Overhead at the gym

Old guy #1 on treadmill: I got something to tell you that you won't agree with.
Old guy #2 on elliptical: what's that?
Old guy #1: dean martin was better than frank sinatra.
Old guy #2: have you lost your frickin mind?

On the Go

I just enabled the mobile blogging function. Hopefully this place will be more active now.

Damn Immigints!

As the son of immigrants, I sometimes lose track of the amount of sacrifice and risks involved in moving to a completely different place. I'm unsure if I'd be able to replicate the movements of my parents, if I were in their same shoes.

A funny thing happens as you get older and the relationship between parent and child changes. It becomes one of mutual respect; You actually want to learn more about them!

Me vs. The Falls

Niagara Falls
Originally uploaded by Elizabeth Wentling.

I've always found Niagara Falls to be one of the most majestic places in the world. Sure the commercialization and tourist traps are an eyesore, but once you get past all of that and right up to the falls, you can't help but feeling the power.

Due to the hydroelectric plants (which is probably powering my computer right now), the natural flow of the falls has been reduced to a fraction of what it should be. I can't fathom what Niagara Falls would look like if it were allowed to flow the way it had hundreds of years ago.

I'm clearly not alone in my fondness for The Falls, as it's always been a source of inspiration for daredevils, suicides and lovers.

There comes news of a man that has survived the plunge. Although it's unclear of his intentions (it seems he was attempting suicide), he remains only the 3rd person to survive a trip on The Falls.

Another survivor from an accidental jump in 1960 recounts his experience eloquently:

"It felt like I was floating – not going up and not going down – and when I hit the water there wasn't a big splat or anything."

I can't imagine anything coming close to the feeling of being 'in' The Falls, but I I'd like to experience it. I just don't have the guts.

A Landmark Event in Publishing

One of my goals as a kid was to have a picture of mine in Life Magazine. Then it went under. It was my first magazine subscription and it had a profound effect on me.

So it's good news that the sorely missed Life Magazine has made their photo archives available via Google's image search.

A quick perusal through some of the images is awe-inspiring and a lot of fun. Some of the etchings date back to the 1750's to modern day digital stuff.

Google's done a good job of organizing them into categories, but you can just do a search for whatever you want and browse.

When you get a few minutes, you should seriously check it out. It is a big deal.

This is a Movie Theatre

R-77th St, Bay Ridge
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

If you take the Q or B trains (or to a lesser degree the N or D) into Manhattan from Brooklyn, you may have noticed the weird animations and bright lights just before you pass over the Manhattan Bridge.

I thought originally it was part of some advertizing campaign, but it's just art... for art's sake!

The piece is called 'Masstransiscope' and was done by Bill Brand. It is constructed by the abandoned Myrtle Ave. station and was originally unveiled back in 1980. It's been recently cleaned and re-installed for all the straphangers to see.

Only showing on the subway, or here.

You're Late Because of the Train? Prove it.

Never Leave Your Car
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

You can be late for anything in NYC and the most common excuse is 'The train was so late!', then everyone gives a knowing glance followed by an 'I know what you mean. The MTA totally sucks.'

Of course, there are legitimate delays, but most don't last a couple of minutes. Let's be honest, people know how long it takes to get from point 'A' to point 'B', and with hopstop giving excellent directions, there is no real excuse for being late in anywhere.

However, on the off-chance that a serious train delay screws up your life I never knew that you could request a 'train delay verification letter', from the MTA that will support your alibi. Apparently, they send out hundreds a week.

Starting next year the whole system will be online making it easier for you to prove your case. Or for bosses to call you out.

Audacity of Hope

Back in July of 2004, I went to the opening of the new Millennium Park in Chicago. I remember seeing Barack Obama and his family literally playing on the fresh grass in front of me. He was running for Senate back then, and was well known in those parts. I was struck by the lack of cameras, handlers and genuine 'good times' going on.

About two weeks later, Obama delivered the keynote at the DNC which catapulted him to national recognition and I believe to be one of the greatest speeches of all time. I recently went back to those words and it's interesting if you replace the words 'John Kerry' with 'I'.

It was also the first time I heard 'The Audacity of Hope' line. It's been beaten into the ground and has become almost trite now, but it's still a profound statement on the status quo.

For your enjoyment (for video, click here):

Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Dick Durbin. You make us all proud.

On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, Land of Lincoln, let me express my deepest gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention.

Tonight is a particular honor for me because, let’s face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father -- my grandfather -- was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.

But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place, America, that shone as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before.

While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor my grandfather signed up for duty; joined Patton’s army, marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised a baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through F.H.A., and later moved west all the way to Hawaii in search of opportunity.

And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter. A common dream, born of two continents.

My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or ”blessed,” believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined -- They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential.

They're both passed away now. And yet, I know that on this night they look down on me with great pride.

They stand here -- And I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents’ dreams live on in my two precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible.

Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our Nation -- not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That is the true genius of America, a faith -- a faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles; that we can tuck in our children at night and know that they are fed and clothed and safe from harm; that we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door; that we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe; that we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted -- at least most of the time.

This year, in this election we are called to reaffirm our values and our commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we're measuring up to the legacy of our forbearers and the promise of future generations.

And fellow Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, I say to you tonight: We have more work to do -- more work to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Illinois, who are losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that’s moving to Mexico, and now are having to compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour; more to do for the father that I met who was losing his job and choking back the tears, wondering how he would pay 4500 dollars a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits that he counted on; more to do for the young woman in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn’t have the money to go to college.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The people I meet -- in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks -- they don’t expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead, and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted, by a welfare agency or by the Pentagon. Go in -- Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach our kids to learn; they know that parents have to teach, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. They know those things.

People don’t expect -- People don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all.

They know we can do better. And they want that choice.

In this election, we offer that choice. Our Party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer. And that man is John Kerry.

John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and service because they’ve defined his life. From his heroic service to Vietnam, to his years as a prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two decades in the United States Senate, he's devoted himself to this country. Again and again, we’ve seen him make tough choices when easier ones were available.

His values and his record affirm what is best in us. John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded; so instead of offering tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas, he offers them to companies creating jobs here at home.

John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves.

John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren’t held hostage to the profits of oil companies, or the sabotage of foreign oil fields.

John Kerry believes in the Constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties, nor use faith as a wedge to divide us.

And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world war must be an option sometimes, but it should never be the first option.

You know, a while back -- awhile back I met a young man named Shamus in a V.F.W. Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a good-looking kid -- six two, six three, clear eyed, with an easy smile. He told me he’d joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week. And as I listened to him explain why he’d enlisted, the absolute faith he had in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this young man was all that any of us might ever hope for in a child.

But then I asked myself, "Are we serving Shamus as well as he is serving us?"

I thought of the 900 men and women -- sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who won’t be returning to their own hometowns. I thought of the families I’ve met who were struggling to get by without a loved one’s full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or nerves shattered, but still lacked long-term health benefits because they were Reservists.

When we send our young men and women into harm’s way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they’re going, to care for their families while they’re gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.

Now -- Now let me be clear. Let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued. And they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this. And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America safe and secure.

John Kerry believes in America. And he knows that it’s not enough for just some of us to prosper -- for alongside our famous individualism, there’s another ingredient in the American saga, a belief that we’re all connected as one people. If there is a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. If there is a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for their prescription drugs, and having to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandparent. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.

It is that fundamental belief -- It is that fundamental belief: I am my brother’s keeper. I am my sister’s keeper that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family.

E pluribus unum: "Out of many, one."

Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us -- the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of "anything goes." Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America -- there’s the United States of America.

The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an "awesome God" in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

In the end -- In the end -- In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope?

John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope.

I’m not talking about blind optimism here -- the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t think about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about something more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker’s son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too.

Hope -- Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!

In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead.

I believe that we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity.

I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair.

I believe that we have a righteous wind at our backs and that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us.

America! Tonight, if you feel the same energy that I do, if you feel the same urgency that I do, if you feel the same passion that I do, if you feel the same hopefulness that I do -- if we do what we must do, then I have no doubt that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as President, and John Edwards will be sworn in as Vice President, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come.

Thank you very much everybody. God bless you. Thank you.

A Nerd for President!

With the numerous debates going on between the two primary presidential candidates, it becomes quite clear what they support and their ideologies.

Science Debate grilled Obama and McCain on how science fits into their platforms, as well as their positions on important science topics.

Their answers are perhaps more illuminating and telling of how they would run the country than any 5 second sound-bite on CNN.

Sign that the Apocalypse is Nigh

On my way to Summerstage in Central Park, I passed through Strawberry Fields. There was the usual throng of tourists, and I saw a man in his 40's with his teenage daughter admiring the makeshift shrine for John Lennon that's always there:

Dad: So all of this is for John Lennon.
Daughter: You mean John Legend.
Dad: No, John Lennon. He was in a band.
Daughter: I've never heard of him.

Our time is clearly coming to an end.

Picturing the Olympics

There is endless media coverage of the Olympics. I've been impressed by the exhaustiveness of NBC's site. The site is far more interesting than their wretched broadcast.

With so many sports and athletes to report on, the sheer size of the media themselves become part of the Olympics. None of them are documenting themselves more interesting than the The Toronto Star's Photographer's Blog, giving great stories about the drama and people involved in getting the great pictures that define the Olympics.

Richard Lautens, Steve Russell and Lucas Oleniuk sometimes turn the camera on themselves and take behind the scenes photos that give insight and a perspective that most of us take for granted.

Wordless Disappointment

View from under tarp
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

We've been an avid supporter of the Wordless Music Series , a mostly instrumental music series of concerts over the past couple of years. Usually, modern composers are billed with instrumental indie-rock or experimental acts.

Last Friday, the series moved to Lincoln Center for an outdoor concert, featuring vocal compositions by 13th Century composer Perotin, the first live performance of Manuel Gottsching's "E2-E4" from 1984. There was also scheduled to be the unveiling of Rhys Chatham's "A Crimson Grail, for 200 Electric Guitars (Outdoor Version)". 200 guitarists were going to line the sides of the audience and play this symphonic piece.

Unfortunately, it rained. A lot. The organizers shuffled the order of music and we heard E2-E4, which was absolutely amazing. The rains stopped during this performance, but everywhere was still wet and soggy.

Clearly, you can't have hundreds of people plugging into exposed amplifiers right after a torrential storm, so they canceled the performance.

It was a massive disappointment, as I think a lot of people came out to hear 200 guitars, but safety always comes first. Let's hope it gets rescheduled soon.

NBC & Scorpions on a Stick

With no cable, I'm confined to NBC's coverage of the Olympics, which I've been watching every night.

Is anyone else tired of seeing Bob Costas and other reporters going on 'food tours' of China only to show Scorpions (or any other 'weird food')on a Stick?

In this day and age, I thought we were beyond making fun of the food people from different cultures eat. Anyone hear of scrapple? Now that's hilarious!

Creepy 80's Sitcoms

I'm a big fan of the 80's sitcom. Life on TV was simpler back then, and it genuinely had bigger laughs. Occasionally, the writers would sneak in episodes that were challenging or pushed the envelope. Three's Company always pushed the homosexual front (in a round-a-bout way). The Cosby Show was also innovative on so many fronts: racism, sexism, dealing with dementia are all episodes I can think of. I also remember seeing a cast of many races in supportive roles.

Esquire had a list of some of the edgier moments from a few 80's sitcoms. I remember them all, including the uber-creepy Diff'rent Strokes episode.

A glaring omission is the Facts of Life episode dealing with drugs (anyone want to take a hit from a jellybean holder?).

Is Cuil Cool?

I remember the pre-Google days of Yahoo! and AltaVista. I also remember how Google just destroyed them all.

Today, Cuil went live. It's a search engine developed by nerds that worked on Google, that claims to have better searching capabilities. It's logo is kinda flickr-ish, but maintains a very simple and clean interface. I like that their search results are displayed in a 'newspaper style' of columns.

I did a few trivial test searches: mostly stuff involving me. What a blow to my ego that my name coupled with imdb failed to turn anything up! What haters coded this thing anyways!?!?

Passing Strange: A work of Genius.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of seeing one of the last performances of the musical Passing Strange on Broadway. I truly regret not seeing this earlier, because by the time you read this, the the curtains will have come down forever.

I am by no means a patron of the theatre. In fact, I find most of it full of terrible acting, outdated songs, and hokey writing. I never got it. Also, high ticket prices are not encouraging.

So after settling into cramped seats, and watching four musicians take the stage that was dressed more like a rock concert than rickety flats and cheap furniture, the show began. There is too much to cover, but there is just so much joy, inherent truth, wisdom and genuine beauty that I couldn't help but smile until the end of the show.

Each cast member plays their roles brilliantly, and the story is told with such irreverance, humour and humanity. Never mind all of the clever stage devices and thought-provoking dialogue, it's the songs that kept us happy.

In an age when Rent is long past relevant, Passing Strange blows everything else out of the water. It was won a slew of awards, and in my mind, it should win a Pulitzer. More importantly, it has me believing that the theatre is still relevant to my life and that people can still create inspiring, original work. Unfortunately, the public still won't support it.

Netflix. Yay Netflix!

The Subatomic office has been Netflix subscribers for years now. The office has scaled back on the cable-tv, but Netflix remains a necessity. We like to watch TV-shows, indie-dramas, obscure docs, foreign stuff, and even the latest hollywood blockbuster. Netflix has never let us down.

We were saddened when they announced that they were going to cancel their 'profiles' feature which allowed several people to have their own queue for one single account. The feature allowed everyone in the office to at least get one movie that they wanted to see. No more...or so we thought.

There was a huge online movement to have them continue the service, and we signed a few online petition. So imagine the delight at the email saying they would keep the 'profiles' after all.

In an age when many corporations are screwing customers left and right, and raising rates for fewer services, I'm glad to see that Netflix keeps it real.

Coldplay at MSG

The Grand Finale
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

I was one of the lucky (actually, there were thousands others, so maybe not that lucky) folks that got tickets for the Coldplay show at Madison Square Gardens. Can't say that I'm a huge fan, I'm more of an armchair Coldplay admirer.

I really enjoyed their first album, Parachutes, but think their albums after it are nothing to be proud of. So, I went to the show with low expectations, and mostly because it was free.

The first two opening acts were abysmal (not even worthy of a mention)! So, I was getting more and more frustrated and decided that I'd give Coldplay a few songs, and if they sucked, I would exit early to Brooklyn.

However, they brought it! I think they are settling nicely into their billing as 'the new U2/Radiohead', arena-rock gods. The band sounded tight, and Chris Martin played the role of frontman quite well: inane banter between songs, dancing wildly, audience participation and charisma to burn.

They belted out a nice mixture of old and new songs and pulled some cool 'surprises', including a bizarre acoustic performance of monster hit Yellow at the back of the arena amongst the crowd.

The only downer was that there was no encore, which the crowd totally wanted. I guess, you get what you pay for.

Slow Summer (So Far...)

I'm a media Whore
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

If you didn't know, Swedish furniture giant, IKEA, opened a store in Brooklyn. Red Hook to be exact.

They've pulled out all the stops in trying to get New Yorkers away from the New Jersey and Long Island stores: they've got shuttle buses running from nearby subway stations, water taxi's, and ample parking (which is a premium in NYC).

Anyhoo, the hardcores started lining up on Monday to get a free couch. I'm a busy guy, so I decided to show up at 730am (the store opened at 9am). The nice thing is that the store has commanding views of Manhattan and Lady Liberty. It's also employing about 500 folks, mostly from Brooklyn.

In hindsight, there really wasn't much holding me back from camping out on Monday for the couch. As you can see, it's been a slow summer for the Subatomic Films office.

Get a job, Class of 2008!

IMG_7387.jpg
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

I remember when I graduated from YorkU back in 2002, the speaker at my commencement was astronaut Marc Garneau (whom apparently has made a bid for politics recently. Thankfully, he didn't win. Scientists that want to be politicians scare me). That was kind of cool. But let's be honest, most commencement speeches are incredibly boring especially when they venture into political territory. If it's not political, they can all be summed up by "good job, believe in yourself, you are awsome, etc..."

The Times put together a page of excerpts from commencement speeches this year, and surprise surprise, most of them suck. The only words that ring true to me were given by, of all people, Clarence Thomas: "As those of us who take responsibility for our lives, and don’t blame others, know only so well, life has a way of humbling, if not humiliating us."