Colorless Green Ideas

Ok, how do you describe a film whose first scene is two guys locked in combat on mattresses they threw on the floor of their workplace at lunchtime, a protagonist who threatens his doctor to tell him his stomach ulcer is in fact cancer, and the first murder victim to be someone who orders him to roll up in a mattress so he can slap him repeatedly on the head? Flesh eating zombies that arise from a Tokyo Waste dump, and , of course - the film is entirely narrated by a five year old girl. Nan dess ka? Tokyo Zombie dess! Tokyo Zombie o kudasai! The image search for the movie poster, happens to be an image that is hosted internally at firefox.org. Don't ask me why. Maybe things get boring over there in between builds. No wonder they're always thinking about wearing a jet pack on your back.. The first scene we see of the toxic waste dump 'Black Fuji' - is a scene in which a girl is directing her boyfriend to bury his own mother, because she is pissed off at her. ...

Happy New Year!

Mass Media are relatively inexpensive and easy to influence, if you are an advertiser of a certain bearing. This is how it works: advertisers buy timeslots, to place their ads. TV Channels sell their timeslots in packages - ie. 'platinum' , 'bronze' etc. with varying ad placement options. Ideally, an advertiser would give free reign to the news channel editor and we would see unbiased reporting interspersed with commercials of a certain character and quality. However, advertisers are given - now by web page - an advance schedule of the TV shows and reports that are going to be run alongside their content. Large Advertisers such as the drug companies who are now producing more ads for drugs than ever before - and who rely on the current status quo to keep selling higher and higher priced drugs driven by consumer demand (ever wonder why drugstores proliferate out of control in your neighborhood, or why there is one on almost every corner?) - can communicate in...

Health Care Reform is now heading to signature, but it is a decidedly complex path. There are two totally separate bills that are being fused - the senate, and the house bill. The senate bill is essentially a give-away to big Insurance lobbyists who've decided they want their piece of the action. After dangling the carrot on-a-stick of a true national health service, they've eliminated nearly every provision from the bill - and those who fight for change have given them up, all the while saying, 'well at least there will be a national health service'. And then. They took that away. The senate bill is a dangerous set of expensive problems for the United States - not the least of which will be the requirement that every man woman and child in America will be required to have health insurance from the date forward of its enactment. Which was also dangled around in the Senate bill - we are looking at legislation that may not even take effect until four years from now. -...

I hate spider solitaire. I hate it. Its a pointless, meaningless game. The only way to win, is not to play. And I have now, officially won. With a score of 1168, I have just now officially dealt the last game of spider solitaire that I will ever play on this workstation. I am going to tear this workstation apart today and rebuild it, remove the hard disk, back up the mail, store away all the documents and work + blitz the drive. Then I am going to salvage a few key components + build another workstation. And on this new workstation I will install at least one game, that is worth playing. Solitaire is a worthless, mind-numbing waste of time. It is a plague upon the games up of the world - like its namesake, spinning a web of wasted time and fang perfectly peaceful moments with its venomously random card-shuffling action. I will no longer be held captive in a tangled web, moving my arm over the cards like some dime store gypsy, looking to flop a five of spades, or the six of diamond...

And A Happy New Year from Colorless Green Ideas. 10 will be a 10.

It took me almost the entireity of my adult existence before I realized the subtle connection between why , as a child, I had built nearly 112 model airplanes and the fact that B-17 flying fortress bombers usually had fairly unique nose art. Even still, today, I wonder what possible connection there may be, between that fact and the strange reason why they always seemed to make it back home .

I just got back from seeing Avatar, and it was great. Alot of reviews are saying that the final battle is implausible. I disagree. I believe unarmed or lightly armed natives can take on a bunch of marines who have all gone blackwater. First, it was established early on that there exist on Pandora ground animals whose hide can deflect a round. This is crucial in the final battle scene, as, the primary means of deterrence for the landed marines would be the fired round. Second, the primary method of transport in the air taken by the marines - are helicopters. These are notoriously easy to take down - the blades are fragile. Hit them there, and down they go. Third, sheer numbers. In the final battle scenes, the commander of the Marine forces assembles his army in a single cafeteria. They are all lined up and easy to count. Approximately twenty in a row and about 15 rows - from a visual headcount you've got about 300 men. Which would make sense, given the fact that every man ...

The sky is falling said the soft, small being looking up and seeing only sky ignoring that which lay beside Terrified he imagines a piece of heaven to shear from the firmament and rotate to earth falling silent like a dream in space no-one can hear you scream Everyone was afraid wondering how he survived a fragment of the sky striking at terminal velocity Tough little chick they thought aloud how did he survive how is he alive they say when he was hit in the head he saw stars sitting nearby sir Isaac Newton struck on the head with the same apple falling from the same tree discovered the law of gravity the same stars looked down upon chicken little and sir isaac newton and they whispered to both the question why one ran to alarm and one to the laboratory struck both the same upon their brow its the setting of the sail and not the gales that tell us the way to go question the answer and then divide between friend and familiar fear and reason s...

The healthcare reform package is heading to its final form. Here is a good FAQ about the current house and senate bills . The main thing to remember is that the house bill really represents reform, and the Senate bill represents giveaways to insurance lobbyists. Reconciliation is important. write your congressman or , better still write your senator and tell them you want real reform. When the bills are merged, how they are merged is crucial. Right now, whats really going on in the press is that the final bill is being assembled + the senate is moving to finish their debate on their version of it all. And yes, that version is flawed. But the final bill might be a good thing. This is a high stakes game. If the bill is passed, without real reform - we will have the public be required to pay for insurance and be penalized if they don't. We want the government to deliver good, decent healthcare - it is a huge thing for small businesses - very important. And they draw the l...

I wanna live with a cinnamon girl I could be happy the rest of my life With a cinnamon girl A dreamer of pictures I run in the night You see us together, chasing the moonlight, My cinnamon girl Ten silver saxes, a bass with a bow The drummer relaxes and waits between shows For his cinnamon girl A dreamer of pictures I run in the night You see us together, chasing the moonlight, My cinnamon girl Pa sent me money now I'm gonna make it somehow I need another chance You see your baby loves to dance

There is a simple evolution of cinematic art - first exploratory, then adapting to the form, commercial and then finally revelational. In the final form, film becomes not only art but also a kind of warning - and a sense of insight. When the music of a film finds its accord with the visual imagery of the film the whole of the experience can be captivating - vying for position in your emotional and intellectual landscape with scenes from the real world. Ultimately, there will be films in which these scenes will adhere to the emotional state you are exploring - your dreamworld. And when that dreamworld intersects the real world, often we find love working its dark and powerful magic. Most creation myths paint this kind of force - this dark winged drive to build - to create - and to explore. Love is a powerful force - it is in all forms, chained, unchained - a type of reconciliation between two worlds that respects them, adapts, protects and nourishes - almost all primitive forms of...

I am not sure why you divorced so many times or why, on your knees - you came to Jesus and your senses maybe at the same time But I am sure you enjoyed what you were doing and for me, at least, it was kind of like Breakfast at Tiffany's I see once again you bring the silver hypodermic not just plastic - but one of symbol and beauty I have brought mine / jet black and how it shines The dull surface removing all light almost soft to the touch letters black in black quoting whitman Speech is the twin of my vision, it is unequal to measure itself, it provokes me forever

My home. Its a +beautiful+ home. Its very big, 2 floors, with a big basement that we use as an office. Like. 1,000 s.f. basement. Probably 4k space altogether. 3 Br, 2.5 - with a fourth room that could be converted into a BR (a den off the MBR suite). It has a porch, sits on 1.25 acres of land - with a 200 year old oak tree in the back. The landscape includes cherry, apple and almond trees - and azaleas in the front. Hardwoods on the main, tankless water heater. Sun room. I am asking 212,000.00 to start although some people have already jumped in on that price. Its in a very nice part of Atlanta, right next to a protected area + borded on the front by a new park. Highest bidder takes all, after all - I'm 100 percent positive feedback on Ebay - why not start the listing off no reserve, 1.00 auction? LOL. Seriously, the nearest home to it sold after being on the market for 9 days, and it sold at 275k. The homes to the right are 300k and in front are 675k. There is no home l...

Here comes the rain again Falling on my head like a memory Falling on my head like a new emotion I want to walk in the open wind I want to talk like lovers do I want to dive into your ocean Is it raining with you? So baby talk to me - (like lovers do) Walk with me - (like lovers do) Here comes the rain again.. Raining in my head like a tragedy Tearing me apart like a new emotion I want to breathe in the open wind I want to kiss like lovers do I want to dive into your ocean Is it raining with you? Here comes the rain again Falling on my head like a memory Falling on my head like a new emotion (Here it comes again/ here it comes again) I want to walk in the open wind I want to talk like lovers do (I want dive into your ocean) is it raining with you

The gears of Washington turned and by October, we had a Healthcare reform bill, that had real reforms embedded. A strong public element passed the House of Representatives, real changes that would make single payer, affordable healthcare insurance available to all. This house bill , along with the Senate bill - also happened to require all of us to carry health insurance - so good thing. Now, the current bill - in the language that is being discussed - requires you to have Insurance, just like the liability insurance you carry for your car - but it doesn't give you an option to get it in a single payer system that could allow you to circumvent nearly 15 years of price gouging in the insurance industry - and actually get real value for your healthcare dollar . The insurance companies poured massive amounts of money into a certain senator, whose name I'll avoid mentioning - and lo and behold at the last minute he walks up and says he's not going to vote for the bill. ...

I sit down before my keyboard the light hits my grateful bear resting against the shadow of a magic eight ball drawing an image on the wall The morning light illuminates my screen, for a moment lighting the the dust on the display it illuminates edge of a matrix with its background of a wave In the still small moment of an early morning wednesday my daughter is downstairs complaining about the cold my wife is talking to herself and I've done all my chores a 26.2 sticker's on my window backlit against the sunrise and then it hits me like a bullet right between the eyes I may be going to hell in a bucket but at least I'm enjoying the ride

Instinct begins here we sense everything around us the slight inflection in your voice the twinkle in your eye Development begins here surrounded in warmth and life the book read to us in utero nourishment from umbilical Parts of us speak quietly to the other building all of our different organs that somehow come together as one whispering inaudible direction where to build what to grow where is your heart how long is your nose In the first part of the journey the words are faint, and laced with pain but in four months, there is a change and we are suddenly assembled like the first words that lead us out of autistic haze or a strange and mysterious secret symbol That we can see in the sky and in the darkness and when we close our eyes And say goodbye As a gloved hand spanks us into a new life

I was asked once, by a friend of mine who lives in California and happened to be in between lost weekends - What did his writings of Marcus Aurelius exactly do for me? First, the meditations are about the character of a statesman. We don't always tie Marcus Aurelius to the persecution of Christianity, or to the wars he led in the north - or the several children he both had and lost (childbirth, and childhood, in the days of Marcus Aurelius - were a bit more dangerous than they are today and to his wife's great credit - she was able to both survive and raise north of six kids and save at least one or two - almost alone). His writings were meant to be meditations and not published - he worked his way through the lessons of his teacher, a stoic - and through the lessons of war, survival, and perseverance. His writings reflect a character of the man - a way in which omnipresent death had no sway - in which the harshness of the world was put into perspective. The elements do ...

I woke this morning, after a bad dream - to discover that my wife changed all the passwords on my workstation - and had called her friend to take her to church early so she could discuss how I am constantly cursing in front of my daughter. Last night, my daughter and I tried to talk to her about why she refused to eat with us, or be with the family all day. Or why she shouted at a friend of the family when she visited with her son. My wife tried to throw her out of our home, and make her son go away - he had come over for a playday. I tried to mediate the fight, but she shouted at me to go away. So I left, and went down to the trampoline to jump with my son and his friend. When our confused friend of the family walked around to the backyard, saying that she had to go - I calmly explained to her that she did nothing wrong. And it was going to be ok. And so she left to run errands and my son had a happy playday with his friend. I took the kids out through the woods to find a chris...

It starts out as a young man at your door. He wants to borrow some eggs - and he is visiting you as a friend of your next door neighbor. You saw him with your neighbor yesterday, but somehow your neighbor was behaving strangely. He is quiet, softspoken, and clean. He is dressed in a white shirt. He has on white gloves. He drops the eggs. So he asks for a few more. Perhaps you oblige. Then his friend shows up at the door, and happens to notice a golf club in your golf bag, in the hall. He makes a compliment about it, and he asks if he could try it out. You shrug your shoulder and let him go out in the front lawn. He takes a ball, and promises he'll hit it into the bay. While he leaves, the young man asks you to for another four eggs, please. The dog outside, that was barking - for some reason - suddenly goes silent. The other young man returns, holding your club. He says that the club is magnificient. The two polite young men, dressed in white shirts and each wearing ...

When we, as a people don't do something halfway alot of times it comes out right. For example, we decided, early in the history of our country - that we would be a democracy, not a republic or an aristocracy. Our founding fathers were democrats - especially Thomas Jefferson. He said, "The government that governs the best is that Government which governs the least." And so, real common sense in government was always the opposition of bankers like Alexander Hamilton - who believed that that country should be set up as a republic, where you hire others to do your talking for you. Lobbyism was not implicit in Hamilton's design - but it is the natural outgrowth of 10 years of republican control. And recently being freed from the big-spending republicans - the echo of their influence still follows through. A compromise agreement on the floor of the senate, for the healthcare reform - turns the public option into the outside chance that everyone will be able to g...

A love-struck Romeo sings the streets a serenade Laying everybody low with a love song that he made Finds a street-light, steps out of the shade Says something like, "You and me babe, how about it?" Juliet says - Hey Romeo, you nearly gave me a heart attack - He's underneath the window, and she sings - Hey la, my boyfriend's back. You shouldn't come around here singing to people like that... Anyway, what you gonna do about it?" Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start And I bet when you exploded into my heart And I forget the movie song. When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong? Come up on different streets both streets of shame. Both dirty, both mean in the dream just the same And I dreamed a dream for you and now the dream is real. How can you look at me as if I was just another one of your deals? When you fall fall for silver, You can fall for chains of gold, You can fall for pretty strangers And th...

Is Thursday the day of the week where natural deadlines seem to fall? When I worked for the telephone company, it was almost a tradition in my department to aim for getting everything done by thursday and then taking friday afternoon off. Ideally, today is going to evolve as a simple, orderly progression of publishing 3 years of research in its final form after having been read-through, corrected, updated, and refined to the extent that nothing will snag the process. I'm supposed to file a final invention statement, a final status report and a research report. Then, hilariously, I'm supposed to generate a complete phase II proposal in two days. It took me four months last time. In my world, there are deadlines, and there are deadlines - and then there are deadlines. Which reminds me, someone is getting into the office at 8:30a and I need to beat them to it... I will send a fax I'm supposed to send, grab some breakfast and then settle down into publishing the paper...

Here's a list of links to explore if you feel like you have way too much time on your hands. :) Introduction to Data Cubes Speech Design from Sun Research Slurred Speech (relaxed pronunciation) Definition The Music Genome Project courtesy of the Savage Beast. Robust Speech Recognition/ CMU - Richard Stern Dysarthria: Characteristics, Prognosis, Remediation - by PM McCaffrey, CSU A good paper to learn about nonstandard speech. Robust Speech Recognition/ CMU - Richard Stern George Lakoff, Cognitive Linguistics Milton H. Erickson Notable Mention, the king of trance.. Transderivational Speech Notable Mention Garden Path Sentences Prosody helps us avoid them. :) Natural Language Processing. Welcome to the Frontier Parameter Tying for Flexible Speech Recognition. Its French. Its Deep. You've been warned. What is a Phoneme? Know your enemy. see also Features Mel Frequency Cepstrum. "My Name is Me...

Today dawned in fog. I am guessing that I have about one and a half hours before the standard hell breaks loose. Given that I have only a single page of my research left before I complete it, I am guessing that is enough time to finish it. Colorless day. Meet colorless idea. Day. Idea. Idea. Day. You two have fun for a while. I'm going to go get breakfast and try to avoid the cat jumping in my lap. Maybe she'll fall asleep somewhere in a patch of morning sun. Update 12/1/09 - 9:30: It was an hour, but I'm putting everything off until this paper is done. And the cat waited for me to try to jump back in my lap, so I combed her nicely and now she's off somewhere. Its important to remember, with cats, the dice are loaded from the start ;) Update 12/1 - 10:16a: I am going to print out the complete paper in total draft mode, sit down with a cup of coffee and actually read it through from beginning to end. And yes, there will be party hound activity when and not if t...