http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ en-us fail@cenotaph.org 2008-02-03T20:34:51+00:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/archives/002095.html I have been looking for 'Fernwood 2-Nite' episodes for YEARS. I only vaguely remembered this from my childhood days, glued to Nick-at-Nite. At the time, I hated it; I didn't really understand it and the 70's look really irritated me. But I watched it a ton cause it was on TV and I watched TV religiously then. I finally sourced the first season (minus one episode that was never re-run so it may never surface) and watched the first episode last night. It's not the Holy Grail of comedy, but it's pretty awesome. Mull and Willard are totally great, Dabney Coleman makes a cameo appearance, and the show never steps beyond the reality of it's supposed small-town budget. Happy Kine and the Mirthmakers deliver a rocking soundtrack too. It's gonna be fun watching the rest of these. I care less about the second season, 'America 2-Nite', but if it turns up I'll surely check it out as well... DVD images are on Myspleen; if that's too big for you I'll rip them to DivX once I get them all. 2095@http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ Film and video 2008-02-03T20:34:51+00:00 http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/archives/002093.html (imdb) I checked this out on my friend Bill’s recommendation – he called it the most influential film noir ever made. Along with Night of the Hunter, this is my favorite of the genre (though I am far from an expert). Almost every shot oozes with darkness, making the perfect pairing of Kirk Douglas and Robert Mitchum even more malevolent. 2093@http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ Fifty favorite films 2008-01-30T21:29:04+00:00 http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/archives/002092.html (imdb) I’m as wimpy of a pacifist as you’ll ever meet, yet I love super-violent films and video games. It’s not that I use films to get out my own violent tendencies – rather, because I am not a violent person I am fascinated by what motivates people to kill and main (and also curious about cinema’s own fascination/propagation with/of aggression). This is a heavily stylized, visually awe-inspiring meditation on violence, elevating it to the level of art. It touches on body, torture, and sexual violence in a way that is uncomfortable to watch (and even more uncomfortably exhilarating). Everyone says you need to see the uncut version, and it’s true – that extra 2 seconds in the nipple-slicing scene will stay with you for a long time. 2092@http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ Fifty favorite films 2008-01-27T21:26:38+00:00 http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/archives/002091.html Hey, again I forgot about this thing. And all of you dear readers were hanging on my last words waiting for the next transmission. I've been way into Philip K Dick - I've been slowly moving through his novels for the past few months. Most recently was "VALIS" which was kinda like the ultimate PK Dick book, though it felt a lot closer thematically to Robert Anton Wilson and the 'Cosmic Trigger' books. Now I've started 'Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said' which is incredibly confusing in a really good way. Most of my time has been taken up by PBT 2008 which has been fun to work on. I need to start a separate site for my brewing stuff but in the meantime I'm gonna type my latest recipe here before I lose the scrap of paper it's written on: 225g American 2-row malt 150g Aromatic malt 80g biscuit malt 75g British ambert malt 2tsp gypsum 3kg light liquid malt extract 1kg medium dry malt extract 1.02kg clover honey 1.5oz Simcoe hops (12%) @ 60 mins 2oz dried elderflower @ 60 mins 1oz Amarillo (9.5%) @ 30 mins 2tsp Irish moss @ 15 mins .5oz Liberty (4.6%) @ 8 mins style is probably a "double IPA" - OG was 1.076, It's probably gonna be bitter as hell, as boiling the elderflowers so long just made it hop-like rather than aromatic. I'm totally psyched about it - used Safale US-05 yeast (3 packets!). I'll probably dry hop in secondary, when I get to secondary. 2091@http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ Conscious ramblings 2008-01-27T21:24:54+00:00 http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/archives/002089.html It is finished. Finally. I have felt the weight of this book hanging over me for months, though my spreadsheet indicated it's only been 2.5. And I've felt the weight of it while reading, for while only about 760 pages (and in paperback), it's quite heavy, difficult to prop open with one hand and read in a relaxed state. I lost interest about 400 pages in, but forced myself to get to page 500. At that point I figured that giving up would be a horrible failure, so I made a strong push and knocked out the last 200 pages in 3 days. Of course, entire weeks went by where I didn't touch it, lured away by lighter reading that was actually fun. I had to rened Europe Central 3 times from the library, and it's overdue now because I maxed out the renewals. No, this isn't the longest book I've ever read and I've spent way longer on other mighty tomes, but I actually feel exhausted from this one; a physical sensation like I've just swam across the ocean (as opposed to excited and energetic as I may feel when finishing something like Against the Day). 2089@http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ Arts and literature 2007-11-23T00:06:26+00:00 http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/archives/002088.html Mom asked me to take some photos, so here they are. my street: 2088@http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ Conscious ramblings 2007-10-18T01:19:41+00:00 http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/archives/002087.html It feels weird - wrong, almost - to write my first post in a (hopefully) series on food about something so quintessentially British as Branston pickle. I don't think I'm being particularly snobby to say that British food leaves a lot to be desired. Admittedly, my palate is heavily slanted towards Asian cuisine, particularly hot and spicy dishes. And as I've tried to assess my feelings on this crazy island that is my adopted home, I continually return to a fixation on the (poor) quality of the food here. "Scotland's great," I say, "but I want to live somewhere cheaper, where I can learn another language, and where the food doesn't suck." And I say this often. 2087@http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ Food 2007-10-16T23:33:24+00:00 http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/archives/002086.html (imdb) I could have substituted any number of films for this one (see below) but I went with The Kentucky Fried Movie because it’s relatively low-profile as these films go. Of course, The Naked Gun comes close, as “Nice beaver!” is possibly the best joke ever. I have a bottomless appetite for stupid, slapstick comedies, and I’m happy to see a recent resurgence with films like Anchorman, Zoolander, etc. Instead of tKFM, any of these could be substituted: 1. The Naked Gun 2. Airplane! 3. UHF 4. Anchorman 5. The Naked Gun 2 1/2 6. Zoolander 7. Super Troopers 8. Spaceballs 9. Hot Shots 10. The Jerk 2086@http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ Fifty favorite films 2007-10-16T19:53:38+00:00 http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/archives/002085.html (imdb) Sentimental value here – when I was about 14, my aunt Jayne recommended this to me. She was visiting from Florida, and watched it with my cousin and I. As a young adolescent, the goofy side of the humour appealed to me; more importantly, it reinforced my developing creative leanings. I’ve watched it a few times since, and it always fills me with a warm joy. I listen to the Cat Stevens soundtrack quite a bit too, which is pretty much a 'greatest hits' for him. 2085@http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ Fifty favorite films 2007-10-13T12:06:44+00:00 http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/archives/002084.html (imdb) This is either the most balanced or the most manipulative documentary I have ever seen. The subject matter is nothing to laugh at, and the documenting of the Freidmans’ breakdown through the oldest brothers video diaries is truly “stranger than fiction” (as clichéd as that sounds). After watching this, I truly felt the filmmakers had not chosen a side. After seeing the (unmissable) DVD supplements and reading a bit of background, I think they definitely chose a side and structured the film as carefully as possible to make it look like they hadn’t, which in a way is even more manipulative. There’s a ton of grey area and no definite answers, but it's certainly compelling. 2084@http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ Fifty favorite films 2007-10-10T19:47:11+00:00 http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/archives/002083.html Main computer: Apple iBook G4, 1.2Ghz CPU, 768MB RAM. Busted keyboard, laptop casing is cracked and chipped throughout. Discoloured. It's slow! Browser: Firefox 2.0.0.7. Plugins used: Tab Mix plus, LiveHTTP Headers, Web developer toolbar, Flashblock, del.icio.us. Terminal: iTerm. Not great; some problems with terminal emulation; good tab support though I wish I could rename the tabs without it reverting. Editor (code/ascii): TextMate. Love this. Vi (vim) in terminal. Editor (text): Scrivener. Just moved over from Word, loving it! Audio tracking: Cubase Sx 1.06. Crashes a bit. Wouldn't mind switching to something else but I'm picky and will probably wait til I get an Intel laptop. RSS: Shrook. Very happy with it. Chat: Adium 2.0 with my custom skin to make it a tiny transparent buddy list. FTP: commandline, but CyberDuck when necessary. Audio listening: iTunes, I guess, though I hate it. I guess I use it for last.fm support, though I don't know why I bother. VLC is ideal for video but crappy for mp3s. I wish Winamp existed for Mac OS. EMail: Thunderbird, with SugarCRM plugin to use on my personal CRM installation. I don't use this machine for BitTorrent or burning discs, though I use Toast Titianium when I do burn. 2083@http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ Conscious ramblings 2007-10-08T16:13:12+00:00 http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/archives/002082.html (imdb) I went through a big 70’s conspiracy kick; I was reading novels like DeLillos’ Running Dog and McElroy’s Lookout Cartridge while watching films like this. The mind-control/assassin stuff is quite laughable, and it’s hard to think anyone could take it seriously now (or then) – but the theme of a massive, many-tentacled organization conspiring against us is one I never tire of. That theme is here, in fine form. Also in fine form is Warren Beatty’s hair. 2082@http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ Fifty favorite films 2007-09-27T17:05:51+00:00 http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/archives/002081.html (imdb) I’m not a massive Dylan fan but this is incredible, not so much for the music but for peeking at the most important figure in the cultural history of music during a period of transition. You can also view this as proof of the impossibility of true documentary, for the camera’s presence is always known to Dylan; it's the catalyst for all of his attitudes and quirks. The parody in Bob Roberts is great too. 2081@http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ Fifty favorite films 2007-09-27T17:02:57+00:00 http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/archives/002080.html (imdb) This film seems to divide people. I love it (and have seen it numerous times through many of my own drunken hazes) though others seem to find it annoying and gratuitous. I find this to be Gilliam’s finest work because it truly captures a spirit that might be irresponsible, might be self-destructive, but might perfectly encapsulate the ‘American Dream’, whatever the fuck that might be. Whatever you may think about Johnny Depp for all his annoying cartoon roles, his performance here is absolutely brilliant. 2080@http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ Fifty favorite films 2007-09-24T11:38:00+00:00 http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/archives/002079.html (imdb) I have a theory that I have seen Human Highway more times than anyone else in the world, including Neil Young himself. I’m not quite sure how this happened – I think I’ve just watched it with a lot of different people over the years, usually after uttering the line “oh man, you like Neil Young? Wait til you see this!” Then I made a bootleg DVD of it and did a commentary track with “Neil” himself, so that brought me even closer to the material. A British friend was recently saying how he didn’t understand why Americans enjoyed bad things – how we will get together in groups and intentionally watch bad movies. While Human Highwayis definitely a “bad” film, it’s the best kind of trainwreck. Almost everyone I've watched it with admits that it has some merits: the dream sequence is like a bus accident involving Bruce Baillie and Stan Brakhage; the 10 minute noise jam on “My My Hey Hey” with Devo entirely justifies the remaining 80 minutes. So this may be an example of a bad film that I have made good through my own obsessive viewings. I can’t say I understand it any more than the first time I saw it, but my enjoyment has increased each time. 2079@http://www.teamforce.org/hyksos/ Fifty favorite films 2007-09-24T11:14:24+00:00