A good life - Kitty (1993-2009)

 

It was a sad day today – I had to put down my cat, Kitty. Its a funny story about the name, my brother couldn’t come up with a name for him and ended up calling him Kitty. He had a couple in those days, one called Hermie (now gone as well) and Billy (sill alive in New York), both girls.

Kitty was always a people cat, talking to people, asking about what they were doing. Sometimes he would watch my brother or me play video games, I always figured cause he wanted the attention.

I remember him escaping the house on my once back in the states. I was in San Francisco at the time but would occasionally spend the weekends in Davis, about an hour and a half outside of SF. One Sunday night I decided at 2 or 3 in the morning to get some gas for my drive back to SF. Somewhere between my leaving the house and returning he escaped through the garage door as he usually did but I didn’t see it happen and I was very tired. The next morning at 6, I realized he wasn’t there. And seeing that I need to hit the road for SF, I called my brother’s then girlfriend (my brother was in San Diego for business) and asked her if she could help find him. But before I left that morning I remember hearing a dog barking up a tree as if a cat was perched in it. As it turned out when my brother returned Tuesday evening it took him a couple minutes to find him using the ‘can of tuna’ technique. Kitty zipped out a few seconds later looking feral, hungry and a little cold. Well, he was out there for two days.

He was never really a good navigator, often getting lost in our neighborhood and when found often taunted me to ‘try and catch him’. He was strong in those days and could easily scale the 7 foot backyard fence. In the last couple of days though he could hardily jump onto my bed without help.

I’ll remember the early mornings trying to wake me up by ear marking my favorite books. I wanted to believe he was reading them whilst I was out because he only biting into the corners of the books that I thought were good. I’ll also remember him taking up the real estate on my bed before I wanted to go to sleep or when he would sleep between my legs before I passed out facing up and some how maneuver to the backs of my legs when I ended up on my front in the morning. 

I’ve never really felt so close to an animal or felt this way about losing someone or something but I guess this is how it feels. I think he’s doing good now, chewing on the grass somewhere, scaling huge fences and bouncing off walls with his speed. I’ll miss you K-dude.

Art review - Robbie Cooper's Immersion

Hi gang,

On this, my birthday I'm going to share with you a gift of art. I've been lucky enough to find out about this guys work through my usual channels I think its the best thing I've seen in a while.

Not often in Hong Kong do you really see good art with world class calibre, and for the few artists I know, they travel out of Hong Kong to get their fill - I know I would if I had the money.

Robbie Copper is an photographer who took a very simple idea and took it to the next level. And sometimes the simple ideas are the best ones.

The work is focuses on the faces of children whilst they play video games or watch movies. The clip below mostly shows these kids playing video games (most you will recognize from the sound effects). He got the idea whilst interviewing people in internet cafes in China. According to an interview in the April 2009 issue of PDN, he noticed that his subjects would sit through the entire interview with their eyes transfixed to the screen.

Using the High Res 4K Red One camera Cooper films his subjects using a interrotron to grab the stills. (There is more information on the internet regarding the interrotron). Eventually Copper plans to get adults involved in his work.

Look at the stills and below is a compiled video clip from the series.

Enjoy your weekend cause I know I will.

(Picture sourced from Design Corner)

Edited for TV - Snakes on a plane

I found something typical of American TV. As with hong kong they edit out swearing so the films with the best, or should I most pronounced profanity are rendered b-versions, lesser versions of the original. But sometimes, the edited for TV versions are funny.

Take for example this Samuel L Jackson gem, Snakes on a plane.

Watch Snakes on Plane: TV Edit and more funny videos on CollegeHumor

There's a great one of Die Hard III, with a vengence. I couldn't stop laughing about that one, I even wanted a DVD of that version.

Airsoft - I'm so addicted right now I feel dorky. Dorky-er

I've gone into Airsoft obsessive mode. I'm in love with not a girl but the act of wargaming. My other other lover is not a girl but the internet. But she's too much to love.

Anyway, I youtube-ed and found some airsoft videos. There are hundreds. Here are just a few. Join my party. Enjoy.

Airsoft - Call of Duty in real life

There are no more jokes today, the economy is down, there are tons of shootings related to the loss of jobs. People aren't happy. I've got to admit, I've been a little down also. But there's got to be something to smile about, right?

Call Of Duty, Heat, Black Hawk Down, Navy Seals, Ronin - what do these things have in common? Shooting and guns. what's it got to do with my catch line? Airsoft. I recently had an Airsoft battle. I polished off the dust from the guns I hadn't been using for over 2 years, got some new batteries and pellets and went off to war. And what a day it was.

People from north america and pretty much every where else are probably asking, what the fuck is airsoft? They'll know paintball for sure. But airsoft, WTF? Airsoft was started off by the Japanese simply because, like Hong Kong, its illegal to own a fire arm. So they decided to make realistic guns that fire plastic pellets.

Fast forward to now in the digital world. We've played Call Of Duty, we've shot each other up pretty good, online. But thats sitting in a chair, on the sofa, in bed with a controller and not a gun. Airsoft is with the same guns where you actually have to run and aim and usually, use teamwork to your advantage. COD crowd, you'll love this. Its the mods with scopes (I never find the use for one) and the camo and the rolling around is for real. Its getting someone in the crosshairs and trying to dumping a couple of rounds in them. Its the smell of raw Adrenalin coming through pumping through you veins, out your pores and into your sweat. Its one hell of a rush.

Now the paintball crowd will probably say,' But it'll hurt more than paintball, right?'. I can't say as I've not tried paint ball because I was never that rich, but I can say it stings a little but not for long and the bruising not as bad. How can you tell you've been shot? You'll know cause you'll hear or feel it. It purely an honor code out there, if you're shot, you're dead - put your hands up and return to the staging area. If you don't people will be hunting for you the next time. I had an experience once where a player won't go down during a battle. So I decided to shoot him - didn't die/surrender and I'd shot a dozen times, in the spot he was standing still. Next person, same thing. Next person, same thing. By the end of the day on close to the final skirmishes, a veteran player had the same experience several times but his gun died. 'Take mine,' I told him and he went after the bastard. At the whistle blow the Veteran and the 'Bastard' faced off where the Vet emptied my clip into the Bastard. Served him right.

So how did I fair? I've only played a couple of times, twice with my brother, once with Jason Tobin. I understand what's going on, but its nothing like a COD map where there are boundaries. I mean there are on the courses but in general you sweat alot more, swear, yell alot more and get tired. But its amazing! It might be sadistic but that's what COD or World of Warcraft or any game where you have to kill someone in a game is like. I definately got shot and shot a couple of people that day.

I'll mostly likely let you in on some up coming battles in Hong Kong cause I want more people to come.

Game on!

Hudson hero - amazing simulation of events

As it has been lately with the financial crisis and crap like that, its amazing when you get to see real heroism at a time or peril. And with me, with all the free time I have I've managed to come across something amazing. This is the Flight Simulator....uh....simulation with cockpit voice recordings from the actual Hudson River crash landing that happened a few months back. I'm sure all of you know the story but if you don't the details are in the excerpt below. Talk about calm under pressure.

Originally from Gizmodo.com

If you thought that the pilot who landed US Airways flight 1549 on the Hudson River was cool, you haven't seen this simulation with the real FAA voice recordings. I'm absolutely stunned by his nerves.

The captain of Cactus 1549—the codename for flight 1549—is cooler than Batman, Iron Man, and frikkin Admiral Adama all rolled into one. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, 57, is a former US Air Force fighter pilot who left the military in 1980. Couple that with the fact that he is also a safety expert and a glider pilot, and you will understand why his nerves are made of steel.

Transcript from cockpit audio

AWE1549: Ah this is Cactus 1549 hit birds. We lost thrust in both engines. We're turning back towards Laguardia
L116 (NY departure radar contact): OK, yeah, you need to return to Laguardia. Turn left heading of uh two two zero.
AWE1549: Two two zero.
L116 (to Laguardia tower): Tower stop your departures. We got an emergency returning.
LGA: Who is it?
L116: It's 1529 (sic). He got a bird strike. He lost all engines. He lost the thrust in the engines. He's returning immediately.
LGA: Cactus 1529 which engines???
L116: He lost thrust in both engines, he said.
L116: Cactus 1529 if we can get it to you, do you want to try to land runway one three?
AWE1549: We're unable. We may end up in the Hudson.
L116: Alright Cactus 1549, it's going to be left traffic to runway three one. (First he got the number wrong and now he's not listening. Is this guy this thick?)
AWE1549: Unable.
L116: OK, what do you need to land? (big iron balls, that's what)
L116: Cactus 1549 runway four is available if you want to make left traffic to runway four.
AWE1549: I'm not sure we can make any runway. What's over to our right? Anything in New Jersey? Maybe Teterboro?
L116: OK, yeah, off to your right side is Teterboro airport.
L116: Do you want to try to go to Teterboro?
AWE1549: Yes.
L116: Teterboro, uh empire actually, Laguardia departure got an emergency inbound.
TEB: OK, go ahead.
L116: Cactus 1529 (again?) over the George Washington Bridge wants to go to the airport right now.
TEB: He wants to go to our airport. Check. Does he need any assistance?
L116: Ah yes, he was a bird strike. Can I get him in for runway one?
TEB: Runway one, that's good.
L116: Cactus 1549 turn right two eight zero. You can land on runway one at Teterboro.
AWE1549: We can't do it.
L116: OK, which runway would like at Teterboro.
AWE1549: We're gonna be in the Hudson.

(understandable silence from La Guardia)

L116: I'm sorry, say again Cactus.

US TV Season Closure - WTF Battlestar?

I recenly talked about TV shows and movies. I've been following. I've been looking them up on the TV spheric websites. Here's my word:

Season finales and series finales

Conan O'Brien made an agreement with NBC to take over for Jay Leno in June of this year as Jay proposed his retirement of the tonight show with Jay Leno. Then if this wasn't enough NBC couldn't live without Jay and offered him the spot before Conan. It isn't a big secret but NBC hasn't been taking all the chips from the prime time slots. They made a business decision and a wise one at that. But this is the same thing they did to David Letterman when they promised Dave (Conan is in his spot) when Johnny Carson retired. Instead NBC hired Jay, and Dave walked across the street to CBS.

Now that there's an earlier show before the tonight show, it'll mean that Jay will still be the main man on the late prime circuit on NBC.

Conan's last week on his show was spectular as usual. Funny, engaging. College boys late night classic. I'll be sad to not see him in NY. but then again when you got to go, you gotta go. His replacement, Jimmy Fallon has had a rough week. He's called all his friend from the rolodex and had them come on regardless of whether or not they have something to talk about. Comments on his show:

1. the pace is still getting tuned. its still not clicking together. good luck.
2. The skits are marginal. keep going.
3. The Roots band is great but they're no Max Weinberg 7.

I guess its all chemistry.

Battlestar Galactica

Don Cruz got me into this. I've got to admit I was not one to get behind a show after the third season (see: haven't watched The Sopranos, Lost. Yea, I haven't) because I feel I'm too far behind to watch it. Since then I've given shows the chance.  Battlestar is one of them. Its a good watch but it helps if you're a sci-fi freak (see: I'm a nerd/dork like Pat most of the crew at the AnD offices. Not you Boon).

I just watched the second to last episode last night and I still have no idea how they can close it off in one hour. You can't do shit in an hour. Well, we'll see in a week.

 

New shows that need a tuning or fuck it, cancel that shit

I've only felt two shows that I've watched are shit this year. One is Fringe. Its not completely shit. Its not what I thought it could be. JJ Abrams is a great creator. Alias. Lost. Slap a little X-files action and BAM. Should look like Brangelina's kids right? Fuck no. Its missing a couple of links. And cogs. and a decent script. The writing is one thing, the actors are not far off. The concept is great but the direction is not that pleasing. I've give this series my whole this year. I've been waiting for it to get better or get cancelled.

Dollhouse is a plain ole mistake. Eliza Dushku is a really hot mama. But she can't act her way out of a paper bag. Yes, its that bad. I gave this one three episodes because I was hoping it'd get better. Not even Dushku's pretty ass can get me to continue watching the show. Good concept but poor poor execution. Its sort of a Bourne and Total Recall rip off. Oh but with an attractive protagonist.

 

Ok enough ranting for now.