Take Two - They're Small . . . And Cheap!

I think that saying the "Big Three" are going to have a problem with this is an understatement.

Toyota plans ultra-inexpensive car


How ultra-inexpensive? According to the article, about $6,200. And they're talking new manufacturing techniques, new materials. I'm sure just reading the article is sending Detroit auto execs running for the Pepto.

What do I have to say? About damn time. Cars are far too expensive and complex, and frankly, structured, for the most part, in 19th century technology. I'd love to see something cheap, safe, and fun.

About damn time.

Oh, and where's my rocket car?

With Ultimate Power Come Really Cool Toys

Ah, the things one can do with a little help from Google Maps.

Follow the link yes, this one for a little something amusing from Geogreeting.

Of Stages and Screens

Yesterday we saw Dreamgirls. This is a not very good movie filled with remarkable performances.

I could tell the audience loved it, and yet, I wonder if they knew what they were missing. Dreamgirls (click that link for the Broadway show info) was originally a stage musical and much is lost in "opening it up" and transferring it to the screen.

Lost, you say? But audiences were applauding during the movie? And the critical acclaim is off the charts. What could they have possibly have lost?

Well, for one thing, the movie entirely misses the pauses, the extended silences, the full stops. This particular movie roars right along, never pausing, never hesitating for a moment. And in those moments you'll find everything. In the silence we see the tension, the anger, the fear, much more than in shouting, even more than the anguished solos. It's in that moment when it all stops that we really see the characters.

There are some remarkable performances. Eddy Murphy is amazing. And Jennifer Hudson was perfect. Beyoncé Knowles has really long arms. But performances, great costumes, even terrific music don't make a movie. Translating a musical to a movie is so difficult I can only think of a few that work, and most of them are simply filmed stage presentations. Yes, Fred Astaire could do it, but Fred Astaire could do many things that mere mortals can't.

So, yes, they were fated to fall short, but the direction and editing of this movie don't help. Jamie Fox looks like he can't really decide if he's really in a musical or not. And some of the transitions from dialog to singing are jarring. This late bunch of movie musicals seem to be directed by people that really don't get American musical theater. And don't get me started on "Moulin Rouge!" There was a detestable, ugly movie directed by someone that literally hates musicals.

I suppose there's simply that part of live performance that film can never do, and I say this as a great lover of movies. There is a thrill of witnessing a live performance. I don't know if you've ever seen a real, honest-to-god Broadway musical. Take, for example, the showstopper in Dreamgirls, "And I Am Telling You I Am Not Going." In the movie, Hudson nails it, but at its end she is nearly run over by the next scene. There's not time for a deep breath. On stage, well, they don't call it a showstopper for nothing. If you put Hudson on stage for that scene and song there'd be a moment where the hair on your arms would stand up, where you'd not only feel the deep anguish of the character, but you'd be aware that you were seeing something, really participating in it. And in that moment you'd realize just how good the performer is, better than you'd thought anyone could be. Then that would pass away as she brought the song to an end and the audience would be on its feet. The show would literally stop.

You can't do that in a movie, you tell me. Well, you'd be wrong about that. It could have been done, could have been better, but, then again, it would have been artificial.

I've done many plays and musicals (been a while, though). But I've never had a shot at a showstopper. My dream role: Nicely Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls. That roll gets to do all the fun songs, then, if done right, bring down the house with "Sit down you're rock'n the boat." Let me know if you're staging a version and I'll be there, checkered vest and all.

Address Book Of The Dead

Today, for an unexpected reason, I started to edit out my address book - it had swollen to nearly 2000 contacts, many of which were far out of date and no longer in my industry (OK, I'm the one that switched industries).

But in quickly going thru them, I found 3 friends and acquaintances who had passed away. It was a shock to see their names, as if I could still pick up the phone and call them. And it was difficult to delete their records. It seemed another death, and this time, at my hand.

And then I came across the name James Kim. He was likely a brief contact at a tradeshow, or someone I met when in his office when I was on a press tour. You might remember his name recently from all the press. He's the one that died after he and his family got lost in the Oregon wilderness.

Hence, today is mortality recognition day. Here's to us, the living. And for those who have passed, there are we remember you.

Rodney O. Lain
Kelly Mayhew
Sing-Si Schwartz
James Kim

Two Snaps Up!

OK, using this as a test bed and playground again. Today's example: Snap.

But please, before clicking on the link (D'oh! Too late?), just "hover" over it.

Anything happen?

OK, nothing more to see here. Move along.

Randy. Captain Randy

. . . and that's when it started getting weird.

Hmmm? What? Oh, there you are!

Sorry. Got distracted for a moment. Or a couple of months. Insert appropriately chagrined smiley face here.


First, thanks to Hedwig for prodding me back. No promises that I'll keep it up.

Next, I'll catch you all up on the gap at a later time. Perhaps.

Oh, and before I go, I'll pass on that the new James Bond movie, Casino Royale is terrific.

It's refreshing. It is a reboot, but a solid one. The villain is appropriately evil, but over a matter of a 110 million dollars, not world domination. Bond is amazingly tough, but not indestructible. And there are few gadgets and none of them difficult to say, "sure, he could have one of those."

I liked it a lot.

My favorites of the series are, in ranked order:

Goldfinger
Casino Royale (the new one, not the Woody Allen mess)
Dr. No
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Live and Let Die

Oh, I suppose I should provide a link, this being the internets, and all.

http://www.writely.com/

Writely, Writterly, Writtenly

Well, now. Here we are using an online word processor. How 1985.

But, then again, we're using a browser, so this must be Web 2.0.

So far, so good.

Andy's My Hero

Macworld: Opinion: Leopard's top-secret secrets: "And besides, it's a testament to Apple that they routinely produce products that are worth speculating about. When I get a new Microsoft product in the mail it's often like that moment when you've got both feet on the brakes but you know that the car can't possibly stop in time. You don't know what's going to happen. You just hope it won't hurt too much."

And I like his speculation. I 'spect that Apple has some interesting things up it's corporate sleeves that we'll learn about late this fall, in time for the Xmas buying season, and even more in January at the Macworld Expo.

Oh, and this is worth a chuckle, too:

"I mean, Microsoft is so desperate to distract attention from their inability to ship that they’re sending Bill Gates out to end hunger and disease as a diversionary tactic. That’s desperate."

But as I feared

Manhattinhand: No, I wasn't REALLY shot at....

I really liked my Moleskine before

But now I think I love it. Any notebook that can save your life is worth carrying

Manhattinhand: Holeskine

Very nice, but where's my Slow Glass?

Yes, this is interesting stuff: Electrochromatic Glass: Instant Darkening - Gizmodo

But for real imagination, try and find a copy of "Light of Other Days"
by Bob Shaw, a short story published in the 1960's. It's haunting - and has stayed with me in the many hears since I read it.

And apparently, it may be possible.

science, science fiction, light

Yes, we are up to something

And a few germs aren't going to make our giant tripod war machines break down, neither.

Almost Too Fair

And now, for this word on net neutrality, from The Daily Show.

It's hot outside - let's stay in and watch movies

If i only could. Today would be a perfect day for big glasses of rum and lime over ice and the Marx Brothers.

Stack o books for the beech

On Friday we head off for our yearly vacation on Cape Hatteras and I have my stack of books ready to go. This year's includes:

• Straight Man by Richard Russo
  
• Rainbow's End by Vernor Vinge
  
• Queen of the South by Arturo Perez-Reverte
  
• The Gilded Age by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner
  

Unfortunately, I will not be able to include my yearly James Lee Burke fix. For the first time in years, he's late (although only by a week). Ah, well. We'll have to catch Pegasus Descending the following week or so.

Avast there, Matey!

Sitting here in my home office, if I turn to my left I see a shelf full of books on this list. When did I become a fan of sea books?

Well, O'Brian cinched it, but I've always been nuts over a great tale - and the ones on this list certainly are crackerjack ones!

Bookmarks Magazine: 101 Crackerjack Sea Books

Sea-low-can-th

And they're mighty tasty, too!

OK, I haven't actually eaten coelacanth and have no intention to, but I can bet that may people looking at this video are thinking, "I wonder what it tastes like?"

For the record

Might I say, for the record, that I prefer not to hear or read any more about Star Jones, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (or their kids), Brittney Spears, Madonna (going on 25 years of hearing too much about her), global warming nay-sayers, defense of marriage-gay basing-bigots, anti-flag burning jingoists, Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, what movie star is dating what other movie star, the latest powder keg in the middle east, but-but-but Clinton! Republican apologists, stay-the-course-damn-the-torpedoes-full-speed-ahead-things-are-much-better-than-the-liberal-media-is-telling-you-in-Iraq-head-in-the-sand-my-country-right-or-wrong red staters.

I prefer to have a pleasant, uninterrupted by the national tragedy of the moment, summer vacation. I'm assembling my stack of books and will soon head for sun and sand and cold Coronas.

Try not and blow up the planet while I'm gone.

Captain Randy Falls In Love With YouTube

Let it never be said that Al Gore doesn't know funny.