Grandpa Richard Speaks

Kathryn Bigelow vs. James Cameron.

From 1989 to 1991, Bigelow was married to fellow director Cameron.

Last night they were up against each other as best directors of best movies.

The Hurt Locker vs. Avatar.

And the Oscars went to ……. The Hurt Locker and Kathryn Bigelow !!!

Both are first time wins for a female director, although Bigelow wanted to downplay the gender side of the news.

And Grandpa Richard’s view/thoughts?

I loved Avatar, and it was obviously the crowd pleaser at the box office, but does popularity mean best from an artistic point of view? Not always. Beyond the awesome mix of reality and animation (Avatar did win for Art Direction, Cinematography, and Visual Effects), did Avatar have much to propel it to Oscars?

I have not seen The Hurt Locker, so I cannot make a final comment.

Here are the other winners from last night.

* Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz for ‘Inglorious Basterds’
* Best Animated Feature: UP
* Best Original Song: ‘The Weary Kind’ from ‘Crazy Heart’
* Best Original Screenplay: The Hurt Locker
* Best Animated Short: ‘Logorama’
* Best Documentary Short: ‘Music by Prudence’
* Best Live Action Short: ‘The New Tenants’
* Best Makeup: ‘Star Trek’
* Best Adapted Screenplay: ‘Precious’
* Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique
* Best Art Direction: Avatar
* Best Costume: The Young Victoria
* Best Sound Editing: Hurt Locker
* Best Sound Mixing: Hurt Locker
* Best Cinematography: Avatar
* Best Original Score: UP
* Best Visual Effects: Avatar
* Best Documentary: The Cove
* Best Film Editing: The Hurt Locker
* Best Foreign Language Film: El Secreto de Sus Ojos – Argentina
* Best Actor: Jeff Bridges
* Best Actress: Sandra Bullock
* Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow
* Best Picture: The Hurt Locker

What might John Cursio have said when first approached by a Star reporter? “I did not have coffee with that lady.”

Well, when pressed with evidence, John finally relented and admitted to having coffee with his “friend” Robin Thoen. Problem is, John is married and the coffee events were at Robin’s home. Furthermore, John is a TTC project manager and Robin is doing work for the TTC. Even moreso, Robin’s resume for the job is supposedly pretty thin, and John approves the payments.

Now, if that is not a conflict of interest, then perhaps Adam G. is actually still a virgin!

I know. Harsh words from a conservative Grandpa, but I am quite sick of people (especially public officials) thinking they can help friends and get away with it.

I hope the TTC does the right thing here.

For more details on this story, visit the Toronto Star’s website.

Oops. I missed something. Let it also be known that one of Cursio’s grown children worked part-time for Thoen editing the photos.

WOW!

gr

I seem to be in a love song mood lately.

Here is another favourite. Whitney Houston’s rendition of “I Will Always Love You”.

What really surprised me is that the original is by another favourite of mine – Dolly Parton. I loved Dolly and crew in the movie “9 to 5″. Just used that song on a video I helped produce for a retiring co-worker.

Another good version of I Will Always Love You is Rik Waller’s, but I could not find a YouTube version of it.

Very interesting video by Carnegie Mellon University Professor, Jesse Schell that talks mainly about the sudden success of things like Facebook’s FarmVille, Webkinz, Club Penguin, etc.

What caught my ear were some thoughts about the 18 or 19 minute mark about divergence of function in electronics. An iPhone is an example of convergence. Many functions in one little gadget. Jesse contends that for the most part, the rule is divergence – single function gadgets. He makes some funny comments about the venerable Swiss Army Knife.

He also talks about disposable technology, and, of course, BIG BROTHER (due to all the sensors in your life). Interesting theory about how people will be rewarded for tasks.

The main thrust of Jesse’s presentation is gaming. Life is becoming one big game, and you are encouraged by an all encompassing point system.

I really enjoy watching videos like this (featuring the band OK Go), where they set up a very intricate “machine”. I am not sure how to describe it, so just watch. Lots of fun.

According to this page at Wikipedia, “The construction took over a month and a half during January and February 2010. The band members helped in the last two weeks of construction. Once the machine was completed, the filming, using a single Steadicam, took two days to complete on February 11 and 12, with an estimated 60 takes for the machine to properly function.”

Here is a similar video, originally made as a commercial for Honda in 2003. The description included on YouTube mentions a Rube Goldberg machine, which is the fancy term for what these two videos depict. From Wikipedia … “A Rube Goldberg machine is a deliberately over engineered machine that performs a very simple task in a very complex fashion, usually including a chain reaction. The expression is named after American cartoonist and inventor Rube Goldberg.”

This commercial is described in detail on this Wikipedia page.

The following ad can be downloaded as an flv from this page. An additional video, The Making of Cog, can also be downloaded.

A short review that I read today led me to the book “50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology”. It has a subtitle of “Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior”.

Here are 3 samples.

Myth # 1: Most people use only 10% of their brain power.

Myth # 2: It’s better to express anger than to hold it in

Myth # 3: Low Self-Esteem is a Major Cause of Psychological Problems

Here is part of a review of the book.

After reading the editorial reviews on this book, I decided to purchase a copy. It is a treasure trove of examples of behavior and myths that we believe to be true – but are actually false. Written by psychologists and based on science, this book describes the most common myths that people hold about a variety of human experiences. For example, does handwriting reveal your personality? Does playing Mozart to infants boost their intelligence? Do opposites attract? Is the polygraph really an accurate means of detecting dishonesty? If you think the answer to any of these questions, is “yes,” you need to read this book.

If you click on the ad below, it will take you to a page at Amazon.com with a lot more information, and reviews.

The things that you can see in Google Maps!

Where do warplanes go when their useful life has ended? To a warplane graveyard, of course.

The main one is near Tucson, Arizona. The low humidity in the air there helps delay rusting and other natural processes that will eventually destroy man-made items left outside. The planes are used mainly for spare parts, although some planes are deemed worthy enough to be put back in flying condition for non-military uses.

If you would like to explore the graveyard yourself, go to Google Maps and search for “Davis-Monthan Air Force Base”. The graveyard is just to the west (left!) of the Air Force Base.

If that does not work, use the search “e marigold, tucson, arizona” and the graveyard is directly south of (below!) that street.

I have a variety of songs that I keep on a “favourites” list. Mostly ballad style; not much rock, even classic.

Tonight I was reminded of one of my favourite motivational songs, Hero, written and performed by Mariah Carey in 1993, when Mariah was 23 years old. I am always very impressed when I learn that an artist both writes and performs some of their own hits. Shania Twain wrote / co-wrote many of her big hits, a very impressive record indeed.

Hero is definitely not Mariah’s regular song style, yet went on to be one of her best known hits.

Here, from YouTube, is a concert version, directed by Larry Jordan, which is derived from Carey’s 1993 concert at Proctor Theatre, in Schenectady, New York.

I can tell you one thing that has me beaming today.

The TTC has implemented their Trip Planner !!!

Doesn’t that make you excited? What? It doesn’t?!

You spoiled brats that have never had to take 2 or more buses to get from A to B !!!

Grandpa Richard is a serious Public Transit kind of guy. Trying to figure out how long it will take to get, for example, from Keele and Wilson to Leslie and Lawrence was a real PITA. (that is a Pain In The A..)

Now that the Toronto Transit Commission has a web based trip planner (like so many other cities have had for years) it is easy. Enter your start point, your end point, your arrival or departure time, and – PRESTO – the computer tells you what buses to take, where to transfer, and you are as good as there!

Thank you TTC.

(now if we can just get all the drivers to respond in kind when I greet them with a cheery “Hello” – oh, and how about one of those phone systems so you can check for next bus time at any stop? I hear that is coming as well)

Some people get an extra dose of the “non-thinking gene” when they are born.

My sympathies go to the relatives of the lady in this story that I read in the Toronto Sun.

Witnesses reported that the woman went around the crossing arms at a level crossing and just walked into the side of a moving express commuter train. She was declared dead at the scene. She was wearing a hooded top, and a cell phone was recovered, suggesting that she was so into her conversation that she did not even look both ways.

What, you may ask, is a Darwin Award?

In honour of Charles Darwin, the Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool… by accidentally removing themselves from it. This award is generally bestowed posthumously.

Know anyone personally that is a Darwin Award just waiting to happen? Leave a comment.