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URL ABCs

These are my URL ABCs:

28.04.2005 klo 08:18 | Comments 1 comment(s) | TrackBack (0)

Pieces of April and The Last Horror Movie

Pieces of April didn't look too impressive based on the cover, but turned out to be a real indie movie gem. Good actors combined with a heart-warming story worked out fine. The story is rather typical Thanksgiving family reunion, but with enough twist and edge to make it interesting. There's a dash of seriousness and even black comedy to balance out the sweetness of the theme. It's certainly the best Thanksgiving movie I've seen.

The Last Horror Movie tries to be a different horror movie and succeeds ok. A serial killer documents his killings while chatting pleasantly with the camera. Much of the goodness of the movie comes from the persona of Kevin Howarth, who plays the lead role. There's plenty of grim humour and it all adds up to, indeed, different kind of movie. Despite its silliness, the end of the movie succeeds in creating an unpleasant feeling, thanks to Howarth's fine acting.

24.04.2005 klo 13:01 | Be the first to comment | TrackBack (0)

OpenOffice file format

I thought I'd take a look in my OpenOffice files, having heard that the programs use a XML format for the files. I was met with binary rubbish, but I quickly noticed a familiar beginning: this is a Zip file.

Try unzipping an OpenOffice file and you'll find not just one but actually several XML files. For example, a chapter of my master's thesis includes five XML files: there's content, style, meta, settings and a manifest. Meta, for example, contains Dublin Core metadata and statistics like page, paragraph, word and character counts - useful, perhaps? Content has the contents of the file, neatly placed in >p< tags.

The same format is used for presentations and spreadsheets, even for vector art! Everything is described in detail: which element goes where. If you embed something in your document, there's a new object in the file with the same XML files for it. How clever!

There's a project dedicated to the OpenOffice file format. If you're interested, see OpenOffice.org XML File Format. It's certainly a very elegant and a modern approach to creating a file format.

21.04.2005 klo 16:16 | Be the first to comment | TrackBack (0)

Nintendo DS

I've had my Nintendo DS for week or two now. My game collection has grown to three titles already. I bought Polarium with the DS and ordered Zoo Keeper from Play at the same time. Recently I got Project Rub as a gift.

I like it. I really do. Johanna bought Game Boy Advance last year and that was a bit of a disappointment, we've had fairly little use for it. DS is different. Of course, it's a lot to do with the games. Zoo Keeper is such a gem that it's alone a reason good enough to buy DS. It's the new Tetris.

I like what they've done with DS. Two screens and touching beats PSP's beautiful wide screen display, as they offer so much more when it comes to new and unique ideas and exciting gameplay. I'm no tech geek - I don't mind how much processor power the machines have. I'm happy with more. It's great that DS can run Nintendo 64 games, where GBA could do Super Nintendo. But more power is only going to make better graphics possible. More polygons doesn't equal better gameplay.

I have high expectations for upcoming Nintendo DS titles. There'll be some really original DS-exclusive games; I just hope they make it all the way from Japan to Finland. In the worst case scenario the stores will be full of the average crap ported from other platforms with no DS-specific stuff.

14.04.2005 klo 09:26 | Comments 1 comment(s) | TrackBack (0)

Amityville Horror

From the boring selection in the local video rental shop, we chose Amityville Horror. It's a horror movie from 1979 and a classic of some kind. Nothing quite like the big 1970's horror movies like The Exorcist, though, even though it has the same Catholic horror element and it's even based on a true story.

A house haunted by the devil himself is a good case for a horror movie, but Amityville Horror didn't quite make it. The horrors are developed slowly and quite well, really, but it's just too slow. Worst part is the end, which leaves a hole where the climax should be. The end is simply boring.

Of course it ends the way it ends, because it's based on a true story. The accompanying documentary was actually more interesting. I hadn't heard of the story before, but here's the story: a bloody murder of six is done in a house and the new owners experience strange horrors.

The documentary featured experts of the spiritual, claiming the authenticity of the events or throwing dirt on each other. There's money and fame involved, as well as personal attacks and revenges. I don't believe a word the psychics say, but what happened in the house is an interesting mystery. Later owners of the house say it's a pretty nice house, except for the intruding fans of the books and the movie.

Interesting case, but a boring movie.

11.04.2005 klo 16:04 | Be the first to comment | TrackBack (0)