The New Terminator Movies

I've never seen the Terminator movies. Recently, there's been hype about a new trilogy being in the works, and I still had no desire to check them out. Then I came across this article. Suddenly, I can't wait for the new movies to come out! Christian Bale is slated to play John Connor... I know nothing about the story, but if Bale is involved, its gotta be good, right?

What movies have you watched solely for the actors, and were they worth it?

American FactFinder

Here is a really neat website I found today while doing some research for school. Its called American FactFinder, and its set up by the U.S. Census Bureau. All kinds of interesting data is there waiting to be explored! You can even enter your own zip code and find data specific to your home area. Here's mine.

Paris says "Save the Drunk Elephants"

I never expected to post a story about Paris Hilton, but then, I also never expected to hear about elephants getting drunk.  

 

Hilton is getting praise from Animal conservationists, following her recent comments about saving drunk elephants.  As if elephants getting drunk on farmers' homemade rice-beer wasn't bizarre enough! 

 

Here's a link to the story on MSN: http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=284021&GT1=7703

The CIA's World FactBook

Today while doing some research for school, I came across this reference website. It's from the CIA - yes, the Central Intelligence Agency. It's got a ton of information about every country. Its pretty cool, and worth exploring if you're interested.

126-years overdue books returned

I came across a link this week to an article in the UK newspaper "The Guardian" that I thought was worth sharing.

After capturing the Peruvian capital, Lima, during the 1879-1883 War of the Pacific, Chilean soldiers pillaged the library. They took at least 3,778 volumes, written in Greek, Latin, French and Spanish, some with full-page colonial-era maps, dated from the 16th to 19th centuries.

This week, 126 years later, Chile returned the books. Most were in excellent condition, and will be returned to Lima's national library.

Books!! Part One

This morning I finished reading "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" by Michael Chabon. I have read several of his other novels, including The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, for which Chabon won the Pulitzer Prize. "Union" was about a Jewish Settlement in Alaska and the policemen who are trying to solve the murder of the latest Messiah. It is a long novel, over 400 pages, and there are many themes and stories interwoven throughout. I generally liked the story, and the main characters were very well-developed and likable. I do have one complaint about the book though that prevented me from really enjoying the book. Chabon used LOTS of yiddish words, and having no familiarity with the language, I found it occassionally difficult to understnad what he was saying. By replacing a key word or descriptor, some concepts were lost on me. I would only recommend this book to Chabon fans... or fans of his character-driven style.

By the way, this week, Nov. 14-16 there is an Online Bookfair at www.loveofreading.com. I've never seen this but looks like it could be interesting - there are raffles for free books, blogs and interviews and podcasts with guests writers and authors.

"When the Sun Stood Still" Lecture, 11/15

Dudley Observatory & Union College are sponsoring the following program, which is free and open to the public.

Dava Sobel, author of Galileo’s Daughter, Longitude, and The Planets will speak on “When the Sun Stood Still” ,” how Copernicus and Galileo ushered in a new cosmic order--and how the world responded.

Thursday, Nov. 15th
7:30pm
Nott Memorial, Union College

The lecture will be followed by a reception and book signing.

In addition works of Copernicus and Galileo from the Dudley Observatory rare book collection will be on display.

For more information call 382-7583 or 388-6616.

National Geographic Map Machine

This is a really cool website I learned about in a class yesterday. I haven't spent too much time exploring it - but for just looking at Satellite images of areas I know, I like this better than Google Maps' satellite view. The picture seems clearer to me... anyone else think so? Anyone think Google is better? Why or Why not?

Mythbusters

I love Mythbusters. It's such a fun show - they investigate some really cool myths, and it always looks like they are having fun. I don't know that I would go so far as to say its an educational show, but I usually learn at least something interesting, if not useful. In a recent New York Times Op-Ed piece, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman answered reader submitted questions. Some of the stuff they talked about I knew from watching their "Mythbusters Revealed" episode - but I'm such a fan, I'll watch/read just about anything they do. My favorite part of the show is when they bust a myth, and then try to figure out what conditions would have made the myth true. (This usually ends with some kind of explosion!) Anyone else have any favorite parts of the show, crew members, or episodes to share?

Wash your hands!

MRSA Staff infections have become a big problem lately, since they are resistant to many antibiotics, its important that we all do as much as we can to prevent its spread.

MRSA infections are usually manifested as skin infections and can occur in otherwise healthy people. Skin infections caused by MRSA are very similar to infections caused by other bacteria and can be red, swollen, or painful. Even though a MRSA bacterial infection is resistant to certain antibiotics, it is treatable and preventable. MRSA is most typically spread by direct skin contact and infection occurs when this bacteria enters through a break in the skin.

In what settings do MRSA skin infections occur?
* Some settings have factors that make it easier for MRSA to be transmitted.* These factors, referred to as the 5 C's, are as follows: Crowding, frequent skin-to-skin Contact, Compromised skin (i.e., cuts or abrasions), Contaminated items and surfaces, and lack of Cleanliness.* Locations where the 5 C's are common include schools, dormitories, military barracks, households, correctional facilities, and daycare centers.
How do I protect myself from getting MRSA?
* You can protect yourself by:* practicing good hygiene (e.g., keeping your hands clean by washing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and showering immediately after participating in exercise);* covering skin trauma such as abrasions or cuts with a clean dry bandage until healed;* avoiding sharing personal items (e.g., towels, razors) that come into contact with your bare skin; and using a barrier (e.g., clothing or a towel) between your skin and shared equipment such as weight-training benches;* maintaining a clean environment by establishing cleaning procedures for frequently touched surfaces and surfaces that come into direct contact with people's skin.
If you want to get further information go to www.cdc.gov.

No more paper records!!

I came across this article today on Techdirt and thought it was worth sharing. Apparently, the Family Records Center in London is no longer allowing the public to access the paper geneology records. They are starting a process to digitize all the records, that will not be complete until 2009 (or later). In the meantime, the microfiche records will still be available, but it has been reported that the fiche is frequently illegible. Researchers are pretty upset.

Its a Romantic Comedy with Zombies!

Tis the season of horror movies, and one of my favorite movie review sites, Cinematical, has posted a Retro Review of Shaun of the Dead. It's one of my favorite movies! What's not to love about romance, comedy and zombies!!

Haunted Museum

This weekend at the New York State Museum there are some fun Halloween activities. Word on the street is that the Haunted Museum is actually pretty intense, and it is not recommended for kids under 10. I have good authority that it is scary for everyone - even adults. It sounds fun to me! Check out the online ad!

Phenomenon

The title of this post comes from the Television show I am watching right now. I had a tough decision to make tonight - there were 5 shows I wanted to watch during the 8 to 9 hour. I decided to skip Mythbusters, since it is on often, and I eventually see all of them. I really enjoy Pushing Daisies, so I'm recording that and I can watch it later without distraction. I'm left with Wired Science, Phenomenon, and the World Series. Since I have DVR, I can watch or record only 2, and I'm already recording Pushing Daisies, so I have only one tuner left for 3 shows. I am going to skip Wired Science on PBS, which even though its a pretty cool show, it is the one I am least interested in tonight. I have decided to flip between the World Series and Phenomenon so I can watch both.

I wasn't sure what to expect from these "mentalists" and it turns out to be really cool! The judges are telling this guy that his act was boring and predictable - but it wasn't to me! I mean, maybe I could predict the outcome - but that doesn't change how amazing it was! The set up was 7 people holding envelopes. then he asked one person to throw 3 frisbees into the audience. the first frisbee catcher picked a number 1-4, to determine which phone book to use. the second picked a number 1-400ish to find a page in the phone book, and the third frisbee catcher picked a column 1-4 to pick a column from the page. Then the mentalist ran his finger down the column and a volunteer told him when to stop. Then the volunteer called out the phone number and someone wrote it down. Then each person opened their envelope and it was the phone number - in the right order! I thought it was pretty impressive. The show overall wasn't great, but I really like mind games and tricks, so I expect I'll watch it again.

How ironic!

Today in class we had a guest speaker, and he was discussing social software. This was the kind of talk that I typically would think is really lame and could never do any of the things he talked about. Unfortunately, I'm kinda into some of the things he talked about, like blogging and del.icio.us. I'm just glad I started this blog yesterday, so at least it doesn't look like I started a blog because of his talk.

Trying stuff out...

So now that I've started a blog, I can't wait to start adding my favorite things... mostly because this is kind of like a new toy, and I want to play with it. Also because I have some homework to do and I don't feel like doing it.

So here is a link to a website that has a comic set in a public library. It's called Unshelved and although I'm pretty new to this library thing, and don't have much experience, I can still appreciate it. Sometimes its pretty funny. Its also the only other internet window I have open right now, so in my effort to play with links, this is what you get.

Finally!

This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. About 6 months ago, I was finishing law school and preparing for the Bar Exam. Exam prep was truly consuming all my time, and I frequently found myself saying "...after the bar..."
I began to keep a list of all the things I wanted to do "after the bar." One of those things was to start a blog, and I'm kind of excited to get started.
I plan to develop a mission statement for this blog, to create a clear plan of what I hope to do with this blog. One thing it will not be: a daily diary or journal of my activities. Instead, I hope to collect things I find out on the web that I find interesting, so I can share them with anyone who finds this blog.
As of now, I have no criteria for what I find interesting, but I know there is an awful lot of it!