Phi for All

Depp is an insightful actor and Edward was one of his most brilliant characters. I saw Depp on Inside the Actor's Studio and apparently he always has producers biting their nails over his characterizations. Disney almost wet themselves over Jack Sparrow until he tested through the roof. I love the fact that he turned down another lucrative season of 21 Jump Street to take a chance on Burton's Edward Scissorhands. Winona was his girlfriend then, did you know? The chemistry showed through.

I'm feeling so clubbed over the head these days by previews and trailers for TV programs and movies. I hate that they show some of the best scenes. It alwasy pulls me out of the experience when I'm watching a movie and a scene comes up that's already been splashed across the TV a thousand times. I try to stay away from commercials but it's not easy. The best movie and TV watching experiences, IMO, are the ones you go into with no preconceptions. A friend handed me the first season of Keifer Sutherland's "24" on DVD (6 discs, 24 episodes, 42 minutes per episode, no commercials!), and told me I have to watch it. The only thing I knew about the series was that it was set up in real time, the entire season taking place in one 24-hour period. I was blown away! What a wonderful experience with no prejudices or expectations. My wife and I devoured those discs, watching 2 or 3 episodes an evening. I feel like entertainment advertising treats us like we won't watch unless we know half the story beforehand. Any thoughts?

Amen.

Wish I'd thought of that!

Why clear? The eye works better with a background to focus on. I believe the dry erase technology is all in the markers. Save money and get some plexiglass in the size you want, then buy the markers. Use an old T-shirt to erase. No, not the one you're wearing!

I have clients who haven't budged since Windows 98. I beg them to come up to XP, that it's not like the intervening horror stories, but they are frightened and spook easily. What are the best reasons (besides compatibility) for them to upgrade?

When I had 0.9 the favicons (including SFNs) would appear after I had used a bookmark, but would disappear when I closed out a Firefox window. Since I got 0.9.1 I get no favicons at all.

I was referred by someone from Physics Forums. I hardly go there anymore....

I think a big part of the problems we have with our politicians is that everyone knows all the loopholes in the system. I think "a progressive gradualization of presidents, evolving to be less and less sucky" would just end up being the same thing we've got now. I think we need something to yank us off the tracks for a change (like Nader or Kucinich getting elected). If the pols were unsure of whose pocket they were in, they might actually revert to default, representing the people who voted them in, not the corporations who paid for their elections. To bring this back on topic, I heard some things last year about Dennis Kucinich keeping the big energy companies from buying out Cleveland's utilities (giving them some of the lowest energy bills in the country) and I immediately believed he would make a great president. I'm still not sure that wouldn't be true but I took one attribute of his and assumed the rest.

Hello, and welcome to Dane County Mental Health Hospital. If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly. If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you. If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5 and 6. If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want. Stay on the line so we can trace your call. If you are delusional, press 7 and your call will be forwarded to the mother ship. If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a small voice will tell you which number to press. If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press, no one will answer. If you are dyslexic, press 9696969696969696 If you have a nervous disorder, please fidget with the pound key until a representative comes on the line. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have post-traumatic stress disorder, s-l-o-w-l-y and c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y press 0-0-0. If you are bi-polar, please leave a message after the beep or before the beep or after the beep. Please wait for the beep. If you have low self-esteem, please hang up. Our operators are too busy to talk with you. If you are menopausal, hang up, turn on the fan, lie down and cry. You won't be crazy forever. If you are blonde, don't press any buttons, you'll just mess it up. If you are anal retentive, please hold.

This is my favorite psychological theory, the Fundamental Attribution Error. We tend to package people up as a set of attributes to explain their behavior, then cry foul when people do it to us. We hope people view us in context to each situation, but we don't do the same for them, either.

The study was mentioned in The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. I really need to own that book, I got a lot of good out of it. I will check it out again & get the research on that study on Jennings. Besides, don't Republicans think all media is liberal?

I suppose it would if you could freeze it instantly. The water would expand as it freezes because water molecules in crystals take up more space than they do in liquid form. The box wouldn't be able to contain it and would break apart. How violently would depend on how quickly the water was frozen. If you froze it gradually the box would break apart gradually.

Can I get the Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, & eggs with extra Spam? Brilliant!

EEEEEEEEEW! I believe the entire world supply of Spam was created by Hormel in 1937 and they've simply been relableing it over the years to make it look like they still process it. 1937 was the year of the Great Prairie Dog Infestation in Minnesota. Billions of them disappeared almost overnight. I invite you to put the clues together yourselves. I can say no more, as my family is under a court-imposed gag order.

I was a dog-lover and a cat-hater until I got married and had a child. Now I find dogs too high-maintenance when it comes to attention. Give me a lazy, aloof, independent cat anyday.

In one independant study done on how news media personalities affect the stories they report on, it was found that Peter Jennings, a staunch Republican, actually influenced his audiences favorably with extra smiles, head nods and vocal emphasis when reporting on Ronald Reagan during the 1980 and 1984 elections. Was it just because Jennings liked Reagan or was it coached? Beyond creating an atmosphere of fear and lacking in the public, today's advertising media is completely mistrusted, while the few hard news shows people watch become The Word in what's going on in the world. We are hard pressed to find the article we wanted to read in the magazine because of the ads, so what we read we tend to take as gospel. Word of mouth is the only trusted advertising these days but still billions of $ are spent trying to convince the public they need to buy and buy NOW. What is the truth when it can be viewed from all perspectives but only a few get put in front of us?

I hate that this is the longest thread in SFN history. I'm going to make it my duty to see that The Official Jokes Section beats it.

Over the past few years, more money has been spent on breast implants and Viagra than is spent on Alzheimer's Disease research. It is believed that by the year 2030 there will be a large number of people wandering around with huge breasts and erections who can't remember what to do with them.

After seeing the movie, what I came away with was the picture of a US administration (A) that catered to the Saudi oil factions and the worldwide war industries (B). B funded many terrorist organizations, one of which was Al Qaida ©. C had their own agenda and didn't discuss it with A or B. When 9/11 occured, A & B were probably a bit stunned by the audacity of C (C was even stunned themselves at bringing down both of the WTC towers). I think the movie was also trying to imply that A=B=W (}:b) The fact that A & B & W's family & friends are profiting so much from what C accomplished makes me very suspicious as to their motives. Rather than use the tragedy of 9/11 to strengthen US ties with other nations, the opposite has occured and what has strengthened are the profits of those who think war is a good thing.

The title Something Wicked This Way Comes was taken (stolen?) from Shakespeare's MacBeth. And I realize it was in the public domain at the time but I believe Fahrenheit 451 was first published in 1953, which also puts it in the public domain. I think the point is that book and film titles are too short to plagiarize unless they introduce a totally unique concept or word. For Bradbury to suggest that Moore stole his title suggests that no one else can use the word Fahrenheit in anything.

I think Moore made a professional discourtesy by not asking permission to spoof the title, but I'm actually more embarassed for Bradbury about this. He keeps saying Moore stole his title and he wants it back. Firstly, it's not his title, it's been changed slightly which makes it valid for Moore to use it. Plus there is no way to copyright a temperature found in nature. Secondly, how would Moore "give it back"? Seeing as how Bradbury used the temperature 451 degrees F as the temperature at which books burn, and Moore says Fahrenheir 9/11 is the temperature at which freedom burns, there is no question he was making reference to Bradbury's work. But he is not in violation of anything but common courtesy.

Tell us all about it here.

Off visiting Mars, were we?

A twelve-year old boy swaggers into a bar, walks up to the barmaid and says, "Bring me a double scotch straight up!" The barmaid just looks at him and says, "What are you trying to do, get me in trouble?" The boy looks her over and says, "Maybe later. For now, just bring me the scotch!"