May 14, 2010

May 13, 2010

  • The fight between Peer-To-Peer downloaders of copyrighted content versus the copyright owners continues... This time it has to do with the 2010 Best Picture Oscar winner "The Hurt Locker." The movie only made $16 Million in the Box Office, which is understandably disappointing for the people behind the film. I personally think that it's because it didn't really get much of a wide-release and had a very limited run (for the record, I DID see it in theaters), but Voltage Pictures and the US Copyright Group is going to say that it's because of illegal downloading and are suing the "tens of thousands" of people who downloaded the film.

    From the news article... "The firm uses tech from GuardaLey, which collects the IP addresses of users that are believed to be downloading the film from BitTorrent. From the IP address, it figures out which ISP is responsible and e-mails it, asking the ISP to retain all logs for the IP address identified at the time in question. Once the content of the download is verified, the lawyers take over and subpoena the ISPs for subscriber information in order to find out exactly who has been naughty. Once the users are unmasked—and according to the group, nearly all ISPs cooperate—the firm sends settlement offers."

    I've already said my piece about how I feel about downloading copyrighted material; "just don't get caught," so I don't feel like contributing to the topic further. It can be such a time-waster to read all the comments resulted from this new "threat" against P2P though. I posted a couple of posts from some of those comments below, but if you really want to follow the news and the thread, click on the link below.

    http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/05/hurt-locker-torrenters-prepare-to-be-sued.ars

    CHIEFTOM - Downloading the movie without the permission of the owner is stealing. It is no different than walking into a store and shoplifting the DVD.

    PLAMONI - Don't get me wrong. I'm not a huge fan of copyright infringement. But it's certainly not stealing in any sense of the word. Well, maybe in the sense of the word where you say, "He stole 2nd base." But not in the sense of the word you're using.
    If I walk into a store and take a DVD, then the store is out the DVD. They would have to replace it. And if their insurance covered the cost, well, then the insurance has to replace it. The fact is, someone is actually losing out every time someone takes a DVD from the store.
    When you download a movie that you had no intention of purchasing, you're not depriving anyone of anything. If you hadn't downloaded it, there would have been no difference whatsoever in sales. The idea that every download equals a lost sale is a complete fallacy.
    Sure, there are people who might have bought the movie if they hadn't been able to download it. And those people should be ashamed. But you still can't equate an act of copyright infringement to an act of theft. It's like saying that shooting someone in Quake is the same as shooting someone in real life, because if you hadn't been able to shoot them in Quake, you probably would have shot them in real life! It makes no sense whatsoever!

    also from PLAMONI - I have to wonder about the effectiveness of suing BitTorrent users in the US. It's been shown time and time again that the "Making Available" argument is a no-go. Since the plaintiffs are required to demonstrate actual distribution in order to prove infringement, they are going to be in a major bind when it comes to BitTorrent.
    It's impossible to say that anyone on BitTorrent aside from the initial seeder (in the event that there's only one) actually uploaded an entire copy of the file in question. All you can say is that certain hosts contributed to the general swarm. And in that case, they're not necessarily uploading anything that can be marked as an actual infringing set of bytes. How much (as a percentage of total bytes) do you actually have to be shown to have uploaded before you're considered infringing?
    It just seems like this is going to be a nightmare to litigate. Judges have a hard enough time understanding plain old direct P2P, they're probably going to cry when the geeks try to start explaining BitTorrent to them.

    ADMINFOO - people are taking more than they can afford to acquire properly. Which badly screws up the market; it's less honest than it has ever been. I've never argued from statistics or industry claims that they sold less this year than that other year; I have in fact argued against such statistics being considered authoritative statements on the 'cost of piracy'.
    My position revolves around the very fact that rampant piracy renders the market badly broken, and thus monkeys horribly with the production pipeline for new works of art*. But it centers on my conviction that it's simply wrong to take what was not freely offered. Wrong on a personal level, but these personal wrongnesses percolate up to much larger wrongnesses which affect us all in ways I don't think we have a good chance of predicting fully.

May 12, 2010

May 11, 2010

  • Do you still use your phone for casual conversations? Short of talking to an old friend from far away, I've got to say NO to that question. It's been a long time since I've had "epic" conversations over the phone, and that was back in the middle-school / high-school days. To be honest, I don't miss it. I don't see the point of using a phone for anything but short bursts of dialogue, usually involving "where are you?" or "meet me here" or "what food did you want me to order for you?" Straight and to the point conversations. The phone is now more like a utility device that people have for necessity reasons, and now with smart-phones that's even more true.

    Text messaging, e-mail, instant messaging, Facebook, or Twitter, through a phone allows people to contact others in a simple and efficient manner. In fact I've grown to prefer people contacting me via those means as an alternative to actually talking to me, instead of leaving a voice mail. Of course it means that you probably won't hear much from me unless you are connected via those means (or at least read this blog), so I apologize to those who think I fell off the face of the planet because I haven't called to say hello to you the old fashion way.

    I do see a little bit of irony with the fact that although the phone was originally created to talk to others far away, that's not my preferred form of communication with the device these days. I'm still open to use my phone to talk to others in a traditionally manner, but let's keep the conversation short shall we?

May 10, 2010

May 9, 2010

  • - Church, for my niece's first communion http://twitpic.com/1kf83a

    - My nephew also got baptized today http://twitpic.com/1kg8j0

    - ay? The radio antenna of my work vehicle is missing? I don't really listen to the radio, but still... -_-

    - Got home from work. Apparently there was a power outage. It was caused by a traffic accident that knocked down some power poles in my area.

    - Work putting on the hardwood floor at my home commences. Give us a month (and a few weeks change), I'm sure we'll be done by then.

    - HeHe I just drove 102 miles, in 1 hour and 12 mins. No CHiPs, No CHiPs!

    - Somebody at work already put a dent on one of our new vehicles? That's just sad.

    - Super Street Fighter IV is already out and it's awesome like this image - http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/3263/mmssf4castsheet.gif

    - Today we moved a bed out of a room, and we made it much more difficult than it had to be... >_> ...and "re-doing house" project continues...

    - Watched UFC 113. Excellent fight card. One of the best UFC events I've seen in a while.

    - aw naw they didn't just go there - http://www.explosm.net/comics/2041/ - Happy Mother's Day ^_^

    http://twitter.com/albert5x5

May 8, 2010

  • This past Friday night, I had the chance to attend Kevin Smith's "Plane Of Hate - Talkin' Dirty At The House Of Blues Los Angeles." Unlike the last Q&A I went to, I did not bring my camera this time, so I apologize to those expecting me to have some video footage of the show. I had a "standing only" ticket, which means that I can sit or stand anywhere at the venue except for the reserved sits in the pit. I pretty much just stood at the back and still had a decent view of the stage; which by the way consisted of just one mic and a chair. The crowd had a great mix of fans, old and young, plus I'll admit to say that I completely noticed the fact there were tons of hotties in the audience (way to go Smith!).

    From about 8:20PM - 11:05PM, Kevin Smith did his usual Q&A show. Here's a list recapping several of the topics he talked about. I don't really want to explain things in detail, as it wouldn't do his stories justice.

    Kevin Smith talked about...
    ...the South West Airlines "situation."
    ...his friend Malcolm and him traveling with a "Prom Bus." Even took it to one of the film shoots for the movie "Cop Out."
    ...Malcolm being a homosexual. Thought it was funny that when they were young, he teased Malcolm of being gay, and then it turned out he really was.
    ...Malcolm being a "bear" in the gay community and had a "cub" for a boyfriend.
    ...Insights to gay sex, thanks to Malcolm. Yes, Kevin Smith does not shy away from graphic descriptions.
    ...Traveling in a "Rock Star Bus" for the SModCast tour
    ...Being approached to do a movie about the TV show "SWAT," but didn't know much about it except for the theme music
    ...Why he is officially "the Decider" for the "Kevin and Bean Radio Show."
    ...Buying a box theater in Santa Monica, and calling it SMOD-Castle. He literally signed his name on the lease hours before this show.
    ...Using SMod-Castle for possible weekly live SModCasts or even a Catholic Mass except with the words changed up.
    ...Directing Cop Out and making the effort of getting the movie off the ground with it's budget
    ...Not being a "serious director, setting the bar low when making a movie, and how he and Tracey Morgan were described to be like a couple of 10 year olds making a youtube clip
    ...trying to tell Bruce Willis how to act like Bruce Willis, and how that's not a good way of getting in Bruce Willis' good side.
    ...how Bruce Willis was "yelling" at him for not knowing his lenses when he is the director (the clown prince of directors as Kevin calls it)
    ...finding out what a "chuffa" is, when Bruce Willis was literally taking pages off the script when filming.
    ...how he was scared of Bruce Willis, because he was the first "real movie star" he's ever worked with (don't tell Affleck) and was intimidating. In many ways though, Willis was actually helping out in the movie making process due to his experience.
    ...he wanted Willis to be "David Addison" of the TV show moonlighting and was obsessed about it, despite once again getting on Bruce's nerves.
    ...how excited he is that the Weinsteins might own Miramax again, and how he wants to be 100% exclusive to them if that happens.
    ...a possible future Clerks 3 but can't see him bringing back Jay and Silent Bob. 
    ...his experience being involved with "that F-ing Canadian Show" (as his wife calls it) "Degrassi." Said that this allows him to able to hang out with 14 year olds who know him from the show, although understands how creepy that looks.
    ...the work still in progress movie "Red State" and how it was partly inspired by the Phelps family of the Westboro Baptist Church.
    ...Thinking about a particular scene that he is inspired to film, then build a whole movie around that, is the first process he takes when making a movie.
    ...his discovered love and experience with the Fleshlight, how surprised he was to see it on Amazon.com and how it became the sponsor for SModCast.
    ...using a fleshlight 6-8 times a day some times, with the help of smoking weed
    ...George Carlin, and how inspirational he was. Carlin allowed him to connect with his parents when he was young. Kevin truly loved and appreciated George Carlin's influence to his life.
    ...his connection to "The Green Hornet" movie. 
    ...How sex with his wife is hugely responsible on why their marriage works.
    ...His experience with how he started smoking weed regularly.
    ...Smoking weed with his wife for the first time, and how high he became.
    ...Ordered 15 bags of groceries from yummy.com when he was high
    ....being high while taking a dump in the toilet was an experience for him. He was in the bathroom for almost 2 hours, not realizing it, and couldn't hear his wife banging on the door wondering what happened to him. "It's Ropey, It's Ropey" (yeah, I'll leave that statement to your imagination).

    At one memorable moment of the night, one lady asked Kevin how his wife "handles" a person like him. At first Kevin and the lady bantered around that question, but the lady would not stop talking! It got to the point where Kevin told them to cut her mic off, which I thought was outrageously hilarious that happened.

    As far as a Kevin Smith Q&A went, this one wasn't bad at all. Entertaining and hilarious sure, but there were stories that I've already heard in past shows, as well as from his SModCast. I suppose some stories can't help but be repeated, depending on what question he is answering from the audience member. All in all though, I had a good time.

May 7, 2010

May 6, 2010

  • Are Super Hero movies allowed to be treated seriously? To try and make a "serious" movie about a super hero in a costume fighting crime, doesn't seem like something that's wanted by the general public. By "serious," I mean film making that's usually seen in high drama movies like "The Departed," "No Country For Old Men," "Slumdog Millionaire," or "The Hurt Locker." Movies that are entertaining to watch, but are still able to make you think about what you just watched by stimulating your mind. It seems to me that people don't want "to think" too much when watching a Super Hero Movie, and that's just sad to me. I'm generalizing here of course, but I get this impression that a lot of people just want pure fantasy escapism entertainment with their comic book super hero movies, with just a tiny minimum amount of thought provoking ideas thrown in. You know, cater to the common denomination.

    As a long time comic book reader, I'm quite aware that the stories found in those books are a lot more sophisticated than a layman would expect from a "comic" book. I'm talking about stories that can rival any form of story telling media from classic literature to modern art films. The only difference is that some of those stories have people in costumes. However comic books have always been seen as an industry that's just for kids, and the people who still believe that are happy to stay ignorant about it. Because of that mentality however, they also see movies based on comic books to primarily be just for kids as well. If not directly only for kids, at least the movie has to be simple enough to enjoy. This is a huge travesty to me, as I feel like the genre is not getting the full respect it deserves as a story telling medium.

    Here's a few examples I'd like to point out...

    X-Men 2 - Considered an epic tale about individuals fighting to stay alive, but people watched this for the action sequences and not really for a thought provoking story.

    Spider-Man 2 - While it has general themes about moral responsibility and what not, it's still a typical good vs evil story that's easy to digest.

    Iron Man - An action movie that has a theme of redemption and the evils of war, but people associate this movie for being fun to watch a guy in an armored suit blow stuff up!

    The Dark Knight - It's really a crime drama that involves a man in a bat-suit, but it's still somewhat a typical good vs evil story that's more or less easy to digest. People actually called this movie "too earnest" for a super hero movie. "Where's the fun?" they say.

    Kick-Ass - Starts off as a satire on super hero movies with touches of realism thrown in (heroes CAN die, internet celebrity, etc...), but in the end devolves into a typical good vs evil battle.

    All those movies are undeniably enjoyable to watch, but with the possible exception of "The Dark Knight," none of them really try and expand on how far a super hero movie can go with it's story telling. The typical tale of good vs evil that kids can easily digest still reigns supreme. Any sort of analytical mind concerning who the characters are or what the story is trying to say is really not that important for many. People just want to see people beat each other up in a fashionable manner in their ideal super hero movie. I suppose it's fair to have a preference to that simple entertainment value, but it annoys me when people actually complain when a Super Hero movie actually tries to be more serious for once, as if it wasn't allowed to.

    Which brings me to the movie "Watchmen," which was very much a non-typical super hero movie. That was a super hero movie that actually treated it's material seriously, by not relegating itself to just a simple story about good vs evil. The general complaint by many seems to be that it was boring, which might be because these costumed heroes talked too much, and it lacked a lot of action sequences. A sex scene in a super hero movie? A super hero who shows his penis? Graphic violence? Psychological insight to a vigilante? Indictment against politics and war? Moral ambiguity? Relationship melodrama? What's all these elements doing in a super hero movie? I roll my eyes to those complaints, because here's a super hero movie that's not trying to hold your hand on the subject matters, and it's generally shunned by the public.
    * click here to read my previous write up about people's reactions to Watchmen *

    So people generally only want fantasy escapism in their super hero movies? I say to them "grow up!" Comic books have grown up, you can too.

May 5, 2010

  • It was just a week ago when I first found out that "Meg & Dia" was performing at the Porter's Pub in UC San Diego, May 4, 2010 (last night). It was a little last minute so I never requested to get that night off from work, and plus wasn't I just in San Diego last week? However "Meg & Dia" is one of my favorite bands out there and I wasn't going to let a night of work, 100+ miles, and a "UCSD student + guest only" rule, get in my way of seeing them live. It's been over 8 months since they performed here in Southern California and I've been itching to see them again. So what did I do? Called in from work, drove down to San Diego, and took the risk on whether I could get in.

    Thankfully the drive down wasn't bad at all, and I only encountered a little bit of traffic. I arrived at UCSD and met up with my friends at around 7PM, then stood in a line with maybe about 30 people already there. While in line, I actually saw M&D bassist Jonathan Snyder passing by, so I was able to talk with him for awhile. At that point I still wasn't sure if I was getting in or not though. We were able to convince two students in line in front of me to vouch for me, so that was a sigh of relief. Then one of our friends showed up for the show after all and happens to be an actual UCSD student, so she went ahead and made me her guest (thanks!).

    We got in by around 8:10PM, where I decided to just wander around the venue since I decided that I didn't want to idly stand by and just wait. I went from hanging out with my friends, to watching the Lakers vs Jazz game by the bar, and even saw Meg, Dia, Jon, and Carlo hanging around. Unfortunately drummer Nick wasn't there. Me and my other friend was chatting with Carlo the most, and talked about what song we'd like them to play and how long the set list is. At that time "Scooter & Oliver" was already performing their set, so my apologies for not being in the audience for them (they did a cover of the Jackson 5 song "I Want You Back" - nice).

    By about 9:30PM, Meg & Dia started off their acoustic set with "Roses." The band had a very relaxed, almost spontaneous vibe to their performance that night. It showed with the technical errors, mistakes in some of the songs, and at one point they were even trying to figure out how to properly play one of the songs. Being who they were though, they were able to make any kind of mistakes humorous, and it only really makes the audience feel even more connected with the show. Between songs they also told stories or interacted with the audience, and the sisters bantering with each other was pretty entertaining.

    Out of the many times I've seen them live, this particular set list felt very special. They played a wide variety of songs from all three of their albums, played a couple of covers (Ingrid Michaelson, Blind Melon), and one track that never made it on an album (Halloween). The one song that I've always wanted them to play is "Fighting For Nothing" and I finally got to hear it live! I can only wonder if it was always suppose to be part of the set list or if it was because we suggested it to Carlo earlier. By the end of the set, they played a total of 13 songs, which is the most I've ever seen them play live. Nice!

    Afterward we did the usual meet & greet with the band, I went ahead and bought a vinyl record of their album "Here, Here and Here," got autographs, photos, the works. Eventually by 11PM, everybody was told to exit the venue, but still me and my friends were just hanging out outside. Got to see the band outside as well, and after a good chat with Jon and Carlo, I decided to call it a night. I considered going back into the bar, as they were having a karaoke session; which I imagined Meg and Dia could have been participating (should have checked I guess). Got home a lot sooner (and faster) than even I expected, but all in all it was a great night.

    BTW Carlo said that while there are no set future dates for the next few months (as they are going to be recording a new album), the summer will have something in store for us fateful fans (so keep an eye out). Speaking of which, the fact that we were still able to get a group of us MaD fans to come to the show proves that the "boardies" still live, even if the message board where we were spawned from is already done and finished with. To Meg & Dia, we will always be known as "boardies."

    * click here for the PHOTOS I took *

    * click here for the VIDEOS I took *
    - note - While the show was going, there were background noise coming from the Lakers vs Jazz game at the bar, and people talking at the patio behind me. Lighting wasn't exactly the best either, so the quality of the vids aren't exactly at it's best. Oh, and my memory card ran out in the middle of the very last song.