Best Fight Scenes
Posted on 9 March 2010 | No responses
This article was written awhile back but never posted so I’m not including it in the “Historical Perspective” category. I’m sure I could add more movies and scenes to the list
While watching the director’s cut of Aliens and, when the final fight between Sigourney Weaver and the Alien queen came on (“Get away from her, you bitch!”) I started thinking about what I would consider to be the “best” movie fight scenes. For some of these, I based my opinions on the pure rock-em-sock-em-ability of the fight scene itself (like the final fight in Aliens), whereas I based my decision for others on the scenes “lasting” effects, like how many of us know the crane position from the Karate Kid, even though the actual fight isn’t that great (IMHO). I know I am probably missing some big ones from this list but, after compiling this over a couple weeks, I think I’ve run to the end of my film knowledge (or my memory, at least) so feel free to offer recommendations for what I should add — especially if it’s a movie that I haven’t seen, I’m always open to watching new movies with a good fight scene! This list isn’t in any particular order, I didn’t want to rank these but you’ll probably figure out which ones I like more than others based on my analysis (if you can call it an analysis).
- Aliens — Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) vs. the Alien queen
- Rocky — the final bout between Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers)
- Braveheart — William Wallace (Mel Gibson) vs. the Earl of Surrey (
- The Hustler — Fast Eddie (Paul Newman) vs. Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason)
- Dune — Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan) vs. Feyd-Rautha (Sting)
- An Officer and a Gentleman — Zack Mayo (Richard Gere) vs. Gunnery Sgt. Emil Foley (Louis Gossett, Jr.)
- Brotherhood of the Wolf (Le pacte des loups) — Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) and Mani (Mark Dacascos) vs. the highway men
- Romeo Must Die — Han Sing (Jet Li) and Trish O’Day (Aaliyah) vs. motorcycle assailant (Françoise Yip)
- Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones — Yoda (voice of Frank Oz) vs. Count Dooku (Christopher Lee)
- Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back — Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) vs. Darth Vader (David Prowse) in Cloud City.
- Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi — Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) vs. Darth Vader (David Prowse) in the Emperor’s Throne Room on the second Death Star
- Watership Down — final fight between Hazel (voice of John Hurt) and Bigwig (voice of Michael Graham Cox)
- The Princess Bride — Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) vs. Count Rugen (Christopher Guest)
- Cool Hand Luke — Luke (Paul Newman) vs. pretty much everybody
- Karate Kid — final fight between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) vs. Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka)
- King Kong — King Kong fighting the biplanes from atop the Chrysler Building
- Godzilla…Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster, Godzilla vs. King Kong, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Godzilla vs. Mothra, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Godzilla vs. Megalon, etc.
- Highlander — final duel between Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) and Victor Kruger/The Kurgan (Clancy Brown)
- Bloodsport — last match pairing Frank Dux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) vs. Chong Li (Bolo Yeung)
- Serenity — River (Summer Glau) goes ballistic in the bar
What Ever Happened to VRML?
Posted on 5 March 2010 | No responses
Continuing my “Historical Perspective” series, this article was originally written on May 24th, 2002. Since then, a lot of things have changed (for better or worse) with the emergence of virtual worlds like Second Life and World of Warcraft which, although not fulfilling the original dreams of “virtual reality” go a long way to creating online worlds which, someday, may lead to the possibility of virtual life emerging from within their networks. As < a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/" title=" http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/ ">Digital Immigrants are left farther and farther behind by the Digital Natives, how will the lines between the virtual world and the real one blur and, at what point, will the distinctions between the two cease to exist?
What ever happened to VRML? Did it die some sad and slow (metaphorical) death? Doing a search on Google you’ll turn up this site as the first link but I don’t think that this is really what I thought VRML was supposed to be or where it was originally going. Anyone remember “Wild Palms” or “Disclosure”? Where we would all be living and dying in some Bizzaro virtual world? Well, sadly that never came true and virtual reality is still the realm of science fiction. Even looking through the set of links that that same Google search turns up is pretty sad. The vrml.wired.com link is dead, the NCSA VRML page just says “This page has gone away…” and the San Diego Computer Center’s VRML page only asks you to “Please update your links!”
The Valkyrie
Posted on 4 March 2010 | No responses
Anoyone who knows me knows how much of an airplane buff I am and one of my favorite planes is the XB-70 Valkyrie: it was big, fast, almost pure white — and doomed. As long as I have had a fascination with flight and aircraft (which is only just a slightly shorter amount of time than I have been enraptured by anything dinosaur), I have been in love with the Valkyrie. I think it all started with that one library book that I discovered in Junior High — a fading 50’s tome with duotone sketches of various aircraft (then) currently in the US Air Forces arsenal. Specifically, the book focused on the various Strategic Air Command (SAC) aircraft and their ways of delivering nuclear weapons.
Towards the end of the book, they talked about the future of the Air Force and that future pointed to a Mach 3+ bomber which could fly higher than Soviet surface-to-air missles and faster than any Soviet fighter that might try to run it down. The illustrations in the book only hinted at the shape of the Valkyrie, but I knew I had to find out more. Back then, prior to the Web, I had to go and do some old fashioned research and so I combed the stacks for more information. Our school used the Dewey Decimal System and, archaic as it is, I soon figured out its intricacies and the history of the Valkyrie was unlocked.
Before there was a dedicated Discovery Wings channel (now the Military channel), I latched onto the Wings shows that would air regularly on the (then fledgling) Discovery Channel. Day after day I would sit and focus on the various aircraft being examined. Unfortunately, my old VHS tapes are starting to show their age but, regardless, I still watch and enjoy them…especially the episode about the XB-70 Valkyrie.
The Holistic Web
Posted on 3 March 2010 | No responses
Another article in my “Historical Perspective” series, this one is from my days working in the PR industry and dates from March 3rd, 2004.
Recently I’ve been working on a number of ideas for increasing traffic and popularity for a couple Web sites. Someday, I may finalize these and put them into an easily digestible (and more coherent) format for posting to the Web. For the most part, these ideas are nothing new and I’m just collecting and combining thoughts of others to unify things. One thing that’s happened to me recently is a shift in my outlook on the Internet and all things Web: I’ve started to take a more holistic view of the Web, especially in terms of how other forms of media, advertising, and PR affect and shape what can and cannot be done with the Web. For the most part, I think there are a lot of people (especially in the PR industry) who are starting to “get it” but, like those who believe that a press release is a major reason for visitors to come to a site or those who still believe in the “build it and they will come” philosophy of the Internet, the sound of silence can be rather deafening at times when trying to explain reality to the uninformed.
Granted, some of the individuals that I’m speaking with are not the most adept Internet users, let alone people who can think outside the box unless they have instructions, but how hard is it to see that our lives are intrinsically united with all forms of media. We aren’t just television viewers or Web surfers or music listeners, rather ever form of sensory input affects and shapes our lives, opinions, and thoughts to form a unified picture of the world around us. For example, if we didn’t see or watch any of the television media coverage of the Janet Jackson Superbowl incident, chances are we learned about it (and couldn’t escape it) online or we heard co-workers discussing it around the watercooler.
Any way you cut it though, the Internet is a part of our life that can be more integral to some while being almost inconsequential to others. Still, even if you barely touch a computer, that does not mean there isn’t a plethora of information and data stored all over the Internet about you. Look at Paris Hilton — I highly doubt that she even knows what a QWERTY keyboard is (can she even read? It’s hard to see her stepping away from the mirror long enough to) but run her name through Google and see what comes up. We aren’t unique individuals and companies can no longer believe that their official Web sites and statements are separate from the world around them. Activists have figured out that they can use certain tactics to have their information appear first in search results which may start to skew public opinion in favor of their views. In the case of Scientology, Scientologists took the approach of suing search engines for displaying dissenting opinions and, by attacking their opponents, has (pretty much) effectively throttled all opposition online.
Now I’m not advocating following in Scientology’s footsteps but I am saying that we need to realize our lives are caught up in the Web. With the ever increasing amount of information available to Web users it is becoming harder and harder for the individual to remain anonymous while, at the same time, providing for more transparency when it comes to discovering the “truth”. Granted, there is plenty of disinformation on the ‘Net when it comes to conspiracy theories, PR ploys, and opposing viewpoints, but our task is to look at the Internet as a part of our life and not an outside force. Despite the abundance of “bad content” present in every form of the media, if we stop and listen (or read) long enough to let an idea sink in, our perceptions of the world are affected. Thinking that one piece of a person’s environment has more or less impact than another is a bit pretentious — we just need to figure out the degree to which each medium affects each group and target the message accordingly.
Culling through the Anthurian archives
Posted on 3 March 2010 | No responses
Thankfully I have been able to recover a number of posts from previous versions of Anthurian.com; unfortunately many of those posts are woefully out-dated and contain numerous broken links. For the time being, I plan on continuing with the “Historical Perspective” posts until I can figure out what direction I’d like to take this site in.
What I find most dis-heartening is the amount of work I’d done in anticipation of re-launching Anthurian.com back in 2005-06 that is no longer valid or timely. In going through my resources and un-finished articles, I’m discovering a wealth of half-finished thoughts, incomplete articles, and essays, which — at the time — were wonderful. Alas, they are no longer so. After more than five years the content may still be worthwhile but what is its context? How much still holds true and what has time and technology surpassed?
At this point the big question is: what is Anthurian.com? What does it represent? Where do I want to take it? What should I do with it?
It’s All About the Oil
Posted on 2 March 2010 | No responses
Another article pulled from the old Anthurian archives for the true “Historical Perspective” that it provides. This was originally posted on May 23rd, 2002.
It’s interesting what you turn up when doing a Google search on the term “oil pipeline afghanistan”. I was looking for a more recent article regarding this subject but came across a couple other ones a bit older. This article from December 4th, 1997 details the Taleban’s visit to Texas to discuss building a pipeline through Afghanistan. I trust the BBC news as a reputable source and this is the article that I was originally looking for.
I don’t trust non-profit organizations like this one though. Can you guess what they’re agenda is? Well if a pipeline can’t be built in Alaska then we’ll get our crude from someplace else and it seems the Russians are wondering the same thing as some of us Americans.
Myth vs. Reality
Posted on 2 March 2010 | No responses
Another article in my continuing “Historical Perspective” series. This article was originally posted on October 15th, 2003.
Some say that statistics don’t lie. Others tell us that statistics can be manipulated to show only one side of a story. Personally, I’d like to tell all the PR hacks out there that it’s not too wise to play with Web site statistics others have access to. Sure, your site gets 5 million hits and 72,000 unique visitors in a 5 month period, which sounds great — until you look at the associated graph showing a cataclysmic crash in Web site usage once your PR campaign has ceased. Without any hype, your site has no intrinsic merit and it doesn’t take the public long to realize that they can find the information they seek somewhere else.
Site development doesn’t need to be centered around a campaign or a product launch. Web sites should stand on their own and provide information — real information, not PR spin — that is useful without having to rely on the context of a recently FDA-approved drug or 20/20 exposé to provide the traffic that they need to survive. If you fail to make your site relevant, it’s doomed to die. Some sites go quickly, some wither away but there are some ways you can manage and mitigate this without sacrificing anything:
- Keep your content current, compelling, and topical.
- Add new features to the site that users will actually use. Geegaws and “eye-candy” just don’t cut it and most Web-savvy users will see right through your tricks.
- Don’t try to be everything to everybody. Partner with other sites for things that you or your client may not be an expert in.
- Get to know your audience. By using site statistics you can hone your Web site and target specific audiences with messaging, functionality, or design.
- Have clearly defined goals for the site at the outset rather than a wishy-washy wishlist that changes on a daily or, (GASP!) hourly, basis.
- Stay committed and focused to a site once it launches. If you lose interest, the user will too. Plain and simple
Most of these tips are pretty straightforward and you can find other pointers all over the ‘Net, but I bring all this up because of the fact that, despite all of the sites I have helped with or developed, I can count on one hand the number of PR people who have actually taken the time to learn more than the buzzwords and get actual training in how to read and use their Web site statistics. For most of the people that I have worked with, a Web site has been little more than an addenda to their grander PR campaign — soon to be forgotten until it comes time for an awards entry. As a result of this lackadaisical mentality, it doesn’t take long for the site traffic to trickle off to nothing as user interest is lost.
And, one last point, don’t try and make up usage statistics — especially when I am the sysadmin and can go in and pull reports showing you’ve lied about how well the Web site is doing. 1000 hits and 259 visitors in 5 months is nothing to write home about, honey.
My Favorite Bands, Artists, Composers, and Musicians
Posted on 1 March 2010 | No responses
Here’s the first in my “Historical Perspective” series. This was originally posted on September 26th, 2003.
Kenny came at me the other day with a list of his Top 105 Favorite Rock bands/musicians. Neither my personal experience, nor my CD collection, can even attempt to rival Kenny’s — a man who has a twenty year head start and a 4000+ CD collection to show for it. Humbly, I put together my list basing it on my (significantly smaller) CD collection.
The main thing about this list is that I tried not to choose an artist or group based upon the opinions of “everyone else” — this list is a reflection of my personal musical tastes and purchasing habits. Once I’d assembled the list, the main criteria I used for ranking was not based solely on personal preference but also on the number of albums I own for each artist or band. Based solely on the number of CDs, for example, Phish would automatically come out on top but I have a tendency to reach for a Pink Floyd album more often than a Phish album — although Phish wins out when I’m wanting to listen to single songs and not full albums. Of course, the position of a band or musician on this list is subject change based upon how I’m feeling at the moment. The rankings of my Top 5 are fairly static but they are currently in a slow transition as the RHCP have been slowly slipping downward, falling from #1 to #5 since “Blood Sugar Sex Magic”. On the other hand, Robert Randolph has been making a steady climb upwards and Ben Harper is poised to move into the Top 5 if the Chili Peppers maintain their current trend towards Aerosmith-ism.
- Pink Floyd
- Phish
- Jimmy Smith
- Morcheeba
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Ben Harper
- Syd Barret
- Grateful Dead
- Dixie Chicks
- Stereolab
- Marilyn Manson
- Guns ‘n Roses
- Led Zeppelin
- Rammstein
- Miles Davis
- John Coltrane
- Lenny Kravitz
- Robert Randolph
- Super Furry Animals
- Beatles
- Bob Dylan
- Jane’s Addiction
- Allman Brothers
- U2
- James Brown
- Jamiroquai
- Maxwell
- Beastie Boys
- Tom Petty
- Old 97’s
- Frank Zappa
- George Harrison
- The Who
- Pearl Jam/Nirvana*
- Bruce Springsteen
- Cypress Hill
- Garth Brooks
- Simon & Garfunkel
- Brooks & Dunn
- Tangerine Dream
- Ween
- The Doors
- The Rolling Stones
- James Taylor
- The Clash
- Sex Pistols
- Nerve Circus**
- School of Fish
- Rusted Root
- Stan Ridgeway
Putting this list together got me thinking about my favorite songs and I may put together that list sometime in the near future. I didn’t include any (personal) one-hit wonders in this list and, if I put together a Favorite Song List, there would be some overlap but there would also be numerous differences. It’s a little difficult to have a “favorite” Tangerine Dream song, for example, just as it’s tough for me to say that the Eagles are a favorite band even though I own their Greatest Hits album.
* Pearl Jam/Nirvana: lump them both together because I never really got caught up in the whole Seattle grunge thing. While everyone else was wearing flannel and idolizing Kurt, I was listening to RHCP, Clash, Sex Pistols, Stan Ridgeway, and Nine Inch Nails.
** Nerve Circus: a local Rochester band that is now “defunct”. During High School, there was a group of us who were die-hard Nerve Circus fans, going to see every concert we could. The fact that they’re gone doesn’t mean I love their music any less, though.
Historical Perspective
Posted on 1 March 2010 | No responses
In order to try and get this site back up and running, I’m going to be posting articles from previous incarnations of Anthurian.com. I don’t plan on migrating everything from my older blog over to this site but hope to hit some highlights for a little bit of “historical perspective”. Where applicable I will try to remove dead/out-dated links but, if I miss one, sorry for any 404 errors you may receive. Please let me know and I’ll go in and try to fix as many errors as I can.
Anthurian is back! (Sorta)
Posted on 21 February 2010 | No responses
Well, here’s the latest version of Anthurian…I’ve moved hosting companies and so there’s a LOT of set-up to do in order to get things running again. Regardless, things are in the works so watch out for some new and exciting stuff to be happening soon!
I hope.
Probably.
Most likely…