet. In its day, the advanced targeting radar and fire-and-forget Phoenix missiles made the F-14 the superior naval interceptor in the world, but age and cost combined to mothball it.
I've been a fan of fighter planes for many years, particularly the F-teen series that has served America well for an abnormally long time - most of them were designed in the 60s/70s and are still in use (F-14, -15, -16, -18). The F-14 was probably my favorite though, with the variable swing wings that could sweep backwards for high speed or forwards for greater maneuverability. It was the inspiration for the G.I. Joe figher plane, as well as the Robotech Veritech. From a purely aesthetic point of view, the plane looked more like a bird of prey than a simple missile.
You will be missed.
Incidentally, if you're a fighter buff... the Air Force is slowly introducing an expensive, but superior new fighter with stealth technology and advanced missiles - read up on the F-22 here. In a few mock battles, the Raptor achieved a 10-to-1 kill ratio. Pretty impressive.
The new Joker for the sequel to last year's well-made "Batman Begins" movie has been cast:
Heath Ledger.
Did you do a double-take? I know I did. I haven't really watched much of anything with him in it, but the fan reaction appears to be either really excited or really scared. Well, Christian Bale worked out better than expected, and the guy did just star in one of the most critically-well-received movies of last year, so maybe there's some hope. I'm also hoping that the supporting cast - Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, et al make their way back too.
Full-body DDR
Some folks at National Taiwan University have come up with a next-generation Dance Dance Revolution, simply titled Dance Dance Dance (DDD), where instead of tapping on panels in rhythm to the music, you actually have to mimic the body positions that flash across the screen in rhythm. Check out this video - would you play this?
Email is like so yesterday, man
Back when I was in high school, email was still a novelty item. Started off doing everything from the command line, and then pine became a godsend. IRC became popular, and my first use of the WWW (NCSA Mosaic!) was to log on to some NBA sites and Star Wars sites. My HS was the first one to offer an Internet class, which gained enough notoriety that VP Al Gore (the father of the internets!) came to visit us - we were trapped inside our rooms while snipers patrolled the roof, as he sat and talked with students about email before the television cameras.
I bring this up because according to MSNBC, email is now pretty much obsolete in the minds of today's youth (no wonder it's so hard getting the HS kids to respond to email!), having been overtaken by less formal, shorter forms of communication such as IM and text messaging. Well, they'll have to learn proper email formatting, punctuation, etc. before long since the academic and business worlds probably won't be changing any time soon...
Ode to the F-14 TomcatFinally, I read a few news items saying that the venerable Grumman F-14 Tomcat, perhaps best known as Maverick's plane in the 1986 movie "Top Gun", is being retired this year after over 30 years of Navy service. It's being replaced by an advanced version of the F-18, the Super Hornet. In its day, the advanced targeting radar and fire-and-forget Phoenix missiles made the F-14 the superior naval interceptor in the world, but age and cost combined to mothball it.
I've been a fan of fighter planes for many years, particularly the F-teen series that has served America well for an abnormally long time - most of them were designed in the 60s/70s and are still in use (F-14, -15, -16, -18). The F-14 was probably my favorite though, with the variable swing wings that could sweep backwards for high speed or forwards for greater maneuverability. It was the inspiration for the G.I. Joe figher plane, as well as the Robotech Veritech. From a purely aesthetic point of view, the plane looked more like a bird of prey than a simple missile.
You will be missed.
Incidentally, if you're a fighter buff... the Air Force is slowly introducing an expensive, but superior new fighter with stealth technology and advanced missiles - read up on the F-22 here. In a few mock battles, the Raptor achieved a 10-to-1 kill ratio. Pretty impressive.
Nostalgia
My generation, which had its formative years growing up in America in the 80s and 90s mostly, is reaching the collective age where we have the most disposable income (since we're working jobs and may or may not have house payments and kids' college funds to save up for).
Because of this, it seems like the entertainment industry is doing a lot of flashbacks in order to inspire nostalgia in the folks spending the most money - us. Comic books coming to the movie screen, video games being updated with new graphics but keeping the same gameplay (like the Mario Bros compilation, for example), and the Transformers movie coming out next summer... everything seems to be aimed at helping us get in touch with our inner child again.
On a related note, I came across this video from the classic NES game Contra. Contra was probably my favorite game growing up (up up down down left right left right b a start!), and my greatest gaming accomplishment was to get from the first level to the last level on 1 life. The key is to get the spreader weapon with rapid fire on the first level, which just demolishes everything. Well, this guy utilizes this strategy and some impeccable timing to beat the entire game in less than 12 minutes - it's pretty impressive to watch:
Because of this, it seems like the entertainment industry is doing a lot of flashbacks in order to inspire nostalgia in the folks spending the most money - us. Comic books coming to the movie screen, video games being updated with new graphics but keeping the same gameplay (like the Mario Bros compilation, for example), and the Transformers movie coming out next summer... everything seems to be aimed at helping us get in touch with our inner child again.
On a related note, I came across this video from the classic NES game Contra. Contra was probably my favorite game growing up (up up down down left right left right b a start!), and my greatest gaming accomplishment was to get from the first level to the last level on 1 life. The key is to get the spreader weapon with rapid fire on the first level, which just demolishes everything. Well, this guy utilizes this strategy and some impeccable timing to beat the entire game in less than 12 minutes - it's pretty impressive to watch:
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Hermeneutics applied to a STOP sign
While I don't condone the general stance of the site hosting this list, this is a pretty clever illustration of different types of hermeneutics, copied and pasted from here:
1. A post modernist deconstructs the sign by knocking it over with his car, and thus ends the tyranny of the north-south traffic over the east-west traffic.
2. The Marxist refuses to stop because she sees the stop sign as an instrument of class conflict, since the bourgeois use the north-south route and obstruct the proletariat moving east-west.
3. A serious and educated Catholic rolls through the intersection because he believes he cannot understand the stop sign apart from its interpretive community and tradition. Observing that the interpretive community doesn't take it too seriously, he doesn't feel obligated to take it too seriously either.
4. Average Catholics and mainline denominationalists don't bother to read the sign but will stop if the car in front does.
5. A fundamentalist, taking the text very literally, stops at the stop sign and waits for it to tell her to go.
6. A seminary educated evangelical preacher will research the meaning of "STOP" and discover that the word indicates something which prevents motion (i.e. plug for drain) or a location to leave passengers. The lesson is that STOP signs indicate clogged traffic, so it's a good place to drop riders.
7. An orthodox Jew takes routes devoid of stops to eliminate the risk of disobeying the Law.
8. A scholar from the Jesus Seminar concludes that the passage "STOP" was never uttered by Jesus, since he would not stifle peoples' progress. So, STOP is a textual insertion from stage III of the gospel tradition, when the church was first confronted by traffic in its parking lot.
9. A New Testament scholar notices that there is no stop sign on Mark street but there is one on Matthew and Luke streets, and concludes that the ones on Luke and Matthew streets are both copied from a sign on a street no one has ever seen called "Q" street. Extensive research has been done on the differences between stop signs on Matthew and Luke streets, but nothing to explain the meaning of the text.
10. An Old Testament scholar points out that there are a number of stylistic differences between the first and second half of the STOP. The "ST" contains no enclosed areas and five line endings, whereas "OP" contains two enclosed areas and only one line termination. He concludes that the author for the second part is different from the author on the first part and probably lived hundreds of years later. Other scholars determine that the second half is itself actually written by two separate authors because of similar stylistic differences between the "O" and the "P."
11. Another OT scholar notes that the stop sign would fit better into the context three streets back, having been moved to its present location by a later redactor. He thus exegetes the intersection as though the sign were not there.
12. Yet another OT scholar amends the text, changing the "T" to "H". The resulting SHOP is much easier to understand in context than "STOP" because of the multiplicity of stores in the area. The textual corruption is easily explained as a form geschichte alteration. Thus, the sign announces the existence of a shopping area. If this is true, it could indicate that both meanings are valid, thus making the message "STOP & SHOP."
13. A "prophetic" preacher notices that the square root of the sum of the numeric representations of the letters S-T-O-P (sigma-tau-omicron-pi in Greek), multiplied by 40 (the number of testing), and divided by 4 (the four corners) equals 666, the dreaded "mark of the beast." All STOPS are therefore satanic.
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