Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen

To start with, I did enjoy the The Revenge of the Fallen as a movie. I wouldn't say it's the best movie ever, I wouldn't even say it's the best movie I've seen this week on youtube. But as a night out, why not.

But let me argue that Michael Bay should stop messing around with my childhood. I mean, the proof is in the pudding:

• He actually managed to make the Transformer equivalent of Jar Jar Binks. Guys... There's a very good reason why Star Wars fans hate Jar Jar so much... BECAUSE HE IS FREAKIN' LAME. And so are the two bitches they call the Twins. I was actually rooting for whomever these Tonka Toys were fighting to rip them apart. Sadly, they made it to the end of the movie unscathed...
• By the way, how did these guys manage to beat up on Devastator for so long?
• WTF happened with Megan Fox's lips? Megan, there was nothing wrong with your lips to begin with. Why do you pain us so?
• But Megan, thanks for that beautifully gratuitous shot in the beginning of the movie.
• Girls, small word of advice. DO NOT inject fat into your lips. Big Fat Lips are NOT attractive. They make you look like you have a glass window permanently stuck to your face.
• Michael Bay seems to interpret the previous movie's criticism of not giving the Transformers themselves enough screen time, as "Let's give the audience MORE robots." And so he carted out a bunch of anonymous Transformers, who get destroyed pretty much within five minutes after introducing them. Movie 1 did have this problem already with the original Bonecrusher, who Optimus decapitates almost immediately. Now they're doing it pretty much all through the movie.
• Probably Megatron didn't do a lot of exercise during his stay on the ocean floor. Optimus was a freakin' Stone Cold Steve Austin '96-'98 now, handling Megatron, Starscream and Grindor at once. Optimus FINISHED OFF Grindor by ripping his head to pieces for chrissakes. Compare this to Movie 1, where Megatron dominated Optimus completely, right up until Shia put that Rubik's Cube thing in Megs' chest. It's probably best that Megatron does some extensive work out at the gym before coming back in the third movie.
• Optimus is a bit out of character... headshots? Neck snaps? Fatalities? Man, that would have never happened in the comics. That stuff is for Arnold Swarzenegger, not the leader of the Autobots.
• WHERE'S Anthony Anderson!? Dammit, we need him back!
• I'm not getting into that car Megan, Shia and that Leo guy were driving in while fleeing from the Pretender girl: the bloody airbags don't work! They ran the car into a lamppost, and nothing happened. It took a fall from about a 100 meters up, through the roof of a factory for the airbags to eject. Eh... that's not safe.

I will get this on Blu-ray obviously; but I wouldn't go for the Special XE Edition with ketchup and mustard.

Death of an Icon

...and it's not Michael Jackson I'm talking about, although it does have something to do with him.

The first news I heard was when I casually passed by CNN, and saw the breaking news header. Still at that point it read stuff like "cardiac arrest" and "in a coma". Entertainment sites, Twitter, had at that point already reported Jackson's death. Now normally I take news from gossip sites not as seriously as straight news, but this had me worried. Basically a very big number of sources knew something CNN didn't (or maybe didn't want to confirm yet).

Once the L.A. Times got on the globe, CNN had to follow along. By that time they were already too late. They were late to the party, and everybody already left.

CNN... poor poor CNN. Either you didn't want to act on rumours, and ended up missing the boat; or you didn't have your reporters in the right place, at the right time. Either way... CNN as the leading channel for news? I don't think that's the case anymore.

Dating Due Diligence

You really have to be careful nowadays in dating. With all these extended families, divorces, remarriages, children out of wedlock, it is entirely possible for you to make a pass at a cousin... if you're really unlucky you might end up with someone who's actually your great-aunt or -uncle.

So what can you do? If there's a good reason to talk to your parents and your grand parents about the extended family, this is it.

THAT'S HOW YOU PAY OFF A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

MICHAEL FREAKIN' SCHUMACHER IS THE STIG!!

Well... not exactly. But this is the definitive example of a shocker, truly a great payoff to a question that nobody really thought could be pulled off. WWE should be calling the BBC for tips how to do such a thing again, because they've been failing to do so for quite a while now...

Good Parenting

I'm quite sure that when you're a teen, or even a pre-teen, family gatherings with ooooold people (you know, people over thirty) are about as appealing as getting your hand stuck in a beehive. As a parent of such kids you have to be aware of that.

One way of keeping the kids under control is to give them a protable DVD player or a Nintendo DS. However if they keep staring/playing with these things during the gathering itself, aren't they losing out on a great opportunity to train a modicum of respect?

It's difficult though. On the one hand I don't want my kids to be disrespectful and rude; on the other hand I don't want them to act up if there's a viable means to keep them at ease.

Falling into place

Strangely enough, even the absolute worst that can happen, has a way of panning out. When faced with such a situation you can take immediate and decisive action, or you can just let it go in whichever direction it feels like going.

And then, whether you helped it or not, it lands into place.

Even now you have a choice. Do you act like it was your plan all along? Or have you let everything go to the fates?

Illusion of progress

The funniest thing I've heard all year, is management by crisis. When all around you breaks down, and everybody panics, doing something is better than doing nothing or throwing your hands up in the air in despair.

However the wisest thing I've heard all year is this: while exhilarating, "management by crisis values velocity over completeness. It sacrifices creativity for the illusion of progress."

When this period ends, and normal operations resume, we're left to pick up the pieces and start over. Much like the end of any disaster movie, that part tends to be boring, not worth the price of admission. There's not a lot of profit to be gained during this time, but ironically this is the time when most progress is made.

How having a job in management helps in real life

I have the luxury of working in management and working with people in management. These are people who enjoyed the same education I did, attended the same schools I did, went to the same jobs I have. 

It takes a special kind of person to be in this kind of position. Not everyone can do it for sure. These are people that can be decisive, supporting, helpful and successful, all at the same time. These are traits that help in a professional context, and also traits that help in a personal context.

You'll notice this when you find yourself having lost your passport in a strange country, mere minutes before your plane leaves. If you're in management, you'll stay calm, define a set of actions, and start systematically to resolve the problem. If you're not, it highly depends on your personal demeanor. You could get emotional, you could get restless, you could be sad or angry or aggressive. At worst you are not thinking straight anymore. And the chances of getting back your passport are reduced to zero and nil.

I've seen this situation occur several times with friends and family, and the difference in behaviour between those who are managers against those who are not, is staggering. And without fail, the former group is always successful, while the latter... well... let's just say they had to stay behind an extra day.

HHG: NBA Finals 2009

According to my simulation Denver and Cleveland were supposed to face each other in the Finals this year. Shows how much a simulation actually knows. But anyways we now have the LA Lakers and the Orlando Magic facing off for the 2009 NBA Finals. Here's what I think, hope, feel who's going to win.

The Head says: Los Angeles is the team with the better record, has the best player in the game (Kobe), obtained a better supporting cast (Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum), and has more experience in big game situations. Many players on the team have already seen action in last year's NBA Finals, and the Lakers would very well be a strong titlist, if they would win it. The scary thing is the Magic's superstar Dwight Howard. The man is a bloody freak under the board, even more so than Shaquille O'Neal was in his heyday. Orlando managed to parlay his strengths into two regular season victories over the Lakers. That might be the x-factor in this game. The Magic have already taken the scalps of the Cavaliers and the Celtics, and adding the Lakers' would not be a longshot. To do that Orlando needs its star player at the forefront, barring injury, foul trouble, or game bans. The rest of Orlando's roster, while solid, is unsung.

The Heart says: At this point I don't mind much either team losing. The Lakers are the team with the long history and from a fan's point of view I like them better than Orlando. There are good players on both sides of the ball (Rashard Lewis of the Magic in particular, deserves mention). If the Lakers would win it, that would be better for the rivalry with the Celtics, but then again having the Magic win their first, is a better story. Also if Dwight Howard would lift the trophy it would throw a spanner in the Kobe-LeBron debates, which is good for everyone.

The Gut says: The Magic have a very impressive game, and if they steal home court advantage early in the series, they will throw enough unrest in the Lakers' locker room to win it all. They already did that with the Cavs, and I feel they could do the same against the Lakers. However the Lakers have been here too many times before to let that happen. In fact, their tough schedule so far (series wins against Houston and Denver) may actually help them. Kobe's crew is battle-tested and ready for the challenge.

Lakers in seven.