Some Recent Viewing / Reading

[Troy Spiral (13)]

The Founding Fathers (4 parts) (DVD Documentary)

Interesting & simple summary of The Founding. (Roughly 1760 to 1800)

Definitely very watered down if your into such things. If your unfamiliar with this era this makes an easy introduction to it. It covers the key personalties of the founding as expected: Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, John Adams, Thomas Paine , Sam Adams. Etc.

I'd suggest the series "Liberty!" over this one if you are looking for a "starter" documentary. Then watch this one afterward as a nice summary (with different emphasis)

The Supreme Court (4 parts) (DVD Documentary)

This thing is great. Should be at the top of every netflix queue. (as with all documentaries i suggest watching each episode twice before continuing)

An Inconvenient Truth (DVD Documentary)

I was expecting some sort of hardcore anti-bush pro-democrats stuff but its just not here. This is just a kick-ass documentary covering the subject of global warming in a VERY FAIR way contary to popular spin on this thing.

Highly recommended. If you have netflix , this comes before any entertainment crap you have on your list.

Unprecedented: The 2000 Election (tons of DVD extras which should be viewed as part of the movie itself)

Not up to the production quality of some documentaries but an amazing study in how elections are run (and undermined) and how little the american public gives a fuck. I'd also put this one on a required-viewing for all American citizens list.

The Fabric Of The Cosmos by Brian Greene (book)

This is a Cosmology book... that is, the study of the structure and nature of the universe. Arguably the most important subject of them all. I'm an avid reader of these things. (but i would recommend you watch some Cosmology documentaries and get to know them very well before trying to read a book about the subject)

Brain is the narrator of the amazing "Elegant Universe" PBS series. This book definitely is not an easy-read. Supposedly it was written because Brian's mother said "I just couldn't understand it" of his previous book. So, he wrote this one as an easier to understand "history of our understanding of the universe". I don't think its easy at all though, and i am pretty well read on such subjects.

Its not a bad book, its just a lot more difficult to grasp than is necessary. But if you do manage to bust through it, and remember it, its a far more solid coverage of the basics of cosmology than any of Steven J. Hawkings books. (I've read them all post "A Brief History Of Time" except for the "Illustrated Brief History Of Time.")

[Sybil]

Have you read/subscribed to the online "Democracy NOW!" site?

Its pretty intense.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Wow. Yeah i do listen to the radio stream of Democracy Now. I originally heard about it via a (very long article) called

"Amy Goodman's Empire" a few years ago which explains how it got started and such:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050523/ratner

They really are a little bit to far into the "conspiracy theory" camp i think. But, they do a better job of fair reporting than most of what is on Fox news. Its a good thing that such things exist, and that they are available on the Internet for people who would otherwise have no access to it at all.

The problem with ALL political news i think is just our general lack of understanding of the world and how politics, and the U.S. government is structured. Fully understanding that such We all got short changed in the education system for the most part. (which we can make up for with documentaries/articles and such)

Political "News" is somewhat meaningless in a lot of cases when we don't have an understanding of the structure/context in which that news exists. Most of the news makes a lot more sense once you understand how government / laws and such actually function or how things came to be the way they are now.

Sort of like getting news about the latest advances in say... astrophysics. If we don't have a clue about the basics of astro phsyics , the "news" about it, wont have nearly the impact that it would if we actually understood the basics of it.

[hellequin]

I recently watched and read the book that inspired it: "enron: the smartest guys in the room". It was great. I think I watched it 5 times before taking it back to the store. the book is much more detailed, but it could have been written and organized better. sharon watkin's book about enron read much better. (the whistle blower)

I also liked "Who killed the Electric Car?" Well, Ok, i did grimace when ed bagley jr. was on... but it was fascinating.

Have you seen "Grizzly Man"? It was really interesting and I learned to never treat a grizzly bear like your yorshire terrier puppy. Bad things happen when you do that.

"Born into Brothels" was an excellent doc also. I was balling at the end of it, but it was a good thing.

"The Corporation" was interesting. They actually interviewed highlevel people working at some of the businesses they profiled. So you get the other side of the story too. It was cool.

When i got laid off, I cancelled Netflix. I regret it, since I end up going to Blocksuckster. Oh well, some day i'll restart my account.

Detroit has a documentary film festival every year.

detroit doc info

they're accepting submissions now. This is the only link I could find at the moment. I went the first year (I had a doc I made shown). It was a lot of fun and they get submissions from all over the world. A lot of the film makers show up to take questions also.

Just FYI

[hellequin]

detroit docs website

found it!

[Sybil]

I recently watched and read the book that inspired it: "enron: the smartest guys in the room". It was great. I think I watched it 5 times before taking it back to the store. the book is much more detailed, but it could have been written and organized better. sharon watkin's book about enron read much better. (the whistle blower)

I also liked "Who killed the Electric Car?" Well, Ok, i did grimace when ed bagley jr. was on... but it was fascinating.

Have you seen "Grizzly Man"? It was really interesting and I learned to never treat a grizzly bear like your yorshire terrier puppy. Bad things happen when you do that.

"Born into Brothels" was an excellent doc also. I was balling at the end of it, but it was a good thing.

"The Corporation" was interesting. They actually interviewed highlevel people working at some of the businesses they profiled. So you get the other side of the story too. It was cool.

When i got laid off, I cancelled Netflix. I regret it, since I end up going to Blocksuckster. Oh well, some day i'll restart my account.

Detroit has a documentary film festival every year.

detroit doc info

they're accepting submissions now. This is the only link I could find at the moment. I went the first year (I had a doc I made shown). It was a lot of fun and they get submissions from all over the world. A lot of the film makers show up to take questions also.

Just FYI

"Grizzly Man"?!?!?!?!?!

**gets chills**

I can only imagine..

You should elaborate...

As soon as I read this I thought of a special I saw recently about a man who spent A VERY LONG time with wolves.. He became the leader of their wolf pack. they licked his wounds till they healed ...

Very touching tale.

I am actually right now, AS I TYPE this, packing some belongings to go and do the same thing.

I feel its good to do these mindless things.

I dont think we should read anymore.

We should watch tv and follow others.

..into the wild..

..to live with....

..the wolves.....

**blinks fast and looks over at Troy, and waits...**

[Troy Spiral (13)]

I recently watched and read the book that inspired it: "enron: the smartest guys in the room". It was great. I think I watched it 5 times before taking it back to the store. the book is much more detailed, but it could have been written and organized better. sharon watkin's book about enron read much better. (the whistle blower)

I also liked "Who killed the Electric Car?" Well, Ok, i did grimace when ed bagley jr. was on... but it was fascinating.

Have you seen "Grizzly Man"? It was really interesting and I learned to never treat a grizzly bear like your yorshire terrier puppy. Bad things happen when you do that.

"Born into Brothels" was an excellent doc also. I was balling at the end of it, but it was a good thing.

"The Corporation" was interesting. They actually interviewed highlevel people working at some of the businesses they profiled. So you get the other side of the story too. It was cool.

When i got laid off, I cancelled Netflix. I regret it, since I end up going to Blocksuckster. Oh well, some day i'll restart my account.

Detroit has a documentary film festival every year.

detroit doc info

they're accepting submissions now. This is the only link I could find at the moment. I went the first year (I had a doc I made shown). It was a lot of fun and they get submissions from all over the world. A lot of the film makers show up to take questions also.

Just FYI

detroit docs website

found it!

yeah i actually have seen Born Into Brothels, The Corporation and Who Killed The Electric Car.

All basically based on Netflix recommending them to me based on my reviews. I had not heard of this "grizzly man" thing until just now though. Typically i tend not to favor the "human interest" type stuff, and prefer more sweeping subjects. (snobby? not sure lol)

Blockbuster? Bad girl!! Hell renting just a handful of videos the old fashion way costs more than a netflix subscription. You could get the blockbuster version of netflix.. but from almost all the reviews , unless you "need" the brick and mortar part of blockbuster, say netflix is better for speed and/or selection.

I wasn't aware of the Detroit Documentary festival thing. Wow. Neat.

[hellequin]

Grizzly Man

Let's just say the Grizzly Bears did in fact lick his wounds clean.... off his body. It was a very disturbing documentary and I also think the film maker did a good job in NOT making Timothty Treadwell out to be a sane saint. Granted, he was also smart enough to give the man dignity for his life and death.

You never see the footage of Timothy and his girlfriend being mauled to death. (Tim's camera was on during the whole event, but the lens cap was on also. So the both of them can be heard, but not seen on the tape. Thank God.) You do see Wernor Herzog, the filmmaker, listening to the tape and his reaction was more than enough for me. (The tape is never played in the documentary. Phew).

*shiver*

I was left with disgust and awe for the bears. And also respect enough to want to stay as far away from any wild animal. I'll leave it to the experts and, in my opinion, Timothy was not an expert. He had HUGE ass problems. Even his foundation, Grizzly People, says to stay 100 yards away from bears.

Anyhoo, i did really like it. There were lots of lessons in there about how to treat and think and deal with wild animals. And I inferred that if things get really shitty for me, i'd rather go to a shrink and talk out my problems and be put on medications rather than moving into the wilderness and treating killing machines like puppies. Just one person's perspective though.

DetroitDocs

I believe one of my old film teachers is now running the festival, so I don't know if it will be any different or better or worse than what it was when i went. But Jack is a great guy and really has passion for documentaries and experimental film. He is also an excellent teacher. Check out the DFC if youre interested in taking classes in film making. I havent taken classes there, but I've heard great things about it and Jack use to be a part of it. I don't know if he still is. I believe he is running the video department at OCC now. So if you are going to OCC, check out any class out by Jack Cronin.

Blockbuster

OH GOD. I know. i really should start netflix back up, but i'm trying to not have any more monthly payments than i have to (I'm still unemployed and looking for work). I actually downloaded "the riches" off of itunes on saturday and watched the first season. I think if i want to watch anything, I'm going to buy it on amazon, watch it and then sell it back over amazon. It's usually worth it for documentaries or whole seasons of TV shows because I can never find what i'm looking for at blocksuckster anyway and I've usually, after all is said and done, only spend around $5 bucks on the whole seasons of TV shows. It's a pain in the ass, but i have plenty of time to wait and then reship now anyhoo. *shrug*

[Troy Spiral (13)]

OH GOD. I know. i really should start netflix back up, but i'm trying to not have any more monthly payments than i have to (I'm still unemployed and looking for work). I actually downloaded "the riches" off of itunes on saturday and watched the first season. I think if i want to watch anything, I'm going to buy it on amazon, watch it and then sell it back over amazon. It's usually worth it for documentaries or whole seasons of TV shows because I can never find what i'm looking for at blocksuckster anyway and I've usually, after all is said and done, only spend around $5 bucks on the whole seasons of TV shows. It's a pain in the ass, but i have plenty of time to wait and then reship now anyhoo. *shrug*

Buy a cheap DVD Burner. Rent it off netflix, copy it, send it back. My 350+ DVD collection cant be wrong.

Wait.. wait.. DAMN DOG TYPING AGAIN I WOULD NEVER DO SUCH A THING... bad dog bad bad!! Shoo! No computer for you *pushes his dog buddy away from keyboard* Bastard is a DGN addict, always getting me in trouble. Bad dog!!

[hellequin]

Buy a cheap DVD Burner. Rent it off netflix, copy it, send it back. My 350+ DVD collection cant be wrong.

Wait.. wait.. DAMN DOG TYPING AGAIN I WOULD NEVER DO SUCH A THING... bad dog bad bad!! Shoo! No computer for you *pushes his dog buddy away from keyboard* Bastard is a DGN addict, always getting me in trouble. Bad dog!!

LOL

i don't have a lot of room at my place. it is itsy. plus, more stuff just means more stuff to take care of, clean and move when its time to move. oh! the horror! the responsibility! i can't breathe! *gasp*gasp* take it away! take all this crap away!!! the walls are closing in on me! AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!

[Troy Spiral (13)]

"more stuff to clean/move when its time to move" I'm scared. Lol. Your not on the lamb are you? *shudder*

The blank DVDs , turned into "real" dvds are perfect for saving space, unless you really have NO space, but having lived in a 1 room efficiency with a girlfriend that took up every last bit of space with her shoes and beauty crap, there was still space for DVDs heh. This also saves money, as after awhile you start watching older ones that you liked rather than getting new ones.

You buy them in stacks of 100 so they work out to be dirt cheap and store them the same way they come.

100 dvds stacked up on a spindle, just makes a coaster-sized vertical cylinder. about 500 DVDs stored this way would fit, on top of a normal cable box or DVD player. (just as an example) I've been at this a few years now and still don't have 500 of them. (i have mine on the top shelf in my closet) but they really don't take up hardly any space.

By comparison the ones in a store-bought box take up massive room after you get a 100 or so. Even if you put them in binders, they really don't take up much space.

Just a suggestion.

[hellequin]

thanks for the suggestions.

i'm a bit of a minimalist. i try to be practical about it. i've worked hard on that "owning" instinct us humans seem to think is necessary. i've also found that if i buy or keep movies, I just don't watch them past the first viewing. they sit on a shelf or in a closet or in a cabinet and just collect dust. then if i get around to cleaning, it's just more stuff to clean. plus, i only and on very rare occaisons go back and rewatch movies i've already seen, unless i really, really, really, really like them and i just don't have the energy to read or play video games or talk to friends. then most likely, i just go to bed, which is why i am now waking up at 530 in the morning. either that or i watch harry potter. Because i'm a geek.

I'd go and get that pack of a 100 DVDs but that would mean that i would have to go to a store, spend money on the DVDs, come back home, spend money on renting the movies, spend time copying the movies. go back to the store and get a folder for the movies. put the folder in the closet or underneath my computer desk because i have just enough stuff at my place and any more just seems like clutter. and then never watch any of the movies that i've spent all this time copying and spending money on.

it just seems like work. *stretch* can't i just watch the movie? oh, and libraries are now carrying DVDs. i love the library. ben franklin was so smart and had cool glasses. and apparently he was a bit of a lady's man. how cool is that?

oh.. and what happens when the DVD format is changed. (blu Ray) i know so many people who are still holding onto their vhs collection and now they have a dvd collection. or they throw away their vhs collection and start all over with dvds. either way.. it's just stuff. stuff. stuff. and more stuff. let's rent a storage place and put our stuff in an air conditioned controlled atmosphere. can't have our stuff going bad now can we?

bleck. did i say bleck? ... bleck. it's just a pebble that starts an avalanche. ... of stuff. i'd rather spend my time talking to friends. working out. volunteering somewhere. cleaning out my belly button lint. oh yeah and trying to find a job.

this just makes me think of consumption. not the disease, but the american way of life... which leads me back to:

Super size me!

Wheee!!! i loved it! you?

Paperclips

it wasn't the most well made documentary. and it could have been a lot shorter. i got the point after a half hour. but oh well. it was still an excellent example of how a southern school decided to teach their students about the halocaust. one paper clip for every person killed in concentration camps in europe. it's an amazing story because of all the different types of people who sent them paper clips for their collection. from all over the world too. thank god i dont have to take care of those paperclips. *shiver*