"But I, being poor, have only my dreams"

Brilliant clip from a way under seen film "Equillibrium":


Very beautiful.

I mentioned to a friend of mine no one would be short going into Sunday night and I was right.

As away as I have been it's clear most if not all of my heroes are falling into the trap of making money versus doing whats right. Glad, so glad I have walked away.

If the S&P 500 was at 3000 but they were burning bodies for fuel, money types would laud the efficiency and look at margins for companies.

All this with the backstop of a Federal Reserve as a savior. Be honest, it's nothing you are doing, just a helping hand that you all accept. Index funds are keeping pace or better. No one needs a stock guy in a bull market.

I could never on this blog get people in the wider sphere to get past returns and money. Too bad. I thought doing whats right and integrity were paramount.

Wow. Just wow.

Friday Night Entertainment Light

A little throw back to Friday Night Entertainment. Enjoy.

The 25 Greatest Unscripted Scenes in Films
Saw this one this week, 25 of the best unscripted scenes in movie history. As the description says, please leave the captions ON to see some extra info. My favorites are #19 (Aliens "Game OVER"), #17 (The Usual Suspects lineup), #12 (Jaws "Your gonna need a bigger boat"), and #6 (Blade Runner "tears in rain"):

Nice collection.

69 'sacks' or 69 'sex'? You Decide
You have to make the call but watch this news clip and decide. I say '69 sex':

Yup.

Magnetic Silly Putty
I bought two of these magnetic silly putty toys, one for me and one for my wife. They are AWESOME!!!!! Highly recommended desk toy or just to help you puzzle out magnetic field lines and other physics stuff:

You can buy some at Simply Clever Toys.

Daniel H. Wilson Scores Again
A while back I reviewed Daniel H. Wilson's seminal novel "Robopocalypse" and gave it my highest recommendation:

I was reminded of his work by two things. One was this picture which shows how low the robots will go, attacking our own kittens for crying out loud:

And second I read his new book this week, "AMPED":

And came away both horrified and amazed. Get this book as well.

Have a good night.

When Classics Get Reborn

Happy Valentine's Day!

I survived the deluge of snow here in Massachusetts intact, not even a need for the generator. A snow blower would have been nice, but the plow guy did the best he could.

A quick word to the New England Patriots; PAY Talib, GET Ed Reed. Let Welker walk and maybe get a cheaper kicker. That is all.

When Classics Get Reborn
I am coming into my 37th birthday window. Last year you may recall I was not happy about year 36, but here I am and all the better going forward. Two weeks cigarette free, and to be honest it feels good. Except for this freaking headache in the center of my head at the top of my nose. Any advice appreciated.

As such, I love older music. Sometimes an older song either gets re-done or gets imprinted on you in another way. I have two examples to show you.

First up, Del Shannon's immortal "Runaway". It stands alone as an all time classic, just take a listen:

Most excellent.

Now the first time I heard this song, it was a later version Del recorded for the great TV show "Crime Story" starring Dennis Farina (yes, the Xfinity guy). A bit more electric, some piano, and lyrics aimed at the show. I like this version better than the original:

And an old classic is reborn. Well, it was back then anyway.

I have to say, I had never heard of Thurston Harris. Thurston Howell III, yes, but not Harris! The first time I heard the song "Little Bitty Pretty One" was in the film "Christine" at a particular revenge scene:

Nice.

The OG-riginal:

Old school great. And by John Carpenter's film, a classic had new life.

Who can forget Bob Dylan's song "All Along the Watchtower"? Well, everyone after Jimi Hendrix made it his own:

Yuppers.

Recently (kind of) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones forever took "Detroit Rock City" from KISS in my eyes:

That works.

What comes to mind for you? Better new versions or better old versions?

Have a good night.

On The Fallacy of the "Greater Good" and a Great Song

Hey all.

Don't mention the Patriots. An ugly show last week that left me scratching my head. I don't think the Pats could have beaten San Francisco anyway, but still, a no show in the second half last week. That window is getting so small now for them.

I wanted to take a second to say something, something without spelling it all out for you. I think anyone that has read me over the years will understand, others not so. Here goes.

On The Fallacy of the "Greater Good" 
So the financial "crisis" is over.

My friend Josh Brown has a great piece up this week, aptly titled "The Word is Out, Just So You Know" and it's solid and spot on. I don't know for myself if this is another 2003-2007 never ending run up or another fake out. Honestly, I don't care.

No matter what happened, things were going to be ok after a bit. That's the truth.

It's the fallacy of "The Greater Good" that kills me. Doing wrong to get to a right. I mean, do you all teach your kids that? All I hear is how everyone wants to provide a future for their kids, bla bla and all that. You teach them to cut corners, cheat, lie, and steal to get to an endpoint? The glory of the greater good gets hollow.

I don't want to spend a bunch of time on this.

How you get somewhere is just as, and maybe more so, important than getting there. My problem with all this, and it's a big problem, is that it was all a fucking handout. The Fed, the Treasury, two Presidents gave the biggest handout to the worst criminal rip off in America history. It does not sit well. But hey, money is getting made right?

Ever sit by your Dad and know he is a vegetable after a massive heart attack? The most powerful railroad man you have ever seen? The fuck do a few dollars mean then? Know your sister is a full blown Bi-Polar nut case and you can never see her again? See your mother crumble through all this, and only your effort and integrity carries her through?

You stand. You hold up.

But no one that is a cheat can stand, and some that need handouts can never walk.

I don't sell stuff. I don't provide services. Whether the world ended in 2009 or we are now on track for a S&P 500 run to 2500 I don't have a real vested interest.

There is no honor, and no integrity anymore. You may think a few bucks make things 'right' but it only blunts the feeling to do what's right. Any student of history knows what happens when the core of a society gets eroded. If you can turn your head for criminals to rob you, so your 401k comes back, you will turn your head for most anything. That's the truth.

So turn your head.

Great Song
I forgot about this song, but I do love it. The fiddle gets played almost to a high note, yet comes back down and so the song seems sad. Check out The Waterboys with "Fisherman's Blues":


Have a good night.

Buy This Book: "Gun Machine" by Warren Ellis

Totally blown away by this new book by Warren Ellis, a new era classic. I cannot review it because I don't want to give details. Just a great read:

Amazon link is here.

Spectacular.

Have a good night.

Amazing Picture

Hey all! Football playoffs so far have been somewhat not competitive. I think next weeks divisional round will be quite different indeed. Expect some unbelievably hard fought, tight games. GO PATRIOTS!

Amazing Picture
Ran across this picture from 1942 by the famous Ansel Adams and thought I would place it here. Titled "The Tetons and the Snake River" (click for larger view or go here):

Have a good night.

In July 2013 "Pacific Rim" Recaptures the Old Days of Mecha

Hey anyone that still reads!

I am well and things are great. I can highly recommend getting away from things financial (if you are able), you may find it refreshing. Some of the absurd comedy over the last few months makes great theater. Just wanted to leave a quick note.

In July 2013 "Pacific Rim" Recaptures the Old Days of Mecha
Back when I was a kid I did not want to be President, an Air Force Pilot, nor one of the rich and famous. I wanted to pilot the robot "Grendizer":

And yes, I wanted to be Orion Quest:

Well it seems someone hit on this idea, at least to some degree, with the new film coming in July of 2013; "Pacific Rim":

Here is the trailer:

I gotta say, I have some high hopes!

Have a good night.