Withholding Pancakes

Top Ten Nuclear Bomb Movies

2009-06-25T04:28:04Z

Getting ready for my Missile Silo adventure got me in the mood for

Top Ten Nuclear Bomb Movies

Twilight's Last Gleaming - because I love "serious" 70's techno-thrillers and it takes place in a missile silo. My fave for this list.

Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb- cuz I can't not mention it.

War games - it inspired a generation and the most famous hacker conference

Fail Safe - a Cold War classic that I never have really watched all the way through

The Atomic Cafe - A very good documentary but the Rosenberg part made me very sad.

Thunderball - Bond dealt with a lotta nukes, but here the bomb gets the title role. Also, I always wanted a boat like the bad guy had.

Spies Like Us - cheesy and over-produced but still somehow likable and fun..

Meteor - Use nukes to destroy a rogue rock in space? Yep, Sean Connery did it before Bruce in this 70's classic.

Dark Star - An early John Carpenter film, cited here for it's highly original concept of a self-aware philosophical super-nuke.

The Hunt for Red October - Subs not silos and barely a nuke mention, but Sean Connery and Tom Clancy's best adaptation carry onto the list.

Honorable mentions: Strategic Air Command, The Manhattan Project , Thirteen days.

Ah, sweet memories of my childhood in Hawaii

2009-05-01T17:15:09Z

"In Hawaii's schools, the last day of school before summer was traditionally known as Kill Haole Day"

I found this because it was cross-linked to Beat Up a White Kid Day, which is today.

Yay for special holidays!

Pure gold

2009-04-06T03:55:00Z

Reminds me of the monday morning staff meetings at my old consulting job.

Words fail me.

My two cubits on BSG

2009-03-22T00:37:47Z

I actually like a little religious mystery in my sci-fi. It was one of the great things that I loved about Star Wars and one of the things ruined in Phantom Menace.

For me the BSG finale was all about finding out what was manipulating the characters: A) The Cylon master plan (ala Cavil and Cylon projection) or B) The Hand of God.

I was actually rooting for the Hand of God finale and that was one piece of I was pleased about the end. However the actual execution was pretty cornball. And yeah, I know where they wanted to go - the same place the original series went. Ultimately, that was what made the finale anemic.

Oh well.

Watchmen - What I liked, What I didn't

2009-03-08T03:36:12Z

Saw the Watchmen at the Imax. Pretty good, tho I am still mulling things over. This is a comic (not graphic novel, but mini-series of comics) that I bought off the shelf, one issue at a time, back in the late 80's. It was a particular tough time in my life, and Watchmen and Frank Miller's Daredevil: Born Again, kept me going. I've reread the story at least once a year since then. So yes, this comic means a lot to me.

What I liked:

Deviation from the story, especially the latter half, was actually a good thing.

Actors did a great job, in many ways taking characters I thought were already full-fleshed a step farther.

Great special effects - matching pitch-perfect with the visuals from the comic, even the fantastic stuff

Chopping out of the minor characters (moving some to the Black Freighter DVD) I didn't miss them and they kept the focus back where I did care.

What I didn't like:

The music was hit and miss. Mostly miss. It was one of those cases where it broke the magic and I could feel the director trying to manhandle my emotions.

Short-cuts and characters verbally providing the exposition. Maybe unavoidable, maybe not. Still distract.

Lack of explanations for things (where did Nite Owls gadgets come from? Why so many airships?) In the comic, those were clearly explained, but the plot piece that fueled it was re-arranged in the story.

Abbreviated origin stories for Rorschach and Ozymandias. I wanted more.

Overly long sex and violence scenes. Yes, I am getting old, but in the comic they were shorter but I guess that's not good enough for Hollywood.

Final:
This movie was made for people who read the comic. Except still an attempt was made to provide some sense to people who hadn't read it. In way, that detracted. Ultimately, what I like about Alan Moore as a writer is that he writes for an intelligent audience. He expects you to pay attention. He hides Easter eggs, jewels, and little morsels for the reader to discover through careful examination of the text. That kind of writing is magic to me. It inspires so much of my style of writing. It tickles my brain and makes me smile. All of that was scrubbed out of the movie. For a mainstream pop culture movie, yeah, you gotta hit people over the head with things (literally in this case). And there's no time for delicious details. And to that, I just shrug and sigh. Alan's text is there for me to enjoy. So I think I'll reread it again tonight.

Kinda fun little toy

2009-02-15T23:51:53Z

Hero maker

Page 56 of John Crowley's Little Big

2009-01-16T05:55:43Z

"And his baby August in a sailor suit, who never smelled the sea. He had named him for that month when when the year stands still and blue day follows blue day, when for a while he stopped looking at the sky."

Past, tense

2009-01-10T07:41:42Z

When I was a kid, I loved sci-fi shows (well, I still do). I remember there was this British show that was like Star Trek that was kind of NASA-ish... Space 1999.

The one distinct memory I have of that show that still I carry to this day was of a nightmarish alien monster with a big glowing eye and tentacles. The monster somehow sucked people into it's mouth and the spat their horribly digested bodies. As an adult, I thought back and realized that it was just a child's imagination writ large and it couldn't have been that scary. They'd never show something that on television. And yeah, as a kid, I'm sure I just made it worse in my head over the years. Stupid campy 70's television.

Then I ran across this clip on YouTube.

I was wrong. This was, and still is as scary as ever.

Wish List for Super-Creatives

2008-12-12T22:06:13Z

Make reference books, cuz we can't possibly know it all

Bump keys why let locks limit where you can explore?

Home DNA kit, make your own monsters

Robot Toddler kit, not a robot kit for toddlers

Prop FBI badges, for entertainment purposes only! (wink, wink)

Trebuchet plans, a nice weekend project

Lego Deathstar, cuz childhood never ends.

Personal submarine, for beneath the surface lies the future.

Jacob's Ladder, show the neighborhood your idea of Christmas lights

Seen@Work

2008-12-12T20:38:11Z

SAS-70 audit going on here. Not so much fun.

Secretary walks by the cubes where me and the auditor are sitting.

She's dragging a very large white sack with something heavy in it.
(probably the office Christmas tree)

I turn to the auditor and say:

"That's the last auditor we had. He asked too many questions."

well, I thought it was funny

Hillybilly Hoe-down

2008-12-03T03:25:56Z

Aug loves this book

Which involves reading the lyrics to a square dance. Well, you can't actually read them. You must sing them.

I, of little singing-ability, base the melody on the only possible cranial reference I have to this kind of music. Specifically, this:

I have no idea why this happened, but they can review this entry too.

2008-11-19T04:28:52Z

Dear Withholding Pancakes author,

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August says "Yes, we can."

2008-11-05T06:01:09Z

With her party hat on, of course.

Why haven't you updated this blog, your security blog, or the web-comic author comments?

2008-10-28T03:04:26Z

My typical day

7:00 am - August wakes up

7:01 am - August demands breakfast

7:02 am - Feed August

7:20 am - Clean off August

7:21 am - Pack lunch for August, self

7:22 am - Bathe, dress, answer work email

7:45 am - Help August get out the door with mommy to daycare

7:55 am - Walk dog

8:05 am - Drive to bus stop

8:20 am - Park, walk to bus stop

8:23 am - Miss bus by 30 seconds, wait

8:30 am - Catch second bus

9:00 am - Arrive at work

noon - Eat lunch at desk, work thru lunch

3:00 pm - Realize I need to leave soon, panic

3:30 pm - Race to bus stop

3:32 pm - Miss bus by 30 seconds, wait

3:40 pm - Catch second bus

4:02 pm - Arrive at bus stop, run to car

4:07 pm - Race to day care

4:18 pm - Arrive at day care, attempt to pick up August

4:34 pm - Finally get August in car, head home

4:45 pm - Arrive at home

4:46 pm - Play with August

6:00 pm - Feed August

6:30 pm - Clean off August, hand off to mom for nite-nite

6:31 pm - Cook dinner

7:00 pm - Eat dinner

7:30 pm - Clean up after dinner

8:00 pm - Get on computer, get back to work

9:30 pm - Work done, now my time is my own!

10:30 pm - Time to sleep

I see a firetruck...

2008-10-14T00:09:29Z

I'm starting to hear the song this thing makes in my sleep.

A handful that I could easily find.

TeamDandy

Notes from Nolan

Long Lived Rock

Fit Ness 2008

How many more are our there, suffering alone?

Prescience

2008-09-26T22:18:52Z

Back in the 2000, a Republic friend and I were debating the upcoming election.

Her comment to me was, "Gore and Bush... they're pretty much the same. I mean the only real difference will be in appointing Supreme court judges, that's all."

Wisdom of the crowds

2008-09-02T21:41:19Z

Having a tough day and I needed some advice... so I asked Google's auto-complete thing what it thought Justice is.

Here's what I got:

Justice is blind
Justice is service csi
Justice is coming
Justice is served walkthru
Justice is truth in action
Justice is done
Justice israel
Justice is lost
Justice isaac ejiofor
Justice is worth it lyrics

All I can think is the third bullet is most true right now. But it doesn't mean I have to like it. Maybe my lyrics are different.

Omnivore meme thing or "I'll eat almost anything"

2008-08-20T23:49:23Z

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries - and then found out I was horribly allergic.
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
~~75. Roadkill~~
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Reason #23 why I hate Internet-enabled phones

2008-08-13T20:26:38Z

From the sounds emanating from the bathroom stall adjacent to mine, someone was surfing the web while straddling the can.

Web2.0 Company or Infant Babble by my Daughter?

2008-08-05T16:02:10Z

Wufoo

Tayday

Zoho

Buxfer

Zeer

Toluu

Weeke

Mamma

Bizak

Meebo

Highlight below for answers:

Web 2.0: 1,3,4,5,6,7,9
August: 2
Both:8,10

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world

2008-07-29T23:20:44Z

Last week, it was meetings, resignations, and hardware crashes

This week, it's staff absences, viruses,and email outages.

Someday I hope to get something useful done. Yet, I am so tired of this crap that I'm losing all motivation to try.

The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Guess your Gender

2008-07-28T21:56:20Z

By analyzing your browser history... remotely.

A great argument for monitoring javascript execution in your browser.

Using your browser URL history to estimate gender

Bring it on, bitches. Bring. It. On.

2008-07-23T00:17:16Z

To culminate the end of our two-day marathon on management meetings at work, we're going to have some kind of Throwdown/IronChef/TopChef cooking event thing this Friday.

Nothing like a little friendly game to foster a little friendly competition.

Of course, friendly ain't in my book. My book was written by Sun Tzu.

As for competition? There isn't any.

Let's rock.

Would you rather?

2008-07-22T16:35:13Z

Potentially spoiled milk (via smell test)

or

I'm taking my coffee black this morning.

Nostalgia

2008-07-09T23:43:50Z

They've been buying Kellogg's individual cereal boxes for the snack room at work.

Eating one reminds me of when I was a kid and occasionally the parents bought these as a treat.

I'd savor them along with my Saturday morning cartoons.

Eating one now makes me long for Bugs Bunny.