the pod bay door

¦¦Earlier today, my browser (IE6.whatever) was “hijacked” by another website, searchex.com. (NOTE: DON’T go there!) The result was, whenever I opened my browser, it would default to the searchex homepage. Bastards. Anyway, I searched for a solution, and found it at Spywareinfo.com. This could happen to you at any time. I’d recommend you go to the site, which has good suggestions for preventing, fixing and removing a hijack. Among the programs recommended are SpyBot Search and Destroy, BHODemon, and Hijack This. I was running AdAware 5.0, unaware that it had been upgraded to 6.0.

I’ve created a Spyware/Scumware section on the computer page of my website. If you know of other good spyware/scumware programs, please let me know.

¦¦I saw Confessions of a Dangerous Mind this afternoon, based on Chuck Barris‘s autobiography. Whether or not he did kill 33 people for the CIA may never be known, but the movie works well, anchored by Sam Rockwell‘s outstanding performance.
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This was a good weekend, a sad weekend. Sad because of the space shuttle tragedy. Good because I spent time on Saturday night having fun with friends, ate a damn fine dim sum today, saw The Pianist, the amazing new movie from Roman Polanksi (note: site is in French), and enjoyed a 90 minute full-body massage on Saturday afternoon. The weather warmed up as well, making life easier to take for a change.

The Pianist is based on the true story of Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, who lived in Warsaw at the time of the German occupation in WWII. He escapes deportation to the death camps, lives for a time in the Warsaw ghetto, and then escapes, living in the ruins of the city until the war’s end. The movie features a career performance by New York actor Adrien Brody, in the title role. Attention to detail is meticulous, especially scenes of deserted neighbourhoods in Warsaw, devestated by bombs and artillery. It was in such a neighbourhood that Szpilman hid to survive.
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Fans of the Tolkien series, Lord of the Rings, are predictably upset over the news that a new character, outside of the Tolkien universe, has been added to the final movie, The Return of the King. I’m wondering if this is a move to generate even more dollars at the box office in December 2003. Personally, I think Peter Jackson and George Lucas have gone just a bit too far this time.

Do you live in Canada, and watched the Super Bowl last Sunday, missing all the US commercials because the Canadian stations refused to run them, being the dorks that they are? You can watch the ads here.

I saw two recent films this weekend: Chicago and Frida. I enjoyed both of them. To appreciate and enjoy Chicago, go knowing in advance that you will see musical numbers every ten minutes. Richard Gere, Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones do their own singing and dancing in the film, and it is very impressive. The production numbers are outstanding, with the best being one in which Gere plays a ventriloquist with Zellweger as his “dummy”, and the press gallery are puppets – it’s a brilliant presentation and delivery. The only negative thing I can say is that the website Sucks Big Time.

Frida explores the life of Frida Kahlo, a controversial Mexican painter who was twice married to Diego Rivera. In 1925 she was in a bus accident that injured her severely. She had many operations, body casts, corsets, etc. She poured her soul into painting, was determined to walk again, and eventually approached the famous Rivera for criticism. It was a defining moment in both their lives, and the movie follows her life from that point onwards. Salma Hayek gives the performance of her career, and she is surrounded by an excellent supporting cast, including Alfred Molina as Rivera, Geoffrey Rush as Leon Trotsky, and appearances by Edward Norton, Saffron Burrows, Ashley Judd, Antonio Banderas, Mia Maestro, and Valeria Golino. Highly recommended.

We have had a month of cold, snowy weather. But when I stepped outside to drive to the theatre to see Frida, it was -10C and raining! I drove there, fighting the rain on my windshield, which kept turning to ice as it hit. I used all my windshield antifreeze to keep said windshielf clear until I got there.

The tennis elbow condition in my right arm is still bothering me considerably. I’m doing exercises with a 5 pound weight, and will visit the physical therapist again next Thursday. Acupuncture and cortisone shot may happen next.

Check out the trailer for Kill Bill the forthcoming Quentin Tarantino movie. It’s very cool.

Just returned from the fascinating movie Narc. A suspended narcotics officer is asked to participate in the investigation of the murder of a police officer. Ray Liotta plays the slain policeman’s partner, and Jason Patric is the suspended officer assigned to the case. Not your typical buddy movie by any stretch of the imagination.

Yesterday at the Power Plant, in the midst of our giddiness, we tried inventing new band names. The one that had us laughing the most was Botox Nutsack. Have you invented any good band names?