Wall-E is an interesting narrative challenge. The first half-hour or so of the film features very little dialogue: maybe not more than a few sentences' worth. So thus, the most important part of any story, the beginning, has to be told through visuals, action, and sound. Wall-E challenges the traditional movie-goer to sit down, shut up, and just watch as a tiny robot goes about it's directive. What's more, the principle characters (Wall-E and EVE) don't have voices themselves, instead communicating the entire film through beeps, blips, and a vague sputter of noises that resembles one another's name.
Of course, this would not be a Pixar film if this little robot, the titular Wall-E, did not have a spark of something more, and that something is apparent right from the get-go: Wall-E is lonely and seeks companionship, something that every person can at some point relate. What makes Wall-E so charming is that while he goes about his mission to clean up a disparate, polluted Earth, he obviously pushes onward in his own way to seek a friend in a place that is obviously so very quiet and lonely.
If the crowds of the new millennium can relate to and understand the world of Finding Nemo or the imaginative realities of Toy Story, then the futuristic world portrayed in Wall-E should require a 1000-page manual to explain the in's and out's right away. Again, the movie builds it's world and lays out the rules all in that oh-so-crucial first half-hour with nary a line of dialog. And it succeeds marvelously. While the movie leave some assumptions to the viewer (how did a robot develop a personality?), everything in the film makes some sense, so parents and children alike should be able to fall into Wall-E's world without hesitation.
And it's a marvelous world. Pixar perfected the use of computer generated imagery for animation with Toy Story, and has been refining perfection ever since. While the bubbly colors of Finding Nemo or Monster's, Inc. might appeal to a younger generation, the brown-n-gray world of Wall-E looks fantastic, blending the realities of an over-polluted Earth with the rounded design of a futuristic spaceship. I've never cared for the heavily-cartooned human characters that Pixar has used in its films, but they work well in Wall-E, but this is partially because they are rarely seen until the latter half of the film.
Wall-E has a few problems. It felt a bit preachy in it's subject manner: a consumerist world is overtaken by, of all things, a retail giant, and eventually humans are driven from Earth, forced to seek shelter in space. While this is certainly an eco-warning of sorts, at least the concept fits in with the narrative of the film really well. This, however, is the only minor complaint that I can level against the film.
Wall-E succeeds because it is a film that drives to the center of the human psyche and examines the one human emotion that humans may never fully understand: love. Against all odds, two robots meet, grow, and learn to love one another, even against all odds, better opportunities, and possibly death. Despite all the techno-babble, the beautiful sights, and the overly-cute nature of the film, by the time the credits roll, when our two love-struck robots are grasping one another, repeating their barely recognizable names to one another, it is very apparent that Pixar understands what love is. It's also not hard to sprout a tear of joy once or twice - an emotion that animation rarely brings to the theater.
Pixar's ninth masterpiece is not just the best movie of the year thus far, it's their best film ever, and Disney's best film since The Lion King.
Bravo.
B3 out.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
The Price of Me
I hate it when I have to question who I really am, although in this case, the issue at hand is one everyone probably has to face today: gas prices.
I've generally considered myself an environmentally-conscious person. I certainly love the outdoors, and would love to see them stay clean and healthy, thus I've always been moderately thrifty when it comes to my "impact" on the environment. One major thing, however, that I find it hard to avoid in my life is filling my car up with gasoline. It has to be done. I need to drive to get things done; to work, to play, to stay alive, really.
When I began driving six year and a half years ago, gas prices were about $0.95 per gallon. Less than a dollar; which meant that I filled my tank for $13 on a bad day, $10 on a good day. Ten dollars today barely gets me more than two gallons.
So in a world of $4.00-plus per gallon gasoline, I'm finding myself having to cut back in ways I'm not used to. I just don't want to drive all over the place if it's not necessary. Five years ago it wasn't unheard of for me to put 120 or so miles on my car per day, blowing through a third of a tank of gas without even blinking. Now those same 120 miles should last me four or so days, on average.
What really stinks is that although I'm the one who wants to be thrifty with gas, seldom few other people do. I see my parents putting miles on their cars like gas is free. I have friends who push themselves around the county without hesitation. And of course, I'm expected to be in certain places at certain times regardless of what I think about my gas usage.
Despite all this, I still do what I can when I can to cut my costs. I've changed my driving habits considerably (drive slower, coast more often, etc.), which has netted me an extra 80 or so miles per tank, which is a nice benefit, but it doesn't quite cover that gap left between 95 cent gas and $4.15 gas.
Sucks.
B3 out.
I've generally considered myself an environmentally-conscious person. I certainly love the outdoors, and would love to see them stay clean and healthy, thus I've always been moderately thrifty when it comes to my "impact" on the environment. One major thing, however, that I find it hard to avoid in my life is filling my car up with gasoline. It has to be done. I need to drive to get things done; to work, to play, to stay alive, really.
When I began driving six year and a half years ago, gas prices were about $0.95 per gallon. Less than a dollar; which meant that I filled my tank for $13 on a bad day, $10 on a good day. Ten dollars today barely gets me more than two gallons.
So in a world of $4.00-plus per gallon gasoline, I'm finding myself having to cut back in ways I'm not used to. I just don't want to drive all over the place if it's not necessary. Five years ago it wasn't unheard of for me to put 120 or so miles on my car per day, blowing through a third of a tank of gas without even blinking. Now those same 120 miles should last me four or so days, on average.
What really stinks is that although I'm the one who wants to be thrifty with gas, seldom few other people do. I see my parents putting miles on their cars like gas is free. I have friends who push themselves around the county without hesitation. And of course, I'm expected to be in certain places at certain times regardless of what I think about my gas usage.
Despite all this, I still do what I can when I can to cut my costs. I've changed my driving habits considerably (drive slower, coast more often, etc.), which has netted me an extra 80 or so miles per tank, which is a nice benefit, but it doesn't quite cover that gap left between 95 cent gas and $4.15 gas.
Sucks.
B3 out.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
What a Send-Off
Okay, I'll admit that today was mostly a bust.
But it was still good fun, just in smaller doses.
For the past 6 years, I have been making yearly trips to Soak City at Cedar Point (sometimes twice per summer), and this year was no different: load my car up with good friends, and make for Sandusky like we have nothing else to lose.
Unfortunately, it was rather rainy today. The day started with clouds and wind, and by 1:30pm we were swimming with rain, which prompted an early dismissal from the park.
But before leaving, we were also disappointed by a shortage of lifeguards (several slides were closed and a river was crippled by capacity), rather busy lines, and a general "been there, done that" attitude to the whole thing. Despite these, we still had a good time, and above all else, I was thrilled to see Colleen have a very good time at her first water park (even if she was a little nervous about her first water slide... she showed me how to be brave with the BIGGEST water slide of them all... "there's poop in my butt!" ... christ ...).
Our dinner plans went awry (thanks to construction), but I do believe that all in all we had a good time today, and if nothing else, we made the most of a rather poopy-feeling day. This might have been my final annual trip to Soak City, and even though very little went according to plan today, it was still a great send-off trip.
Out.
But it was still good fun, just in smaller doses.
For the past 6 years, I have been making yearly trips to Soak City at Cedar Point (sometimes twice per summer), and this year was no different: load my car up with good friends, and make for Sandusky like we have nothing else to lose.
Unfortunately, it was rather rainy today. The day started with clouds and wind, and by 1:30pm we were swimming with rain, which prompted an early dismissal from the park.
But before leaving, we were also disappointed by a shortage of lifeguards (several slides were closed and a river was crippled by capacity), rather busy lines, and a general "been there, done that" attitude to the whole thing. Despite these, we still had a good time, and above all else, I was thrilled to see Colleen have a very good time at her first water park (even if she was a little nervous about her first water slide... she showed me how to be brave with the BIGGEST water slide of them all... "there's poop in my butt!" ... christ ...).
Our dinner plans went awry (thanks to construction), but I do believe that all in all we had a good time today, and if nothing else, we made the most of a rather poopy-feeling day. This might have been my final annual trip to Soak City, and even though very little went according to plan today, it was still a great send-off trip.
Out.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
So Tired, So Lost
I've been terribly tired lately, and I can't seem to figure out why.
I do work 6am to 2:30pm a lot, but it's nothing out of the ordinary, really. I try to get as much sleep a night as I can, but it still isn't enough. I'm beginning to think that other aspects of my life are interfereing with my fatigue: I'm certainly a bit overweight, but not obese (screw you, Wii Fit); my eating habits might have something to do with it: I'm about as far from a balanced diet as one could be, so I'm thinking that a change is needed there. And milk. I need more milk in my diet... I'm pretty sure the constant foot problems that I'm having relates to my severe lack of vitamin D in my diet.
But to avail! I have a dream summer that I want to live out, and it looks like this:
I should wake up every morning for work with a quick, hot shower; following would be a "raw" breakfast of fruit and yogurt, or cereal with an extra glass of milk on the side. Finally, before heading out the door, I would take ten minutes to stretch myself out and follow a few Wii Fit routines to prep myself for a long day at Meijer. Right now, I'm just too tired in the morning to do anything other than shove a microwaved sandwich down my throat before taking a cold shower just to wake up.
At work I proceed to follow through with a tight "to-do" list that sends me from one task to the next, with a weekly goal to finish all my core work in four days, leaving the fifth day free every week to get miscellaneous tasks done.
After work, I return home to check the usual: email, Facebook, etc... basically make sure my online life is still alive and kicking.
Following this I grab a quick snack (peanut butter sandwich or another bowl of cereal) before departing on a two hour bike ride to and from Grand Rapids, Waterville, or wherever else I feel like pursuing that day.
By dinner time (around 6pm), I'm back home, cooled off, and able to enjoy dinner with my family. I retire for the night by working on programming, writing, or gaming, depending on the night of the week. I'm in bed by 8:30 or 9:00pm, ready to roll for the next day.
Oh man, what a routine that would be. Problem is, I don't have any time in that schedule to see my friends or girlfriend, which right now command a good chunk of my time after work everyday.
I thought that graduating would bring a sense of balance to my life and allow me to do the things that I want to do... so where is it?
I do work 6am to 2:30pm a lot, but it's nothing out of the ordinary, really. I try to get as much sleep a night as I can, but it still isn't enough. I'm beginning to think that other aspects of my life are interfereing with my fatigue: I'm certainly a bit overweight, but not obese (screw you, Wii Fit); my eating habits might have something to do with it: I'm about as far from a balanced diet as one could be, so I'm thinking that a change is needed there. And milk. I need more milk in my diet... I'm pretty sure the constant foot problems that I'm having relates to my severe lack of vitamin D in my diet.
But to avail! I have a dream summer that I want to live out, and it looks like this:
I should wake up every morning for work with a quick, hot shower; following would be a "raw" breakfast of fruit and yogurt, or cereal with an extra glass of milk on the side. Finally, before heading out the door, I would take ten minutes to stretch myself out and follow a few Wii Fit routines to prep myself for a long day at Meijer. Right now, I'm just too tired in the morning to do anything other than shove a microwaved sandwich down my throat before taking a cold shower just to wake up.
At work I proceed to follow through with a tight "to-do" list that sends me from one task to the next, with a weekly goal to finish all my core work in four days, leaving the fifth day free every week to get miscellaneous tasks done.
After work, I return home to check the usual: email, Facebook, etc... basically make sure my online life is still alive and kicking.
Following this I grab a quick snack (peanut butter sandwich or another bowl of cereal) before departing on a two hour bike ride to and from Grand Rapids, Waterville, or wherever else I feel like pursuing that day.
By dinner time (around 6pm), I'm back home, cooled off, and able to enjoy dinner with my family. I retire for the night by working on programming, writing, or gaming, depending on the night of the week. I'm in bed by 8:30 or 9:00pm, ready to roll for the next day.
Oh man, what a routine that would be. Problem is, I don't have any time in that schedule to see my friends or girlfriend, which right now command a good chunk of my time after work everyday.
I thought that graduating would bring a sense of balance to my life and allow me to do the things that I want to do... so where is it?
Thursday, June 12, 2008
A Long June
Is my life even worth blogging about anymore?
A while back I discussed the lack of focus that Critically Correct has since graduation. Given my rather boring daily routine (sleep, work, rinse and repeat), and with the little income I do have, I don't really get to experience a lot in a day, especially not a lot worth blogging about. I could simply sit at my computer every night and write about the day's events, but my life isn't filled with enough excitement to constitute even that.
So what then?
Well, I have a few features in the works ("Memories Inspired by Music II," for example), but other than that I'm finding it hard to generate material worth writing about. I do have a few ideas for creative pieces, so I'm exploring those. I also have an application that I'm working on that I'll soon post via Critically Correct, although my readership could probably care less about software development and open source applications.
Truth be told, I know for a fact that Critically Correct will be a lot more useful and approachable once I get moving in life: when I get a job, move out, and generally get on the run in such a way that Critically Correct will become a way of keeping in contact with me.
But until then...
Any one have any ideas for a blogger running towards a dead end?
A while back I discussed the lack of focus that Critically Correct has since graduation. Given my rather boring daily routine (sleep, work, rinse and repeat), and with the little income I do have, I don't really get to experience a lot in a day, especially not a lot worth blogging about. I could simply sit at my computer every night and write about the day's events, but my life isn't filled with enough excitement to constitute even that.
So what then?
Well, I have a few features in the works ("Memories Inspired by Music II," for example), but other than that I'm finding it hard to generate material worth writing about. I do have a few ideas for creative pieces, so I'm exploring those. I also have an application that I'm working on that I'll soon post via Critically Correct, although my readership could probably care less about software development and open source applications.
Truth be told, I know for a fact that Critically Correct will be a lot more useful and approachable once I get moving in life: when I get a job, move out, and generally get on the run in such a way that Critically Correct will become a way of keeping in contact with me.
But until then...
Any one have any ideas for a blogger running towards a dead end?
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Feeling Powerless But Not Yet Helpless
Below is an entry that I wrote on Saturday, June 7th, 2008 during an extended power outage.
It's been told again and again how different your life can feel when a "core" is taken away... such as my current situation: having no electricity.
Every aspect of my life revolves around electricity: my computers, gaming, cell phones, music, writing (I always write on a computer), et cetra. So for the power to be out for an entire Saturday afternoon (and maybe longer?), it's quite a shock to my system. It is even more shocking when Saturday is one of my two days off work, a day when I want to relax and do whatever I want. Without electricity I'm finding that "whatever I want" part fairly difficult.
Luckily I had most of my portable devices charged up, so staying in contact with Colleen, playing DS, and of course writing this blog entry, have proven to be minor distractions that keep me in some semblance of my normal routine. Unfortunately, as I write this, we are in hour four of our powerless situation, with no idea how much longer we will be in the dark. I'm in a decent situation, actually - I have the luxury of being able to go to Bowling Green to stay in a nice, cool apartment with Colleen. My parents are not so lucky. We are short of running water and cooling, so it's hotter than hell in our house right now; it'll be hell to sleep tonight.
But then again, I've spent most of the afternoon outside with Elli, which has been rather fun. I've been balancing playing outside with playing my DS, and these things have kept me from going too insane. I do wish I could do the things I wanted to today, namely some software development and World of Warcraft.
But all in all, being without electricity for so long isn't as terrible as I thought it would be, and although much of our food will go bad soon and our toilet doesn't work, I'm enjoying the absolute peace and quiet that accompanies our power-free situation.
Out.
It's been told again and again how different your life can feel when a "core" is taken away... such as my current situation: having no electricity.
Every aspect of my life revolves around electricity: my computers, gaming, cell phones, music, writing (I always write on a computer), et cetra. So for the power to be out for an entire Saturday afternoon (and maybe longer?), it's quite a shock to my system. It is even more shocking when Saturday is one of my two days off work, a day when I want to relax and do whatever I want. Without electricity I'm finding that "whatever I want" part fairly difficult.
Luckily I had most of my portable devices charged up, so staying in contact with Colleen, playing DS, and of course writing this blog entry, have proven to be minor distractions that keep me in some semblance of my normal routine. Unfortunately, as I write this, we are in hour four of our powerless situation, with no idea how much longer we will be in the dark. I'm in a decent situation, actually - I have the luxury of being able to go to Bowling Green to stay in a nice, cool apartment with Colleen. My parents are not so lucky. We are short of running water and cooling, so it's hotter than hell in our house right now; it'll be hell to sleep tonight.
But then again, I've spent most of the afternoon outside with Elli, which has been rather fun. I've been balancing playing outside with playing my DS, and these things have kept me from going too insane. I do wish I could do the things I wanted to today, namely some software development and World of Warcraft.
But all in all, being without electricity for so long isn't as terrible as I thought it would be, and although much of our food will go bad soon and our toilet doesn't work, I'm enjoying the absolute peace and quiet that accompanies our power-free situation.
Out.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
New Calendar!
Slowly but surely I'm beginning to establish my new online identity, and I'm almost able to begin rolling out some new changes (new blog template, Facebook profile, etc.).
Today I am introducing my new Google Calendar. The link is provided on the sidebar of Critically Correct.
Unlike my old calendar, the new one is embedded in a seperate web page, which allows me to control the content displayed rather easily from back-end controls withing my Google Account. Also, I'll eventually be incorporating more features into the embedded calendar (hence the need for my own web page to host it).
All in all, I still update my calendar weekly, sometimes daily, and plan to use it as my primary means of approximating my daily schedule.
Out.
Today I am introducing my new Google Calendar. The link is provided on the sidebar of Critically Correct.
Unlike my old calendar, the new one is embedded in a seperate web page, which allows me to control the content displayed rather easily from back-end controls withing my Google Account. Also, I'll eventually be incorporating more features into the embedded calendar (hence the need for my own web page to host it).
All in all, I still update my calendar weekly, sometimes daily, and plan to use it as my primary means of approximating my daily schedule.
Out.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
The Personal Blog, Perhaps Tomorrow?
I read quite a few blogs during my day. From highly commercial blogs such as Kotaky, Engadget, and Gizmodo, to personal blogs written by my friends, I cover a little bit of everything in a day.
Looking at just those blogs written by my friends, however, I've noticed something: in our little circle of personal blogs, mine is the least personal. While I began Critically Correct with a focus on blogging my personal life to the world, I've grown apart from that methodology in the last year. This certainly has to do with audience: I've seen visitor numbers increase when I post a special feature or two from time to time, while little is noticed when I post to rant, complain, or debrief the world on my daily, sluggish routine. Honestly, I have a ton of things to say about my personal life, but I suppose that I'm also becoming more "old fashioned" in many ways... that is, what's personal is mine and not yours, so you don't need to know about it. In other words, I keep what's mine to myself, and share only that which is worth reading or scrutinizing in a public setting. I wouldn't write anything on Critically Correct that I wouldn't verbally say in a room full of strangers.
I sometimes wonder if this is the right approach for Critically Correct. Afterall, my readership is not that large, and I could get away with detailing some of my personal life without feeling too terribly violated.
Still, for the time being Critically Correct will focus mainly on events, summaries, articles, and techno-geek babble that I run across in my life, with the occasional feature thrown in for good measure.
B3 out.
Looking at just those blogs written by my friends, however, I've noticed something: in our little circle of personal blogs, mine is the least personal. While I began Critically Correct with a focus on blogging my personal life to the world, I've grown apart from that methodology in the last year. This certainly has to do with audience: I've seen visitor numbers increase when I post a special feature or two from time to time, while little is noticed when I post to rant, complain, or debrief the world on my daily, sluggish routine. Honestly, I have a ton of things to say about my personal life, but I suppose that I'm also becoming more "old fashioned" in many ways... that is, what's personal is mine and not yours, so you don't need to know about it. In other words, I keep what's mine to myself, and share only that which is worth reading or scrutinizing in a public setting. I wouldn't write anything on Critically Correct that I wouldn't verbally say in a room full of strangers.
I sometimes wonder if this is the right approach for Critically Correct. Afterall, my readership is not that large, and I could get away with detailing some of my personal life without feeling too terribly violated.
Still, for the time being Critically Correct will focus mainly on events, summaries, articles, and techno-geek babble that I run across in my life, with the occasional feature thrown in for good measure.
B3 out.
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