9/16/2004 08:25:00 AM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
To Be or Not To Be...

Exciting news for Shakespeare aficionados. The British Library has digitized 93 copies of 21 plays written by the most genius writer of all time. The quartos can be viewed online at The British Library web site.

Here is some background information on the quartos from the web site:

"Why are the quartos important?

None of Shakespeare’s manuscripts survive, so the printed texts of his plays are our only source for what he originally wrote. The quarto editions are the texts closest to Shakespeare’s time. Some are thought to preserve either his working drafts (his foul papers) or his fair copies. Others are thought to record versions remembered by actors who performed the plays, providing information about staging practices in Shakespeare’s day."


9/15/2004 10:04:00 AM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
Who can't respect President George W. Bush for taking the time to visit Russia in order to pay tribute to the victims of the Beslan school siege?


9/14/2004 06:49:00 AM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
Down...Set...Hike!

Grunts. Bellowing. Football. Lots of male testosterone--something I will never understand. I think of my brothers playing Madden Football, or any of the guys I know, and chuckle. I guess its almost like Kizze and Foggity Bloggity and Dirty Dancing.

To live some of the experience of Madden Football listen to none other but NPRs very own Morning Edition.


9/02/2004 12:41:00 PM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
Sounds like something from a movie this "Black Triangle" sighting phenomenon. The Black Triangle seems to appear out of nowhere and isn't very shy when it does. Read the story on space.com.


8/30/2004 06:52:00 PM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
"Luke, I am Your Father...."

The Star Wars Kid made one mistake. But one mistake is all you need to become ridiculously famous.

The Star Wars Kid was a 15 year old high school student in Quebec who dreamed of being like Darth Maul. He makes a personal video tape of him reenacting Darth Maul's fight scenes. Little does he know that his so-called friends find the video and post it on the Internet for all the world to see. The Star Wars Kid has become an international sensation as varieties of his original film have been created and posted online.

To experience the Star Wars Kid et al go to Screaming Pickle.com and download video clips featuring the Stars Wars Kid himself.

[To view, right click on the hyperlink and go to "Save Target As." Save the file to your hard drive. To view, open the file and it will be viewed in Windows Media Player. Watch the original Star Wars Kid first.]


8/26/2004 11:26:00 PM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
A Must See

Watch out for Control Room, coming soon (hopefully!) to a theater near you! It only played for a few days here in Austin and that was because an activist group here sponsored the showings.

Control Room is quite thought provoking and I feel pretty disheartened about the information we receive, both from the media and from our nation's leaders.

Warning: While the movie is not rated, it does have some graphic scenes and intense moments.

Listen to a dialogue about political commentaries, including The Fog of War, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Control Room, on Talk of the Nation on NPR.


8/26/2004 11:10:00 AM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
Goes to show that a high falootin' education doesn't mean a thing....

Is he speaking at grade level?


8/19/2004 01:04:00 PM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
"First of all, we're in the country now, so no more black."
"No more black, are you insane?"
"You heard me. Only high-powered and neurotic, castrating Manhattan career b$%*!es wear black. Is that what you wanna be?"
"Ever since I was a little girl."

Here's a fun movie: The Stepford Wives

Men can learn a lot from it!


8/18/2004 10:34:00 PM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
In cases of doubtful morality, it is usual to say, Is there any harm in doing this? This question may sometimes be best answered by asking ourselves another: Is there any harm in letting it alone? -- Colton.

So here is a web site that lists more recent movies and their offensive content.

To be taken with a grain of salt.


8/14/2004 12:36:00 PM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
Goes to show that everyone can be called to jury duty.


8/13/2004 09:29:00 PM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
For those of you suffering from the horrible pangs of premenstrual syndrome check out this link to find out how to effectively deal with it. (Brought to you by MSN Health.)

And if that information doesn't help, check out this link for your last resort. (Brought to you by Women Thou Art God.)


8/13/2004 09:23:00 PM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
Those silly Russians.... Maybe my family should plan a trip to Siberia.

Interested in more myths, hoaxes & mysteries in astronomy and space science?


7/12/2004 08:55:00 PM - Posted by dmaismith - 1 comments
Is this really me?



You're Vatican City!

You're pretty sure that you're infallible in all that you do or say, and
it's hard to say whether you're right.  You have a lot of followers, most of whom will
do whatever you say without question, or line up to see you ride around in your spiffy car.
 Religious and reserved, you have some wisdom, but also a bit much contempt for everyone
around you.  You're also fabulously wealthy, no matter what you say to the contrary.

Take
the Country Quiz at the href="http://bluepyramid.org">Blue Pyramid



7/12/2004 08:53:00 PM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
Now this really is me!!




You're Mrs. Dalloway!

by Virginia Woolf

Your life seems utterly bland and normal to the casual observer, but
inside you are churning with a million tensions and worries. The company you surround
yourself with may be shallow, but their effects upon your reality are tremendously deep.
To stay above water, you must try to act like nothing's wrong, but you know that the
truth is catching up with you. You're not crazy, you're just a little unwell. But no
doctor can help you now.
Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.



7/12/2004 08:06:00 PM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
Now, I'm concerned that good ol' Kizze is going batty. She was bit on the neck by a large vampire bat at Congress Bridge last Friday night and has been kind of "off" ever since.

The Signs
1. She spent all weekend socializing. (A sign of a psychic vampire is they love to be around people.)
2. Last night she went for a walk and couldn't find her way home.
3. Kizze drank a smoothie today instead of eating lunch. (Vampires love to drink, especially red drinks.)
4. She took a nap today. (Kizze never naps!)
5. She went to work today without doing herself up.

Check out the bat that bit her!

Scary!


7/04/2004 11:12:00 PM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
Sarah thinks we should take the next family trip to Roswell, New Mexico. Not a popular idea. Everyone is now coming up with excuses why they can't make it, and a date hasn't even be set! We could hardly handle the 45 minute trip to Idaho City; who really wants to attempt a couple of days road trip to Roswell?!

Roswell has a special place in the hearts of my family members. Known primarily for its fascination with UFOs, it is no wonder it would catch our attention (our being avid fans of The X-Files, syndicated radio talk show host Art Bell, The Fortean Times, and anything science fiction/extraterrestrial).

Sometimes I wonder if I was actually abducted by aliens. I'm pretty scatter-brained and there is a huge chunk of my childhood I can't remember, mostly in relation to my sister (maybe she was the one abducted.) And then there's that crazy scar....


6/25/2004 12:31:00 PM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
Video Game Obsession

Q: How do you know you have an unhealthy obsession with video games (as opposed to a healthy obsession with me)?

A: You act out your favorite video games in real life, like the guys from Mega64. [Hint: The Tetris video is the best.]


6/23/2004 01:14:00 AM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
Why You Should Support Your Local Public Library
Reason #249

Not only do public libraries provide free access to information, but a library also serve as a refuge from the elements. Just ask any homeless person. Or go see The Day After Tomorrow. (And why is it that librarians are still portrayed as stuffy old maids? Am I a stuffy old maid?!!?;)


6/13/2004 08:23:00 PM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900), "On Reading and Writing"

Surprisingly enough Hollywood hasn't used this idea for a love story (or has it?). Two people from different walks of life connect after their eyes meet at a hotel where they are attending different events. They talk, find out they are from the same area of town, and, strangely enough, they will be apartment complex neighbors within a week. As they get to know each other they decide they want to have children together, become engaged, and, then, before the wedding can take place, the bride-to-be dies from flu complications on a plane ride. Sadly, enough this is a true story, as told by John Perry Barlow (former lyricist for the Grateful Dead). [Go to this link and listen starting at about 38:00 to the end.]

What I find particularly intriguing is that the account of the couple's meeting sounds a lot like the account of an acquaintance, who, not necessarily a victim of love at first sight but close to it, spotted a guy from across the dance floor and felt that she needed to meet him. They met, and she says, a la John Perry Barlow mode, made a connection. The feeling was mutual and within a few weeks they were engaged. Luckily, this story does have a happy ending and the love larks are now married (two months after their intital meeting).

So what is the moral of these stories? Maybe those of us who spurn stories of love at first sight are just jealous that we haven't made that special connection. Could it be we're making things more difficult than it needs to be? I'd like to know if there's a common personality type that suffers from love at first sight more than others....


6/08/2004 06:39:00 AM - Posted by dmaismith - 0 comments
CORRECTION: This correction applies to the last post (about the World Naked Bike Ride). June 12 is actually a Saturday. So the bikers are being considerate and not picking a prime time to expose themselves.