Everything Thats Anything

good new year resolutions

2009-01-28T02:13:00.000-08:00

1. Make Sensible Resolutions (and see them through!). Think carefully about what you want to accomplish by this time next year. Where do you want to be in 12 months? Make a list of all your resolutions ordered from most important to least important and stick it up somewhere you will see it on a daily basis. Know what’s at the top of my list? To keep all my New Years’ Resolutions of course!
2. Be Optimistic. Is your glass half full or half empty? Not only does Optimism correlate strongly with self-esteem, psychological well-being and physical and mental health, you’re also far more likely to succeed at any given task if you go in with an optimistic mindset.
If you’re like me (eternal pessimist and cynic), you’re probably thinking that being cheerful in the face of adversity is easier said than done, and you’re right. Even so, there are ways to train yourself to be more optimistic. Yes, as dubious as that sounds, you can actually turn yourself into a glass half full kind of person with a few simple techniques. Check out this great post to get you started.
3. Learn a musical instrument. A wise man once said that Music is the poetry of the air. Learning to play an instrument will give you a feeling of accomplishment, improve your co-ordination and rhythmn, and (most importantly) impress members of the opposite sex.
Worried about the cost? Fear not, as never before has it been cheaper to learn a musical instrument than it is today. Free lessons abound online, in both written and video formats (YouTube has literally thousands of tutorials on just about every noise producing apparatus known to humankind), and instruments themselves are a steal. I just searched ebay and found new Violins going for as little as $50, Accoustic Guitars for as little as $40, and Harmonicas for as little as $10. And yes, those prices are including shipping!
4. Teach yourself a new language. Learning to speak a new language is a worthy and rewarding endeavour. Apart from being very convenient if you ever happen to travel abroad, a new language imrpoves cultural understanding, verbal skills, linguistic ability, and may even increase your overall intelligence.
Learning a new language used to be expensive, but through the magic of the internet you can become a master without spending a cent. This site provides an excellent jumping off point, as does this excellent YouTube video:
5. Try something new every day. Familiarity often leads to stagnation. There’s nothing wrong with having a routine and knowing what you like, but you’ll never expand your horizons if you don’t branch out a little. Even if something doesn’t seem like it’s your thing, you won’t know for sure until you actually try it.
6. Do something that you’re afraid of every day. This doesn’t mean you should run naked into oncoming traffic, it means you should face those fears you know are holding you back. Courage is not inherited, it is learned.
7. Give up a vice. Vanity, Greed, Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, Envy, Laziness, or Cigarettes - which one is your deadliest sin? If none of these are a problem for you, a far more exhaustive list of vices is available at Wikipedia.
8. Pick up a virtue. Being Virtuous promotes indivual and collective well-being. This year I’m going for Perseverance. See a full list of Virtues here.
9. Go Travelling. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy (in fact, it could even be something distinctly un-fancy like camping), or for more than a few days, but it has to be somewhere you’ve never been before.
10. Excercise regularly. Everyone knows that regular exercise keeps your body in shape, but few know how profound of an impact it can have on your mind. Excercise causes the body to release endorphins, and scientific studies have conclusively proven that exercise can be at least as effacacious at treating depression than anti-depressants are. As if that weren’t enough, exercise has also been shown to promote neurogenesis, the creation of new brain-cells, meaning it literally makes you smarter!
11. Get out of your comfort zone. Being comfortable all the time is a dangerous thing. Most of the best things in life come with at least some initial discomfort.
12. Pay down your debt. Debt is slavery. Enough said.
13. Learn to be more self-sufficient. Few things are as empowering as independence, and it’s really not all that difficult to add a measure of self-sufficiency to your life. Whether it’s something literal like growing some food in your own backyard (or for the apartment dwellers out there, a windowsill herb garden), or something more metaphorical like simply living within your means and not having to rely on credit to get by, self sufficiency is a goal well worth your time.
14. Build up an emergency fund. I’m aiming for $3000 by the end of the year. Anything beyond that will go towards paying down debt.
15. Take an online course. Ever wanted to tell people you’ve studied at an Ivy League school? Well now you (sort of) can! A number of universities are now offering course materials online. Best of all, there’s no tutition fees to worry about - it’s pretty much all available 100% free of charge!
The world-famous MIT, for example, offers lecture notes, exams, and videos for literally hundreds of its courses for anyone and everyone to download at it’s OpenCourseWare website. We’re not just talking about technology related courses either - you can study all sorts of things from nearly 50 different departments!
Carnegie Melon, Stanford, Tufts, and UC Berkley are just a few of the many other institutions offering their courses online.
16. Read more. Reading is not only a good way to have some cheap fun, it’s also really great for your brain too. MRI and PET scans done on people reading show that their brains light up like Christmas trees!
Right now, as you read this passage of text, your occipital cortex is very active, processing all of the visual information you are encountering - the words, the letters, and the features of the letters. The frontal lobe of your neocortex is engaged in processing the meaning of the text you’re reading - the meanings of the words, the sentences, and the big picture, and it is working to relate what you are reading with what you already know. Surprisingly, your temporal lobe (particularly on the left side of your brain if you’re right handed) is also active right now, processing all of the “sounds” associated with reading - even though you’re reading silently to yourself, the areas of the brain that process speech sounds are active just like they would be if you were listening to somebody speak. Source.
17. Eat healthier. In this day and age, there’s really no excuse for not eating healthy. Apart from being good for your body and for your brain, it’s not particularly expensive or time-consuming, and you don’t exactly need to be a rocket scientist to pull it off.
18. Keep a daily Journal. A journal isn’t just good for posterity. Apart from being unbelievably cathartic, keeping a journal gets you thinking about yourself. It helps you to organize your thoughts, monitor your moods, and develop (and keep track of) your goals.
19. Start a side-business. A side business does more than just line your wallet. It’s a great way to learn (or improve) a skill, diversify your investments, and increase your independence. Check out our article on Side-hustles to get the creative juices flowing.
20. Spend more time with your Family & Friends. This one is a cliche for good reason.
21. Expand your social circle. Join a club, talk to strangers, and don’t be afraid to mingle at parties. There are some truly exceptional people out there.
22. Start meditating regularly. Despite what you may have heard, Meditation is not just for Buddhists and yuppies masquerading as Buddhists. Regular meditation improves your ability to focus and has a multitude of health benefits.
There are many different techniques, but the best one for beginners is known as concentrative meditation. In a nutshell, it’s about sitting quietly and focusing all of your attention on breathing slowly, deeply, and methodically. Sounds simple, but you’d be surprised at how difficult it is to quiet your mind for an extended period of time. As always, practise makes perfect!
23. Volunteer. It can be anything from working in a soup kitchen to cleaning up a stretch of land. Check out VolunteerMatch to get started.
24. Write out a budget (and stick to it). Budgeting may seem scary at first, but there’s really nothing to it, and once you have a budget that’s working for you, you won’t believe you ever lived without one!
25. Be more responsible.
26. Work Hard. I know this quote’s been used a zillion times before, but I don’t care: Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent persperation. No matter how naturally gifted (or ungifted as the case may be) you are, hard work will likely be the deciding factor in whether you achieve your objectives or not.
27. Play Hard. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Work hard, but don’t overwork - or you’ll find your overall levels of productivity will take a dive and you’ll burnout.
28. Spend more time outside. While too much time in the sun is bad for you, not enough is probably even worse. Sunlight actually plays a very important role when it comes to Vitamin D production and mood regulation.
29. Stop buying crap. I can’t even begin to think about all the useless junk I have ‘acquired’ over the past 12 months. In 2009, every time I’m tempted to buy something I’m going to ask myself the following questions:
Will it bring me long term happiness, or is it something I will get sick of after a few weeks?
Is it durable, or am I going to have to replace it before the year is out?
Will I save a signficant amount of money by putting off the purchase for a while?
Is it good value for money?
Will buying it compromise my overall financial situation?
Is there something better I could be spending the money on?
Will buying it actually make my life better in any meaningful way?
That ought to put a stop to that buyer’s remorse!
30. Watch less TV. Research indicates that excessive television watching turns your brain matter into something closely resembling guacamole. Well ok, not really, but there’s ample evidence that shows TV affects your brain chemistry in a very profound way.
There’s a reason they call it the idiot-box!
31. Don’t Procrastinate. Why do something tomorrow when you can do it today?
32. Smile more. Apart from using less muscles than a frown (well ok, not really), recent scientific studies have shown that smiling at people and making eye contact increases your attractiveness.
33. Expand your mind. If your mind isn’t expanding, it’s probably contracting. You don’t want your brain to shrink, do you?!? This post has some great ways to protect yourself from ‘brain-rot’, even though we’ve already covered a few of them.
34. Be sensible with your money.
35. Save up for something big.
36. Be Ambitious. Don’t be afraid to set yourself difficult goals - heck, the’yre not supposed to be easy.
37. Do something nice for a stranger every so often. Yes, believe it or not, doing something nice for someone you don’t know without an expectation of reward once in a while will actually make you feel pretty good about yourself. Put a couple of bucks in a parking meter that’s about to expire, pay the toll for the guy behind you - It’s one of those rare occasions where you can be both selfish and selfless simultaneously.
38. Plant something and nurture it. Ok, I’m not speaking metaphorically here - planting and nurturing something (I’m going for a fern, but hey, whatever floats your boat) lifts people’s overall sense of happyness. A nice plant brightens up a room (and your mood), but it’s also nice knowing that a living creature is depending on you for its survival. We all need to be needed, I guess!
39. Increase your means!
40. Laugh more. Well this pretty much speaks for itself. Laughing reduces endorphins (the body’s natural pleasure chemicals) and gives your abs a good workout and utilizes your cardio-vascular system.
41. Be Confident. This one’s a deal maker (or breaker) - you’d be surprised how far confidence gets you, and how much a lack of it holds you back. Absolutely NOTHING is more attractive to people than confidence. Work on building your self confidence every day. And if you don’t have it yet? Fake it until you do. W.C Fields said it best:
It aint what they call you that matters, it’s what you answer to.
As it happens, giving off the vibe of confidence, even when you’re scared stiff, isn’t as hard as you might think. It’s mostly about body language and the way you carry yourself. Dress nicely. Don’t be afraid to make eye contact. Maintain a good posture. Speak in a strong, commanding tone (but don’t scream!). More good tips are available here.
42. And finally: Start Early! Don’t wait until the January is behind us to start making changes in your life, make your first move today!

eyebrow rings

2009-01-28T02:11:00.000-08:00

Eyebrow rings can really look cool on the right person. They can be a form of personal expression or a way to tell others you’re not afraid to be different. Those who get their eyebrows pierced are mostly young people like teenagers or those in their twenties who are brave enough to try different things.
Recently one of my friends told me she wanted to get an eyebrow ring and asked me if I would want one too, and we could have our eyebrows pierced together. Well, that got me thinking. I’m in the right age group (I’m in my early 20’s) and I like body piercings and jewelry in general. I’m not afraid to be different, In fact I think it’s cool. Ok, let’s take a little inventory here…
I wear a nose ring, I have plenty of earrings, I wear a ring on almost every one of my fingers, I have a belly button ring, I wear a couple of toe rings, and I also have a ring on my… uhm… wait, I don’t think I can say it here without getting in trouble with the editors since this is a G rated site hahaha! But I think I can tell you that those other rings aren’t visible when I’m fully clothed, and live it at that! So do I want eyebrow rings to add to my collection of rings?
I tell you, it wasn’t easy to decide. I told my friend I needed to think about it. Would I look cool wearing an eyebrow ring? I stood in front of the mirror and pictured myself with eyebrow rings. Hmmm… you know what? I didn’t think it was really me. Surprised that this wild girl doesn’t think eyebrow rings look good on her?
Well, you just have to be honest with yourself. You need to determine what looks good on you regardless of how comfortable you feel wearing them, and eyebrow rings are just not for me. My friend was a little disappointed when I told her that but she understood. However, she still wanted an eyebrow ring. She asked me if we could numb her eyebrow with ice and have me pierce it for her. She said one of her friends did it that way.
I was like, “what?! no way! That’s frickin’ nuts!” First of all, I’m too squeamish to do it. Can you imagine putting something through human skin and flesh? Ugh! That’s too gross and scary. Second of all, doing your own piercings increases the risks of getting an infection. So I told her the best thing to do would be to have her eyebrows pierced at a tattoo and piercing parlor. In fact, I have a favorite place where I got all my body piercings and tattoos done, and I would be happy to take her there.
She agreed, so we went to my favorite tattoo and piercing parlor together. They happened to have some cool looking eyebrow rings on sale. She got a pair for pretty cheap, but those eyebrow rings are of great quality, so she was really lucky. She thanked me and we high-fived each other.
One word of advice, if you’re looking for eyebrow rings (or anything that requires piercing for that matter) don’t just go for the cheap stuff. Cheap eyebrow rings that are of low quality can get you infected and that’s no fun. Besides, you would look really ugly with swollen eyebrows And I discourage you from piercing your own eyebrows or your friends’ even if you’re not squeamish like me. Again, to reduce the risks of infection.
When choosing an eyebrow ring you need to decide on those that will complement your facial features. Size is important too. You surely don’t want to get an eyebrow ring that’s so big that it overwhelms your face. It’s a good idea to take your time since you’re gonna be spending some money on them, not to mention getting a little pain, so you wanna choose something that you can be proud wearing, and not regret it later. Have fun with your eyebrow rings!

Posted by Tanya

magic makeup

2009-01-28T02:10:00.000-08:00

Ok, so you had a great, loving and passionate relationship with your boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse but for whatever reason things got a little rough and you decided to break up because you felt the relationship wasn’t working. However, deep down you still love this person and long for the relationship to be saved.
You can’t go through the day without thinking about your ex. You lose your appetite and you can’t sleep at night. You try to call them, send them text messages or IM hoping that they will get back to you and you can patch things up. You probably know what I’m talking about or maybe you’re even going through it right now.
Well, I have great news for you. All is not lost. At least not yet, but you need to act fast. But you also need to act wisely so that what you do doesn’t backfire on you. This will become clear to you in a minute.
The biggest question is, are there any magic words you can use to get your ex to return your phone calls? It may be hard to believe but there ARE words you can use that’s like casting a spell that will make your ex feel almost compelled to return your call. Sounds cool? Read on…
There is this “recipe for love” called The Magic of Making Up where a strategy to get your ex back is completely laid out.
Now let me briefly address one of the most commonly asked questions: “How do I get my ex to return my phone call?”
Fair warning, however. If you use this technique alone without an overall plan or strategy, you may actually damage your relationship more than if your ex boyfriend or girlfriend never returned your call.
First you need to know what NOT to say if you want to get your ex back.
Certain types of messages have been proven NOT to work most of the time. What’s worse is that they put you in a really bad psychological position. Therefore, you definitely want to avoid these types of messages. So what are they?
The first is the pleading or begging type of message such as this:
“Dave, can you please, please call me back?This is the third time I have called.I really HAVE to talk to you.”
The second is the “emergency” type of message like this one:
“Christine, this is an emergency!Please call me as soon as you get this message!”
I believe you can see why those messages won’t be very effective in getting your ex to return your calls.
How To Use Curiosity & Self Interest To Your Advantage
Curiosity and self interest are two of the most powerful forces in the human mind. And here’s the big secret: combine the two, and you have a recipe that WILL work “magic”
So now let’s look at what you can say that has been proven to work almost every time.
In a calm and friendly tone say:
“Hi Tom, it’s Sandra.I wanted to let you know I appreciate what you did for me.Call me because I want to thank you in person.”
Can you see how that uses BOTH curiosity and self interest? Tom will NOT be able to resist! He will start thinking, “What did I do?” “What does she appreciate?” That will also make him feel good since it’s a positive message.
One more thing… before you call you need to do the “set up”, which is figuring out what (s)he did that you appreciate. It doesn’t have to be anything big but has to be plausible.
Again, it’s very important to have an underlying strategy like explained in the Magic Of Making Up System BEFORE you call.
If you don’t have an underlying strategy and your ex calls you back, you can actually do more damage than good if you don’t handle it correctly. In other words, what you do before, during and after you get your ex to return your call is more important than getting them to return your call. Hope that makes sense

cheap christmas gift

2009-01-28T02:08:00.000-08:00

Buying a cheap Christmas gift is probably in many people’s minds this year due to the tough economic condition. Some of my friends are even thinking about taking a few people off their lists, especially those they’re not very close to and didn’t show very much appreciation last year. I’m sure you know what I mean I was even contemplating the same.
However, I did a little brainstorming and came up with a number of ways to find a cheap Christmas gift that are unique enough and are suitable to everyone. That way I won’t have to eliminate anyone from my list
You can actually find plenty of cheap Christmas gift ideas but you may need to put in a bit of time and energy. Also, please understand that “cheap” doesn’t necessarily equal low quality. So, why not apply some holiday spirit into those cheap Christmas gift ideas, and you may be receiving lots of hugs and kisses to warm your heart this Christmas
Homemade gifts are my favorite cheap Christmas gift idea. You can choose from a variety of homemade Christmas gifts such as food gift baskets, crafts, and other items for the house. Most folks appreciate homemade gifts since the giver put some thought into creating those gifts with the recipient in mind. And this is an important thing to remember when trying to find a cheap Christmas gift idea.
For example, if you know a friend who loves fudge, cookies or cakes, then you should run with that idea. Fudge and candy are very inexpensive and you can wrap them in festive cellophane or boxes tied with ribbon, creating yummy treats for the entire family. That certainly is a wonderful yet cheap Christmas gift idea.
Making a cake is another great cheap Christmas gift that can be just as delightful as fudge and candy. First you need to find out your recipient’s favorite flavor and go with that. Then add some creative decorating flair to it, and it will sure receive a lot of smiles.
I know not everyone enjoys cooking or preparing food. Well, don’t despair. There are many other cheap Christmas gift ideas to choose from. Just visit your local craft store and get tons of ideas for making a cheap Christmas gift. For instance, you can make beautiful candles with candle holders at a low cost, as well as small wreathes, pot holders, or knit a variety of items.
Knitting something heartfelt for a friend or relative is a great way to show your creativity and love for them at the same time. And again, it makes a wonderful and unique, yet cheap Christmas gift. Last year I knitted a few scarves for some family members and close friends, and they were thrilled to receive them. Knitting all those scarves simply cost me the price of the yarns, and I managed to make 3 for less than $10.00. Talk about inexpensive Christmas gifts!
Creating a coupon book is yet another cheap Christmas gift idea. You can include coupons not only for physical goods but also services such as babysitting, house cleaning, car wash, massages, etc.
As you can see, finding cheap Christmas gifts is not really that hard. Just put your imagination to work and do some searching (even online) and you’re sure to come up with a few unique, inexpensive Christmas gift ideas that will please many people and won’t break your wallet.

Digg Poaches New Head Of Sales From Yahoo

2009-01-28T02:05:00.000-08:00

After not being acquired by Google last year and announcing some cutbacks last week, Digg is rolling up its sleeves and getting to work. The company has hired Tom Shin as its new head of sales from Yahoo, where he was one of the top sales people and head of the Northwest sales region. His job is to build a sales team at Digg go after advertising dollars more directly., something CEO Jay Adelson recently underscored as a big goal of the company in 2009.Shin will also be in charge of overall advertising strategy and managing the relationship with Microsoft, which serves the bulk of the ads on Digg.

the new star trek

2009-01-28T02:04:00.000-08:00

Over at Trekmovie, Anthony Pascale has gotten new Trek movie writer Roberto Orci to admit that the forthcoming feature essentially takes place in an alternate Trek universe. (Their conversation is here, and a diligent follow-up post here checks in with Trek science experts and some real science video.)The idea is that there's a Romulan named Nero who exists in the 24th century of the Trek universe we know. He goes back in time to alter the past, by killing off James T. Kirk's parents. He is pursued through time by Spock, who apprises his young self of what happened. There's more we don't know yet about this part of it, but Orci says that the premise is that because Kirk's past has been altered, this is an alternative universe according to the Many Worlds theory, which says there are many realities slightly different from each other, perhaps one branching out from every different action, like one for the universe in which Kirk's parents live, and this one, where they didn't. ( So it should probably should be called Many Universes theory, or "many timelines", especially because there is another Many Worlds theory that purports to show that intelligent life is likely on many worlds in our own universe.)The theory of time travel Orci cites says that when someone goes back in time, he is going to (or is creating) a different universe (or timeline) by that very act. So when Nero goes back in time and changes the past, he creates the alternate universe the new Trek movie is in.Orci stresses however that the essential characters are the same. (Their motto when writing the script, he says, was "different day, same ship.") He also uses an elaboration of the Many Worlds theory to account for why things are pretty close in this universe to the people and events we know--i.e. the same crew winds up on the Enterprise.There are a bunch of things to say about this. First, the science. Orci repeatedly references "quantum mechanics" as providing the rationale for this approach, and refers to it repeatedly as the "most successful theory of science" and "the most successful, most tested scientific theory ever..."Sheila Jones, in her introduction to her book, The Quantum Ten, makes a distinction I think is really worth making. She defines "quantum mechanics" as "the set of rules for how the physics and mathematics are used to make testable predictions," and she agrees that by this definition, these rules of quantum mechanics "have been used to unparalleled fruitfulness since their development in the 1920s."But, she defines "quantum theory" as "explanation for why the quantum world behaves the way it does; this exercise is still fraught with controversy." She considers "quantum physics" as the umbrella term covering both the how (mechanics) and why (theory.)So by these definitions I believe what Orci is talking about is quantum theory, not mechanics. Quantum mechanics seems to be entirely mathematical, and its "success" has been in testable results. Indeed, computers, cell phones, etc. would be impossible without successful quantum mechanics.But quantum theory (which is also highly mathematical) largely can't be tested. It's been frustrating and embarrassing to physicists since the 1920s that they don't really know why quantum mechanics works. They have yet to come up with a "why" that is agreed upon.Indeed, it's hard not to agree with Jones that the current state of quantum theory is very messy. There are a lot of competing ideas, and a lot of doubts about all of them (including string theory.) And that may be why Andre Bormanis (Star Trek science advisor and producer/writer) says Many Universes is "one way of looking at quantum mechanics but not everyone agrees that it is the right way, certainly it is not the only way." Or why, when The Physics of Star Trek author Lawrence Krauss considers the idea of universes branching off whenever someone goes back in time, he is "not convinced this remains consistent with the laws of physics as we understand them."So, in terms of science, it's a respectable theory, but the success of quantum mechanics doesn't say much about whether it's true. Until somebody travels through time, it's probably not a testable hypothesis.But in science fiction and particularly in Trek, the science is about what seems plausible at any given time, and also what sparks the imagination in terms of what future may result if it is true. Most of Star Trek is based on science fiction conventions that it either established or followed, roughly based on scientific and other possibilities.So let's look at science fiction. Orci cites the TNG episode "Parallels" to establish the Many Universes theory as it relates to quantum physics. Which it does, but I don't see it as establishing a link between Many Universes and time travel, or that time travel places the traveler in an alternate universe forever. The story follows Worf through slightly different Trek universes, but it does get him back to the one he left--the one where he belongs. It is arguable however that every time travel in Star Trek results in a new timeline.The Back to the Future time theory was discussed, in which Marty McFly has to avoid changing important elements of the past or he'll change the future, which is his present. The "grandfather paradox" is explored: if a time traveler shoots his grandfather as a boy, he'll prevent his own birth, but if he wasn't born, how could he travel through time to shoot his grandfather? I haven't seen another paradox discussed much, that was a key plot point in the most recent feature film version of The Time Machine, only loosely based on the classic H.G. Wells novel. In that movie, the (American) scientist is motivated to complete his time machine when his fiancee is killed by a mugger in Central Park. He goes back in time to prevent the murder, but she immediately is killed in another way. This continues to happen, and his inability to change this aspect of the past is explained to him by someone in the far future, who says that he couldn't change what motivated him to invent the time machine, because the time machine is what made it possible for him to go back to the past and try to change it.But back to the new Trek movie. The revelation that it takes places in an alternate Trek universe seemed prompted by concerns among fans over canon--differences in the movie from the Trek universe we know. (Devoted readers know we've gone into this in excessive depth and detail before.) But I'm also going to be interested in how this movie deals with what is supposed to be the 24th century (TNG era) of the classic Trek universe. Who is this laughably named Nero anyway, and why doesn't he look like the Romulans we've known? How does he travel through time; how does Spock do it, too? (And since we're talking time travel paradoxes, what's to prevent him from doing it again?)In moviemaking terms, the alternative universe solves problems with Trek canon in going back to the Trek past, and also allows the 23rd century Enterprise to look different--and probably much fancier and more advanced--than it did on the original series. As Orci and Pascale say, all of this may well be totally irrelevant to the average movie fan, and quite possibly a lot of Star Trek fans. Even fans may be more interested in their favorite characters, which are going to be somewhat different anyway because they're played by different actors. Although Orci justifies character consistency also with quantum theory, he also suggests it depends on "how much you believe in, for lack of a better word, their souls."Which is a way of saying they are essentially the same, and Star Trek--including the ethos governing the stories--is essentially the same. All this of course remains to be seen... because the movie remains to be seen.But if this movie follows quantum theory as Orci seems to be interpreting it, hasn't the Abrams Era trapped itself in an alternate Trek universe? So now there will be New Trek, separate from Classic Trek... Remind you of anything?Back in 1985, Coca Cola saw its market share drop, and decided it was time for a reboot, a reinvention--something new, different and modernized. So the company introduced New Coke, though it wasn't called that at first. It was a new flavor that was supposed to completely replace old Coke. But gradually the public rebelled, and for awhile there was New Coke and what came to be called Coke Classic--the flavor New Coke replaced. When Classic Coke became much more popular, New Coke became Coke II, and pretty much faded from history.What differences there really were between the two drinks, and even if Classic Coke is exactly the same as it was before the switch, remain debatable. But what's clear is that New Coke didn't triumph enough to have much of a future. Will New Trek?

obama vulcan

2009-01-28T00:53:00.000-08:00

Change is logical. Because the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Live long and prosper, President and Trekker-in-Chief Barack Obama.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

2009-01-28T00:41:00.000-08:00

The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre pendente di Pisa) or simply The Tower of Pisa (La Torre di Pisa) is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa. It is situated behind the cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square) after the cathedral and the baptistry.
Although intended to stand vertically, the tower began leaning to the southeast soon after the onset of construction in 1173 due to a poorly laid foundation and loose substrate that has allowed the foundation to shift direction. The tower presently leans to the southwest.
The height of the tower is 55.86 m (183.27 ft) from the ground on the lowest side and 56.70 m (186.02 ft) on the highest side. The width of the walls at the base is 4.09 m (13.42 ft) and at the top 2.48 m (8.14 ft). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons (16,000 short tons). The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase. The tower leans at an angle of 3.97 degrees.[1] This means that the top of the tower is 3.9 metres (12 ft 10 in) from where it would stand if the tower were perfectly vertical.[2]

2009-01-28T00:23:00.001-08:00

Golden Gate Park Flowers

2009-01-28T00:18:00.001-08:00

Moscow

2009-01-28T00:15:00.001-08:00

I dont like bull fights

2009-01-28T00:06:00.000-08:00

i went to a bull fight a couple years ago and i hated im neaver going to go to another one again

Some pretty cool old cars

2009-01-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

The Highest Rated Top 50 High School Movies

2009-01-27T23:25:00.000-08:00

50. Splendor in the Grass - 1961Young love — especially when it's with the star of the football team — can make a girl crazy. Literally. In pre-Depression, small-town Kansas, good-girl Natalie Wood is so tortured by her sexual urges for beau Warren Beatty and conflicting pressure to be moral that she attempts suicide after a school dance and ends up in a sanitarium. It's the ultimate depiction of overwhelming first love, and — sorry, religious right — a chilling PSA against the dangers of teen abstinence.
49. Sixteen Candles - 1984It's tough to turn 16. But when your entire family forgets your birthday, it only makes that day worse. Molly Ringwald puts on a brave face as her character endures basically the worst week of her life, whether it's having her panties taken by Anthony Michael Hall or getting groped by her grandma (''Fred, she's gotten her boobies!''). The awkwardness is all hilarious, though, especially watching a young Joan Cusack attempt to use the water fountain in orthodontic head gear.
48. Just One of the Guys - 1985Every generation has its variant on the girl-dresses-as-boy, girl-as-boy-falls-for-boy, boy-freaks-out tale. And this immensely fun, if minor, romp from the '80s perfectly captures the decade's raunch-lite spirit and funky fashion sense. As the cross-dresser caught in the middle, Joyce Hyser's aspiring journalist learns the hard way that there's more to being a dude than just stuffing a tube sock down your pants.
47. Napoleon Dynamite - 2004The plot is insignificant, the lead character (Jon Heder) is a petulant spaz, and the pace creeps along just barely faster than a John Deere. Still, this sleeper hit succeeds because it manages to mock and celebrate high school geekdom with a bone-dry, unsentimental tone. The inane one-liners, absurd non sequiturs, and sheer stupidity of the characters don't just bring back memories of adolescence, they make you feel like a teenager again, giggling at something idiotic without knowing exactly why.
46. Flirting - 1992She's a Ugandan beauty in a prep school populated by blond Aussies (including young Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts); he's a gawky stutterer obsessed with Camus. Given their shared outsider status at their respective institutions, is there any doubt that Danny (Noah Taylor) and Thandiwe (Thandie Newton) end up falling for each other? Wryly tender and respectfully told, director John Duigan's coming-of-age romance is a warm and fuzzy confection that stops short of being icky.
45. My Bodyguard - 1980There's something timeless for everyone when new kid Clifford ''Peachy'' Peache (Chris Makepeace) enlists the mysterious, tortured class psycho (Adam Baldwin) to protect him from the school bully (Matt Dillon). Lifelong scapegoats will cheer the underdogs' triumph, while former home-room villains of all generations will shed a nostalgic tear at Dillon's showcase of evergreen bully tactics: the locker prison, the wet toilet-paper bomb, the bathroom surprise attack. Ahhh, high school: good times, good times.
44. Can't Hardly Wait - 1998It's the last night of high school and the only thing left to do is party — and face the skeletons in the closet. By the end of this crazy bash, everyone succeeds: The nerd gets revenge on the jock, the nice guy snags his prom-queen crush, and a pair of unlikely old friends reunite. It may be a typical teen comedy, but the underlying message always rings true: Don't let fate pass you by.
43. Stand and Deliver - 1988Any grandiose ''O Captain! My Captain!'' speech would only invite a Dead Teacher's Society beatdown at dilapidated Garfield High in East L.A. Instead, Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos) teaches in a fast-food-worker uniform and inspires with math problems about gigolos. He gives extra textbooks to a studious gangbanger (Lou Diamond Phillips) in exchange for protection, and turns a mathematical truth, ''A negative times a negative equals a positive,'' into a social one. That's ganas, jefe.
42. Fame - 1980By today's standards, this Oscar-winning musical is downright gritty, with its frank and often bleak depiction of arts-inclined teenagers. Sure, they sing and act and turn lunchtime into a funk jam, but they also have abortions, fend off predatory pornographers, experiment with drugs, and contemplate suicide. High School Musical, it isn't. The potent shot of authenticity is sweetened by the memorable, soul-drenched musical numbers, which inspired millions to try and pirouette on a taxi.
41. Can't Buy Me Love - 1987Before he was Dr. McDreamy on Grey's Anatomy, Patrick Dempsey won us over as the lovable lawn-mowing nerd Ronald Miller. After a failed attempt to buy his way into the cool clique, Ronny goes from totally chic right back to a total geek. Lesson learned: Sometimes performing the ''African Ant Eater Ritual'' at the school dance isn't enough to get you a spot at the right lunch table.
40. Risky Business - 1983Long before Tom Cruise became a couch-jumping Scientologist, he came to prominence in this sharp satire of privileged suburban teens. The socks-and-undies dance scene is what everyone remembers, but this Reagan-era hit isn't just another teensploitation flick. It's about the soul-crushing pressure to be perfect, and the primal urges to rebel against a manicured, pre-programmed future — even if that means turning your parents' house into a brothel.
39. The Virgin Suicides - 2000This one deserves to be on the list if only for the one terrific shot in which Josh Harnett, as heartthrob Trip Fontaine, glides down the locker-lined hall, with his leather jacket hung over one shoulder and Heart's ''Magic Man'' blaring on the soundtrack as all the girls turn their heads. If guys in high school don't actually walk like that, they should. The rest of the movie, about gorgeous sisters in a death pact, is shot by debut director Sofia Coppola as teenage iconography at its dreamiest and most weirdly entrancing.
38. Bye Bye Birdie - 1963High school is definitely more fun when you add a little song and dance. Ann-Margret is all big hair and energy as a lucky small-town teen who wins the chance to be kissed on television by Conrad Birdie, a thinly veiled Elvis copy. Unfortunately, her boyfriend is a tad jealous of her swapping spit with a celeb. What follows is a gleeful parade, perfect for viewers who always wanted to meet the high school star crush whose posters adorned their bedroom walls.
37. Friday Night Lights - 2004Is there a sight more wonderful than kids playing a sport just for the sheer love of the game? That's a vision entirely absent from Peter Berg's superbly unsparing, based-on-real-events examination of the diamond-forming pressure present in small-town-Texas high school football. A great teen movie and a great sports movie, albeit one that may prompt more than one young ballplayer to switch to darts.
36. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - 2005No, we haven't lost our minds. One of J.K. Rowling's ingenious ideas was to blend two literary traditions, fantasy and coming-through-school fiction (à la Tom Brown's School Days). That's particularly true in Goblet, which depicts 14-year-old Harry's heightened state of adolescent anxiety, about the big (Quidditch) game, about finding a date for the big dance, and about juggling homework while saving the wizard world from evil Lord Voldemort.
35. Brick - 2006''Nah, bulls gum it. They'd flash their dusty standards at the wide-eyes, probably find some yeg to pin.'' The high school kids in Brick talk like this for the entire movie. With a femme fatale, a dead girlfriend, and a mysterious cape-wearing drug lord, Brick gives you a teen flick in the guise of a noir thriller where everything is all very life-and-death. Come to think of it, that's exactly what high school is like.
34. Get Real - 1999A typical first-love-with-the-school-jock story, but with a twist. ''Sex on legs'' track star John Dixon (Brad Gorton) really does fall for Steven Carter (Ben Silverstone), the bright, gawky student journalist who's lusted after Dixon while tiptoeing around female classmates on platonic dates. Of course, Dixon also has an official girlfriend. But when our hero yearns for a romance that's a little more public, the baton gets dropped in a way that's touchingly, poignantly real.
33. Hoop Dreams - 1994This documentary follows William Gates and Arthur Agee, two kids who avoid the pitfalls of growing up in the Chicago slums by living, breathing, and playing basketball. As with any kid who plays ball, Gates and Agee fantasize about one thing: making it to the NBA. For all audiences, this is a purely inspirational tale. For some, it's nostalgic, bringing back dreams you once had of making it to the pros.
32. Scream - 1996Aside from the awesomeness of seeing Henry ''The Fonz'' Winkler as a square principal, Scream is the supreme teen horror movie specifically because it is so self-aware of how ridiculous and formulaic teen horror movies can be — even those that are set outside of high school, in college dorms or summer camps. And if sex equals death, as fright flicks and parents alike have tried to warn us, then how cool is it (spoiler alert!) for Scream to make the killer Neve Campbell's boyfriend — the one trying to get in her pants? Scary cool, we say.
31. The Karate Kid - 1984 We practiced ''the crane'' and wasted money on a Bonsai tree. But the real reason this movie makes the cut: Rocky director John G. Avildsen understood that Mr. Miyagi (late Oscar nominee Pat Morita) had a lot to say — about finding balance, about choosing mentors wisely, about disguising defensive martial-arts techniques in home improvement (and yourself in a shower curtain, if it meant you could attend your high school Halloween dance undetected by Cobra Kai bullies). Perhaps that explains why only one of Daniel-san's training sessions is set to music: When Miyagi talked, we, like outsider Ralph Macchio, listened.
30. Bring It On - 2000They're sexy, they're cute, they're popular to boot! Kirsten Dunst plays Torrance, the bright-eyed cheerleading captain who must save her high school's squad from a major cheeragedy: going down as the team who stole routines. In the end, we learn there's more to cheerleading than loads of hairspray, teeny halter tops, and back-stabbing: These are athletes who know how to really bring it. We give this comedy five spirit fingers up!
29. Gregory's Girl - 1982Gregory's Girl is short on stars, long on soccer, and it sounds like a Weird Al Yankovic parody of Rick Springfield. But it is also sweetly hilarious as gangly Scottish teen Gregory (Gordon John Sinclair) falls for an out-of-his-league girl. The result is guaranteed to make viewers feel much better about their own post-pubescent awkwardness — unless they, too, ever tried to romance someone with the information that ''When you sneeze, it comes out your nose 180 miles an hour.''
28. Back to the Future - 1985A.K.A. the coolest movie ever to feature a Huey Lewis and the News song. The film ingeniously literalizes high school's sexual frustration and disdain for one's parents by having Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly getting hit on over and over again by Lea Thompson as his young, future mother (thanks to that time-traveling DeLorean). It just goes to prove that the parental units were just as horny back in the day as we were.
27. To Sir, With Love - 1967 Way before Mr. Holland began teaching his opus and Michelle Pfeiffer was molding dangerous minds, Sidney Poitier was taming a room of unruly British teens with his real-life lessons and tough-love tactics (a boxing glove to the stomach, anyone?). Having himself played an insubordinate kid in 1955's Blackboard Jungle, the student masterfully becomes the teacher in this sappy but never maudlin tale of inspiration and tolerance.
26. Pretty in Pink - 1986Perhaps the most controversial ending to a teen romance ever. (Behind Romeo and Juliet? Fine.) Should Andie (Molly Ringwald) have chased after rich, repentant Blane (Andrew McCarthy), or stayed at the prom with poor, devoted Duckie (Jon Cryer)? That we, women now in our 30s, still care is a testament to John Hughes' script about love across class lines (point for Blane); the meaning of friendship and individuality (point for Duckie); and the evil nature of wealthy high schoolers in crisp, white clothing (point for James Spader).

25. Hoosiers - 1986Most school movie jocks are belligerent bullies. But Jimmy Chitwood (Maris Valainis) is part Larry Bird, part Rain Man, letting the swish of the basketball net do his talking. Hoops-crazed Hickory, Ind., adores him for it. His support of embattled Coach Dale (Gene Hackman) sways the town, and his skill transforms Dale from goat to genius. In the championship game, the Brylcreemed god overrules Dale's last-second strategy with three words: ''I'll make it.'' Definitely.
24. Rushmore - 1998For some reason, Rushmore doesn't quite feel like a high school movie. Maybe that's because director/co-writer Wes Anderson's wonderful comedy doesn't feel like any other movie ever made. But it's about school days: Just the fact that Jason Schwartzman's tirelessly enterprising Max Fischer is a student at all becomes palpably bittersweet, since he's too young to ever win Olivia Williams, the teacher of his (and anyone's) dreams.
23. Cooley High - 1975Written by Good Times co-creator Eric Monte and directed by Michael Schultz, this tearjerker provided the blueprint for Boyz N the Hood. In mid-'60s Chicago, geek Leroy ''Preach'' Jackson (Glynn Turman) and hoop star Richard ''Cochise'' Morris (Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs) struggle to stay out of trouble while prepping for graduation. The soundtrack, featuring G.C. Cameron's ballad ''It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,'' remains as beloved as the film.
22. American Pie - 1999 A frivolous teen comedy that left its mark: Jason Biggs taught us the dangers of webcam misuse (and baked-goods abuse), while the guy who'd become Harold — or was it Kumar? — popularized the term MILF. Pie was both funnier and bawdier than Porky's, though that 1981 romp gets points for Kim Cattrall's outrageous orgasm scene. But even she can't top Alyson Hannigan's perfect delivery of the line (all together now): ''This one time? At band camp?''
21. Grease - 1978Still the top-grossing film musical ever, Grease may look too pure to be ''pink,'' but listen to those lyrics (and watch John Travolta ogle Olivia Newton-John in ''You're the One That I Want'') and you may find yourself blushing. Beneath the karaoke-heaven soundtrack lies a story with teen pregnancy, ''pussy wagons,'' and a TV personality trying to put an aspirin in a girl's Coke. Naughty but harmless, it's just like high school should be.
20. Dead Poets Society - 1989Perhaps the finest movie in a shockingly sparse mini-genre: the high school weepie. (After all, high school makes you cry sometimes.) Here, if Robert Sean Leonard's suicide doesn't get you (''My son! My son!''), then the ending — Ethan Hawke's stirring ''O Captain! My Captain!,'' Maurice Jarre's blaring bagpipes, and teacher Robin Williams' ''Thank you, boys, thank you'' — will. Only somebody too cool for school could resist.
19. The Last Picture Show - 1971Peter Bogdanovich's black-and-white film takes us to the tumbleweed burg of Anarene, Tex., where Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms, and Randy Quaid vie for Cybill Shepherd, the town's No. 2 seductress. (Her mom's No. 1.) These horny, angst-ridden teens deal with sex, mortality, money, and a li'l Texas football by being themselves: subconsciously callous. But the witty banter, mostly by the grown-ups, makes it all less bleak.
18. Rock 'n' Roll High School - 1979Producer Roger Corman's comedy is a jiggly love affair set at Vince Lombardi High and centered on matchmaker Eaglebauer (Clint Howard), whose office is a men's room stall, and ''Riff Randell, rock & roller'' (pre-Stripes hottie P.J. Soles), who must rebel against Principal Togar (Mary Woronov) to see a forbidden — and very excellent — Ramones show. Think Spinal Tap and Dazed and Confused skipping study hall together to get stoned.
17. Peggy Sue Got Married - 1986Would you change anything if you could relive high school? Possibly hook up with that beatnik of a guy you always wondered about? Until Chevrolet makes an actual plutonium-powered time machine, we'll have to live vicariously through this humorously goofy Francis Ford Coppola flick, in which Peggy Sue (Kathleen Turner) goes back in time to figure out whether pompadoured heartthrob Charlie (Nicolas Cage) is her one and only.
16. Lucas - 1986Sure, sensitive jock Charlie Sheen ends up shirtless for seven minutes due to a freak blender accident in Home Ec. But we remember Lucas for its smart scrawny hero (an affecting Corey Haim), who showed that the strongest kid is the one who walks through the halls knowing he'll be teased. And that the most interesting person finds beauty where he can — even in the sewer system, sitting beneath a manhole cover, listening to a live symphony above.
15. Carrie - 1976School can be terrifying, especially when you're an awkward telekinetic teen whose mother is a loony religious zealot. Poor Carrie White can't even get through P.E. class without being viciously mocked by her peers. But in this Brian De Palma classic, the wallflower eventually gets her revenge in the spectacularly gory prom climax (even disposing of a Kotter-era John Travolta). Sissy Spacek's Oscar-nominated turn in the title role is pure, silent rage.
14. Donnie Darko - 2001There are funnier high school movies, and ones with better soundtracks and more nostalgic value, but how many of those deal with time travel, alternate universes, fate, God, free will, therapy, censorship, teenage angst, falling airplane engines, pedophilia, and a scary freaking bunny? Point made. And while we still don't necessarily understand it all, few films deal so matter-of-factly with the sheer dread (both literal and metaphoric) of teen life.
13. High School - 1968Although it was added to the elite National Film Registry the same year as 2001 and Chinatown, Frederick Wiseman's documentary is — like many of his fly-on-the-wall nonfiction films — extremely difficult to find on video. But it is essential. Thirty years before reality TV, Wiseman took his camera to Philadelphia's Northeast High School and shot what was there, editing it, without narration, into a devastating indictment of bureaucracy and enforced conformity.
12. Mean Girls - 2004There was a time when Lindsay Lohan was best known for her acting rather than her party-hopping. Showcasing La Lohan in arguably her best role to date, this Tina Fey-scripted film also boasts a breakout turn by Rachel McAdams as evil queen bee Regina George (''Gretchen, stop trying to make 'fetch' happen! It's not going to happen!''). While Mean Girls is technically a comedy, its depiction of girl-on-girl cattiness stings incredibly true.
11. Say Anything... - 1989Go on: Hoist that boom box above your head and turn up ''In Your Eyes.'' Stand motionless with a fixed expression of unrequited but determined love. And watch Cameron Crowe's ode to young passion, which made John Cusack the thinking teen's heartthrob and should have done the same for Ione Skye. If the postgraduation romance between an earnest kickboxer and a sheltered valedictorian doesn't win you over, repeat steps one and two and listen closer.
10. Ferris Bueller's Day Off - 1986Who didn't want to be Ferris in 12th grade? Who wouldn't want school to be a magical place where you could wake up and call in sick (with an awesome hacking-cough keyboard) and then see your name in a get-well-soon message painted on the side of a water tower by lunch, all while you were cruising through Chicago in a red Ferrari? Thanks to Matthew Broderick as Ferris, teenagerdom has never felt more fun or mythic.
9. Election - 1999Before taking on geezers (About Schmidt) and oenophiles (Sideways), director Alexander Payne in Election scabrously exposed the most embarrassing shortcomings of high schoolers in an artful, hilarious way. He doesn't go easy on anybody — not Matthew Broderick's weak, meddling teacher, nor Reese Witherspoon's Fargo-accented student-council-president candidate. In fact, Election is as mean as high school at its worst.
8. Boys N the Hood - 1991Set in South Central Los Angeles, John Singleton's Oscar-nominated directorial debut revealed what it's like to come of age — and cram for the SATs — in a community plagued by crime, violence, and gang warfare. By contrasting the collegiate aspirations of bookworm Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and football star Ricky Baker (Morris Chestnut) with the self-destructive lifestyle of dropout/drug dealer Doughboy (Ice Cube), Boyz effectively pimped for education.
7. Clueless - 1995It's a rare movie that makes you want to befriend the prettiest, most popular girl in school. But not all girls are Cher (Alicia Silverstone), who gets as many killer lines as fashion ensembles, learns that seeing the best in others is a way to better yourself, and discovers the joy of shopping with a well-dressed gay man — all at the ripe age of 15. Credit writer-director Amy Heckerling for making this modern-day Emma consistently smart and funny.
6. American Graffiti - 1973Graffiti's cast of teens — including Richard Dreyfuss and Ron Howard — has serious decisions to make on a late-summer night filled with rock music and hot rods, the kind that can only be made if they stay up 'til dawn. Should they ditch town for college? Should they stay with their gals? Whatever the choice, it infuses this most innocently joyous eve-of-adulthood film with that bittersweet feeling of leaving one's childhood behind.
5. Heathers - 1989For those who dream about offing an obnoxious classmate, Heathers is the ultimate fantasy. Full of mordant wit, shocking violence, and savvy performances by Christian Slater and Winona Ryder, the flick was the antithesis of the earnest '80s John Hughes films — you'd never see Molly Ringwald serving up a kitchen-cleaner cocktail for Ally Sheedy. Even today, Heathers' spin on cliques, teen suicide, and homosexuality still has bite.
4. Rebel Without a Cause - 1955''You're tearing me apart,'' Jim Stark (James Dean) howls at his parents. For the new kid in school, it doesn't get any easier. Though he finds a friend in the extremely troubled Plato (Sam Mineo), Stark gets into it on his first day with a gang of bullies, in a knife fight and later in a chickie run. Dean was a refreshing change from the well-scrubbed teens of earlier Hollywood films. Here was a character young audiences could finally recognize.
3. Dazed and Confused - 1993Matthew McConaughey's Wooderson likes high school girls because even though he gets older, they stay the same age. We feel the same way about Richard Linklater's minutiae-filled comedic epic about the last day of school in 1976 — we may get older, but Dazed is ageless. And for a movie featuring so many stoners, Dazed is mammothly ambitious: Few other films say as much about starting, sticking around in, and leaving high school.
2. Fast Times at Ridgemont High - 1982When screenwriter Cameron Crowe went undercover to observe the species Teenagerus americanus, he returned with more than the usual grab-bag of anecdotes about horny, apple-pie-humping guys and the popularity-obsessed girls who must fight them off with a stick. He returned with 24-karat truth. To watch Fast Times today is to know exactly what it felt like to be fixated on sex, drugs, and rock & roll in Southern California circa 1982. It also launched careers and dished out still-relevant life lessons: Jennifer Jason Leigh (relax your throat muscles when fellating a carrot), Phoebe Cates (always knock before entering a bathroom), and Judge Reinhold. And Sean Penn's Jeff Spicoli, with his checkerboard Vans and bong-hit grin, was a geyser of catchphrases (''Aloha, Mr. Hand!''). The film never strains for coming-of-age treacle. Maybe that's why it still feels so...right. Especially Damone's sage advice: ''When it comes down to making out, whenever possible put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV.''
1. The Breakfast Club - 1985We see it as we want to see it — in the simplest terms, the most convenient definition: The Breakfast Club is the best high school movie of all time. It may lack the scope of its peers — the drinking, the driving, the listless loitering in parking lots — as well as any scenes that actually take place during school. But if hell is other people — and high school is hell — then John Hughes is the genre's Sartre, and this is his No Exit. The concept is simple: one Saturday detention, five unhappy teens, and their scramble to prove they're each something more than a brain (Anthony Michael Hall), an athlete (Emilio Estevez), a basket case (Ally Sheedy), a princess (Molly Ringwald), and a criminal (Judd Nelson). Following the farcical fluff of Sixteen Candles, the issues Hughes explored — sex, drugs, abuse, suicide, the need to belong to something — were surprisingly subversive and handled with bracing, R-rated honesty. '''Kids movie' was a derogatory term,'' recalls Nelson, ''and Hughes was definitely not making that.'' Thus, 21 years later, the film still sparks intense debates about the trials of teen life. (Sheedy's goth freak gets a makeover, then gets the guy: well-earned happy ending or antifeminist propaganda? Discuss!). Never mind the serious sociological stuff. The Breakfast Club rules because watching the group dismantle/ignore the authority of Principal ''Dick'' Vernon (Paul Gleason) is a vicarious thrill at any age. It rules because Simple Minds' ''Don't You Forget About Me'' is a kick-ass theme. Mostly it rules because, as Hall puts it: ''In the end, you learn maybe we're more alike than we realize, and that's kind of cool.'' Leave it to the neo-maxi-zoom-dweebie to get all cheesy.

WTF Microsoft Vista?

2009-01-27T22:58:00.000-08:00

Microsoft keeps insisting that Windows Vista is a winner, but the questions keep mounting and Thursday’s quarterly report only added to the doubts.
Revenue from the company’s so-called client division — PC operating systems mainly — came in at a bit under $4.03 billion. That was about $300 million less than most analysts had expected.
Christopher P. Liddell, Microsoft’s chief financial officer, said the shortfall had two principal explanations. First, he pointed to the mix of Windows Vista sales in fast-growing emerging markets, where fewer customers buy the premium versions of the PC operating system software than in the developed world.
Second, he said that Microsoft’s programs to combat piracy of Windows, which had bolstered sales in the previous couple of quarters, did not generate revenue-increasing gains this time.
Mr. Liddell dismissed claims that some customers were reluctant to buy Vista machines. “There are no Vista-related issues at all,” he declared.
Perhaps. But even if there were issues with Vista, no Microsoft executive would say it publicly.
It only makes sense that with the economy weakening, corporate technology managers are pulling back from plans to upgrade to Vista from the previous version of Windows, Windows XP.
An IDC survey of 300 chief information officers, published earlier this year, found personal computers at the top of the list of hardware spending that companies would cut back on in an economic slowdown. In software, spending on operating systems — like Vista — and Microsoft’s Office suite of productivity programs would be the first to be put off, they said.
Vista, given the more powerful processing power it requires, represents both a hardware and a software upgrade.
No surprise, then, that there has been a rising chorus among corporate technology customers who want Microsoft to keep licensing Windows XP, with its less-demanding hardware requirements, beyond the phase-out date for most new licenses on June 30.
InfoWorld’s “Save Windows XP” campaign, begun in January, now has collected more than 160,000 signatures to its onlone partition.
“Many businesses are going to have to support Vista whether they want to or not,” explained Eric Knorr, InfoWorld’s editor in chief. “We think corporate technology departments should have a choice.”
There are signs Microsoft is listening. While touring Europe this week, Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, left the door open to extending the life of XP.
“All of our operating systems have hit an end-of-life at some point, and XP will do the same,” Mr. Ballmer said. “We have announced one and, if customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter.”