S. Evan Townsend's Blog, page 25

The Tyranny of Red Dots

I have an iPhone. Since smartphones came out I have had nothing but iPhones except my first smartphone was an HTC piece of junk (this probably was it; I thought I'd like it because of its physical keyboard). I was so glad to be rid of it and get an iPhone.

But, there is one thing I don't like about iPhones. This would probably be true for any smartphone, I supposed. And that is, I hate red dots. I call it the "tyranny of red dots." If I have a red dot on my phone, which is a notification, I HAVE TO clear it and clear it now.

That means opening the app and figuring out why there are red dots. Sometimes the dots don't go away. Like on the Reminders app, I'll clear the reminder and the red dot will linger for a while. I hate that. Sometimes that happens on the mail and the phone, too.

Wife's emailMy wife has Gmail on her phone and her mail app has a red dot with over 3,500 notifications in it. I don't know how she stands it. It would drive me nuts. See picture to the right.

This is probably due to my OCD about technology. My real life desk is a mess but my desktop on my computer is neat and clean.

One time recently, I had a red dot on Facebook Business Suite (the old Facebook Pages app). And I couldn't get rid of it. It drove me nuts. I eventually realized it was caused by a comment to a post on my page and when I read the comment, it went away. Still, it bugged me for at least an hour.

How do you feel about the red dots? Do you have to clear them now? Or are you like my wife. Let me know in the comments below.

Move Review: Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

A while back I watched a YouTube video called 10 Amazing Movies You Probably Haven't Seen (And Why) And I'd seen about half of them and some I didn't want to see (because they are horror or didn't look interesting). So I immediately put the three I hadn't seen and I thought I might enjoy on my Netflix DVD.com queue. 

First to come was Chef, which I liked.

Then came Bowfinger, which I also liked.

The last movie to come was Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. Which I hate to say, while interesting and original, I didn't like it very much. It stars Forest Whitaker was the Ghost Dog, a mob hitman who tries to live by the code of the samurai. One problem is, that Whitaker is fat. I'm not fat-shaming, but a samurai should be in shape, I would think. Even if his primary weapon is a gun.

One thing the movie makers did accomplish was making Ghost Dog sympathetic as a mob hitman. But the movie is overlong and boring in parts. There's not a lot of action nor comedy. But I'm not sure it was supposed to be a comedy. I'm not sure what it was supposed to be.

So, see Chef and Bowfinger. But only see this movie if you're looking for something different... very different. 

Have you seen Ghost Dog? Did you like it or not? Let me know in the comments below.

100 Days!

Today marks 100 days until University of Washington Huskies football starts with a home game against Montana. No time has been set yet. Montana is an FCS school, so it should be a nice warmup win for the Dawgs. But after that they play Michigan in Michigan and that will be a tough game.

After last season, I need football. The Huskies played four games total last year, losing one (for some reason, we can't beat Stanford except in 2016). I was so desperate for some football I ended up watching the Seattle Seahawks more than I normally would. 

I went to college (a lot) at the University of Washington but when I really got into Husky football is when I went to a few games. Seventy-thousand people yelling for the same thing does something to the psyche. I discussed that in detail before.

It's interesting. When I was a kid I hated sports of all kinds. I would turn on the TV to watch something I wanted to watch on one of the two channels we had, and there would be sports running long. That's when I learned that the last two minutes in football can take forever. Really made me angry.

Of course I still hate baseball, basketball, and soccer. 

But Husky football, I love. 

What sports are you looking forward to? Or are you not into sports at all? Let me know in the comments below.

What Five Things Influenced Me to Be a Writer...

I tell people I started writing when I was 12. This is pretty much true. But I was always making up stories in my head, usually involving what I built out of Legos.

My sister, who is four years older than I, brought home her touch type instruction book from high school. I used it, and her typewriter, to teach myself how to type. I then started writing. But what influenced me to become a writer?

1) Television: As a kid I watched way too much television. But, in a way, that's where I learned to tell a story. 

2) Star Trek (the original series): When my local television station started running Star Trek reruns in the afternoon just after I got home from High School, I watched religiously. There were two episodes they didn't show, however, "What are Little Girls Made Of?" and the last episode, "Turnabout Intruder." I had to see those later. (I think the television in my small, very conservative area of Idaho found them unacceptable.) But Star Trek is what made me a science fiction writer.

3) Books: What writer wasn't influence by the books he read. And I read, of course, science fiction books.

4) Robert Heinlein: Speaking of books. In an about four-year period from 1986 to 1990, I read every Robert Heinlein book in print. And I love most of them (he had a couple of early clunkers like his first juvenile with Nazis on the Moon). But man, could he write. And I wanted to write like him.

5) Star Wars: In the sixties and seventies, science fiction tended to be boring and depressing or both. Then the original Star Wars movie came along (and its two sequels) and I realized science fiction could be fun. 

Those five things are the primary influences that made me a writer. Well, that and I've always told stories. 

What influenced you to do what you do? If you write, what influenced that? Let me know in the comments below.

Movie Review: Bowfinger

I recently watched the movie Bowfinger. I'm not exactly sure why or how I missed this movie when it first came out in 1999. Maybe because Rotten Tomatoes only gave it a 68%. But it is hilarious.

Steve Martin plays Bowfinger, a down-on-his-luck movie producer/con man. Eddie Murphy plays a dual role as a big star Bowfinger wants in his latest movie (Chubby Rain) and as the star's brother. 

Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy, what could go wrong?

The comedy comes when Murphy's star character, Kit Ramsey, turns down Bowfinger's movie but Bowfinger decides to make the movie anyway, with Ramsey in it. That's when the fun begins. 

Heather Graham plays a sweet (or is she) girl trying for stardom and Robert Downey Jr. is a big Hollywood producer. Christine Baranski plays an actress who is so into her trade, she can't see what's happening.

I really enjoyed this movie. Two thumb up! 

Have you seen Bowfinger? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Do We All See the Same Color

This is something I've been wondering since I was a kid (along with "why do I exist?" "why do I see out of these eyes?). 

When I look at red, I see a color. But does everyone else see the same color? What I see as red, you might see what I would call "blue." There's no way to know. You've called it "red" all your life. I've called it "blue" all my life. But until we can see what others see, there's no way to know.

Now, I find this unlikely. The color of light is determined by its wavelength because light is electromagnetic radiation (just like radio waves and infrared and microwaves you use to pop popcorn). So when electromagnetic radiation (EMR) of a certain frequency hits your retina, it sends a signal to your brain saying "this is this color of light." But does your brain interpret that input the same as my brain.

I suppose someday if we can see what others see though technology, we might confirm that red is red for everyone. Until then, this is pure speculation.

Do you think everyone sees the same colors? Or do you think I'm nuts? Let me know in the comments below.

UPDATE: I just read an article that says this is a common dorm-room discussion. I never stayed in the dorms when I was in college, so I guess I never had this discussion.

Movie Review: Chef

I recently watched the movie Chef. It was made in 2014 and somehow flew under my radar for good movies. It was produced, written, and directed by . He also played the lead role, the chef.

The film is about a chef who gets a bad restaurant review mostly because his boss, played by Dustin Hoffman, wouldn't let him change the menu from what's popular to what's best. When his young son hooks him up with Twitter, things get worse as he doesn't understand the difference between a reply and a DM. Then he explodes at the critic in public and, of course, someone records it and it goes viral. Then he gets fired/quits.

Favreau pulls in a few of his MCU actors to help out including Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr.

But the best part of this movie is his relationship with his young son who helps him back on the road to redemption, including renewing his relationship with his son, which at the beginning of the movie was strained (the chef is divorced and gets visitation on weekends). The boy is a bit too precocious with social media and social media is a little too successful at helping the chef's new venture: a food truck. But it still works.

The movie is a bit food porny. Just watching Favreau's character make a grilled cheese sandwich will make you drool. 

I recommend watching Chef for a feel-good movie. It starts a little slow and heavy, but gets better as it goes. It's rated R for language and some discussions about sex, and otherwise would have made a good family film. If you haven't seen it, check it out.

Star Trek Movies Ranked from Best to Worst

Last week I went through the "Star Wars" movies and ordered them from best to worst. Now I'm going to do that for "Star Trek" moves. And there are a lot of them (14 unless I missed one).

1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn (1982)

What, not Star Trek IV? Nope. This movie is a great conflict between two strong characters, each with a starship to express their strengths. Ricardo Montalbán does an amazing job as Kahn, reprising his role from the television series. He makes a nasty villain. A fun, intense and ultimately powerful movie.

2. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

While it gets a little preachy, this fish-out-of-water tale (I'm talking about the Enterprise crew in 1980s San Francisco and not the whales who aren't fish anyway) is hilarious at times and yet there's a quest that needs to be finished.

3. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

 Klingons spouting Shakespeare and Sulu with his own ship, this fast and fun movie has an amazing climatic battle. The one thing I disagree with is Klingon blood is not pink. 

4. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

Yes, there was a new actor play Savik (and not doing as good a job) but Christopher Lloyd plays against type as the Klingon villain. Sometimes funny and sometimes moving.

5. Galaxy Quest (1999)

Yes, I'm serious. This parody of all things Star Trek is an hilarious sendup of the whole sub-culture. If you're a fan of Star Trek, you have to see this movie.

6: Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

The best of the Next Generation movies involves the Borg and the first use of warp speed by humans. While this introduced the Borg Queen, a concept I don't like, the action sequences are well done and exciting.

7: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

Don't hire Robert Wise to direct science fiction. This director of The Sound of Music was in over his head. Slow and boring (sometimes called the "no motion picture") this movie also contains the horrible line: "It fell into what they used to call a black hole." I mean, who talks like that? "They came here in what they used to call a horseless carriage."

8: Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

Again, a Next Generation film, this is a movie that needed work from the get-go. With a lackluster script this movie had issues. It has interesting parts, but mostly it's just boring. And the "Captain Picard Single Combat Warrior" ending just annoys me. In the series everyone worked together to solve the problems.

9: Star Trek: Generations (1994)

The first of the Next Generation movies. They attempted to "pass the torch" from the original series crew. But it wasn't handled very well and there are so many plot holes and violations of Star Trek canon, it just doesn't work.

10. Star Trek (2009)

The J.J. Abrams reboot/Kelvin timeline that I barely acknowledge. This is the one movie that is watchable. It's amusing to view and occasionally fun. And it does have the first product placement in any Star Trek movie. And Zoe Saldana almost makes it worth watching.

11.  Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

The last Next Generation move, the plot was overwrought, the climatic battle was unbelievable, and the whole thing was rather boring. 

12. Star Trek into Darkness (2013)

At one point in this movie, Alice Eve strips down to her underwear. Completely gratuitously.  Other than that, there is nothing good about his J.J. Abrams movie. Although Zoe Saldana almost makes it worth watching.

13. Star Trek Beyond (2016)

The last (so far) of the J.J. Abrams abominations. Again, not very good. Although Zoe Saldana almost makes it worth watching.

14. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

 Directed by William Shatner, this movie is awful, terrible, and not well done. "Why does God need a starship?" Well, I guess it's not God after all. Just avoid this movie altogether.

Am I nuts? Do you agree with my list and the order they are in? Let me know in the comments below. 

Star Wars Movies Ranked from Best to Worst

 

Well, it would be tax day, but the IRS moved it.

Anyway, the other day I decided to make a list of the best to worst Star Wars movies. This is based 100% on my opinion/memories (I've only seen the prequels once each and the J.J. Abrams abominations once each). And I'm not including ancillary movies such as Rogue One. But there's the list from best to worst:

Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back (originally, The Empire Strikes Back; 1980)

This movie is the best because it is intense, dark, and ends with a cliffhanger. The "updated" version detracts little from it's intensity. From the stop-motion imperial walkers to the final fight between Luke and Vader, it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Oh, and don't forget the asteroid field chase between the Millennium Falcon and the TIE fighters. Amazing for 1980s special effects technology.

Star Wars IV: A New Hope (originally, Star Wars; 1977)

The first Star Wars movie. And at the time it was like nothing we'd ever seen. It was fun! Science fiction of the seventies tended to be boring and/or depressing. This is the Star Wars movie I've seen the most. I remember back in 1977 people saying the special effects were better than 2001: A Space Odyssey. And we were amazed when we saw 2001. It only loses to Empire because of the second movie's intensity.

Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi (originally, Return of the Jedi; 1983) 

In some way this movie is brilliant (the speeder bikes through the forest). But the Ewoks defeating stormtroopers? No way. It has its funny moments and its amazing special effects (especially before CGI). But Lucas had enough money to do what he wanted, and what he wanted wasn't as tight nor intense as the previous two movies.

Star Wars III: Revenge the Sith (2005)

As I said, I've only seen this once. I remember it being better than the other prequels with less politics and more adventure.

Star Wars IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

The best of the J.J. Abrams movies (Which is sort of like saying "The best McDonalds in town). It had some of the fun of the original trilogy and no outright stupidity (see Star Wars VIII).

Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

 It echoed Star Wars IV too much and Rey was a completely unbelievable character. If she were a man, people would have noticed that instead of oohing and ahhing at her being a strong female character. 

 Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

I barely remember this movie but I remember that it was better than the first one. All I remember is Anakin and Padme tied to some posts in an arena.

Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

Pod racing and a kid who was conceived without sex (where have I heard that before?). This movie was a train wreck from start to finish. Still, wasn't as bad as...

Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi (2018)

They bomb a ship in space. Bombs, falling down on a ship in space. Then Laura Dern (who I like as an actress) plays a female general with purple hair who is oh-so-perfect. Oh, and Leia is apparently able to survive in vacuum and even move in space. Yeah. This move was so bad, I didn't go see Star Wars IX in the theater but waited until it came out on Blu-Ray. 

So, do you agree with my list? Are they in the correct order? Let me know in the comments below. 

I Got a COVID Vaccine

As of Sunday the 3rd, I have had both my COVID-19 vaccination shots. I had the Pfizer version.

I got my first shot on March 13th. It was a luck thing, really. A friend of mine, who is younger than I, posted on Facebook that she'd gotten a shot. I asked her how and she said a mass vaccination event in our town was looking for more people to give the shot to. And she linked me to the website to make an appointment. So I jumped through what felt like 47 hoops on the website and got an appointment. And then I got the shot. They gave it to me in a parking lot as I sat in my car and made me sit for 15 minutes before I could leave. While I was sitting there, a small bus full of seniors pulled up. I presume they all got the shot, too.

The only side effect I had then was bad headaches that Tylenol didn't seem to touch. On the Sunday (first day) after the shot, the headache was most of the day. And I rarely get headaches. On Monday it was about half the day. Each day the amount of time I had the headache decreased until the fifth day (Thursday) I didn't have a headache at all.  I have had a couple of headaches since then, but I'm not sure if they are related to the shot.

One thing that did impress me what that a few days after getting the first shot, I got an email with a link to make my appointment on the 3rd (the day before Easter). I had to jump through the 47 hoops again (why, since they already had my information) but I got the appointment. Which was one less thing to worry about.

After my second shot I took Tylenol preemptively, hoping to stop any headaches before they began. And it seemed to work. I did have a little nausea on the same day I got the shot. On the third day I didn't take Tylenol and did get a bit of a headache. But not nearly as bad as with the first shot. By the fourth day, I pretty much didn't have any side effects.

My daughter-in-law who is a nurse and has given lots of COVID vaccine shots has a theory that the stronger one's immune system, the worst the reaction they'll have to the shot(s). 

On April 17th (two weeks after the second shot) I should have 95% protection. Which is good, because if I get COVID, I will likely die. 

But, according to the CDC, very little changes. You still have to wear a mask and socially distance. So what's the point? When will we reach "herd immunity" and be able to go back to some semblance of normality?

Did you get a COVID vaccine? What was your experience? Let me know in the comments below.