Why Fie?

WiFi is everywhere. Most of us are lucky enough to have sort of ISP helping us connect. We pay our bills, we set up our networks, we buy the equipment, and we surf at our liesure. Thing is, we don't necessarily need to be the ones buying the connection. Many of my friends like to 'snoop' and see if there are any 'open' networks out there to exploit. Now I'm not talking about going onto someone else's computer and reading their e-mail, I'm talking about using their wireless connection to surf the web. Myself, I've taken a few steps to avoid people stealing my precious bandwidth. Completely necessary nowadays since there are so many security concerns, and even more necessary because I'm paying for it.

There are many hot spots where one can get free WiFi: Starbucks, the library, work, anywhere practically. There's even blogs devoted to letting others know where you can find these hot spots, a most useful one at that, really. Now, cities are getting in on the act, and as a public service will begin to supply their citizens with city-wide internet. Amsterdam being one, and our own Hermosa Beach being another to take the plunge. It's a great idea in concept, but I'm a little skeptical right now as to how good the connection will be, given that so many people will be using it at one time. At 6mbps though, it has to be serviceable. Here's to hoping that more cities will follow suit and make internet more of a utility.

Sketch Sketch

Been a while since I've spotlighted artists on the blog, but I felt it was overdue. All three of these artists have such a confident line that I'm completely jealous. They all have such different styles, but the striking similarity is that they're also terrific designers. Hopefully some day I'll be able to achieve such a good balance between the two disciplines. Check these guys out for some inspiration.

Adi Granov
Stuart Immonen
Dave Johnson

Fold Medal

Yesterday's performance for the US team in the 2004 Summer Olympics was quite possibly the worst day ever for the national team. In summary, there was only one medal won all day, and most embarrassingly, the men's basketball team lost in a poor display on the international stage.

I've discussed this before, as far as what's wrong with the national team, and what makes them different from the rest of the world. It may be useful to evaluate what the rest of the world thinks, but eventually, it will all come back to the same thing: the emphasis of the individual over the team. When you have Shaq demanding a trade from the best team ever and Allen Iverson not even participating in practice, you know there's a problem with today's version of the NBA. So many times, these athletes are obsessed with seeing their own image plastered all over the "plays of the week" or even their name in lights above their respective stadium. Who is an awesome player without an awesome team: an underachiever? That is what we have on this Olympic team, a team of underachievers.

There were problems from the very beginning. The slapdash way the team was thrown together, the dropping out of stars due to their own agendas, and even the fear of overseas terrorism threatened to undermine the "dream team." Although I was not happy to see them lose, I was almost hoping they would lose just so they could be exposed for their arrogance. They may have made personal sacrifices to play for the United States, but it doesn't hide the fact that they were spoiled, inconsistent, and even a little unproven. I'm not proud to say that I was hoping they'd get ousted, but I am a little offended that some could consider this desire a little racist. My ultimate hope, however, is that only good things will come of this, and the NBA will learn its lesson. Players will get better, teams will get better, and the games will get better; leading again to another gold medal.

Gold Mettle

Seeing as the whole world is blogging about the 2004 edition of the Olympics, I figured I'd throw my hat in the ring as well. 2 cents worth at least.

At the very beginning of the games, I wasn't very interested. I mean, the Olympics are only every 4 years, but there was nothing really exciting about it, nothing to look forward to. However, after a few days, watching some preliminary events and seeing the fanfare, I'm fully enthralled by the majesty of the games. It's fascinating to watch these people compete for something they've been training for their entire lives, and in some cases, will still be training for. The feats of athleticism each day are amazing, and although due to the internet, I know most of the outcomes before they're televised, I'm still nervous watching some of the events.

As a matter of national pride, the Olympics have been very good to the United States. The teams themselves started pretty slow, but looking at the latest Medal Count, things have been going much better than I could have anticipated. Each time one of the Americans takes to the podium, one can't help but be swept up in the strains of the National Anthem, especially when the athletes themselves are so openly emotional on the international stage.

There are a few disappointing aspects of the games though. First of all, the fact that there is no US team competing in baseball is very disturbing, considering the sport is supposed to be our National Pastime. Another point is that our basketball team isn't competing like a team at all, which may or may not be due to the current attitude of certain superstars in the NBA. Also, in a few other sports, some of the Americans appear to be under-performing or at least not achieving their potential. It's not altogether disappointing though, because it means that the world is really a global village and with the games being more competitive, they're also more entertaining.

Only a few days are left in these games and after that, these athletes will take their medals, honor, and whatever inspiration they've gained and either train, go pro, or retire from their competitive lives. There will always be memories though.

For some of those memories, check out the photo galleries on these sites:

LA Times (registration required)
Fox Sports
ESPN
San Francisco Chronicle

Summer Movie Mania Week 7 1/2

This week gets a '1/2' designation only because I plan on seeing another movie this weekend, and this is a rather late viewing.

Yesterday evening, we had an overdue viewing of Michael Moore's latest documentary Fahrenheit 9/11. Steeped in controversy, this anti-presidential diatribe paints a grim picture of our country and its policies after the tragedies of September 11, 2001. Mr. Moore uses recent footage of our President, public documentation, and his own domestic and overseas footage to argue his case that our country would be much better off without George W. Bush as our leader. Whether or not one will agree with Mr. Moore will most definitely depend on their political views, because in my opinion, the country is too polarized for there to be a consensus on anything.

There were some good points that Mr. Moore raised, and although a few were quite obvious, he was quite belligerent with his presentation. A public beheading, the burnt corpse of a baby, and graphic images of combat are only a few of the gruesome images littered throughout. Disturbing? Yes. Effective? Sure.

I do take issue with a few of his contentions. Although I won't mention them, I will say that his argument can always be interpreted a number of ways, and I would have preferred he left more items open rather than him say what our conclusions should be. The thing I took away from the movie though, was that this was not as much a documentary as it was a filmic essay. There was his thesis (Bush bad), his supporting arguments (dependence on Saudi Arabian money, the greed for oil, and the desire to unseat Saddam), and his conclusion (Bush bad) all presented sequentially and strongly.

Ultimately, I believe Mr. Moore's film accomplishes its goals and smeared mud all over the Conservative regime in the White House. The best bet, however, on deciding who to vote for lies within your own research, and if it takes one item for you to decide who to elect, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Fahrenheit.

Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Wish You Were Here

Our latest excursion last night was taking off to the Great Western Forum and seeing the awe-inspiring Incubus destroy the Los Angeles crowd. It's the second time I've seen the band perform, and this performance blows the previous experience out of water. No doubt this is because I had a much better view this time around. As opposed to the horrid lawn-stylings of the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, the arena floor at the old GWF was more accommodating.

Opening act Sparta was serviceable. The other band comprised of At the Drive-In remnants played a relatively ordinary set, and although they put their hearts into it, they couldn't quite get the crowd going. I imagine this was due to the fact that there was no particular melody or structure going on with most of their songs. There were some interesting ideas, but I'd have to listen to one of their CDs to get a better idea.

As headlining acts go, Incubus is one of the better ones I've seen that relate to the crowd. They certainly know how to read the crowd's mood and fit their set list accordingly. What's most impressive is their ability to improvise. There were so many solos and breaks in the music that I lost count. Their musicianship and jazz/funk influence is one of the main reasons I like them, and it showed every time they broke it down. The special onstage guests, the set list, the crowd vibe, everything came together and made this show one of the best I've seen so far this year.

Summer Movie Mania: Week 7

Although we're more than 7 weeks into the summer movie season, I'm keeping track by way of the number of movies I've seen and when I see them. A much better proposition if you ask me, since not every week has a movie worth seeing.

Case in point: this weekend was the release of Alien Vs. Predator, but instead of partaking in what will inevitably be a disappointment, my friends and I decided to check out M. Night Shyamalan's newest movie The Village.

Plot-wise, The Village centers upon a seemingly archaic village at the turn of the century (last century, that is). Isolated by the surrounding woods, its citizens live in quiet fear of the creatures that inhabit their boundaries. This has held true for many years, but when tragedy strikes, the boundary must be crossed.

Suffice it to say, it doesn't stand up to his first film, but it was serviceable. Notably, the acting was top-notch, but content-wise, I think Manoj needs to lighten up a little bit, or even add more complexity to what is becoming a series of decreasingly clever movies. That's only slightly decreasing as well, I suspect mostly because Mr. Shyamalan does not want to have people always expecting a twist at the end. "Was there a twist?" One might ask? Well, yes. And no. We somewhat figured it out after a bit, but if you don't pay attention, you'll probably miss it.

Looking back upon the film, there were numerous holes in the plot that I think would warrant some good questioning. I can't divulge, since doing so would uncover what subterfuge Mr. Shyamalan has wrought, but it's somewhat disappointing that a writer of his caliber would overlook such glaring discrepancies. Even so, I was gripped by the tension each scene possessed. The acting, the setting, the music, every little detail was well thought-out and executed quite well. It made the movie entertaining, and although slow at points, the experience was satisfying.

In summary, The Village would stand above Signs and below Unbreakable in the Shyamalan canon. I look forward to seeing what he'll come up with next.

Overall score: 3 out of 5 stars.

Blast

Well it seems that my search for a writing class may be foiled. UCLA is charging twice as much to write there as Otis charges to draw. So, curses, I imagine I'll be painting up a storm within the coming months.

LA Blog Food Meme

Here's a little survey that I grabbed while checking out blogging.la. Since they contributed to the LA blogs survey, I thought it might be worthwhile to fill it out. Fun!

1. Where is the last place you ate out?
Last place I ate out was at The Kettle in downtown Manhattan Beach.

2. How often do you eat out?
At least once a week, maybe more since most of our friends, like us, love food.

3. Where is the place you eat most?
The place I've been to most consistently over the past couple of months has been Houston's. Due to it's proximity to work and quality of food, it's a great location for lunch, but maybe only every other week since I can't afford to eat there all the time.

4. Where do you tell your friends that they "have to try"?
Um, last place I suggested to someone had to be El Conquistador in Silver Lake. Excellent Mexican food, and a great place for Sunday brunch. Well great as in you probably won't have to eat for the rest of the day.

5. What dish do they have to order when they get there?
Either their huevos rancheros or the chilaquiles. Served with the best tortillas and absolutely delicious chorizo, they both hit the spot!

6. Where do you eat when money is not a concern?
A variety of places I imagine, for special occasions though, Ruth's Chris is very tasty but the locations are pretty far from where I live.

7. Where do you eat when money is tight?
The last place we went to on a budget for great food was In-N-Out. Can't go wrong with a classic Double Double.

8. What restaurant have you wanted to try but haven't been to yet?
There's actually a list of places, but the two that stick out the most in my mind right now are El Coyote in Santa Monica and Patina at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Both are supposed to be pretty good. There's a ton of smaller local places destined to be tried out soon too, here's to eating!

Summer Movie Mania: Week 6

Movie last week: Collateral starring Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, and Jada Pinkett-Smith.

First off, there must be an admission that my expectations were pretty low for what seems to be another Summer shoot-'em-up, but would you believe that this movie was surprisingly refreshing? Refreshing in the sense that the action was emphasized as brutal, efficient, and tense, unlike the overly-glossed type action scenes you will see nowadays. Refreshing in that the dialogue rang true for the characters and not laced with snarky platitudes of a smart-ass up-and-coming writer. Clearly, this movie had a different purpose beyond pure entertainment.

Briefly, the movie itself was Jamie Foxx, as a cab driver (with dreams larger than his city cab) driving a hired gun (Mr. Cruise) from hit to hit. At gunpoint, Mr. Foxx is a reluctant accomplice, but through his interaction with the passenger/assassin, he learns something important about himself and his place in life. I believe what he learns is pretty important for people like you and me, but you'd have to see the movie to evaluate that for yourself.

The acting was good, the scenes were shot very well, and the city of L.A. itself shines as the co-start that director Michael Mann intended it to be. Not that I clearly recall, but a famous director once said that Los Angeles was a city best shot at night, as during the day, it's not at all that pretty. In some cases, I beg to differ, but there is a sense of serene beauty during the night that belies the everyday muscular bustle writhing beneath the city when the sun is out.

Nowhere else will you find a movie like this made for today's audiences. As evidenced by the paltry $25 million made this weekend, the general public doesn't respond to Mr. Cruise like it used to, and most definitely it's not the type of balls-out braincrushing actioner that people expect during the summer film melee. I contend however, that the quiet and seething pace of the film makes it a more tense ride. When I need eye candy, I can watch Bruckheimer, Collateral is more than that and I welcome it.

Overall score: 4 out of 5 stars.

Rah Rah

Being creatively energized as I am since taking my illustration class, I've taken the opportunity to start trying to write a bit more than usual. I'd have to say that although a lot of the stories I place on this little bit of nightmare I call my blog are just practice sessions with different styles and ideas, they've been pretty enjoyable. Doing something unique every now and then is how people stay on their toes in the first place, and it's a highly recommended method. One of my favorite authors said it best, and I'll paraphrase here, writing what you know is the easy way out. There are snatches and fragments of truth in some of my very early writings, and looking back on them (at least the ones that aren't published) the overt pretentiousness shows. It makes me feel horribly ashamed that I'd think that now, having been awful proud of those little passages in the past, but if you were to read anything I've written of late, and compared it to what came before: totally different. Mostly, I just want to grow and learn as much as I can, because I enjoy writing, and I hope that at some point, I'll be able to share it more widely. This is why I'll most likely take a writing class instead of art this upcoming quarter.

If there's one to be found that is. If not, then it's Painting for Illustration. I've always wanted to learn how to paint in Guache...

Byron Was a Pimp

Way back when, when men were distinguished and well versed in their letters, poets were king. Such was Lord Byron. This guy, along with his compatriots of the romantic era, wrote some of the most moving poetry. I'd say it was genius, but others will have to judge for themselves.

She Walks in Beauty
by Lord Byron

She walks in Beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!