So, I'm not sure why I'm putting this missive on this specific blog, but most likely because of Dan's affinity for The Sopranos. Corrie and I have been checking out episodes slowly and with a slightly joyless critical eye.
We laugh at the jokes, for sure, and marvel at the lengths that the protagonist, Tony, goes to be an involved father and husband, despite being a pathological liar, serial philanderer, and murderer.
The "Lester" in the title of the post is a reference to Lester Freeman and the"McNulty" is Jimmy McNulty. These are two of the smartest cops in the version of Baltimore that lives in The Wire, my favorite television show ever (quite possibly the best show ever, as well).
Seeing how shifty and brilliant the gangsters in the Baltimore heroin trade are, and watching these two (as well as the team around them (these guys aren't exactly partners)) figure out ways to ensnare them, and then watching Tony Soprano chillin' day after day at the pork store or Silvio's titty-bar makes me almost laugh.
Corrie and I have discussed this at, what is honestly likely a wasteful conversation, length. The major crimes unit in Baltimore is concerned with the flow of heroin into the city, the violence that arises from the trade of said heroin, and the trail of the money from said heroin trade to all sides of the city. It's not exactly the same kind of less tangible criminal activity that can be tied to the Soprano crime syndicate--gambling, garbage, bust-outs...
So...I don't know... I'm a tough sell. It'll be hard to convince me that Lester, running Lt. Daniels' unit, or, rather, a federal task force, wouldn't be able to bring down Tony.
Or McNulty, with the bottle of Jameson in one hand and a Soprano case in his gut like the cancer? Please...
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Friday, July 25, 2014
Quick Realizations from Current Read
I'm currently reading a math book:
The Poincare Conjecture is a math problem from the late 19th century. A summary of the details may come from me over a scotch and a beer at a later date. It is pretty interesting, but can get a bit technical. If the conjecture is true (and it looks like it is), then we may be able to devise tests to discover the true shape of the universe.
Anywho...
A quick anecdote in an early chapter is the source for the titular realizations of this post.
Most Americans are taught that Columbus was trying to prove the Earth was a sphere, and King Ferdinand and his court of advisers were convinced it was flat. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE (1). Most every somewhat educated person was sure the Earth was a sphere, especially in the 15th century. The argument that Columbus was having with the Spanish Royal Court was over their opposing estimates to the size of the planet.
The King's advisers were using Eratosthenes estimate (24k mile circumference), claiming that the voyage would be far too expensive to outfit properly. Columbus was using Ptolemy's estimate(18k mi), claiming that the size of the planet would make outfitting such a voyage profitable.
History has shown that Eratosthenes was more accurate, but Ferdinand bought into Columbus anyway.
Now, Columbus was a lot of things. History has not viewed him well, and I have said many negative things about him and his legacy, things I wouldn't take back. But, other things that I've learned about should be in the same conversation. I'm talking about one of the last things Columbus wrote, an oft-ridiculed passage where he muses that the planet isn't spherical, but rather pear shaped--thin in the northern hemisphere and more bulbous in the south.
He got to this conclusion because, up until the end of his life, Columbus was convinced he'd reached the islands off the Indian subcontinent. Having arrived as quickly as he had (rather luckily for his near-starving crew), and knowing how long it took to get get around the southern tip of Africa, led him to reevaluate his understanding.
That's the important part here: (2) Columbus reevaluated his beliefs about the shape of the planet so they would fit the data he encountered. He didn't try to massage the data to fit his beliefs--he changed those beliefs. That's intellectually courageous. Not quiet making up for the wholesale slaughter of the Cubano Arawak, there, Chrissy, but it's an aspect I didn't know before.
This book also inspired the rabbit-hole trip into the history of Germany that I'll be putting into my upcoming "Watching the Gerries" post. Go Riemann!
Riemann ist der Raketenmench!
The Poincare Conjecture is a math problem from the late 19th century. A summary of the details may come from me over a scotch and a beer at a later date. It is pretty interesting, but can get a bit technical. If the conjecture is true (and it looks like it is), then we may be able to devise tests to discover the true shape of the universe.
Anywho...
A quick anecdote in an early chapter is the source for the titular realizations of this post.
Most Americans are taught that Columbus was trying to prove the Earth was a sphere, and King Ferdinand and his court of advisers were convinced it was flat. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE (1). Most every somewhat educated person was sure the Earth was a sphere, especially in the 15th century. The argument that Columbus was having with the Spanish Royal Court was over their opposing estimates to the size of the planet.
The King's advisers were using Eratosthenes estimate (24k mile circumference), claiming that the voyage would be far too expensive to outfit properly. Columbus was using Ptolemy's estimate(18k mi), claiming that the size of the planet would make outfitting such a voyage profitable.
History has shown that Eratosthenes was more accurate, but Ferdinand bought into Columbus anyway.
Now, Columbus was a lot of things. History has not viewed him well, and I have said many negative things about him and his legacy, things I wouldn't take back. But, other things that I've learned about should be in the same conversation. I'm talking about one of the last things Columbus wrote, an oft-ridiculed passage where he muses that the planet isn't spherical, but rather pear shaped--thin in the northern hemisphere and more bulbous in the south.
He got to this conclusion because, up until the end of his life, Columbus was convinced he'd reached the islands off the Indian subcontinent. Having arrived as quickly as he had (rather luckily for his near-starving crew), and knowing how long it took to get get around the southern tip of Africa, led him to reevaluate his understanding.
That's the important part here: (2) Columbus reevaluated his beliefs about the shape of the planet so they would fit the data he encountered. He didn't try to massage the data to fit his beliefs--he changed those beliefs. That's intellectually courageous. Not quiet making up for the wholesale slaughter of the Cubano Arawak, there, Chrissy, but it's an aspect I didn't know before.
This book also inspired the rabbit-hole trip into the history of Germany that I'll be putting into my upcoming "Watching the Gerries" post. Go Riemann!
Riemann ist der Raketenmench!
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Random Eagle-Eye Moments
Something quick I spotted:
I can't even describe how I noticed it...
So, James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, in a still from an episode who's exactitude has since left me (in this scene Tony's gently confronting the twin of a gangster he's offed), what exactly is there?
Toe Gandolfini's right is an advertising poster for a county fair. Which county fair? Let's squint...is it something from Jersey? Nope.
Placer County.
After your double take, you can see that Roseville is the city listed.
That a mobster's office in a butcher shop on a parcel of city between Newark and Orange would have a "Placer County Fair 1997" poster present seems so preposterous that it must be an inside gag.
I can't even describe how I noticed it...
So, James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, in a still from an episode who's exactitude has since left me (in this scene Tony's gently confronting the twin of a gangster he's offed), what exactly is there?
Toe Gandolfini's right is an advertising poster for a county fair. Which county fair? Let's squint...is it something from Jersey? Nope.
Placer County.
After your double take, you can see that Roseville is the city listed.
That a mobster's office in a butcher shop on a parcel of city between Newark and Orange would have a "Placer County Fair 1997" poster present seems so preposterous that it must be an inside gag.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Some Flims
While we were rearranging and painting and redoing the floors, I had our DVDs stacked up, and I took some pictures. It's kinda neat to see them all, but I'm thinking: wouldn't a hard-drive take up less room and be more convenient?
Some DVDs I have I do like the case and material that came with it...mostly the Criterion Collections.
What do I spy above? Crouching Tiger, Bullitt, Citizen Kane, the South Park movie, Danger Mouse and Voltron, the huge Married with Children box, even Tod Browning's Freaks...
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Sorry Dan, Happy Birthday
I was late wishing my brother a happy birthday on my own site...sorry dude. I was supervising this view that day:
And I don't even know how my phone took this picture (it wasn't deliberate...).
Love you brother; the omission wasn't personal.
And I don't even know how my phone took this picture (it wasn't deliberate...).
Love you brother; the omission wasn't personal.
Monday, May 12, 2014
2000 Apart
The days blur by and I'm wearing a tie. Some days are hot, but most are pleasant and beautiful. Riding a bike through South Central gives you perspective...
While spending a few minutes staring at my computer instead if working on something I found a folder in my photos partition on this laptop. The title made me look through it: "Comic covers". I remembered for various reasons having pulled out various comics and taken their pictures--I think one even showed up here.
As I looked through the six pictures, it looked like two had the same number. Upon closer inspection, they were exactly two thousand photos apart (due to the sequential numbering scheme of my dying camera).
Specifically, IMG_6962.jpg:
and IMG_8962.jpg:
The first is a classic story starring Batman. It is set in London at the time of Jack the Ripper. The Wayne's here are transplanted to mid-to-late nineteenth-century England, get gunned down, and young Bruce grows up into the Batman in grimy London instead of grimy Gotham decades later. This was one of the early stories that spawned the Elseworlds line of high-brow What-If style stories that DC finally started ripping off from Marvel.
One other cool thing about it is it is a very early piece of work by artist Mike Mignola, right as he was starting to define his own style. He grew to stardom with his Hellboy creation and subsequent films starring the son of Beelzebub.
The second comic is my favorite single issue story for a super-hero comic so far. I've spoken about it before: corrupted Superman destroys all the heroes in the DC Universe, except for Batman, who's about to gun him down with the kryptonite bullets Superman gave him for this very purpose. You'll have to read it to find out how it ends...
Finding time to get to this blog is tough; you guys know.
Thanks Dan for the list of Bronson movies...let me know what the best obscure one is...
Monday, April 14, 2014
Charles Bronson - Ultimate Badass
Things have changed... I just acquired (through the magic of the interweb and my extreme use of 'Home Row') ten Charles Bronson films. I might have to change my previously mentioned post and go to either a longer format, or a list for each film. It would be hard to pick just one moment from the ten films I bought... I mean... look at it this way...
What's your favorite part of:
One is an absurd number. Just ask Charles Bronson... the only man to use a pump action 12 Gauge shotgun in a car... at point blank range.. and not get blood all over himself.
Can't get any more badass than that.
The Youngest
What's your favorite part of:
- Ghostbusters
- Airplane!
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Terminator 2
- Goodfellas
- Godfather
- A Clockwork Orange
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- Texas Chainsaw Massacre
- Jaws
One is an absurd number. Just ask Charles Bronson... the only man to use a pump action 12 Gauge shotgun in a car... at point blank range.. and not get blood all over himself.
Can't get any more badass than that.
The Youngest
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