life, and a little more

Two For The Conspiracy Theorists

May 15

metalman777Life, documentaries, movies conspiracy theories, documentary, movies No Comments

I’m starting to turn into a documentary nut!  I love Netflix and the fact they have soooooo many great documentaries to choose from.

This go around, I picked out two that I had seen before (but twas a long time ago and I didn’t remember them that well). 

Did We Go? was directed by Aron Ranen and in it he tries to prove that the Apollo Moon Landing actually happened.  The film summary is this:

A tongue-in-cheek documentary explores the controversial conspiracy theory that asserts that, in 1969, U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong spoke the famous words “one small step for man, one giant step for mankind” from an earthbound film set, not the moon. In investigating the claims of an Apollo 11 hoax, Ranen uncovers a KKK faction at the Kennedy Space Center, slave-owning Nazis, hippies, soused space cowboys and more.

You probably laugh, as I did!  But I’ll be darned if this documentary makes you think “that could totally be possible!”  I had no idea of the Nazi connection to our space program and that is actually very well documented. 

The next film to watch is entitled “The Who Killed the Electric Car?“.  In light of gas being over $4 a gallon here in California, this documentary is a must see.

Amid ever-increasing gas prices, this documentary delves into the short life of the GM EV1 electric car — once all the rage in the mid-1990s and now fallen by the roadside. How could such an efficient, green-friendly vehicle fail to transform our garages and skies? Through interviews with government officials, former GM employees and concerned celebs (such as EV1 driver Mel Gibson), Chris Paine (former EV1 owner) seeks to answer the question.

I’ve heard  of the carburetor that gets over 100 miles a gallon on late not AM radio shows.   I very much believe that the big oil companies have bought that patent and are sitting on it. 

Who Killed the Electric Car is a good film.  It tries to resolve the mystery of why GM would pull such a popular car that was loved by its owners, was very cost effective and very environmentally friendly.

I’m not a big believer in global warming, but I know that all our car emissions are harmful for the air we breathe.  Why kill production on a car that has zero emissions and runs as fast as a regular car?

So, if you have just a hint of conspiracy theorist in you, in know you’ll enjoy these two documentaries.  If you have seen ‘em, comment and let me know what you think!

Decadent Super Heroes

May 15

metalman777art, comics comics, humor No Comments

I found this wonderful link on digg and thought you all might enjoy this flavor of humor also!

A very good artist by the name of Donald Soffritti has rendered a few Supers advanced in age, and the results are pretty startling.

Here is The Flash, racing to the bathroom!  I know how you feel ‘ol buddy.

Wonder Woman has not fared well in old age either.

To check out the rest of the drawings, you can visit Donald Soffritti’s website.

The site is in Italian, but don’t let that stop you from viewing his awesome artwork!

Cabin Fever

May 09

metalman777Lost Cabin Fever, Lost No Comments

Lost sure is at the top of its game.  Last night’s episode, entitled Cabin Fever, was action packed and of course, packed with events that raise even more questions!!

The few questions that jump into my mind are:  why the heck is Jack’s dad in Jacob’s cabin?  Why the heck is Claire there too?  What was on Keamy’s arm?  How did the doc wash up on the Island a few days ago, but only is just murdered? Why does Richard Alpert never age?

Thankfully, Lostpedia is alive and well.  Here is another overview from that great Lost resource!  If you need more Lost insight, head over to The Lost Blog.

Trivia

General

• Not including “Ji Yeon” (in which the flashback runs alongside the flashforward), this is the first episode since “D.O.C.” to feature conventional pre-crash flashbacks of an Oceanic 815 survivor.
• A Geronimo Jackson poster and photograph of Sir Richard Burton, explorer are visible in teenage Locke’s locker.
• Horace Goodspeed, in Locke’s dream, mentions that he has been dead for 12 years. This places the date of the Purge on December 19, 1992 (December 19 being Ben’s birthday).
• Ben and Hurley share what appears to be an Apollo Bar while they wait for Locke to come out of the cabin.
• Christian, who usually appears in a suit, wears clothes that look more like what The Others and Jacob might wear.
• The second protocol Keamy grabs from the safe has dharma symbols on the pages and on the cover.

Production notes

• Charlotte, Daniel, Miles, and Sawyer do not appear in this episode.
• Kate, Sun and Jin appear but have no lines.
• The single of “Everyday” by Buddy Holly was released in July of 1957, over one year after Locke’s birthdate of May 30, 1956. It would be impossible for Emily to have been playing this record the night of John’s birth. (source: [1])

Recurring themes

• Locke’s eye is shown twice. (Eyes)
• Keamy kills Captain Gault and Ray. (Life and Death)
• Keamy tries to kill Michael but the gun jams. (Fate versus free will)
• Locke’s mother gives birth. (Pregnancies) (Children)
• Locke is born premature. (Pregnancies) (Children)
• Locke survives many illnesses as an infant. (Life and Death)
• Locke shows an aptitude for backgammon as a child. (Games)
• Locke’s mother has issues with her mother. (Parent Issues)
• It is raining when Emily rushes out of her house and has a car accident. (Rain) (Car accidents)
• The men on the freighter hear the survivor’s transmission informing them that they have found the doctor’s corpse before he is killed on the ship. (Time)
• Michael is being held in a room somewhere on the boat. (Imprisonment) (Isolation)
• Captain Gault says that he will tell Keamy that Sayid stole the boat. (Deceptions and cons)
• Young Locke argues that science can’t solve everything. (Science versus faith)
• Locke meets Goodspeed in a dream. (Dreams)
• Locke is given reincarnation/rebirth test by Richard. (Rebirth)
• Ben tells Locke that he used to find answers in dreams. (Dreams)
• Richard Alpert watches John and makes contact with him at different stages of John’s life. Even so, he does not appear to age. (Time)

Cultural references

• Star Wars: Lapidus mentions Mayhew has died, a reference to Peter Mayhew who played Chewbacca. (Movies and TV)
• Star Trek: Generations: When Locke meets Goodspeed, he is chopping down a tree. This is very similar to a scene in Star Trek: Generations where Captain Picard meets Captain Kirk in the Nexus as he is chopping wood. (Movies and TV)
• The test given to young Locke by Richard Alpert strongly resembles the Tibetan Buddhist ritual used to confirm a reincarnated tulku (the Dalai Lama being the most widely known). (Religion and ideologies)
• Young Locke is playing backgammon. (Games)
• The Bible: As the nurses wheel out Emily’s premature baby, she yells out, “His name is John!”, a direct quote from Luke 1:63, when Zechariah and Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist. (Religion and ideologies)
• The comic book Richard Alpert shows young Locke is “Mystery Tales” issue #40, which was published in April of 1956 by Atlas Comics. The cover contains the text “What was the Secret of the Mysterious Hidden Land?” and “Does it Pay to Ignore the Voice of Warning?”
• Buddy Holly’s song “Everyday” is heard in the first flashback. Buddy Holly was a famous victim of a plane crash.
• Myth Of Sisyphus – Horace Goodspeed is seen cutting down a tree, only to have that tree reappear uncut, which he then cuts down again in a seemingly repetative loop. This is an apparent reference to the myth of Sisyphus, who the gods punish by forcing him to push a boulder up a hill, only to have the boulder roll back down for him to push again in a eternally repeating loop. (Philosophy)
• The X-Men: Richard Alpert’s line “I’m Richard, John. I run a school for kids who are… extremely special, and I have reason to believe that you might be one them.” is almost word for word a very common line spoken by Charles Xavier (Professor X) in the various incarnations of “X-Men” when recruiting young mutants. (Movies and TV) (Books)

Literary techniques

• Richard Alpert is present at Locke‘s birth, and later attempts to recruit him into the Others. (Plot twist) (Mindf*ck)
• Locke tells Hurley that they will make a pit stop, actually taking him to a pit. (Irony)
• Locke says “Don’t tell me what I can’t do!” (Regularly spoken phrases)
• Locke wants to be a superhero and chooses the knife. (Foreshadowing)

Storyline analysis

• Hurley says “I thought you were the leader” to Ben, and Ben says “not always”. (Leadership)

Episode references

The DHARMA logo on the handbook Keamy takes from the safe is the same one on the chest of the jacket Ben was wearing in Tunisia in “The Shape of Things to Come”

• Keamy’s gun jams when he tries to shoot Michael. (Meet Kevin Johnson)
• Omar tells Ray about the Morse Code transmission that Daniel sent regarding Ray’s apparent death. (The Shape of Things to Come)
• Matthew Abaddon tells Locke he should go on a walkabout. (Walkabout)
• An unfamiliar character puts music on. (Man of Science, Man of Faith) (A Tale of Two Cities)
• The true story of Locke’s birth is revealed. Emily is going on a date with an unidentified older man, whom she says she is in love with. Emily once told her son that he was very special, and that he had no father because he was ‘immaculately conceived’. (“Deus Ex Machina“)
• John is recruited by Richard Alpert to come join Mittelos. (“Not in Portland“)
• Like Juliet, John does not understand why Mittelos is interested in him. (“Not in Portland“)
• The mass grave is revisited (“The Man Behind the Curtain“)
• One of the items Richard shows Locke is a compass, much like the one Locke gave Sayid in Season 1.
• One of the items Richard shows Locke is the ‘Book of Laws’. In “What Kate Did“, Eko tells Locke a story about a King who rebuilt the Church using the Book of Laws, and then reveals part of the Orientation tape hidden inside a book.
• One of the items Richard shows Locke is a knife, much like the one Ben gave to Locke in (The Brig).
• After a car accident, Emily Locke (initials: EL) gives birth to John 3 months premature. As newborn Locke is removed from the hospital room, Emily calls out “His name is John! Call him John!”. Later in the episode John meets Horace Goodspeed in a dream, who directs John how to find the cabin. This mirrors Ben’s birth story from “The Man Behind the Curtain“: On the side of a road in Portland, Emily Linus (initials: EL) gives birth to Ben 2 months premature. As Emily dies from a hemorrhage, her last words are “Call him Benjamin.” Roger Linus had flagged down a car driven by Horace Goodspeed, who then takes Roger and newborn Ben to the Island.” (“The Man Behind the Curtain“)
• The DHARMA logo on the handbook Keamy takes from the safe is the same one on the chest of the jacket Ben was wearing in Tunisia. (“The Shape of Things to Come“)

Unanswered questions

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Cabin Fever/Theories

Flashback

• Why did Richard think Locke was special?
  • Which were the items that belonged to John already?
  • Why was he disappointed in Locke’s choice?
  • Why did they want to recruit Locke for Mittelos Bioscience Science Camp?
• What happened during Abbadon‘s walkabout?

On the Island

• How was Ray alive after he washes up on the beach?
• What is the device strapped to Keamy’s arm?
• How is Locke supposed to move the island?
• Where is Jacob, and why are Christian and Claire in his cabin?
  • Is Claire dead or alive?
• Where is the “one place” that Ben would go to hide, as stated by Keamy on the ship?
  • What is the book that Keamy is holding before they leave?

Two Great Documentaries

May 08

metalman777Life, documentaries, movies documentaries No Comments

I’ve had the chance to see two marvelous documentaries (thanks Netflix!) and both have made me think and re-evaluate things in my own life.

Maxed Out is a deep look at the effects of debt in the lives of Americans.  It has a personal touch with some great vintage video footage.  If you have the chance to rent it or borrow it from a friend, I say watch it!

Amazon.com says this about the film:

In Maxed Out, author/director James D. Scurlock (Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders) takes on America’s debt crisis. Consequently, he touches on related issues like race, corporate malfeasance, and political subterfuge. Scurlock’s multi-media approach incorporates statistics, news excerpts, and interviews, but it’s rarely dull (comedy bits from Louis CK and tunes from Queen and Coldplay don’t hurt). Speakers include economic professors, debt collectors, pawn brokers, investigative reporters, beleaguered consumers, and even Robin Leach (Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous). Instead of New York and Los Angeles, he concentrates on mid-size cities, like Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, and Seattle. Plenty of small towns also come into play. Though he never presses the point himself, Scurlock allows his subjects to note the similarities between the credit industry and the drug trade (others use such incendiary terms as “rape”). One thing he neglects to mention, however, is pride. If house payments are ruining your life, selling that property may be the only solution. In most cases, however, it’s hard not to feel for those individuals who didn’t know what they were getting into before they signed their lives away. For some viewers, this will be a dispiriting documentary–three subjects recount the suicides of relatives who found their debt too much to bear–but in explaining exactly how lenders and creditors make money, Maxed Out can help others to avoid some of their most egregious practices. In other words, debt may be a downer, but knowledge is power. –Kathleen C. Fennessy

Maxed Out hits very close to home for me.  I, like many fellow Americans, am in debt and I hate it!  After seeing this documentary, I feel like I’ve been played like a chump because the credit card companies know how to exploit us like nobodies business!  This documentary would be perfectly family friendly but for about 1 minute of a comedian using some adult language.

This film was a great kick in the pants for me.  I have read Dave Ramsey’s book, The Total Money Makeover, but I need to re-read it again.  Maybe I’ll blog about that as I read through it.  Ramsey does a great job revealing the myths of debt and gives the reader real world steps for getting out of debt.

On a different note, the second documentary I viewed was called “For the Bible Tells Me So“.   Two years ago I never would’ve watched this film.  I had the same mindset as presented in this documentary.  The Bible says homosexuality is wrong and therefore gay people are evil and willfully sinning and want to destroy Christianity.  I never really thought about the individual and their struggle to find out who they are and why they feel the way they do.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still very much a Christian and I still think homosexuality is not God’s design for us, but I’ve lost most of my self righteous attitude towards the people calling themselves gay and lesbian. 

This documentary is very tastefully done and honestly tells the story of how the American Church has persecuted the homosexual community.  I was actually embarrassed as I watched because I used to feel exactly the same way as the Christians presented here.  The American Church has tagged homosexuality the bane of all evil and that gay marriage will ruin civilization as we know it.  I honestly think that if Jesus were here on earth in this day, He would love and minister to gay people, not marginalize them.  His attitude would be far from the prevalent attitude shown by the American Church.  He’d be less concerned about gay marriage and more concerned with being friends and loving the homosexual community.

I’m very glad that I carved out some time (well, mostly driving time as I worked) to watch and listen to these two films.  Both have challenged me, as all good documentaries should.

The Office Org Charts

May 06

metalman777The Office Dwight Schrute, The Office No Comments

The Office was back to Season 1 form with this last episode, entitled “Did I Stutter?”

NBC has just made Dwight’s Org Charts available!  Click here to download the first chart and here for the emergency overlay.

>

Maybe There is Nothing Nice Back Home

May 02

metalman777Lost Lost, tv No Comments

Sure was good to see Lost in top form last night.  I totally did not see Jack’s proposal coming at all!  Christian Shepherd was sure busy.  That guy is starting to give me the creeps.

As always, here are some trivia points and pieces of crucial information that might have been overlooked.  The following was taken from Lostpedia.com.

Also, check out The Lost Blog and The Tail Section for some more info.

Trivia

General

• By virtue of the Yankees/Red Sox and Indians/Mariners scores in the newspaper article, only one date is viable for the publication of the paper: August 31, 2007. Article states Yankees finish their sweep of the Red Sox with winning pitcher Cheng Mei Wang beating Curt Schilling 5-0. The only occurrence of this game is the date above. Whether this is meant to be canon, or simply a production oversight, remains to be seen.
• Early in the episode Claire mentions her relief at not “seeing things anymore”. This is a reference to a scene cut out of the previous episode where Claire has a prophetic vision. ^{[source needed]}
• This is the first time in the series that, while the mysterious whispers are heard, the listener doesn’t get startled — Miles is a psychic and consciously tries to extract information from what he hears. It is implied that his approach might have its merits, since he gets Danielle’s and Karl’s names and burial sites from the whispers.

Production notes

• The Yankees/Red Sox newspaper article is by “Gregg Bilson, Staff Writer”. Gregg Bilson is the founder of Independent Studio Services, a company that produces props for the film and television industry (Bilson brand cigarette props appear in Lost). The email address marvin.mancia@studiographics.us also appears in the article. The address studiographics.us is used by Independent Studio Services. Much of the text seen in the article appears in a real New York Times article here.
• Ben, Desmond, Locke, Michael, and Sayid do not appear in this episode.
• John Terry appears as Christian Shepard but was not listed ahead of time in the offical ABC press release.

Bloopers and continuity errors

Jack does not have an appendectomy scar in the future, although this may be a result of the Island’s healing powers.

Recurring themes

• The episode starts with a close up of Jack’s closed eye. (Eyes)
• Rose calls Charlotte “Red”. (Nicknames)
• Sawyer calls Miles “Donger”. (Nicknames)
• Kate says that Jack never says anything good about his father. (Parent issues)
• Jack proposes to Kate. (Relationships)
• Jin figures out that Charlotte speaks Korean. (Character secrets)
• Miles finds Karl and Danielle‘s dead bodies (Life and death)
• Aaron has a black and white whale doll. (Animals)  (Black and white)
• Jack’s life is threathened if his appendix ruptures. (Life and death)
• Jin pledges to do everything to get Sun of the Island. (Sacrifice)
• Jack has his appendix removed. (Missing body parts)
• Rose questions if Jack’s infected appendix is caused by the Island. (Fate)  (Healing properties)  (Faith versus science)
• Claire and Jack both see their father. (Visions)
• Claire seemingly leaves Aaron in the jungle. (Parent issues)
• Jack is sedated for the operation against his will. (Fate versus free will)
• Frank alerts Sawyer and his pack to hide so they won’t be seen and killed by Keamy and the other mercenaries. (Deceptions and cons)
• Jack pretends to be unconscious while Juliet and Kate talk about love. (Deceptions and cons)
• Jack is awaken by his assistant calling him up, saying she has to do so because Jack has problems with dates. (Time)

Cultural references

• Star Wars: Jack steps on a Millennium Falcon toy. (Movies and TV)
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: Jack reads a section from the beginning of this book to Aaron. (Books)

Literary techniques

• Hurley mentions more visits from Charlie than the ones seen in previous episodes. (Unseen character)
• Even after the events portrayed in previous episodes, Jack and Kate eventually develop an unexpected off-Island romantic relationship. (Plot twist)
• Claire is mysteriously missing, apparently having abandoned Aaron at the end of the episode. (Cliffhanger)
• Jack, the surgeon, comes out as a stubborn patient in an operation performed on him by someone else. (Irony)
• Jack is seen taking self-prescribed pills both on the Island and in his flash-forward. (Juxtaposition)

Storyline analysis

• Juliet tells Kate that Jack kissed Juliet to try to prove to himself that he wasn’t in love with someone else. (Rivalries)
• Jack is incapacitated and Juliet and Bernard must perform surgery on him. (Leadership)
• Juliet and Bernard knock Jack unconscious during the surgery against his wishes. (Leadership)
• Sawyer imposes himself as the leader of his pack by imposing a restraining order against Miles. (Leadership)

Episode references

• Kate tells Jack to “let it go”. (“A Tale of Two Cities“)
• Richard Malkin convinced Claire to give up her child for adoption to a couple in Los Angeles, who he said were “good people“. (“Raised by Another“)
• Jack gets the same medication (Clonazepam) as Hurley does/did. (“Dave“)
• A nurse shows jack X-rays of someone’s L4 vertebra. Ben’s tumor was on his L4 vertebra. (“Every Man for Himself“)
• There is a ladybug on Jack and Kate’s refrigerator, just like the one in Santa Rosa hospital. (“The Beginning of the End“)

Unanswered questions

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Something Nice Back Home/Theories

Flashforward

• What was Kate doing for Sawyer?
• Why did Sawyer decide to stay on the Island?
• Why is Jack not supposed to raise Aaron?
• How is Christian appearing to Jack?

On the Island

• Where did Christian lead Claire to?
  • Why did she leave Aaron behind?

Ha Ha, Jokes On Me

May 01

metalman777humor, music eternal decision, metallica's new album, music 1 Comment

I’m always looking for new music. So when I had the chance to listen to the new Metallica, I jumped on it like nobody’s business! I quickly put the new album on my iPod and fired it up with much anticipation.

The guitars start blaring with the crunchy metal madness of old Metallica….the double bass drum beating with gusto…..the vocals intense and passionate, but a little muffled….crap this is good stuff…..

 Wait a sec, what was that chorus?

Risen…renewed in Christ
I’m risen….risen with Christ

Now I thought I did a good job keeping up with music news. No where have I even remotely heard that Metallica had become a Christian band. The music has to be Metallica, that sounds exactly like Master of Puppets coming out of my speakers. Isn’t that James Hetfield singing?

What the heck is going on here? I reach way back into my memory and remember a Christian thrash band called Eternal Decision. They sounded EXACTLY like Metallica, note for note. I do a quick search on wikipedia.org and find the song titles from Eternal Decision’s self titled albumand sure enough, those songs are the one’s playing on my iPod.

Some hoaxter put up a bit torrent labelled “New Metallica” filled with Eternal Decision’s music. Now that is funny! I’d love to see some of the metalhead’s faces when they hear “Metallica” singing about Jesus!

I fell for it, hook line and sinker!

New Blog Segment: Lost But Now Found (music I should’ve listened to but somehow missed..)

May 01

metalman777lost but now found!, music alice cooper, music No Comments

I like to consider myself a music connoisseur. I’ve been a madly avid music buff since the age of 13 and have an iTunes library that fills up an entire 300Gb hard drive.

Every now and again I run across an album that I somehow miss and I have one of those famous “D’OH!!” moments and wonder how the heck that happened.

I had one such moment yesterday. I had put some Alice Cooper on my iPod and selected the album “Trash“. Immediately the song Poison starts playing, and I take a trip down memory lane. I’ve heard this song before, and I love the sugary pop-metal goodness of it. After Poison is finished, Spark in the Dark starts and then House of Fire and then Why Trust You and the album plays until I’m your Gun….Every song on this album is total and utter pop-metal greatness!! How in all that is good did I miss this album in 1989?

Well, you can read my story in this blog post here and that’ll tell you why I did miss it. I’m just glad I’ve had the chance to listen to this incredible album.

There is absolutely not one bad song on this thing. I guess you could call this album a love album, as only Alice Cooper can write.  The songs are fun and over the top.  Upon hearing them, I could totally imagine the glory of 80′s hair metal, with the band posing and having fun on stage. I looked up the videos from this album, and sure enough, I was not mistaken!

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=1RRY0R0Xgl0]
The video for the song Poison.

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=IX701UimhTM]
The song House of Fire

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=s_CRjq96B5k]
The song Bed of Nails
As you can see, these videos are great! Total 80′s hair/pop metal cheesiness in all its glory!