Thursday, August 23, 2007

Retro Ads for Contemporary toys


Wow! It is better than a bed-time story.

Check out these ads that are from the Worth1000 website.

These are for new items, but advertised with old fashioned pictures and slogans.

There are ads for the Ford Mustang, Viagra, Apple computers, Anti-depressants and others.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Hairy face

Grow a beard.
It is manly.
For advice go to this website.


Visit beards.org!

Monday, August 20, 2007

Content-Aware Image Sizing

Just when I think that I can't be surprised by what a computer can do.

A group has just figured out a way to resize an image without losing the important elements.

I don't know how to explain it any better so hear is a video.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Philosophy Notes







Everything I learned in Philosophy 101:

Notes:

Philosophy

Lucretius
Epicureanism
Only two components to existence-
Bodies and the Void
The swerve of particles causes collisions and the creation of all things.
The first-beginnings(Vital Clusters)(Soul Bits) can be knocked from a person causing death.
He believes that since swerveing particles inhabit the whole of the universe that they would necessarily cause the creation of other worlds and races of men.
Mind and soul are of a union.
Mind and body are united and one degrades with the other. Implies no life after death.

Mill
Actions are rights in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.
"It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied." Pleasure of the mind is more valuable than pleasure of the Senses.
Men lose their ability to be noble for want of practice. Society does not allow them to indulge their noble aspirations.

Nietzsche-Immoralist
insists than, in an important sense, we choose our moralities and that this choice can not be justified in an argument. Appreciated ancient Greek morality.
Slave morality-Duty-Herd instinct-survival
Mater morality- virtuous action to better oneself.
Excellence is a goal, and contributes to mankind as a whole.
Find your values within yourself. Follow yourself not me.
"Will to Power" Is the effort to excel as individuals.

d'Holbach
We are slaves to selfish will.
Will is directed by outside forces.
Man can not be to blame for his actions, because he is at all times doing what he believes is in his best interest, based on experience or teaching, or tempermant.

Kant
Morality is strictly a matter of practical reason, divorced from our personal interests and desires and based solely on universal principals of law. The ends do not justify the means. It requires Autonomy, not obedience. Duty.
Do not blame someone for their character or abilities, many factors contribute to a person's circumstances, like heredity or upbringing. What is really important is the will to do good, what we try to do is in our control and is the only thing worthy of moral consideration.
Believes in God. So everything has a purpose.
You should do your duty because it is your duty, not for any personal gain.
Kant believes we should try to be happy because it will assist us in our ability to do our duty.
Decide what you should do by asking yourself, What if everyone were to do that?
Categorical Imperative-You msut do in all situations. Don't Lie. Don't kill.
God is good because he obeys the laws of morality.
Kant believes in categorical imperatives, a person is wrong for doing a bad thing, but the situation may deny punishment for the wrongdoind.
Kant does not allow for conflicts in moral law, like being forced to tell something one promised to keep secret or lie about it.
Prohibits suicide as we are obligated to develop our talents.
All those capable of being rational are obligated to do their moral duty.

Liebniz-Pluralist(belief that many entities exist.)
Monads-immaterial with no extension, indivisible. Can only be created all at once or destroyed all at once by a Super Monad(God)
No two Monads have the same qualities, each is different. Only God can tell them apart.
A monad is alive and changes from within. They are programmed for future interactions by God at creation. Monads perceive?
attacks Newton.
Its present is pregnant with its future.
The best of all possible worlds
Each monad is a reflection of the universe.
God is creator lord and final cause. The uncreated monad.
Principle of sufficient reason-all things must be justified and ultimately all events must be justified by God.
From Romans 2:15 The Law of God is written in the heart, Conscioncess bear it out.

Rousseau
The first impulse of nature is always right.
There is no original sin.
Wrong doing depends on harmful intentions.
If man is naturally evil than to do good would me corrupting his nature, Virtue itself would cause remorse.
Conscience and feeling leads us to morality.

Descartes
What can we know?
Premis 1-I think therefore I am. In order to doubt my existence I must exist.
"Method of Doubt"
Descartes appeals to reason rather than experience because we could be deceived by our experiences.
Reason a first premise.
Geometry and algebra are real, because answers remain the same for everyone in any situation.
Premis 2-God exists because I could not exist without him.
Cartesian Circle-He assumes the existence of God in order to prove his existence.
Descartes must also have confidence in his ability to reason, which may be unfounded.

Locke
A method appropriate to generalizations from experience, or induction.
Probability and degrees of assent.
Not as certain as deductions.
rejects innate or inborn ideas, because no idea is accepted by all and if you contained a truth but were unaware of it that is as good as not knowing it.
Knowledge comes only from experience.
Primary Qualities-Properties inherent in objects; Size and Shape. Inseperable from body, Solidity, Extension, figure, motion or rest, and number.
Secondary Qualities-Properties things appear to have; Color, texture and sounds.
"Causal Theory of Perception" Insensible particles bring perception of the qualities of objects to us.
Assumes his existence and the existence of God.
Suggests that the idea of "forms" is produced by the categorization of percieved patterns in the brain.

Berkeley-Skeptic
Subjective Idealism-Doctrine; No material objects only minds and ideas in minds, created by God.
Objects are a collection of ideas. smell, taste, color...
Berkeley assumes his existence and the existence of God.
"To be is to be perceived."
Nothing can exist outside of the mind because nothing is like an idea except another idea.
Ray says "But matter can destroy the mind"
Things don't come into existence by thought alone or NOT exist when they are not perceived because God's will produces them. Things are not excited at random as the Human will is apt to do. Things are regular and steady, which testifies to the existence of God.

Hume-empiricist & Skeptic
Speaking of literature on Divinity and Metaphysics-"Does it contain any experimental reasoning concerning matter of fact and existence? No, Commit it to the flames, for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion."
Hume's Fork-"All reasoning may be divided into two kinds, namely, Demonstrative reasoning, or that concerning relations of ideas, and Moral reasoning, or that concerning matter of fact and existence."

Matters of fact; which are the second object of human reason, are not ascertained in the same manner; nor is our evidence of their truth, however great, of a like nature with the foregoing. Can not be proven to be true.
Impressions can not accurately portray reality. My idea of Paris does not represent all of its streets and houses in proportion.

"To justify a belief as knowledge we must break up its complex ideas into simple ideas and then find the impressions upon which those ideas are based."
Rejects existence of God because there is no evidence or relation of ideas.
Shows that cause and effect are the basis of of all reasoning and then proves such reasoning is not a relation of ideas or a matter of fact.
"The contrary of every matter of fact is still possible; because it can never imply a contradiction.

It is either Monday or not Monday-It is not Monday and it is Monday*Contradiction
A human is a primate-A human is not a primate*Contradiction
The sun will rise tomorrow-The sun will not rise tomorrow*NOT Contradiction as past is not sufficient prove of the future.
We do not know cause and effect because of reason but only through experience.
Induction can not be established by Hume's Fork.
Ray says, it makes everything mean nothing.

Plato
Suggests that ideas are born into us.
Says that either we follow God's laws either because they are his or because they are good; In either case we must decide whether the laws are good, in order to accept God or the Laws.(We Decide our Morality)
If one thought they could act with impunity they would always do so.
Society is built on agreements spawned by selfish concern.

Socrates

Aristotle
Argues that being virtuous, controlling our feelings and acting rationally, enables us to become fullly human.
Virtue is rational activity.
"The natural good for man is to find what Men desire for it's own sake and not for the sake of anything else".
There can be no infinite regress, there must be some ultimate end.
Mans purpose is to utilize his faculties.
Respect and honour are ingredients in the good life.
We need good education.

Two kinds of virtues
:
Practical and Moral Virtues; Courage, Generosity
Intellectual Virtues; skill at mathematics and philosophy
We learn to do by doing what we wish to do, so by doing just acts we learn to be just. Virtue aquired by practice.
Virtuous nature is not just believing in moral behavior, but doing virtuos actions, because one believes in doing good things, and enjoys it.
Virtue is a habit of choice.
Excellence is destroyed by excess or deficiency. The courageous man fears not to much nor to little.
Aristotle feels humility is a deficiency.
Vanity-Pride-Humility
Extreme-Appropriate-deficiency
Virtues of Aristotle*
Courage--Temperance(moderation in food sex and other pleasures)--Charity--Pride--Good Temper--Friendliness--Truthfulness--Wittiness(Fun)--Shame(When mistakes are made)--Justice
Happiest life? "The life of contemplation"
Aristotle says only a small elite are capable of happiness.
Ray says, I like happiness. Faculties, like gifts from God.

Principle of Induction-The future will be like the past.

Rationalist Thinking
The key to rationalist thinking "Intuition of Mind"-obtain premises from which to draw conclusions.

Empiricist-assume that evidence from perception is the only source of knowledge about the world.

Necessary Truths-Beliefs that we cannot even imagine being false and that lie beyond the range of all possible doubt and refutation. A Priori knowledge thatis independent of experience.

Utilitarians-hold that any good moral rule should promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number.

Correspondence Theory of Truth-an assertion is only true if it has a relation to reality. Commonsense.

Contingent Truths-knowledge that is true but may be false.

Ethical Relativist-The idea that two different moral values can be correct at the same time.

Ethical Altruism-Poeple ought to act with eachother's interests in mind.

Ethical Absolutism-The belief that there is only one moral truth.

Cultural Relativism-The fact that different cultures have different moralities.

Law of contradiction-Something can not exist and not exist simultaneously.

Psychological Egoism-is the thesis that everyone can only act out of self interest.

Ethical Egoism-Is that we can act in other peoples interests but we should act only for our own interests.

Relativism-The thesis that truth varies from context to context, from culture to culture, that truth is relative to a context, a culture, a language, a set of circumstances, a way of looking at the world.(All points of view are equally valid)

Thursday, August 16, 2007

My new favorite music video



This is awesome. I have never seen someone give little robots so much personality.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

New Website for AssClowns


There is a new blog out today. It is called "Are you an AssClown?". This is a very important question that you must ask yourself. If you are not sure of the answer or would like to find out if a loved one or significant other is an AssClown you should definitely check it out.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Chumby; First 50

The Chumby is finally starting to get into the hands of the public.

I have posted about it before. See this video of the unboxing to find out more.

Posted to YouTube by Cheapedia.com.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Steampunk Mechanic


Just watched a video of Richard Nagy a Steampunk artist.

Watch this short video to find out more about Steampunk and see some of his elegant and detailed work.

Thanks to Gadget Lab for posting this.

Visit Nagy's site at Datamancer.net

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Tiny Ninjas

This video is great. My son can also kick butt like this.
From CollegeHumor.com.

Dancing Robot

Wow! I hope these don't make it into strip joints.

Immortal I


By Clayton Ray Randell

Long life, means nothing
Without song, spirits, and love.
Without someone with which to sing,
I would rather be above.

I gave my soul to eternity,
my curiosity, over turned thought.
I, now long to be with thee;
You have not been forgot.

Decades ago, and decades to be,
I while away my time;
and nothing is ever new to me,
except my whimsied rhyme.

There are others I have loved,
before their time was through.
But none of them have I loved,
quite as much as you.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

A Little Shade in Dallas


By Clayton Ray Randell

That ice cream was good. I must have licked that ice cream in every possible direction. It was the kind of ice cream that doesn’t seem to melt even on the hottest days; and boy was it hot. Dallas gets pretty hot, even in November.

“They” weren’t here yet, so the crowd kind of just milled around, restless, because of the heat.

I leaned against the fence. At least I was in the shade. I was a ways off from the goings on, but I could see it all through the scope.

There was music coming from somewhere up the road. I’m sure it sounded rather triumphant and joyful over there, but muffled by the still, hot air, from where I was standing, it sounded a little like a death march.

From on top of that knoll I could see most of the plaza. I could see kids playing, wives setting up picnic spots, while the men loaded cameras or stood about giving each other those glances of formality that men do.

Hiding behind this fence, getting ready to do the terrible act I was about to commit, allowed me to stand back from humanity, to look at how they act and react.

I am down to the cone now. Crunchy, sweet, loveliness on this hot November day. I’ll be finished by the time “They” come.

Timing is important. More so because I am not the only one involved. I don’t see why they didn’t do it at the airport. I guess it’s because they wanted a lot of people to see it. Plus the Secret Service guys would also be more spread out running along the road.

My superiors didn’t tell me much back then. I had done odd jobs for them in the past, but they didn’t trust me to any real information. In fact, if the number one choice for this assignment hadn’t been crushed by some bricks falling off the Kremlin and taking her with them, while trying to shoot into an office building across the street, I wouldn’t even be here.

I wouldn’t be here, with this lovely ice cream

Chapter 6: Knights of the Obscure and Obtuse

By Clayton Ray Randell

>Beep…Beep…Beep.

“Dr. Kimberly?” A disembodied voice speaks from the intercom on the wall.

“Yes.” Albert answered.

“ Your team will be assembling shortly. I will be at your room in thirty minutes to show you to the lab.”

“Thanks Sybaritia.”

Albert showered and shaved. He found a brand new lab coat hanging in the closet. He removed the I.D. tag from the lapel and pinned it to his own lab coat. Albert’s lab coat had been with him on three worlds and dozens of projects. It was bright purple and had eight sterling silver buttons shaped like each of the planets in the solar system. Embroidered above the right hand pocket was ‘Al’.

After drinking a container of tangerine juice from his small fridge, Sybaritia rang his bell.

Albert opened the door right away and instantly felt embarrassed that he might seem to excited to see his beautiful tour guide.

“Hello Albert.”

“Sybaritia. How are you this morning?”

“Good; and you?”

“Not bad”

“How was your dinner last night, Dr. Kimberly?”

“Excellent. If all the food here is that good I’ll get fat?”

“Well I am sure you will work up a good appetite. Speaking of which, I think that everyone should be ready to receive you now.”

They headed down the corridor to the elevator. After reaching the 38th floor. They walked down another hallway to the lab shuttle. Unlike the other elevators the shuttle moved in three directions; up, down and diagonal. It could reach any of the fifty-one labs, and had a direct route to the underground maintenance and manufacturing levels.

The shuttle hummed along, first traveling straight up then slowly changing direction to follow the slant of the outside of the pyramid. As it did so a wall to the left of Albert seemed to melt away and become transparent. The Martian landscape was crisp and crimson in the early morning twilight.

Albert couldn’t shake the visions in his dream last night. He wasn’t sure what, if anything the dream had meant. Mentioning it to Sybaritia might make him feel better he thought. Before he could say anything the shuttle came to a halt and the doors sprang open with the whine of pneumatic tubes.

“Were here Albert.”

Albert looked out the door to see a rather ominous looking hallway. The rest of the facility was quite well lit, but this particular corridor was lit dimly, with a hint of blue and was quite long. At the end, almost fifty meters away stood the door.

Sybaritia stepped into the hall and when Albert hesitated she gently took his hand and led him out of the shuttle. The walls were lined with dark vertical tubes. The dark paneling on the floor sloped up forty-five degrees to the white wall from a foot away. The ceiling was the same only inverted. Over all it gave Albert the impression of walking through the woods.
As they walked the walls glowed around them, and their tiny bubble of light followed them to the large door.

To the right of the door was an optical scanner and below that a palm identifier.

“Eat me. Drink me.” Albert said, almost unconsciously.

“What?”

Albert realizing how perverted that might sound said. “ It’s from an old movie.”

“I know.” Sybaritia said. ” I guess that makes me the White Rabbit?”

With that she peered into the optical scanner and placed her hand on the palm identifier.

The door which appeared to be much like the other doors in the facility was actually almost twenty inches thick and swung on gigantic hinges. The door was seven feet high on the hallway side, and expanded to be almost fifteen feet on the other side.

Inside the lab, Albert found himself looking at five of the solar systems better known scientists running around like children at a carnival.

A funny little old man with glasses and a decidedly English lisp was relating to the others just how impressive a ‘static graviton suppressor’ really was. Not that the others were listening to him. Several of them were toying with robotic arms or testing the ability of the lab computers to model DNA and chemical reactions.

When Sybaritia said “Hi kids.” The respected scientists dropped what they were doing and lined up before her like a troop of boy scouts.

Collectively from the doctors. “Hello Ms. Fields.”

“Kids, I would like for you to all meet your new Lab leader. Dr. Albert Kimberly.”

An Asian gentleman spoke up. “Oh, Dr. Kimberly, you were the one who was able to reproduce the DNA from the algae on Halley’s comet.”

“Only because I couldn’t keep the samples alive on the trip back to Earth.”

Sybaritia cut in. “Are English friend in the glasses is Dr. Slater. From the United Asian Space Engineers, we have Dr. Shoji Watanabe. In the pink dress is Dr. Sandra McCalistair from the Stanley Gene Lab orbiting the moon. With the dreadlocks is Dr. Caesar LeBeau.”

“Everybody calls me Smokey, man.”

“On the end is Deirdre Mazer, she is your lab assistant.

Professor Malton spoke up. “She is also a fabulous niece”

Albert wondered how Malton managed to sneak up on them when the enormous door to the lab was closed. Turning to his left he saw how. An elevator that must have been flush with the ceiling when it was all the way up was lowering Malton, who was not alone. Standing beside Malton was a man dressed in the blackest material Albert had ever seen. The man seemed to suck light out of the space around him.

Malton, ever placid “So, I see you have all met. Not to over whelm you but I would like to add one more face.”

And what a face it is, thought Albert. The man’s eyes had no color. What white he saw was nearly inked out by shinny blackness. Albert couldn’t tell if there was no iris, completely black iris’s or total dilation.

“This is Fenian Samizdat, with the Bureau of Knowledge. He will be observing how we run this facility for awhile.

And with a nod Fenian was suddenly an unexpected fixture of the lab.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Analysis of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai


Clayton Ray Randell
Analysis of Seven Samurai


The Seven Samurai
獅子人の侍


Seven Samurai is deservedly called a masterpiece. Directed by famed Akira Kurosawa, the Seven Samurai set the bar for decades, and still influences modern cinema. This film is truly epic especially considering it was filmed in 1954.

The theme in Seven Samurai is about class structure, social roles and honor. In the early fifties Japan was recovering from defeat by America and its allies. This was a time when Japan was reevaluating their society and their goals. More importantly what roles would the Japanese as individuals play in the future, and what would that mean to the traditional caste system in Japan. This Analysis will attempt to explore how these themes are expressed by considering three major scenes and then covering the overall technical and style choices of the film.

There are so many scenes and even shots, within the Seven Samurai that give subtle clues to character and narrative, that it is difficult to single out certain sequences without feeling like you are cheating the movie. A few scant pages could not do justice to the power of this film. Someone not familiar with Japan or not very observant may miss some of the hints that are given as to character and narrative. As an example there is a shot in the city where Sitiji meets his old friend Kambei at the stable. When Kambei asks Sitiji if he is tired of fighting Sitiji stoops down and turns his slippers towards the door, signaling his willingness to leave with Kambei for another battle.

In order to pick out the main themes in this film it will help to delve into the choices that Kurosawa made in filming a few very specific scenes. Kurosawa’s past as a painter likely influenced his ability to compose a shot with several distinct faces at multiple distances performing and reacting in very different ways. This makes for very complicated but emotionally diverse frames.

The first very specific example I will explore is a classic shot. Even today we see this technique used but this kind of camera use and composition started with masters like Kurosawa. When the villagers have spent some time training with the samurai and have begun to trust them there is a scene where they all gather with the samurai in the village center. This is the same place where the entire village was earlier lamenting their fate, when they found out that the bandits would return. They have returned and are surrounding Kambei and Sitiji as he speaks to them. The villagers are sitting in an organized circle, shoulder-to-shoulder, and facing Kambei. The camera travels around the outside of the circle facing in on a long dolly shot. We see the sitting villagers and a full shot of Kambei and Sitiji from eye level. It is obvious the point made in this sequence is that the villagers and the samurai have formed a force and have chosen leadership. More striking than this is the fact that each villager has a spear over his shoulder pointing out of the circle. As the camera moves around the circle the points of the spears jut out at the audience almost appearing to stick out of the screen. This gives the previously confused and weak village a menacing and imposing appearance. I believe the intent of this scene is to represent the power of the old system in Japan.

A very militaristic hierarchy was necessary during the feudal period in Japan to protect the different clans from each other. Of course the scene ends with an example of what happened when someone tried to break ranks and be an individual. One of the villagers, whose house is outside the protective boundaries set up around the town, tries to lead a revolt and get his neighbors to join him. Kambei draws his sword and drives them back in line and warns them that if they do not act together they will fall. This is a clear example of the subjugation of individual freedom required by Japans caste system in order for a small group to persevere. This is illustrated beautifully with a crane shot looking down at a long line of villagers as Kambei herds these wayward villagers back to the flock, forming a wall of people. Adding momentum to the scene is a strong gale that blows dust and debris across the screen. The impact of this scene is not diminished by a lack of musical score. The blowing wind and yelling gives the scene a desperation that would be diluted by trying to force emotion on the scene with music. The center of the village plays stage to the most poignant scenes of the movie.

All of the main characters offer an archetypal persona or atypical social stance. Their dialogue with one another is a dialogue within a culture. The most powerful and outrageous character within Seven Samurai is Kikutio. It is impossible to analyze this film without addressing Tosiro Mifune’s orphan turned samurai. Mifune manages to cavort and holler and bark, while controlling and expressing and living a character that few actors could even now play with believability. Kikutio’s past is not revealed to us until late in the film. It is clear however that he was never a real samurai.

We see Kikutio in another important scene explain for Kambei, and by extension the audience, how the samurai and villagers have coexisted in the recent past. A cache of weapons and armor has been found. The samurai know from experience that the equipment was taken from the bodies of dead samurai or stolen from samurai who were killed while alone and on the run; likely by the very villagers that are now wanting the samurai to save them from the bandits. Mifune handles the dialogue expertly and to show the impact of this scene and its connection to the purpose of this film I will transcribe Kikutio’s diatribe.

Foxy beasts!, They say they have nothing but, dig under the floors… You’ll find plenty. They pose as saints but are full of lies. Farmers are stingy, foxy, blubbering, mean, stupid and murderous!…God Damn that’s what they are,…But then who made them such beasts!?…You did! You samurai did it!…You burn their villages, force them to labor, take their women…


Kikutio then breaks down in tears. Kambei also begins to cry and asks Kikutio if he was a farmers son. Unwilling to answer Kikutio stumbles out of the house and escapes down the road.

Again Kurosawa rightly makes the decision to have no musical accompaniment to this scene. Mifune is allowed and able to carry the entire emotional load of the scene. His impassioned yelling becomes a bray as we see a glimpse into his tortured past. Kambei is wise enough to see through to the truth behind Kikutio’s bravado. Kurosawa uses only one edit during Kikutio’s speech. The majority of it is a medium shot of Kikutio’s bust. He has dressed up as though he is a small boy playing at being a samurai. The only break is to show Kikutio throw a handful of arrows against the wall. I feel this shot of the arrows is an example of Kikutio’s anger throughout his life. No direction, lashing out at everything around him. All those who are caught between the shame of their position in life and their pride in that same position share Kikutio’s torment. Wanting to exist on the next level but resenting it at the same time. Kikutio has to find an outlet for his anger and passion. After the death of Gorobei and Yohei, Kikutio finds his place.

Feeling responsible for Gorobei and Yohei’s death Kikutio takes up the banner that Heinati fashioned before his death, and plants it on the roof of the villages tallest building calling out to the villagers and samurai to take up arms and not give up. The villagers are all standing on the hill that contains the burial mounds of the fallen samurai and villagers. This long low angle shot shows the villagers scattered on the hill around different mounds that are silhouetted against a cold grey sky. The samurai’s burial mounds have their weapons pointing into the sky and again a strong wind is blowing dust across the actors and the sky. The villagers turn and see the banner it says boldly ‘Farmers’ and has seven triangles representing the samurai. Their strength and courage is renewed and they are ready to fight again. This scene shows the villagers in the bleakest of circumstances. Defeated and literally facing death, until Kikutio calls down to them from the rooftops. They all must continue to work together.

The story behind Rikiti is another example of a code of honor and class structures effect on someone. We know from the beginning that something has happened to Rikiti at the hands of the bandits. He is the most desperate to find samurai and fight back. We find later in the movie the reason Rikiti is so filled with rage. Kyuro, Heinati, Kikutio and Rikiti head off to the bandits hideout to mount a surprise attack. They come down a tight valley and find the bandits asleep in their huts. The samurai set fire to the huts and prepare to kill the bandits as they are smoked out. Peering through the cracks in the hut Kyuro and Heinati see a young woman wake up. Kurosawa uses a soft focus and a medium shot to introduce us. She is beautiful but something is wrong. The woman appears dazed, maybe even drugged. She seems to have woken from a nightmare and realizes she is still living the nightmare. When she notices the flames licking up the walls she nearly yells out in terror, but then stops. Kurosawa gives us a close-up of the woman as she slowly smiles. The fire all around her is reflected in her eyes as she devilishly grins and then quietly lies back down. The samurai kill several bandits as they flee from the burning building unarmed. Just as they are about to make their get away the woman comes to the opening in the burning building. She is laughing at the carnage her captors have endured, when Rikiti sees her. This woman is his wife. He rushes to her against the commands of the others. Kurosawa, instead of using a series of close-ups to show the emotion of the scene, uses a single full shot of Rikiti and his wife to make the meaning of the scene our focal point. Rikiti’s wife sees him coming and turns and runs headlong into the flames. She is ashamed of what she has become. So much so that she destroys herself rather than live with the shame. I cannot help but wonder if Kurosawa may be drawing parallels to the young women seduced by American G.I.’s after the war. More importantly we see someone who believes that now that they have fallen out of their class position they cannot return. Self-destruction is the answer for the hopeless.

I could go on and on about the intricacies of the myriad of scenes and shots in this classic film. There are several techniques that Kurosawa uses in this film to add to the composition and content.

There are several shots where the focal characters are downtrodden and in despair. At these times Kurosawa films during heavy rain. The darkness and roar of the rain makes the situation seem more hopeless than any musical score could have done. Panning shots are used to add action to several shots of descending mobs. The descending mob has been used every since, even by George Lucas in Star Wars. Tracking shots are also used to give momentum to the shots with horses. This effect also allows for a great sight gag, where Kikutio tries to ride Yohei’s old horse. He charges off across the road and then is obscured by a long fence. The camera continues to track the unseen horse and when it emerges from the fence, it is being chased by a limping Kikutio. The entire village and the audience have a good laugh at Kikutio and the horse’s mutual stubbornness.

This film is a wonderful critique of the traditional caste system in Japan. Kurosawa gives this system credit for its usefulness in earlier times when he shows the villagers all sitting with their spears around the samurai like a pincushion. We see in later portions of the movie that ultimately the times change and this formula must change with it. We see how individually and socially this system does not translate successfully into these new times. I think that the final decision on what the new system should be is not given to us by Kurosawa. He asks us the question in the closing shot. We see Kambei and Katsusiro and the burial mounds of the dead heroes with dust blowing over them. The villagers sing while harvesting their fields. Life goes on and we must all decide individually what our place will be, because the old classes will never be able to mix. Ultimately we must all find our own place in helping our nation achieve success.

Fat Cat


I don't like to post fluffy cute pictures.

This is just too unusual not to post.

Click the title to read the story from the UK's DailyMail.

Quick Quote


After scolding one's cat one looks into its face and is seized by the ugly suspicion that it understood every word.
And has filed it for reference.
~Charlotte Gray.

Google Joins OIN. Score for Linux


For those readers who are less 'tech' minded the announcement that Google has joined the Open Invention Network may not mean a lot. I'll try to elucidate.

From Googles own blog:

The concept behind OIN is simple. All OIN licensees, including participants such as IBM, Oracle, NEC and Sony, agree to cross-license their Linux-related patents to the others free of charge. Patent issues therefore become a much smaller concern inside the community, and OIN members can focus their energy on writing and releasing software rather than vetting their code for intellectual property issues. It's the legal equivalent of taking a long, deep breath.


Wow!

Not all of our readers may know this, but for the last couple of years the electronics and technology sectors of American industry have been staggering under the weight of 'patent lawsuits'. For consumers, this causes delays in new products and drives up the prices when there are shortages in parts.

For software things are a little different. Software is a tool. Can you imagine if you got used to working on your car with a set of wrenches and then found out that Micro$oft owned the 5/8ths wrench. You wouldn't be able to turn those nuts until there was a settlement requiring you to purchase Microsoft's version of the 5/8ths or, pay to upgrade the wrench you already have.

I am excited by the course Google is charting in this area and in the upcoming 700mhz range auction.

Follies From the Underbelly


I have to point our readers to this blog I found. Follies From The Underbelly. It looks like a travel log. The photos are sumptuous and these foreign lands call out for adventurer's.

Yes I am a little jealous.

There are a couple of pictures of art that fall in the NSFW range for Americans.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

No more 'First Class' (click here to see more great pictures)


I wrote an email to Amtrak last year to express my concerns over their service and never received a response that was not automated.

The nations train stations are not the only place where we see a degradation of the standards our parents and grandparents came to expect when traveling. The news is full of reports about the not so friendly skies.

I am posting this email to add a voice to the disappointment that many people are feeling.

We can return to the days when "traveling" was part of the trip. When service meant a little luxury and a smile.

Part of the problem is that some moron decided that the customer was always right. That is ridiculous. Some people are wrong, some people are more trouble than they are worth as customers. If companies continue to pander to the inconsiderate and poorly mannered, then their employees will continue to be berated and punished for trying to offer good service and will give up.

I would pay more if I thought that I could take a train ride for 4 hours without having to get up for a drink and a sandwich.

It all starts with asking more from these companies and most importantly, treating service people with respect. Being angry and yelling at them will not improve their attitude or your experience.

And for those of you in charge of payroll; pay more, so you can expect more of these employees. It works at Disney. I have been to Disney Land and Disney World. I have never been disappointed with the service or atmosphere.

Now the email, about my experience, sent to Amtrak.

My wife and I have enjoyed riding the train on a couple of occasions and we have in the past recommended it to our friends. Unfortunately I may have to stop making that recommendation.

For the past 8 months we have enjoyed the company of a Danish exchange student and her friend. We have grown very close to her and tonight we had to get her and her friend to the 7:40 Southbound Train from Bellingham, Washington. As you can imagine, they each had some hefty suitcases, they were going all the way to Seattle and on to Denmark.

When we arrived I was dismayed to find that there were no carts to assist with luggage. When the train arrived, we found that coach needed to load about 30 yards from the exit on the station. Three gentleman wearing Amtrak uniforms got off the train and quickly began hustling people on to the train.

The girls weigh about 100 and 110 pounds. Juliane nearly fell off the steps to the train while attempting to get one of her bags on board. None of the train staff offered to help us. None of the train staff offered to help these very small women get on the train with their luggage. When I grabbed two of the bags and set them on the floor of the train, a uniformed Amtrak employee began yelling at me; demanding to know if I was "traveling today". I was amazed that this person (about 45-50 with Dishwater blonde hair and a beard) could yell at us when one of the girls was already crying and everyone else was on the train.

The agent and I were the only ones on the platform. I am very disappointed that I had to say goodbye to our international daughters under these circumstances.

I am utterly amazed that an industry and a company that was known by my parents and grandparents for its service and comfort, could produce what we encountered tonight. My view of traveling by rail may forever be tainted by this experience. I ask that Amtrak please return to the standards that helped train travel gain the mystique and feel of luxury for which it was once know.

Sincerely, Clayton Ray Randell