tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61132496995674655602024-02-08T10:55:19.469-05:00The SupergeneralistMovies and television. Sports and games. Politics and religion. Facts and opinion. Heckle and Jeckle.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-58817266106859038812011-07-12T11:24:00.001-04:002011-07-12T11:25:21.914-04:00Awesome Article from The Art of Manliness: How to Build the Ultimate Survival Shotgun<a class="vt-p" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheArtOfManliness/~3/FQEpr4DpFo4/">Arming Yourself for the Zombie Apocalypse: How to Build the Ultimate Survival Shotgun</a>: "<br />
<img alt="" height="297" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-artofmanliness-t-shirt-3.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-artofmanliness-t-shirt-3" width="400" /><br />
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<em>Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Creek Stewart of <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.willowhavenoutdoor.com./">Willow Haven Outdoor.</a></em><br />
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As a Survival and Preparedness instructor, I take my line of work very seriously–sometimes too seriously. Occasionally, though, I like to take on survival projects that are just downright fun. This article highlights one of those projects.<br />
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I’m fortunate in that I’ve been able to turn my passion into my profession–this being the study of Survival and Preparedness. I’ve always enjoyed building survival kits of all shapes and sizes. I enjoy the challenge of fitting lifesaving survival necessities into small compact containers. I’ve built survival kits using film canisters, candy tins, key-rings, boxes, bottles, tubes, bags and everything in-between. <strong>For this project, I decided to build a survival kit using a shotgun platform–creating the Ultimate Survival Shotgun.</strong> My challenge was that everything had to be included in or on the gun itself–no extra pack items or containers. Below is what I did as well as the survival logic behind each decision.<br />
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Ultimately your survival needs fall into five main categories. Your situation dictates the order. They are:<br />
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<ul><li>Water</li>
<li>Fire</li>
<li>Shelter</li>
<li>Signaling</li>
<li>Food</li>
</ul><br />
Every survival kit must include contents that directly or indirectly meet these five basic survival needs. <strong>The shotgun platform I decided to use is the Mossberg 500 – PUMP</strong>. I chose a pump action because it is easier for me to troubleshoot and work on in the field compared to other models. I chose the Mossberg brand because it is a very popular gun, and there are literally hundreds of aftermarket modification pieces and parts designed to fit this gun. I knew I would want to add on some of these extras to increase the gun’s survival value. Below is a photo of the shotgun “off the shelf”–before my survival modifications.<br />
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<div style="width: 400px;"><br />
<img alt="" height="289" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-off-the-shelf.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-off-the-shelf" width="400" /><br />
Mossberg 500 Pump Action Shotgun Before Survival/Zombie Modifications<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">I will now break down each survival modification and detail why it was included in the final build.</div><br />
<h3><strong>Ammunition</strong></h3><br />
First things first: the gun itself. A shotgun’s primary purpose is hunting. Clearly, you can use this shotgun as a hunting weapon to “restock” on valuable calories. Humans can go for three weeks without food, but it’s not fun. Lack of food leads to light-headedness, weakness, and poor decisions. In a survival situation, meat is the fastest and most effective way to replenish lost calories. Meat comes in all shapes and sizes. Carrying different shot shells designed for different applications increases your chances of a successful hunt. For this reason, I chose to pack a variety of shotgun shells:<br />
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<ul><li><strong>Bird Shot</strong>: Designed for birds and other small game such as rabbit and squirrel.</li>
<li><strong>00 Buck:</strong> Good for turkey and larger game such as deer.</li>
<li><strong>Slug</strong>: Designed for large game such as deer, hog, or elk.</li>
</ul><br />
<div style="width: 400px;"><br />
<img alt="" height="362" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-shells.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-shells" width="400" /><br />
Your Arsenal: Bird Shot, Buck Shot, and Slugs<br />
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</div><br />
In addition to hunting, a shotgun is an excellent self-defense weapon. It’s easy to imagine the need for a self-defense weapon in an urban or wilderness survival scenario–defending you or your family from man or animal. Not only is a pump action shotgun a proven deterrent, but it also has some serious knockdown power. Because of these 2 considerations (hunting & self defense), I wanted to carry as much ammo on the gun as I could. I filled the magazine and the chamber which holds 7 + 1. I also added a side saddle shell holder and a screw on stock mount shell holder which together extends my total capacity to 19 rounds of ammunition. Not bad at all.<br />
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<div style="width: 400px;"><br />
<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-side-saddle.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-side-saddle" width="400" /><br />
Side Saddle for Holding Shells<br />
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<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-stock-side-saddle.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-stock-side-saddle" width="400" /><br />
Side Saddle on the Stock<br />
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</div><br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Signal Flares</strong></h3><br />
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<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-flare-in-sky.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-flare-in-sky" width="400" /><br />
Special shotgun shells allow you to fire signal flares.<br />
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</div><br />
You are probably wondering what the short orange rounds are on the stock side saddle. These are specialty signaling flare rounds designed for 12 gauge shotguns. These flares fire over 300 feet and can be seen for miles. They are the perfect signaling solution for a shotgun survival kit. Not only are these EXCELLENT rescue signals but they can also be fired into a prepared fire pit to start a fire. In survival, multi-use products are key.<br />
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<h3><strong>Knife</strong></h3><br />
<div style="width: 400px;"><br />
<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-ka-bar-knife.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-ka-bar-knife" width="400" /><br />
5” Ka-Bar Knife Mounted on a Picatinny Rail<br />
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</div><br />
I know from experience that one of the most important survival resources is a good quality knife. It can assist in almost every survival related task. I found a great 5” Ka-Bar brand knife designed to mount directly to a picatinny rail. The stock Mossberg shotgun does not have picatinny mounts, so I purchased a barrel mount picatinny rail unit. This makes the knife easily accessible for quick deployment. A knife can perform thousands of survival tasks including dressing game, cutting wood and cordage, striking a fire steel, digging, scraping, prying, slicing, and the list goes on and on. I prefer a larger survival knife, but this one will work just fine. I sacrificed size for the seamless integrated mount option.<br />
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<h3><strong>Flashlight</strong></h3><br />
<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-flashlight.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-flashlight" width="400" /><br />
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Another tool that assists in survival is a light source. Without a flashlight, low-light work or travel can be very difficult & dangerous–sometimes impossible. Not only can a flashlight allow you to be productive in low-light conditions, but it can also be used as a nighttime signaling device. A good flashlight can also help prevent injuries in dark conditions. I purchased a flashlight with a picatinny rail holder for the other side of my barrel. The push button switch on this flashlight is also a compass. Now, I have a means to confirm direction as well. This can certainly be useful in any survival scenario.<br />
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<div style="width: 400px;"><br />
<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-compass-flashlight.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-compass-flashlight" width="400" /><br />
Flashlight/Compass combo will ensure you never get lost.<br />
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</div><br />
<h3><strong>Storage</strong></h3><br />
At this point I need to be thinking about storage space to house several other crucial survival items. After much consideration, I opted for 2 additional modifications which gave me 3 separate storage areas. I first replaced the standard stock with an integrated pistol grip/stock combo unit. The rubber butt plate unscrews and detaches, revealing a generously sized compartment inside of the stock.<br />
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<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-stock-container.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-stock-container" width="400" /><br />
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In addition, the pistol grip is hollow which allows for more storage.<br />
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<img alt="" height="260" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-pistol-grip-container.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-pistol-grip-container" width="400" /><br />
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I went one step further and replaced the pump hand grip with a picatinny version mounted on a picatinny compatible vertical grip.<br />
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<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-vertical-grip.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-vertical-grip" width="400" /><br />
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<h3><strong>Fire</strong></h3><br />
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<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-fire-kit.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-fire-kit" width="400" /><br />
Fire kit that's stored in the vertical grip.<br />
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</div><br />
This particular grip is already designed to store extra batteries and has a water tight seal. This makes an excellent area to store fire starting materials. In here, I stored 6 waterproof matches and a striker. I also stuffed in some steel wool and a package of WetFire brand fire starting material. Both of these are excellent fire starting aids even in damp conditions.<br />
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<div style="width: 400px;"><br />
<img alt="" height="188" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-fire-steel.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-fire-steel" width="400" /><br />
Quick Access Fire and Steel Setup<br />
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</div><br />
Before I started assembling items to be stored inside of the stock, I carved a groove along the top of the stock to fit a blank fire steel rod. I used epoxy to permanently secure this in place. I like the idea of having quick access to the fire steel without taking the time to open a storage area. Using the back side of the Ka-Bar, I can strike a shower of sparks into one of my fire starting materials to quickly ignite a fire.<br />
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<h3><strong>Multi-Tool</strong></h3><br />
<div style="width: 400px;"><br />
<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-multitool.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-multitool" width="400" /><br />
Store your multi-tool in the hollow pistol grip.<br />
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</div><br />
In the hollow pistol grip I stored a small Gerber Multi-Tool with pliers, large flathead screwdriver, small flat head screwdriver, cross point screwdriver, small knife, nail file, and tweezers. All of these tools can be useful in a survival situation. I carved a custom rubber plug for the bottom of the pistol grip from a cheap rubber door stop and spray painted it black. It is a perfect and secure fit.<br />
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<h3><strong>Survival Kit</strong></h3><br />
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<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shot-gun-kit-contents.jpg" title="survival-shot-gun-kit-contents" width="400" /><br />
A survival kit that fits in the butt stock of your shotgun.<br />
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</div><br />
Next I assembled a variety of survival kit items to be stored in the butt stock compartment. To remove the rubber butt plate, I use the cross point driver on the multi-tool. Below are the items that I included in this kit and why.<br />
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<ul><li><strong>4”x6” Aluminum Baking Pan:</strong> Available at any grocery store, this aluminum bread pan can be folded flat for compact storage. A metal container is invaluable <strong></strong>in any survival scenario. It can be used to boil water which kills bacteria, virus, and cysts. Boiling water is a 100% effective method of water purification. This container can also be used for other cooking tasks as well as water collection. The reflective metal also makes an excellent signaling device.</li>
<li><strong>Trash Bag:</strong> A trash bag has a myriad of survival uses. Some of the most practical are poncho, water collection, ground tarp, make-shift shelter, solar still, and flotation device.</li>
<li><strong>Fishing Kit:</strong> This kit includes 20 feet of 30 lb test line, 5 assorted fish hooks and 3 sinkers. Not only can these items be used for fishing but the line can also be used as cordage for shelter building, gear repairs, or animal snares. Bank lines can be set at night to work while you rest.</li>
<li><strong>2 Non-Lubricated Condoms: </strong>By design, condoms are watertight. They make amazing water containers–capable of holding about 1 liter of water each. They are very lightweight and compact and make great back-up water collection and storage containers. They can also be used to protect fire materials such as matches and dry tinder. You can also fill these with clear (but not purified) water and leave them in the sun for 48 hours for UV purification.</li>
<li><strong>Water Purification Tablets:</strong> Boiling water is not always possible or practical. Chemical water treatment tablets are an excellent back-up water purification solution. They weigh virtually nothing and take up very little space. You can fill up a condom with water and use a tablet to purify it. They also have a very long shelf life. Chemical tablets are not very effective on cloudy or dirty water. The water must be fairly clear. You can pre-filter using clothing or a bandana.</li>
<li><strong>Emergency Survival Blanket: </strong>These survival blankets are designed to reflect and trap your body heat in a cold weather survival scenario. They also make excellent make-shift shelters, ground tarps, ponchos, rescue signals, and fire heat reflectors.</li>
<li><strong>First Aid Supplies:</strong> (packed in zip lock bag): 3 adhesive bandages, 30 SPF sun block packet, 2 wound closure strips, 2 Ibuprofen pills, 2 Acetaminophen pills, 2 Calcium Carbonate pills.</li>
<li><strong>Carmex Lip Balm: </strong>Not only for obvious reasons, but this petroleum based product can be mixed with natural fire tinder such as cattail down. Doing so can extend burn-time up to 5 minutes which is very helpful in fire building. This is an excellent multi-use product.</li>
<li><strong>Whistle:</strong> Even though I have signal flares, a rescue whistle is always a good idea.</li>
<li><strong>Small Bic Lighter:</strong> This is the easiest way to start a fire.</li>
<li><strong>Snare Wire: </strong> Snares can work for you while you are working on other tasks–such as sleep. I’ve included 25 feet of snare wire for building traps. This can also be used as cordage or binding for a variety of projects.</li>
</ul><br />
<div style="width: 400px;"><br />
<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-shelter.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-shelter" width="400" /><br />
Emergency blanket in survival kit can be used for shelter.<br />
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</div><br />
I carefully wrapped most of the items inside of the trash bag for water proofing and then stored everything in the stock storage area. All of the kit items only weigh a few ounces.<br />
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<div style="width: 400px;"><br />
<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-kit-in-stock.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-kit-in-stock" width="400" /><br />
What the survival kit looks like in the butt stock.<br />
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</div><br />
<h3><strong>Saw</strong></h3><br />
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<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-saw.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-saw" width="400" /><br />
Makeshift Survival Saw<br />
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</div><br />
One tool that I use extensively while on survival trips is a handheld folding saw. It’s not practical to include one of these in this shotgun kit. However, I did incorporate a suitable work-around. A saw is an excellent tool for cutting larger fire wood or collecting limbs & trees for shelter building. I purchased 2 replacement bow saw blades and cut them down to fit the span between the back of the pistol grip and the butt stock sling stud. I added another sling stud to the bottom back of the pistol grip which allowed for 2 anchor points. Using 2 small bolts which I keep in the stock, I can secure 1 of the saw blades on these sling studs–creating a perfect make-shift bow saw. I chose to pack 1 blade designed for wood and 1 blade designed for metal to give me versatility in a variety of survival scenarios. The blades easily tuck into the butt stock compartment when not in use.<br />
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<div style="width: 400px;"><br />
<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-saw-in-action.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-saw-in-action" width="400" /><br />
Saw in action.<br />
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</div><br />
<h3><strong>Cordage</strong></h3><br />
<div style="width: 400px;"><br />
<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-paracord-sling-mounted.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-paracord-sling-mounted" width="400" /><br />
Make your gun sling from braided paracord.<br />
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</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">At this point I am still lacking sufficient cordage. Never underestimate how important cordage can be in a survival scenario. My favorite cordage is 550 Parachute Cord. I always like to keep as mush 550 paracord with me as possible. It can be used for all kinds of survival functions from climbing ropes to shelter construction. 550 paracord is comprised of 7 inner strands which can be used independently as well. These lines make excellent snares and fishing line. For this reason, I also added a shotgun sling made from approximately 80 feet of braided paracord. If necessary I can unravel the sling and use it accordingly.</div><br />
<div style="width: 400px;"><br />
<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-paracord-sling.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-paracord-sling" width="400" /><br />
Another view of the paracord gun sling<br />
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</div><br />
<h3><strong>Bandana</strong></h3><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" height="283" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-bandana.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-bandana" width="400" /></div><br />
I finished off the sling by tying on a bandana. I have used a bandana in more ways than I can count while camping and backpacking. It is an incredible multi-use product that I know for a fact would be very useful in a survival situation. Below are just 15 great bandana survival uses:<br />
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<ol><li style="text-align: left;">Filter/Sieve for dirty water</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">First Aid Bandage</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Dust/Sand Mask</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Hat</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Signal Flag</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Dew Rag for collecting dew as drinking water</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Container for collecting berries, fruit, nuts, etc…</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Cut/striped into emergency cordage</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Cleaning Rag</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Neck Gator – Cool Weather</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Evaporative cooling neck band – Hot Weather</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Filter for Bush Tea (filtering out seeds, leaves, bark, etc…)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Eskimo sunglass to prevent sun blindness. Cut eye slits in the bandana.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Trail Markers – strip into pieces</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Last ditch toilet paper</li>
</ol><br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Locked and Loaded</strong></h3><br />
<img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-artofmanliness-t-shirt-2.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-artofmanliness-t-shirt-2" width="400" /><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">So there you have it, the Ultimate Survival Shotgun ready for even the worst scenario. It offers multiple solutions for securing food. It offers multiple solutions for collecting and purifying water. It offers incredible signaling devices. It includes shelter building materials and also several “fool-proof” fire building methods. It also includes a knife, a flashlight, 80 feet of paracord, 2 saws, and a complete first aid kit. If the zombies still eat your brains when you’re carrying this thing, it’s your own dang fault.</div><br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Inspiration</strong></h3><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">However, it is still missing one very critical piece. Survival is 90% mental. Keeping your morale and spirits high is absolutely critical. Finding your inspiration and motivation for staying alive can get you through even the worst of situations. The will to live is more powerful than any skill or tool you can buy or improvise. I always include something personal in every survival kit I build–an item that might keep my spirits lifted and remind me of what I’m fighting for. It can be anything–a photo of your girlfriend or your family, a song lyric or a motivational quote. It must be meaningful and inspirational to you.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">So finally, for inspiration, I had one of my favorite passages engraved on a small metal plate which I affixed to the receiver of this survival shotgun:</div><br />
<div><br />
<dl style="width: 410px;"><dt><img alt="" height="300" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/06/survival-shotgun-inspiration.jpg" title="survival-shotgun-inspiration" width="400" /></dt>
</dl><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Now…I’m all set.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Many of the lessons in this project apply to building any kind of preparedness kit for urban or wilderness survival. Basic survival principles apply to almost all survival scenarios. I hope you’ve enjoyed this article and have taken something away that you can use in your own preparedness efforts and projects.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Remember, it’s not IF but WHEN.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Creek</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">____________________________________</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><em>Creek Stewart is a Senior Instructor at the <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.willowhavenoutdoor.com./">Willow Haven Outdoor School for Survival, Preparedness & Bushcraft</a>. Creek’s passion is teaching, sharing, and preserving outdoor living and survival skills. For more information, visit <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.willowhavenoutdoor.com./">Willowhaven Outdoor.</a></em></div><br />
</div><br />
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Related posts:<br />
<ol><li><a class="vt-p" href="http://artofmanliness.com/2011/03/07/how-to-make-a-bug-out-bag-your-72-hour-emergency-evacuation-survival-kit/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: How to Make a Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Emergency Evacuation Survival Kit">How to Make a Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Emergency Evacuation Survival Kit</a></li>
<li><a class="vt-p" href="http://artofmanliness.com/2011/05/23/wilderness-survival-know-your-distress-signals/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Wilderness Survival: Know Your Distress Signals">Wilderness Survival: Know Your Distress Signals</a></li>
<li><a class="vt-p" href="http://artofmanliness.com/2008/09/04/how-to-build-a-roaring-campfire/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: How To Build a Roaring Campfire">How To Build a Roaring Campfire</a></li>
<li><a class="vt-p" href="http://artofmanliness.com/2011/06/07/mumbley-peg/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Fun with a Pocket Knife: How to Play Mumbley Peg">Fun with a Pocket Knife: How to Play Mumbley Peg</a></li>
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<a class="vt-p" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheArtOfManliness?a=FQEpr4DpFo4:EIVsTrThlUE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheArtOfManliness?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a class="vt-p" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheArtOfManliness?a=FQEpr4DpFo4:EIVsTrThlUE:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheArtOfManliness?i=FQEpr4DpFo4:EIVsTrThlUE:F7zBnMyn0Lo" /></a> <a class="vt-p" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheArtOfManliness?a=FQEpr4DpFo4:EIVsTrThlUE:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheArtOfManliness?i=FQEpr4DpFo4:EIVsTrThlUE:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a class="vt-p" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheArtOfManliness?a=FQEpr4DpFo4:EIVsTrThlUE:D7DqB2pKExk"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheArtOfManliness?i=FQEpr4DpFo4:EIVsTrThlUE:D7DqB2pKExk" /></a> <a class="vt-p" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheArtOfManliness?a=FQEpr4DpFo4:EIVsTrThlUE:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheArtOfManliness?i=FQEpr4DpFo4:EIVsTrThlUE:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> <a class="vt-p" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheArtOfManliness?a=FQEpr4DpFo4:EIVsTrThlUE:TzevzKxY174"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheArtOfManliness?d=TzevzKxY174" /></a></div><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheArtOfManliness/~4/FQEpr4DpFo4" width="1" />"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-168161873364880112011-07-11T10:29:00.000-04:002011-07-11T10:29:45.910-04:00under the radar...Just like <a class="vt-p" href="http://supergeneralist.blogspot.com/2011/07/been-too-lazy-too-long.html">the story I mentioned last week</a>, here's another important bit of info that no one is talking about, but has huge potential to change the future:<br />
<br />
<a class="vt-p" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/11/opinion/11Prager.html">[A]n abundant, safe and clean energy source once thought to be the stuff of science fiction is closer than many realize: nuclear fusion</a><br />
<br />
As long as <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115857/">Keanu Reeves</a> isn't involved, this is where we need to be headed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-13151408472581522362011-07-07T20:59:00.000-04:002011-07-07T20:59:38.182-04:00been too lazy too long...I've been seriously derelict with this blog for awhile now, and I can come up with all sorts of excuses but that feels like a pointless exercise. I just need to get back into it, and try to start posting on a regular basis. I am thinking that maybe I'll try to have some regular features, some running items so that I maintain a better rhythm to this. Be a little more professional about it and so forth. <br />
<br />
For now, this is something I just came across, and it's probably the most important story no one is talking about right now:<br />
<br />
<a class="vt-p" href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/07/07/trachea.transplant/index.html?hpt=hp_t2">Lab-made organ implanted for first time</a><br />
<br />
That is the future right there.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-42261556477010660452011-06-28T12:43:00.000-04:002011-06-28T12:43:33.992-04:00Book Club: The Chemistry of Death discussion<a class="vt-p" href="http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Death-Simon-Beckett/dp/0440335957?ie=UTF8&tag=thesuperg-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Chemistry of Death" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0440335957&tag=thesuperg-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesuperg-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0440335957" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />Our spot to discuss last month's book club choice, The Chemistry of Death.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-5606712727096387982011-06-07T11:00:00.001-04:002011-06-07T11:01:19.281-04:00Book Club: Ape House discussion<a class="vt-p" href="http://www.amazon.com/Ape-House-Novel-Sara-Gruen/dp/038552322X?ie=UTF8&tag=thesuperg-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Ape House: A Novel" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=038552322X&tag=thesuperg-20" /></a>I realize I never posted a spot for discussion of our last book club selection, and a few people<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesuperg-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=038552322X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> have asked about it, so I am putting this up now, even though it's a couple of weeks late. I'll be curious to hear people's thoughts on this one.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-38987931212795923762011-04-26T15:30:00.000-04:002011-04-26T15:30:15.956-04:00100 Great Things from Movies<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Patton Oswalt did something like this a few years back, and I recently saw someone else post something similar online, so I felt like coming up with my own. It’s by no means a complete list – I am sure there are things I will kick myself over for forgetting – and it’s in no particular order. These aren’t the 100 greatest movies or moments, but just things that always stood out. There are even three or four that were inspired by (or lifted wholesale from) the previously mentioned lists, but for the most part these are things that came to mind that could only happen in the movies:</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Talos in <b>Jason and the Argonauts</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Werner Herzog’s voice overs</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Orson Welles’ reveal in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Third Man</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Paul Newman in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cool Hand Luke</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The bike jousting in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Quick Change</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Gary Jules’ version of “Mad World” in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Donnie Darko</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">“No prisoners!” in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lawrence of Arabia</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Burt Lancaster<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>stepping over the foul line in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Field of Dreams</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Gene Wilder’s blanket freakout in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Producers</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Frankie Faison as the landlord in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Coming to America</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The diaper-stealing scene in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Raising Arizona</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The baptism scene from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Godfather</b></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">Miller’s Crossing</span></b></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Hannibal Lecter’s psychological dissection of Clarice Starling in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Silence of the Lambs</b></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">Burning Bright</span></b><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">: a </span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #333333;">thriller centered on a young woman and her autistic little brother who are trapped in a house with a ravenous tiger during a hurricane.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Steve McQueen</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The gauntlet, sachem’s decision, and ending of Michael Mann’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Last of the Mohicans</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Anton Chigurh at the gas station in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No Country for Old Men</b></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">Black Hawk Down</span></b></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Terence Stamp as General Zod in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Superman II</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Clive Owen walking the baby out of the battlezone in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Children of Men</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Daniel Day-Lewis in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">There Will Be Blood</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Bloom and Penelope in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Brothers Bloom</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Charlie<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Kaufman</span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">The Iron Giant</span></b><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"> being Superman</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">John McClane and Hans Gruber in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Die Hard</b></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">Aliens</span></b></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The rainstorm scene in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Freaks</b></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">The Wages of Fear</span></b></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The wall in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">King Kong</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Odessa</st1:place></st1:city> steps in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Battleship Potemkin</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Regan telling Father Damien what his mom does in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Exorcist</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Angela Lansbury in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Manchurian Candidate</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">“Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria” from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fantasia</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Leatherface’s mallet work and door slam in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Texas Chainsaw Massacre</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Clarence Boddicker’s request for a phone call in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Robocop</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The head sprouting legs and Palmer’s response in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Thing</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">James Gammon as Lou Brown in<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Major League</b></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">On the Waterfront</span></b></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Mugatu’s freakout in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Zoolander</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The rebel fleet taking evasive action in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Return of the Jedi</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The man in the bear costume in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Shining</b></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">Dr.</span></b><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Strangelove </b>gaining the ability to walk</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Kurosawa’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Throne of Blood</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Peter Lorre in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">M</b></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">Things to Come</span></b></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Charles Bronson in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Once Upon a Time in the West</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The 1942 version of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To Be or Not to Be</b></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">Raiders of the Lost <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ark</st1:place></st1:state></span></b></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">John Huston in <st1:place w:st="on"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chinatown</b></st1:place></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">E.T. </span></b><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">seeing Yoda on Halloween night</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Ralph Feinnes as Amon Goeth in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Schindler’s List</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Mr. Orange’s brick of weed story in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Reservoir Dogs</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Boris Karloff in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Body Snatcher</b></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">Groundhog Day</span></b></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Jeff Bridges as The Dude in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Big Lebowski</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Michael Myers’ head-tilt in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Halloween</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The ending of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Le Trou</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The opening titles sequence for <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Charade</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Brad Pitt, Dennis Hopper, and Christopher Walken in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">True Romance</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The song “Up There” in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">South</b></st1:placename><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Park</st1:placetype></b></st1:place><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The drug deal in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Boogie Nights</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The plane explosion seen from the terminal in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Final Destination</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Jim Carrey’s multi-directional morning pee in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me, Myself, and Irene</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Gary Oldman in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hannibal</b></st1:place></st1:city></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The Electric Mayhem bus in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Muppet Movie</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Bill Murray’s Richard Burton impression in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Scrooged</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The “married life” sequence in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><strong><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;">Up</span></strong></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">John Cazale</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">“<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Utah</st1:place></st1:state>! Get me two!” from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Point Break</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Getting the retainer in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Good Will Hunting</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The destruction of the machine in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Contact</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">“Tech Noir” in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Terminator</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">discovering “Sloth” in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Seven</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The opening scene of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Narc</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The fight among the bamboo posts in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Master of the Flying Guillotine</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Ben Foster as The Stranger in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">30 Days of Night</b></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">Harold and Maude</span></b></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Chunk’s discovery of the ice cream in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Goonies</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Ed Harris’ blue hand in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Abyss</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Richard Farnsworth in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Straight Story</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Forrest Whitaker in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Kevin Kline yelling “Asshole!” in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Fish Called Wanda</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Indianapolis</st1:place></st1:city> speech in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jaws</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The opening battle in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Gladiator</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Lee Marvin beating a man with a chicken in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Emperor of the North Pole</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Wilford Brimley’s Cajun accent in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hard Target</b></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">Mighty Joe Young </span></b><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">and the burning orphanage</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The body bag moving down the hall in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Nightmare on Elm Street</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The plague of locusts in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Good Earth</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">“Peggy Gordon” in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Proposition</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The church “hello” in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">28 Days Later</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Joaquin Phoenix telling the kids to “vamanos” in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Signs</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Frank Dux’s shidoshi and dim mak in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bloodsport</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The gremlin gargoyle in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Gremlins 2: The New Batch</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Diving into the fountain in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Way of the Gun</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">Liam Neeson in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Taken</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The umbrella in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rififi</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e;">The ninjas in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Last Samurai</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4e4e; line-height: 21px;">“Fragglestickcar” in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bad Santa</b></span> </span></li>
</ol><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-62424539635335389302011-04-22T11:38:00.000-04:002011-04-22T11:38:27.409-04:00read one thing today<a class="vt-p" href="http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Day-Afternoon-Blu-ray-Pacino/dp/B000NOKJEU?ie=UTF8&tag=thesuperg-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Dog Day Afternoon [Blu-ray]" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B000NOKJEU&tag=thesuperg-20" /></a>This is by far the best summation/obituary for Sidney Lumet I have read since his passing back on April 9th. If <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesuperg-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000NOKJEU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />you really want to understand how great he was, give this a read. It is a bit film wonkish, but it's worth it - I guarantee you'll come out with at least two or three (or more) movies to add to your Netflix queue.<br />
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<a class="vt-p" href="http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2011/04/21/endurance-survival-lessons-from-lumet/">http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2011/04/21/endurance-survival-lessons-from-lumet/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-77393862164551676402011-04-19T16:25:00.000-04:002011-04-19T16:25:21.193-04:00Book Club: Lowboy discussion<a class="vt-p" href="http://www.amazon.com/Lowboy-Novel-John-Wray/dp/B004KAB5A0?ie=UTF8&tag=thesuperg-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Lowboy: A Novel" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B004KAB5A0&tag=thesuperg-20" /></a>I actually think this is the best book I've suggested so far, but if anyone believes otherwise, this is as always the<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesuperg-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B004KAB5A0" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> spot to share your thoughts. The only thing that bothered me was the "revelation" that his mother was also mentally ill. I thought that was pretty obvious after awhile, and at the end the author tried to make it seem like it was some sort of Shyamalan-like twist or reveal. Beyond that, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thoughts?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-10517162373924796462011-04-12T10:41:00.000-04:002011-04-12T10:41:44.907-04:00read one thing today<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">“If only the outrage over a rehabilitated 29-year-old woman… becoming the personal and financial property of a man she never even liked was half as loud as the chorus that once proclaimed her sexual antics as degrading to women.”</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Excellent article on a subject I thought I had no interest in - Britney Spears.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><a class="vt-p" href="http://www.autostraddle.com/its-not-britney-bitch-84052/">It’s Not Britney, Bitch.</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Her dead eyes in the picture below say it all...</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="vt-p" href="http://i.imgur.com/AwbjC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="http://i.imgur.com/AwbjC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-3360308636099322122011-03-29T15:39:00.000-04:002011-03-29T15:39:00.652-04:00read one thing today<a class="vt-p" href="http://blog.moviefone.com/2011/03/29/is-the-criterion-collection-too-cool/">Is the Criterion Collection Too Cool?</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-79953243590732472922011-03-22T23:07:00.000-04:002011-03-22T23:07:50.620-04:00rebirth of the Aztec empireWhen I decided to go to SDSU for my MBA, athletics was the last thing on my mind. I didn't even know the school mascot before I was accepted into the graduate program, and it wasn't until my older brother said "So you're going to be an Aztec?" that I learned where my new allegiance lay. Thankfully it was a cool, unique mascot, since my previous association was with St. John's Red Storm, something I always considered particularly lame (though I could understand the change from Redmen - but why not just drop the Red entirely and find something new?)<br />
<br />
<img align="right" alt="" src="http://i.imgur.com/w8WaH.png" />When I arrived in San Diego in January 2006, there was absolutely no talk of the Aztecs on a national level. The Mountain West Conference as a whole was a bit of a joke, and SDSU in particular barely stood out even within the city limits. Yes, the basketball program was showing signs of life then, as they were in the midst of putting together a 24-9 season, a school best at the time. But even then there was little talk of the team and, not really being much of a basketball fan myself, it was only the fact that my roommates and some mutual friends decided to go to a game that I happened to tag along and see the Aztecs play in person for the only time in my life so far.<br />
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My friends did not pick this game by chance though. An Aztec victory in this game would guarantee the team a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Forty minutes of ball later, and we were rushing the court to celebrate the team's ticket to the big dance. And suddenly I was a fan of college basketball.<br />
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<a class="vt-p" href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=6147732">Read about the rise of the Aztec basketball team on ESPN</a><br />
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Which is why it has been great to watch the school put themselves on the map of college athletics these past few years - a laughable football team in years past beat Navy in their bowl game this year, Tony Gwynn coached Stephen Strasburg to a #1 overall draft pick as a pitching phenom, not to mention championships in swimming, diving, golf, and other under-the-radar sports.<br />
<br />
And now we're making another run at March Madness. Five years ago, the team I witnessed thrilled us just by reaching that level. This year, we've nabbed our first Tournament victories and are in the Sweet 16. Their double overtime win over Temple last weekend was a nail-biter classic, and proof of their legitimacy in the basketball world. And as great as it must be to be a student there right now, I am glad I've had these five years to watch them grow and earn their place in the realm of college sports.<br />
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<a class="vt-p" href="http://cnnsi.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?expire=&title=The+unprecedented+success+of+sixth-ranked+-+02.28.11+-+SI+Vault&urlID=447442052&action=cpt&partnerID=289881&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsportsillustrated.cnn.com%2Fvault%2Farticle%2Fmagazine%2FMAG1182314%2F1%2Findex.htm">For another take, read this Sports Illustrated writeup</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-63189861078315256442011-03-07T15:25:00.001-05:002011-03-22T23:08:53.015-04:00Book club: The Death of the Adversary discussion<a class="vt-p" href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Adversary-Novel-Hans-Keilson/dp/0374139628?ie=UTF8&tag=thesuperg-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Death of the Adversary: A Novel" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0374139628&tag=thesuperg-20" /></a>Our discussion spot for last month's book club selection, The Death of the Adversary. I can say right now that I <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesuperg-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0374139628" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />didn't like the book at all, so it won't surprise me if there is no discussion of this one and people just want to move on. (Not that we have had discussion at all on any book, but maybe eventually we'll get some momentum behind this.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-48051761605131775852011-03-06T19:29:00.000-05:002011-03-06T19:29:33.542-05:00Law and the MultiverseIs shooting Wolverine attempted murder when you know he will heal? Is telepathy hearsay? Is Bizarro insane or just incompetent to stand trial? Is life imprisonment cruel and unusual for an immortal? Finally there is a place to find answers to all these pressing questions:<br />
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<a class="vt-p" href="http://lawandthemultiverse.com/">Law and the Multiverse</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-77772187941237904302011-02-22T13:31:00.000-05:002011-02-22T13:31:00.074-05:00Oscar predictions<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;"><i>"At this moment of awards-giving and back-patting, however, we can all agree to love movies again, for a little while, because we're living within a mirage that exists for only about six or eight weeks around the end of each year."</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1d1d1d; line-height: 16px;">That's from Mark Harris' great article in the Feb. 2011 issue of GQ, <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.gq.com/entertainment/movies-and-tv/201102/the-day-the-movies-died-mark-harris?printable=true">The Day The Movies Died</a>, and it rings pretty true. He's right when he talks about the difficulty of original concepts getting a greenlight when studios are looking for pre-packaged concepts, though I don't think the outlook is as bleak as he suggests. Trends eventually fade out and there will always be an audience for something that isn't based on a comic book or toy. Though with movies coming based on Battleship, the Ouija board, and Monopoly, that trend may not be dying out fast enough for some of our tastes. And like Harris says, sometimes you do get a gem out of these properties (I can't argue with his choices of Iron Man and The Dark Knight) but sometimes we just keep convincing ourselves that these movies are better than they are. L</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1d1d1d; line-height: 16px;">et's face it</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1d1d1d; line-height: 16px;"> - the Harry Potter films are pretty weak and will ultimately be negligible in film history. (The best of the bunch, The Prisoner of Azkaban, is very good but by no means great, and the others float between mediocre and horrendous.)</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">And even though I have my problems with awards season and the politics behind it all (the move to 10 Best Picture nominees being the most recent focal point of my anger), I still love to play along with the Academy Awards and do the annual guessing game. After all, I did make it a point to go about seeing every Best Picture winner in history, and that reveals a certain concession on my part to legitimize the power of the Oscar. (I've seen 9 of this year's nominees too, and will likely catch The Fighter - the one missing film - before the ceremony on Sunday.) So below you'll find my picks for each category. Also remember that there are a few contests out there that have some solid prizes for picking the winners, like up to $100,000 for <a class="vt-p" href="http://mubi.com/oscars">trying to best Roger Ebert</a>, or <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.movies.com/oscars/contest">a stay at the Four Seasons in LA</a>, so you may want to think about playing along too.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #323232;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"><b>Best Actor - </b>Colin Firth, The King’s Speech<br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actor - </b>Christian Bale, The Fighter</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #323232;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"><br />
<b>Best Actress - </b>Natalie Portman, Black Swan<br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actress - </b>Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech<br />
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<b>Best Picture - </b>The King's Speech</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #323232;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"><br />
<b>Best Director - </b>David Fincher, The Social Network</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #323232;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"><br />
<b>Best Foreign Film </b>- Incendies, Canada<br />
</span></span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #323232;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"><b>Best Animated Film - </b>Toy Story 3<br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #323232;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"> <b>Art Direction - </b>Inception</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #323232;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"><br />
<b>Cinematography - </b>Black Swan<br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #323232;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"> <b>Costume Design - </b>The King’s Speech<br />
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<b>Best Documentary - </b>Exit Through the Gift Shop</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #323232;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"><br />
<b>Best Documentary Short - </b>Strangers No More<br />
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<b>Best Film Editing - </b>The Social Network</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #323232;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"><br />
<b>Best Makeup - </b>The Wolfman</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #323232;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"><br />
<b>Best Original Score - </b>Inception</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #323232;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #323232;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"><b>Best Original Song - </b>We Belong Together from Toy Story 3</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #323232;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<b>Best Animated Short </b>- The Gruffalo<br />
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<b>Best Live Action Short - </b>God of Love<br />
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<b>Sound Editing - </b>Inception<br />
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<b>Sound Mixing - </b>Inception<br />
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<b>Best Visual Effects - </b>Inception<br />
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<b>Best Adapted Screenplay - </b>The Social Network<br />
<b><br />
Best Original Screenplay - </b>The King’s Speech</span></span></span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-10889555122552379582011-02-15T16:13:00.000-05:002011-02-15T16:13:08.007-05:00pet peeveOk, so this sounds like a very cool video about how <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_kuhl_the_linguistic_genius_of_babies.html">babies adopt language</a>. It's actually worth watching, if you can get through it all, which is what I'll discuss in a moment:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="326" width="446"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param><param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/PatriciaKuhl_2010X-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/PatriciaKuhl-2010X.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=1075&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=patricia_kuhl_the_linguistic_genius_of_babies;year=2010;theme=how_the_mind_works;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=words_about_words;theme=a_taste_of_tedx;event=TEDxRainier;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="446" height="326" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/PatriciaKuhl_2010X-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/PatriciaKuhl-2010X.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=1075&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=patricia_kuhl_the_linguistic_genius_of_babies;year=2010;theme=how_the_mind_works;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=words_about_words;theme=a_taste_of_tedx;event=TEDxRainier;"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, can you guess what my problem is? It's the sounds the speaker makes while talking. What is with that horrible mushy/pasty sound that she makes as she speaks?? I realize there is bound to be saliva as we talk, but magnified like this it just becomes disgusting to listen to, and takes me right out of the presentation. Truth be told, I don't know whether the fault lies in the speaker or in the sound technician perhaps having the microphone too close or too loud. Whoever is responsible needs to do something about it though, because like I said, I end up distracted from the presentation and end up hearing those repulsive sounds instead. And that's a bit ironic when you're trying to give a presentation about how you are heard.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-74773129210059839462011-02-15T10:37:00.002-05:002011-02-15T10:37:42.247-05:00sharing is caring...whoever took the time to program this is genius:<br />
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<a class="vt-p" href="http://greatgatsbygame.com/">The Great Gatsby for NES</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-25500492635320074502011-02-14T19:05:00.000-05:002011-02-14T19:05:32.872-05:00read one thing todaySince the budget is the big topic in DC right now, here's a good article debunking an old but persisent myth about the effect of taxes on the rich:<br />
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<a class="vt-p" href="http://www.slate.com/id/2285091/">How tax hikes affect productivity</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-77847596532250439192011-02-10T21:12:00.000-05:002011-02-10T21:12:06.472-05:00quick updateI realize I haven't posted anything in about a week, and I am trying to decide if that's good or bad. I don't want to post just to post; it's really when I find something interesting or noteworthy for discussion that I am looking to use this as an outlet. But at the same time, I know there are plenty of things I want to mention or share that I haven't yet, and perhaps I don't need to expand on everything I post about. It's still early for this blog and I am feeling out how it's going to always work. I am thinking of resurrecting my Wednesday Morning Short Film Club, which may play better here than on Facebook. Maybe also a daily or weekly suggested read, and the Hollywood roundup kind of thing too. Like I said, still feeling this out...<br />
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In the meantime, this trailer for X-Men: First Class popped up today. I like that we are getting to the point where comic book movies are going in some new directions. The four comic movies this summer - this, Thor, Captain America, Green Lantern - may not all end up as winners, but each one of them is trying something a little different than what we've typically seen from past Marvel films. Captain America is still the one I find most intriguing, but this trailer bumped this up on my radar. Take a look:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UrbHykKUfTM" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-59856874573166248192011-02-04T13:36:00.000-05:002011-02-04T13:36:17.319-05:00source materialThe backstory of Star Wars is pretty common knowledge at this point. Yes, George Lucas was inspired by Joseph Campbell's <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.amazon.com/HERO-THOUSAND-FACES-Bollingen-XVII/dp/B001AVK6HK?ie=UTF8&tag=thesuperg-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Hero With A Thousand Faces</a>, and the influence of Kurosawa and Flash Gordon is a standard talking point as well. What a lot of people probably don't realize though is just how detailed Lucas was in his references. This is not laziness or theft or a rip-off. As Kirby Ferguson shows in the latest installment of his series, <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.everythingisaremix.info/">Everything is a Remix</a>, this is an intentional mix of all his favorite elements from other sources into something totally new. Check out the video below and watch just how closely Lucas matches shots. (Watch past the credits - there's even more.)<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19447662" width="400"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a class="vt-p" href="http://vimeo.com/19447662">Everything is a Remix Part 2</a> from <a class="vt-p" href="http://vimeo.com/kirbyferguson">Kirby Ferguson</a> on <a class="vt-p" href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And of course you can't talk reference and homage in film without considering the current king, Quentin Tarantino. QT has been dealing with the homage/rip-off debate ever since Reservoir Dogs (which was influenced by <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093435/">City on Fire</a>), but if you can't tell by now that he's doing a lot more than stealing wholesale from others, watch this clip. (If you followed my advice and watched the full clip above, you saw this part mentioned.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19469447" width="400"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a class="vt-p" href="http://vimeo.com/19469447">Everything Is A Remix: KILL BILL</a> from <a class="vt-p" href="http://vimeo.com/robgwilson">robgwilson.com</a> on <a class="vt-p" href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-48153376713043267712011-02-02T17:32:00.002-05:002011-02-02T17:32:00.409-05:00Hollywood roundup<a class="vt-p" href="http://www.amazon.com/Superman-Four-Disc-Special-Christopher-Reeve/dp/B000IJ79UW?ie=UTF8&tag=thesuperg-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Superman - The Movie (Four-Disc Special Edition)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B000IJ79UW&tag=thesuperg-20" style="cursor: move;" /></a>Since the biggest thing in Hollywood for the past decade has been comic book movies, the biggest news seems to inevitably revolve around that genre. But the comic book movie really got its start back in 1978 with the original <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.amazon.com/Superman-Four-Disc-Special-Christopher-Reeve/dp/B000IJ79UW?ie=UTF8&tag=thesuperg-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Superman</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesuperg-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000IJ79UW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesuperg-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000IJ79UW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, so it makes sense that the big story this week was the <a class="vt-p" href="http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/01/30/superman-cast-henry-cavill/?hpt=T2">casting of Henry Cavill as the latest incarnation of the Man of Steel</a> (which also seems to be the working title for the new movie). Teenagers at this point are probably not as familiar with Christopher Reeve in the role, so it's a good time to sell the character to a new generation. (I'll give Brandon Routh credit for doing a decent job in the otherwise forgettable <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.amazon.com/Superman-Returns-Blu-ray-Brandon-Routh/dp/B001F3FUK6?ie=UTF8&tag=thesuperg-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Superman Returns</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesuperg-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001F3FUK6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />.) I've never seen any of the work Cavill has done, but I am willing to trust that Zack Synder (director) and Chris Nolan (producer) know what they are looking for. Ultimately it will come down to those two taking the character and story in a new direction. They know the comic book movie pretty well - I thought Synder did a fantastic job with Watchmen, and obviously Nolan has done alright by Batman with his two movies.<br />
<br />
Speaking of which, the rumors online (or maybe just the wishful thinking) for awhile now have had Joseph Gordon-Levitt as The Riddler in Nolan's next Batman movie, <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1345836/">The Dark Knight Rises</a>. Once the announcements of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle and Tom Hardy as Bane came out, those rumors seemed to die out. But those fires seem to be rekindled with the report that <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.deadline.com/2011/02/joseph-gordon-levitt-in-talks-to-join-the-dark-knight-rises/">Gordon-Levitt is in talks with Nolan to join the cast</a> of the The Dark Knight Returns. Nobody is saying what his role would be, and with two villains already announced, it seems unlikely that The Riddler would be the part, but it will be interesting to find out exactly how he fits into the mix.<br />
<br />
<a class="vt-p" href="http://www.amazon.com/Stand-Expanded-First-Complete-Signet/dp/0451169530?ie=UTF8&tag=thesuperg-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Stand: Expanded Edition: For the First Time Complete and Uncut (Signet)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0451169530&tag=thesuperg-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesuperg-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451169530" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />I don't think the original mini-series of <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.amazon.com/Stand-Expanded-First-Complete-Signet/dp/0451169530?ie=UTF8&tag=thesuperg-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Stephen King's The Stand</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesuperg-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451169530" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> was perfect by any means, but I am pretty sure the problem wasn't that it was too long. It's a heavy, intricate book with a lot of great ideas and subplots, and it naturally seems like something that is better told in long form. So while I am not surprised that a studio would be interested in going back to the source material, I find it a little puzzling that <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/heat-vision/stephen-kings-stand-heading-big-94805">they are looking at it as a feature film</a>. Warner and CBS both have ties to premium cable channels where the story could play out as another mini-series (with an increased budget and no broadcast restrictions like the original ABC version had). If a book like Band of Brothers can be turned into a 10-hour event, something like The Stand could easily go the length of a standard cable season (13 hours or so). Beyond that, there is plenty of material there to expand it into a regular series, even without tapping into <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.amazon.com/Stephen-Kings-Stand-Vol-Captain/dp/078514272X?ie=UTF8&tag=thesuperg-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">the expanded material that has come from the Marvel comics series</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesuperg-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=078514272X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />.<br />
<br />
Long form is the direction that Stephen King's other magnum opus, The Dark Tower, is headed. We're all still waiting to hear <a class="vt-p" href="http://supergeneralist.blogspot.com/2011/01/more-hollywood-machinations.html">if Javier Bardem is going to accept the part of the gunslinger</a>, but that's not the only choice Bardem is facing. <a class="vt-p" href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/awards/2011/02/the-new-bond-villain-javier-bardem-is-intrigued.html">It seems that he's also being enticed to take the part as the next bad guy in the Bond series</a>. Not too much is known about this next installment, but Sam Mendes is an intriguing choice as director, and whatever he told Bardem seems to have gotten him intrigued as well. Between those offers and Bardem's surprise nomination for Biutiful, he's certainly becoming an A-list name in 2011.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-44501214255891997292011-02-02T12:34:00.000-05:002011-02-02T12:34:54.594-05:00Book club: Blood Meridian discussion<a class="vt-p" href="http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Meridian-Evening-Redness-West/dp/0679728759?ie=UTF8&tag=thesuperg-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0679728759&tag=thesuperg-20" /></a>So this is just a spot for the book club to discuss our latest read, <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Meridian-Evening-Redness-West/dp/0679728759?ie=UTF8&tag=thesuperg-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Blood Meridian</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesuperg-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0679728759" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Cormac McCarthy. Post <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thesuperg-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0679728759" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />your thoughts or questions on the book in the comments section below.<br />
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And again, if you are not in the club but want to be, just let me know and I'll add you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-44910251283347099252011-01-31T19:14:00.000-05:002011-01-31T19:14:03.960-05:00the end of football as we know it...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This Sunday's Super Bowl is the last guaranteed football game we'll ever see. For now. I'm pretty sure that even though resolving the collective bargaining agreement mess isn't going to be pretty, we'll have a fresh season come September. (Maybe a couple of pre-season games get scratched, but who cares about those anyway?) There's too much money at stake for all parties involved, and I think the NFL is smart enough to learn from the mistakes baseball made back in 1994 and is still paying for today.</span><br><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">But does that mean we want football back exactly the same? Absolutely not. So while we have the chance to debate these things, here's a few items for consideration:</span><br><br />
<ol><a class="vt-p" href="http://img.static.nfl.com/static/site/img/global/alt/large-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.static.nfl.com/static/site/img/global/alt/large-logo.png" /></a>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><u>The Tuck Rule</u> - I have to mention this first because it cost the Jets a trip to the Super Bowl this season. Well, not really. The Jets taking too long to get themselves motivated was the biggest factor. But it wasn't the only one. When Mark Sanchez was hit in the second quarter of the AFC Championship Game, it was ruled a fumble on the field, which allowed Pittsburgh to return the ball for a defensive TD. The points off that play represented the difference between victory and defeat for the Steelers. Just a week earlier, the tuck rule was used to reverse a call in the Chiefs-Raiders wildcard game, even though it seemed obvious in that play that Matt Cassel was not attempting a pass at all. Not every forward arm motion is a pass, but cocking your arm back usually is. So why is a backwards arm motion a potential fumble situation, but not a forward one? This insanity has been a source of frustration since the spotlight first shone on it in the January 2002 Patriots-Raiders game. Even Mike Pereira, former <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">NFL Vice President of Officiating, <a class="vt-p" href="http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Mike-Pereira-wild-card-games-NFL-officiating-rulings-analysis-010911">thinks it's time for this rule to go</a>. That's an opinion no one should take lightly. <b>Solution? </b> You want to know when a ball has been passed? When it's left the quarterback's fingertips. If you can knock it from his grasp before that? Fumble, plain and simple.</span></span><br><br></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><u>Coaches' challenges</u> - I <a class="vt-p" href="http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/should-teams-be-penalized-for-challenging-bad-calls/">pointed this article out</a> to friends last week, and to quote myself from then, "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">instead of the 2(+1) system they have now, [how about] teams only get one challenge, and they can keep reusing it as long as the challenge is always good? I</span>t does create more pressure not to use it early, but I am ok with that. It pretty much creates pressure on using it at all. A team should only be challenging when they are sure something was wrong. The coaches won't be worried about using it early if they are confident it was a bad call that will be overturned. Which is different from the current system which basically gives them opportunities to challenge borderline calls just in the hopes that it would get overturned." <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Solution?</b></span> </b>Well I pretty much just outlined that, I think.</span></span><br><br></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><u>The Pro Bowl</u> - "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Please, somebody put the Pro Bowl out of its misery." That's how <a class="vt-p" href="http://twitter.com/FO_ASchatz">Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders</a> put it on his Twitter account. And he's right. Mike Zanoni over at the Sterling Shakers agrees, saying there is <a class="vt-p" href="http://sterlingshakers.blogspot.com/2011/01/it-seems-as-all-i-do-lately-is-complain.html">nothing wrong with having no all-star game for football</a>, especially when the risk of injury is greater for what is a meaningless game, and the lack of skills competitions makes the weekend anti-climactic. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Solution?</b></span> </b>The Senior Bowl. This would be the perfect chance to highlight some of the names that are going to be showing up in the draft, and the players in that game actually have some incentive to give it all they've got - a big game on a nationwide stage could help boost their draft potential. Plus, going from the Senior Bowl to the combines to the draft keeps attention on the NFL alive right through April. Kill off the Pro Bowl and put the Senior Bowl in its place the week before the Super Bowl.</span></span><br><br></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><u>Subjective calls</u> - What happened to you, Ed Hochuli? <a class="vt-p" href="http://katchop.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ed-hulchali-copy.jpg">You used to be cool, man</a>. But lately it seems like your calls have become more and more uneven. In that same Jets-Steelers championship game, you called Eric Smith for unnecessary roughness but did nothing about James Harrison's identical hit later in the game. This after the questionable unnecessary roughness call a month earlier on Ndamukong Suh in the Bears-Lions game. That Suh hit was with a forearm, and was nothing compared to Harrison's hit. Maybe I am just more sensitive to Hochuli's calls ever since 2008, when he <a class="vt-p" href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3589407">cost my Chargers a playoff spot</a> in a game against the Broncos, but he needs to get a little more consistent. When TMQ - <a class="vt-p" href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/110125_tuesday_morning_quarterback&sportCat=nfl">the best football column out there</a> - can call you out on three major mistakes in a championship game, something is obviously wrong. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><b>Solution? </b>A big slice of humble pie should do.<a class="vt-p" href="http://images.sodahead.com/polls/000155959/polls_edhochuliposterfi8_0442_217172_answer_3_xlarge.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://images.sodahead.com/polls/000155959/polls_edhochuliposterfi8_0442_217172_answer_3_xlarge.jpeg" width="320" /></a> Which starts with me saying that right now, I personally think Mike Carey has supplanted Hochuli as the best ref in the game. I know that won't cause Hochuli to lose any sleep, but it's a slippery slope, and then the next thing you know, he is the Danny Davis of the NFL.</span></span><br><br></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px;"><u>Peter King</u> - on the opposite end of the spectrum from TMQ, is King's MMQB. While King can offer some interesting analysis (in between bits of fanboy fawning for Tom Brady), his column's segments confound the English language. When you talk about Ten Things, <a class="vt-p" href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/peter_king/01/30/super-bowl-week/3.html">stick to ten (or call it something else)</a>. When item 10 is broken down into parts a.-m., you don't have ten things. You have twenty-two. Much like when you have Quote of the Week I, II, and III. It can't be the Quote of the Week if there are three of them. Could you not just call it Quotes of the Week?</span></li>
</ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In the end, football is still the best sport we have right now, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. <a class="vt-p" href="http://thepigskindoctors.com/2011/01/toronto-wants-an-nfl-team/">Just as long as that doesn't include the Canadians</a>.</span></span></div><div><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-84123346238275831702011-01-28T16:34:00.000-05:002011-01-28T16:34:53.977-05:00sharing is caring133 years of motion pictures has brought us to this. They even get a <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdbYsoEasio">Wilhelm scream</a> in there.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yysbbPStfWw?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="640"></iframe></div><br />
I love that the robot seems to be designed as some love child between Kim Jong Il and Fireball from The Running Man:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="vt-p" href="http://dontyouhavetimetothink.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/team-america-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://dontyouhavetimetothink.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/team-america-7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="vt-p" href="http://www.wearysloth.com/Gallery/ActorsB/2200-16381.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.wearysloth.com/Gallery/ActorsB/2200-16381.gif" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-14889107824050433762011-01-27T10:17:00.000-05:002011-01-27T10:17:23.343-05:00more Hollywood machinations<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I may try to come up with some sort of regular roundup of interesting movie news to post here. I don't know how that will work yet, but I keep realizing there's a lot of stuff I want to share. It will likely only be once a week - there are plenty of sites and blogs out there completely focused on these things that can offer every breaking bit of information or rumor, so there is no point in getting into that game. They have sources anyway, so I'd just be ripping them off. Instead I'll just use them as my sources so I can pass along what seems like the most interesting news.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Like the news that <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.deadline.com/2011/01/javier-bardem-wanted-for-the-dark-tower/">Javier Bardem has been offered the part of Roland in the upcoming Dark Tower project</a>. I love the ambitiousness of the plan to bring the whole Dark Tower series to life through a mixture of movies and television, and it's about time Hollywood realized the potential of using these two mediums in tandem, rather than one as a source of material for the other (in either direction). I haven't seen Biutiful yet but between his work in The Sea Inside and No Country for Old Men, I have no doubt that Bardem would be perfect for the role.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Perfection is not something I think of when I hear the name Elmo. I am an old school Sesame Street guy - Grover, Oscar, Bert and Ernie, Big Bird. When they introduced Elmo I had already moved on from Sesame Street, but the character always seemed too easy for me, with the baby voice and referring to himself in the third person. The other characters had personalities. Elmo just seemed too cutesy. But I have to admit, I am curious to see <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2d2d2d; line-height: 18px;">Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, which just premiered at Sundance. I'll take any opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at anything Jim Henson-related. I just wish they could've put the spotlight on one of the other characters. Elmo gets enough attention as it is. There doesn't seem to be a trailer yet, but here you can check out <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1Awd12X_DM">a quick interview with the film's creators</a>.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Finally, I want to try to showcase at least one new trailer in these posts. Robert Redford is a mixed bag as a director, but this looks like it has potential, and I am surprised the story has not been told on film before (that I am aware of). Here's hoping it pays off when it's released in April...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><br />
<div><object height="324" width="576"><param name="movie" value="http://d.yimg.com/nl/movies/site/player.swf"></param><param name="flashVars" value="vid=23973931&"></param><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed width="576" height="324" allowFullScreen="true" src="http://d.yimg.com/nl/movies/site/player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="vid=23973931&"></embed></object></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113249699567465560.post-75242996963132924172011-01-25T10:04:00.000-05:002011-01-25T10:04:19.453-05:00Oscar nomination updateso how did I do on <a class="vt-p" href="http://supergeneralist.blogspot.com/2011/01/oscar-nomination-predictions.html">my predictions</a>? I did a pretty decent job on the number of awards the front-runners would be up for, starting with being right on the money with The King's Speech leading with 12 nominations. Seems I didn't give enough credit to True Grit, which came in second with 10 (I didn't even have them in my top five), and too much credit to Inception and Black Swan, which I had pegged for 11 nominations each (they landed 8 and 5 respectively). I had 9 predicted for The Social Network (it ended up with 8), and 8 for The Fighter (which ended up with 7), so overall not too bad. I really expected Black Swan to score more technical nominations like costume design and art direction (Harry Potter? really?), and how did it not grab a screenplay nomination?<br />
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As for the category breakdowns, I have to give myself props for calling it 100% right for both Best Picture and Best Actress. (That's the first time I've called every Best Pic nomination correctly, even from when there were only five nominees.) I think the biggest surprise overall is Javier Bardem getting a Best Actor nomination (no one was talking about Biutiful before today, but they will be now). Jacki Weaver did manage to get in there for Animal Kingdom over Mila Kunis (another reason I was so off with Black Swan). And it seems Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake did cancel each other out, but I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by the appearance of both Jeremy Renner and John Hawkes. Renner was the best part of The Town (which, like I said yesterday, could easily be the 11th nominee for Best Picture) and even though I haven't seen Winter's Bone yet, John Hawkes is a fantastic actor - Deadwood, The Perfect Storm, Eastbound & Down, Me and You and Everyone We Know... he's been doing great stuff for awhile now.<br />
<br />
And no Waiting for Superman for Best Documentary? That's just shocking to me, though the list is full of great choices (I haven't seen Waste Land, but the others are all excellent.)<br />
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I'll do another list of my predicted winners right before the awards are handed out February 27th. We'll see if I can <a class="vt-p" href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110120/OSCARS/110129999">outguess Roger Ebert</a>. Free <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PsKw__7f-c">junior Western bacon chee</a> for everyone if I win.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0