How to ride a dead horse

From an email recently sent to me:

The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, passed on from generation to generation, says that, “When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.” However, in government, education, and in corporate America, more advanced strategies are often employed, such as:
1. Buying a stronger whip.

2. Changing riders.

3. Appointing a committee to study the dead horse.

4. Arranging to visit other countries to see how other cultures ride dead horses.

5. Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included.

6. Reclassifying the dead horse as living-impaired.

7. Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse.

8. Harnessing several dead horses together to increase speed.

9. Providing additional funding and/or training to increase the dead horse’s performance.

10. Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would improve the dead horse’s performance.

11. Declaring that as the dead horse – does not have to be fed, – it is less costly, – carries lower overhead and – therefore contributes substantially more to the bottom line of the economy than do some other horses.

12. Rewriting the expected performance requirements for all horses. And of course the favorite…. and most prevalent…

13. Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position

Does the $700 Canon Rebel T1i really shoot better HD video than $2700 Canon 5D?

You be the judge. Comparison video of HD recordings from the new Canon Rebel T1i/500D 15MP single lens reflex camera as compared to the Canon 5D Mark II released in September of 2008. Both cameras were set side by side, shooting the same subjects with similar lenses.

Car Logo Ripoffs from Around the World.

The Chinese have long been known for their ability to duplicate products and technologies in record time and bring them to market faster and more cheaply than any established manufacturer could ever dream. But whereas we may only see the Chinese as the great product knock-off  artists that they are, we often overlook other countries’ abilities when it comes to the fine art of the R&D (Rip-off & Duplicate) as is demonstrated by these fine car logo creations from around the world (but mostly China).

BMW (Bavaria) vs.  BYD (China).

Lamborghini (Italy) vs. Arash (UK)

Mazda (Japan) vs. Haima (China)

Aston Martin (England) vs. Hyundai Genesis (Korea)

Toyota (Japan) vs. Changan(China)

Toyota (Japan) vs. Jincheng, (China)

Toyota(Japan) vs. Xiali (China)

Toyota (Japan) vs. Merry (China)

Infinity (Japan) vs. Chery (China)

Infinity (Japan) vs. Suzhou (China)

Infinity (Japan) vs.  Huaxiang (China)

Mercedes (Germany) vs.  BAW (China)

Oldsmobile (USA) vs. Mahindra (India)

Oldsmobile (USA) vs. First Auto Works (China)

Subaru (Japan) vs. Jiangnan, (China)

Pegaso (Spain) vs. Carlsson (Germany)

Jeep vs. Geep (The Philippines)

Goodbye 2008.

Goodbye 2008., originally uploaded by ^[theforrester]^.

…Hello opportunity. Self portrait: 1 Canon 430ex speedlite behind me bounced off the wall to the left of the camera

99 Ways to make money doing photography.

I have been taking pictures for a long time, and over the years I’ve learnt a lot and have hopefully gotten better – at least I’d like to think so [laugh] but recently I decided to convert my passion into my business. Where did I start:

– Making sure I had a the (affordable – thank you Ebay) equipment to cover a wide range of photography challenges

– Created a photography website and blog (using WordPress ofcourse)

– Put together a list of all the ways I could make money as a photographer (see the list below – largely taken from howtoadvice.com)

– Made a list of all the marketing opportunities I could think of

99 Ways to make money doing photography.

SPECIAL EVENTS

1. Photograph local vocational school graduates

2. Wedding photographer

3. Photograph large parties

4. Photograph at banquets

5. Prom and graduation photos

6. Photograph fashion shows

7. Photograph trade shows

8. Wedding videos

9. Photograph grand openings & launches

10. Photograph local performances

11. Commencement day photographs

PEOPLE

12. Take pictures of people mounted on a horse

13. Make Polaroid pictures of seamen going abroad

14. Take pictures of people wearing special costumes

15. Photograph people on a fancy motorcycle

16. Take pictures of people in nightclubs

17. Take pictures on the beach

18. Antique photo shop – produce 1890’s type portraits for the “nostalgic crazy”

19. Take I.D. photos

20. Take passport photos

21. Specialize in legal photography

22. Produce community yearbooks

23. Produce company year books

24. Produce composites for models, actors and actresses

25. Photo fund raising

26. Take slow-motion sports film for athletes

27. Take executive portraits

28. Photograph children on a pony

29. Take portraits of children in department stores or malls

30. A day in a child’s life – an album of 30 pictures

31. School photography

32. Santa Claus portraits

33. Traveling industrial photographer

34. Illustrate manufacturers’ sales manuals and catalogs

35. Illustrate manufactures’ sales manuals and catalogs

36. Public relation photos for business

37. Photograph store fronts

38. Produce progress photos on construction sites

39. Real estate photography

40. Produce illustrated promotional brochures for business firms, hotels, etc.

41. Interior decorator’s photographer

42. Photograph in-store merchandise displays

ON THE ROAD

43. Foreign fashion photography for textile and fashion manufacturers

44. Photograph tourists in famous places

45. Summer camp photographer

46. Roving festival photographer

47. Sell scenic prints to gift shops and hotels

48. Offer personalized vacation photo packages to resort clients

49. Sell slide shows of interesting places or subjects

50. Build a mobile portrait studio in a trailer or van

51. Be a slide-show lecturer on different subjects and geographic locations

MAKING NOVELTIES

52. Candid key chain photos

53. Photo stamps

54. Color postcards for hotels or resorts

55. Exceptional color scenes for calendar printers

56. Personalized Christmas cards – with family portraits or photos of family home

57. Photo buttons

58. Photographs on coffee mugs

59. Photographs on shirts

60. Imprint a photograph of a child on the face of her doll

61. Photo sculptures

62. Bookends adorned with any desired photographic subject

63. Decorative photo plaques

64. Personalized photo matchbooks

65. Instant personal postcards by gluing Polaroid shots to blank postcards

66. Stationery imprinted with personal portraits

67. Custom calendars

SERVICES

68. A microfilming service

69. Photo duplicating service

70. Slide duplicating service

71. Restoring old photos

72. Producing filmstrips

73. Duplicating negatives to sell

74. Slide-titling service

75. Making offset negatives and plates

76. Collecting old photos to make into books

77. Making photomurals

78. Retouching service

79. Custom photo lab

80. Blowing up photos, on the spot

81. Photo oil portraits

82. Selling prints to photo agencies

83. Camera rental

84. Camera exchange

85. Repairing cameras

86. Teaching photography

MISCELLANEOUS

87. Making postcards

88. Publicity photography

89. Photographic essays for various publications

90. T.V. news freelancing

91. Selling news photos

92. Taking and selling peculiar photos

93. Selling local photos for travel magazines

94. Aerial photography

95. Documentary film making

96. Photos of human interest

97. Composing photo guides for tourists

98. Photographing accidents for lawyers and insurance companies

99. Photographing parades

Top 200 Biggest Box Office Bombs. Wost movies with respect to Box Office Gross.

The big movie houses are always quick to tout their latest celebathonic box office hits, never do they ever speak of those movies that were “Box Office Bombs”. By definition a Box Office Bomb is a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue recovered by the movie studio (especially with reference to U.S. gross – as several times movie studios sell international distribution rights to other companies.)

Sorted by % Gross of the Budget

Title	Year	Budget	U.S. Gross	% of budget
Zyzzyx Road	2006	$2,000,000	$30	<0.1%
Scorched	2003	$7,000,000	$8,000	0.10%
D-Tox	2002	$55,000,000	$79,161	0.10%
Freaked	1993	$12,000,000	$29,296	0.20%
The Bridge of San Luis Rey	2005	$24,000,000	$49,981	0.20%
Nomad	2007	$40,000,000	$79,123	0.20%
My Big Fat Independent Movie	2005	$3,000,000	$4,655	0.20%
The Hottie and the Nottie	2008	$9,000,000	$27,696	0.30%
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn	1998	$10,000,000	$45,779	0.50%
Manderlay	2006	$14,200,000	$78,378	0.60%
Mini’s First Time	2006	$6,000,000	$49,034	0.80%
No Good Deed	2003	$12,000,000	$181,600	1.50%
Idiocracy	2006	$30,000,000	$444,000	1.50%
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker	2006	$40,000,000	$659,210	1.60%
Southland Tales	2007	$15,000,000	$275,380	1.80%
Ride with the Devil	1999	$35,000,000	$630,779	1.80%
Lolita	1997	$58,000,000	$1,060,056	1.80%
The Game of Their Lives	2005	$20,000,000	$375,750	1.90%
Head	1968	$750,000	$16,111	2.10%
Love’s Labour’s Lost	2000	$13,000,000	$299,792	2.30%
A Sound of Thunder	2005	$80,000,000	$1,900,451	2.40%
The Statement	2003	$27,000,000	$765,637	2.80%
Monument Ave.	1998	$11,000,000	$333,760	3.00%
Until the End of the World	1991	$23,000,000	$829,625	3.60%
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer	2006	$60,000,000	$2,208,939	3.70%
Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland	1992	$35,000,000	$1,368,000	3.90%
Pirates	1986	$40,000,000	$1,641,825	4.10%
The Adventures of Pluto Nash	2002	$100,000,000	$4,411,102	4.40%
The Caveman’s Valentine	2001	$13,500,000	$687,194	5.10%
Waterloo	1970	$25,000,000	$1,400,000	5.60%
Cats Don’t Dance	1997	$60,000,000	$3,566,637	5.90%
Swept Away	2002	$10,000,000	$598,645	6.00%
Cassandra’s Dream	2008	$15,000,000	$973,018	6.50%
Monkeybone	2001	$75,000,000	$5,000,000	6.70%
Stay	2005	$50,000,000	$3,626,883	7.30%
Town & Country	2001	$90,000,000	$6,810,050	7.60%
Slow Burn	2007	$15,500,000	$1,237,615	7.90%
Heaven’s Gate	1980	$44,000,000	$3,484,331	7.90%
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale	2008	$60,000,000	$4,775,656	8.00%
The Oh in Ohio	2006	$5,000,000	$418,689	8.30%
Bee Season	2005	$14,000,000	$1,180,560	8.40%
Basic Instinct 2	2006	$70,000,000	$5,946,136	8.50%
Cradle Will Rock	1999	$32,000,000	$2,899,970	8.70%
A Dirty Shame	2004	$15,000,000	$1,339,668	8.90%
Dirty	2006	$3,000,000	$274,245	9.10%
Bloodrayne	2006	$25,000,000	$2,405,420	9.60%
September Dawn	2007	$11,000,000	$1,066,555	9.70%
The Stupids	1996	$25,000,000	$2,415,593	9.70%
The Molly Maguires	1970	$11,000,000	$1,100,000	10.00%
Can’t Stop the Music	1980	$20,000,000	$2,000,000	10%
Steel	1997	$16,000,000	$1,710,972	10.70%
Cutthroat Island	1995	$92,000,000	$10,017,322	10.80%
One Night Stand	1997	$24,000,000	$2,618,335	10.90%
Gigli	2003	$54,000,000	$6,068,735	11.10%
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle	2000	$76,000,000	$6,814,720	11.14%
Inchon	1981	$46,000,000	$5,200,986	11.30%
The Boondock Saints	2000	$6,000,000	$683,000	11.40%
Undiscovered	2005	$9,000,000	$1,069,318	11.90%
Hurlyburly	1998	$15,000,000	$1,798,862	12.00%
Extreme Ops	2002	$40,000,000	$4,835,968	12.10%
Thunderbirds	2004	$57,000,000	$6,880,917	12.10%
The Rescuers Down Under	1990	$27,000,000	$3,499,819	12.50%
Zabriskie Point	1970	$7,000,000	$900,000	12.90%
All the King’s Men	2006	$55,000,000	$7,221,458	13.10%
Detroit Rock City	1999	$15,000,000	$2,005,512	13.40%
Shanghai Surprise	1986	$17,000,000	$2,315,683	13.60%
Bicentennial Man	1999	$100,000,000	$8,234,926	14.10%
Dudley Do-Right	1999	$70,000,000	$9,974,410	14.20%
D-War	2007	$75,000,000	$10,616,869	14.20%
FernGully: The Last Rainforest	1992	$24,650,296	$3,549,338	14.40%
Flash Gordon	1980	$35,000,000	$3,934,030	14.50%
Lucky You	2007	$50,000,000	$7,355,993	15%
Lucky Numbers	2000	$65,000,000	$10,014,234	15.40%
The House of the Spirits	1994	$40,000,000	$6,265,311	15.60%
Fantasia	1940	$2,280,000	$361,800	15.90%
Death to Smoochy	2002	$50,000,000	$8,364,691	16.70%
Arthur and the Invisibles	2006	$86,000,000	$15,132,763	17.60%
Once Upon a Time in America	1984	$30,000,000	$5,321,508	17.70%
North	1994	$40,000,000	$7,138,449	17.80%
Meet the Deedles	1998	$24,000,000	$4,308,981	18.00%
Glitter	2001	$22,000,000	$4,273,372	18.10%
Osmosis Jones	2001	$75,000,000	$25,120,662	18.10%
Newsies	1992	$15,000,000	$2,819,485	18.80%
Femme Fatale	2002	$35,000,000	$6,630,252	18.90%
Raise the Titanic!	1980	$36,000,000	$7,000,000	19.40%
Dune	1984	$45,000,000	$6,025,091	19.50%
Soldier	1998	$75,000,000	$14,623,082	19.50%
The Black Cauldron	1985	$44,000,000	$4,180,110	19.60%
Jetsons: The Movie	1990	$10,900,000	$5,029,640	19.60%
Jade	1995	$50,000,000	$9,795,017	19.60%
Cool as Ice	1991	$6,000,000	$1,193,062	19.80%
Holy Man	1998	$60,000,000	$12,069,719	20.10%
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen	1988	$40,000,000	$8,083,123	20.20%
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever	2002	$70,000,000	$14,294,842	20.40%
The World’s Fastest Indian	2005	$25,000,000	$5,128,124	20.50%
The Scarlet Letter	1995	$50,000,000	$10,382,407	20.80%
The Alamo	2004	$107,000,000	$22,414,961	20.90%
Mad City	1997[27]	$50,000,000	$10,541,523	21.10%
Nothing But Trouble	1991	$40,000,000	$8,479,793	21.20%
A Good Year	2006	$35,000,000	$7,459,300	21.30%
Flyboys	2006	$60,000,000	$13,082,288	21.80%
Around the World in 80 Days	2004	$110,000,000	$24,008,137	21.80%
The Postman	1997	$80,000,000	$17,593,391	22%
Alexande	2004	$155,000,000	$34,297,191	22.10%
Rock-a-Doodle	1992	$11,600,000	$2,603,286	22.30%
The Four Feathers	2002	$80,000,000	$18,306,166	22.50%
Pathfinder: Legend of the Ghost Warrior	2007	$45,000,000	$10,232,081	22.70%
Gods and Generals	2003	$56,000,000	$12,882,034	23%
Stealth	2005	$138,000,000	$31,704,416	23.00%
The Invasion	2007	$65,000,000	$15,055,795	23.20%
Red Planet	2000	$75,000,000	$17,473,245	23.30%
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within	2001	$137,000,000	$32,131,830	23.30%
Blood and Chocolate	2007	$15,000,000	$3,526,588	23.50%
Get Carter	2000	$63,600,000	$14,967,182	23.50%
Santa Claus: The Movie	1985	$50,000,000	$5,647,160	23.80%
Snoopy Come Home	1972	$1,000,000	$245,073	24.50%
The Last Castle	2001	$72,000,000	$18,208,078	25.30%
3000 Miles to Graceland	2001	$62,000,000	$15,738,632	25.40%
The Lost City	2005	$9,600,000	$2,484,186	25.90%
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas	2003	$60,000,000	$6,874,477	26%
Hudson Hawk	1991	$65,000,000	$17,218,080	26.10%
Slither	2006	$29,500,000	$7,802,450	26.40%
Redline	2007	$26,000,000	$6,881,022	26.50%
Looney Tunes: Back in Action	2003	$80,000,000	$21,600,585	27.00%
Rollerball	2002	$70,000,000	$18,990,542	27.10%
Hart’s War	2002	$70,000,000	$19,076,815	27.10%
Hard Rain	1998	$70,000,000	$19,819,000	27.70%
EDtv	1999	$80,000,000	$21,431,897	28.00%
I Know Who Killed Me	2007	$12,000,000	$3,400,000	28.30%
Screamers	1995	$20,000,000	$5,711,695	28.60%
Beloved	1998	$80,000,000	$22,852,487	28.60%
The Hoax	2007	$25,000,000	$7,164,995	28.70%
Alone in the Dark	2005	$20,000,000	$5,178,169	28.90%
The Fountain	2006	$35,000,000	$10,144,010	28.90%
The Island	2005	$122,200,000	$35,799,026	29.20%
Battlefield Earth	2000	$73,000,000	$21,471,685	29.40%
Connie and Carla	2004	$27,000,000	$8,085,771	29.90%
Speed 2: Cruise Control	1997	$160,000,000	$48,068,396	30.00%
Titan A.E.	2000	$75,000,000	$22,753,426	30.30%
The Transformers: The Movie	1986	$5,000,000	$1,779,559	30.40%
The Pagemaster	1994	$13,670,688	$4,188,399	30.60%
Hollywood Ending	2002	$16,000,000	$4,839,383	31.50%
The Condemned	2007	$23,000,000	$7,327,940	31.80%
Solaris	2002	$47,000,000	$14,970,038	31.90%
Josie and the Pussycats	2001	$22,000,000	$4,562,455	32%
Hoot	2006	$15,000,000	$4,889,754	32.50%
Moonlight Mile	2002	$21,000,000	$6,835,856	32.60%
Ed Wood	1994	$18,000,000	$5,887,457	32.70%
Terminal Velocity	1994	$50,000,000	$16,478,900	32.90%
Jakob the Liar	1999	$15,000,000	$4,956,401	33.00%
Happily N’Ever After	2007	$47,000,000	$15,589,393	33.20%
The Bonfire of the Vanities	1990	$47,000,000	$15,691,192	33.40%
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada	2005	$15,000,000	$5,027,684	33.50%
Crash	1996	$10,000,000	$3,357,324	33.60%
Treasure Planet	2002	$140,000,000	$38,176,783	34.80%
U Turn	1997	$19,000,000	$6,633,400	34.90%
K-19: The Widowmaker	2002	$100,000,000	$35,168,677	35.10%
Tom and Jerry: The Movie	1992	$3,560,469	$1,225,912	35.30%
Windtalkers	2001	$115,000,000	$40,911,830	35.60%
Memoirs of an Invisible Man	1992	$40,000,000	$14,358,033	35.90%
Ishtar	1987	$55,000,000	$14,375,181	35.90%
Kingdom of Heaven	2005	$130,000,000	$47,396,698	36.50%
Doogal	2006	$20,000,000	$7,417,319	37.10%
The Legend of Bagger Vance	2000	$60,000,000	$11,516,712	37.20%
Grindhouse	2007	$67,000,000	$25,037,897	37.30%
The Chipmunk Adventure	1987	$6,804,312	$2,584,720	38%
The 13th Warrior	1999	$85,000,000	$32,694,788	38.50%
Judge Dredd	1995	$90,000,000	$34,694,000	38.50%
Wing Commander	1999	$30,000,000	$11,576,087	38.60%
The Majestic	2001	$72,000,000	$27,796,042	38.60%
The Avengers	1998	$60,000,000	$23,322,832	38.90%
Wyatt Earp	1994	$63,000,000	$25,052,000	39.80%
Dragonfly	2002	$75,000,000	$30,063,805	40%
Daylight	1996	$80,000,000	$32,885,565	40%
Catwoman	2004	$100,000,000	$40,202,379	40.20%
Code Name: The Cleaner	2007	$20,000,000	$8,135,024	40.70%
The Whole Ten Yards	2004	$40,000,000	$16,323,969	40.80%
From Justin to Kelly	2003	$12,000,000	$4,922,166	41.60%
The Core	2003	$74,000,000	$31,111,260	41.80%
The 6th Day	2000	$82,000,000	$34,543,700	42.10%
Lions for Lambs	2007	$35,000,000	$15,000,115	42.90%
Zathura	2005	$65,000,000	$28,045,540	43.10%
Thirteen Days	2000	$80,000,000	$34,566,746	43.20%
Driven	2001	$72,000,000	$32,616,869	44%
Body of Evidence	1993	$30,000,000	$13,273,595	44.20%
Return To Oz	1985	$25,000,000	$11,137,801	44.60%
Lords of Dogtown	2005	$25,000,000	$11,273,517	45.10%
Showgirls	1995	$45,000,000	$20,302,961	45.10%
The Black Dahlia	2006	$50,000,000	$22,545,080	45.10%
The Island	1980	$22,000,000	$10,000,000	45.50%
Sorcerer	1977	$22,000,000	$10,000,000	45.50%
Home On The Range	2004	$110,000,000	$50,030,461	45.50%
New York Minute	2004	$30,000,000	$14,045,006	46.80%
The Iron Giant	1999	$48,000,000	$23,159,305	48.20%
The Country Bears	2002	$35,000,000	$16,990,825	48.50%
Son of the Mask	2005	$84,000,000	$17,018,422	49.40%
Meet Joe Black	1998	$90,000,000	$44,606,335	49.60%
Little Nicky	2000	$80,000,000	$39,442,871	49.70%
Freddy Got Fingered	2001	$15,000,000	$7,098,549	49.80%
Super Mario Bros.	1993	$42,000,000	$20,915,465	49.80%
P2	2007	$8,000,000	$3,995,018	49.90%
Once Upon A Forest	1993	$13,000,000	$6,500,000	50%
Legend	1985	$30,000,000	$15,502,112	50.50%
Zodiac	2007	$65,000,000	$33,080,083	50.90%
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story	2007	$35,000,000	$18,317,151	52.30%
Chasing Liberty	2004	$23,000,000	$12,195,626	53%
Happily Ever After	1993	$3,299,382	$1,756,050	53.20%
Howard the Duck	1986	$30,000,000	$16,295,136	53.30%
Mars Attacks!	1996	$70,000,000	$37,754,208	53.90%
The Wiz	1978	$24,000,000	$13,000,000	54.20%
The Cotton Club	1984	$47,000,000	$25,928,721	55.20%
Heathers	1989	$2,000,000	$1,108,462	55.40%
Welcome to Mooseport	2004	$26,000,000	$14,470,947	55.70%
Laws of Attraction	2004	$32,000,000	$17,871,255	55.90%
Mighty Joe Young	1998	$90,000,000	$50,632,037	56.30%
Quest for Camelot	1998	$40,000,000	$22,717,758	56.80%
King Arthur	2004	$90,000,000	$51,882,244	57.60%
Last Action Hero	1993	$85,000,000	$50,016,394	58.80%
Cleopatra	1963	$44,000,000	$26,000,000	59%
The Next Best Thing	2000	$25,000,000	$14,990,582	59.90%

100 Best Movies of All Time

Well this week the UK based TimesOnline decided to embark on the amazingly ambitious task of rating the top 100 films of all time. So I decided to post the abridged version of their list here. (The full article is here.)

What do you think, did they get it right?

# – Movie title (Director, Year)

100 – JURASSIC PARK (Stephen Spielberg, 1993)
99 – LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE (Jean Cocteau, 1946)
98 – MY FAIR LADY (George Cukor, 1964)
97 – POINT BREAK (Kathryn Bigelow, 1992)
96 – LOST IN TRANSLATION (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
95 – GRAND HOTEL (Edmund Goulding, 1932)
94 – THE TOWERING INFERNO (John Guillermin, Irwin Allen, 1974)
93 – COOL HAND LUKE (Stuart Rosenberg, 1967)
92 – A BOUT DE SOUFFLE (Jean-Luc Godard, 1960)
91 – SHORT CUTS (Robert Altman, 1993)

90 – TRAINSPOTTING (Danny Boyle, 1996)
89 – TOUCH OF EVIL (Orson Welles, 1958)
88 – WILD STRAWBERRIES (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
87 – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (Jonathan Demme, 1991)
86 – NOSFERATU (F.W. Murnau, 1922)
85 – DOG DAY AFTERNOON (Sidney Lumet, 1975)
84 – FESTEN (Thomas Vinterberg, 1999)
83 – SPARTACUS (Stanley Kubrick, 1960)
82 – CHUNGKING EXPRESS (Wong Kar Wai, 1994)
81 – NORTH BY NORTHWEST (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)

80 – TOKYO STORY (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953)
79 – DELIVERANCE (John Boorman, 1972)
78 – THE LADY EVE (Preston Sturges, 1941)
77 – THE APU TRILOGY (Satyajit Ray, 1956-1959)
76 – BLAZING SADDLES (Mel Brooks, 1974)
75 – THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (Sergio Leone, 1966)
74 – ROSEMARY’S BABY (Roman Polanski, 1968)
73 – GREAT EXPECTATIONS (David Lean, 1946)
72 – DAYS OF HEAVEN (Terrence Malick, 1978)
71 – THIS IS SPINAL TAP (Rob Reiner, 1984)

70 – THE CONVERSATION (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
69 – HIDDEN (Michael Haneke, 2005)
68 – THE MALTESE FALCON (John Huston, 1941)
67 – THE PIANO (Jane Campion, 1993)
66 – TOY STORY (John Lasseter, 1995)
65 – THE THIN BLUE LINE (Errol Morris, 1988)
64 – DO THE RIGHT THING (Spike Lee, 1989)
63 – ON THE WATERFRONT (Elia Kazan, 1954)
62 – TAXI DRIVER (Martin Scorcese, 1976)
61 – RASHOMON (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)

60 – THE CRYING GAME (Neil Jordan, 1992)
59 – PULP FICTION (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
58 – DR ZHIVAGO (David Lean, 1965)
57 – RAGING BULL (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
56 – WHISKY GALORE! (Alexander Mackendrick, 1949)
55 – THE MATRIX (Andy and Larry Wachowski, 1999)
54 – L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (Curtis Hanson, 1977)
53 – MILDRED PIERCE (Michael Curtiz, 1945)
52 – LA DOLCE VITA (Federico Fellini, 1960)
51 – CABARET (Bob Fosse, 1972)

50 – BLADE RUNNER (Ridley Scott, 1982)
49 – HIGH SOCIETY (Charles Walters, 1956)
48 – SHOAH (Claude Lanzmann, 1985)
47 – FARGO (Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, 1996)
46 – ALL ABOUT EVE (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1960)
45 – THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1943)
44 – A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (Ella Kazan, 1951)
43 – TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (James Cameron, 1991)
42 – BLUE VELVET (David Lynch, 1986)
41 – A STAR IS BORN (George Cukor, 1954)

40 – THE LIFE OF BRIAN (Terry Jones, 1979)
39 – THE GRADUATE (Mike Nichols, 1967)
38 – REAR WINDOW (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)
37 – BEAU TRAVAIL (Claire Denis, 1999)
36 – JAWS (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
35 – WITHNAIL AND I (Bruce Robinson, 1987)
34 – THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (John Ford, 1962)
33 – ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (Milos Forman, 1975)
32 – THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Irvin Kershner, 1980)
31 – HIS GIRL FRIDAY (Howard Hawks, 1940)

30 – REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (Nicholas Ray, 1955)
29 – DUCK SOUP (Leo McCarey, 1933)
28 – GONE WITH THE WIND (Victor Fleming, 1939)
27 – A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
26 – GOODFELLAS (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
25 – PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK (Peter Weir, 1975)
24 – THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (George Cukor, 1940)
23 – SOME LIKE IT HOT (Billy Wilder, 1959)
22 – THE BREAKFAST CLUB (John Hughes, 1985)
21 – BONNIE AND CLYDE (Arthur Penn, 1967)

20 – THE WIZARD OF OZ (Victor Fleming, 1939)
19 – THE EXORCIST (William Friedkin, 1973)
18 – DON’T LOOK NOW (Nicolas Roeg, 1973)
17 – ANNIE HALL (Woody Allen, 1977)
16 – METROPOLIS (Fritz Lang, 1927)
15 – APOCALYPSE NOW (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
14 – THE JUNGLE BOOK (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1967)
13 – 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
12 – ALIEN (Ridley Scott, 1979)
11 – THE SOUND OF MUSIC (Robert Wise, 1965)

10 – THE GODFATHER (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
9 – ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michel Gondry, 2004)
8 – SUNSET BLVD. (Billy Wilder, 1950)
7 – KES (Ken Loach, 1969)
6 – VERTIGO (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
5 – THE SHINING (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
4 – CHINATOWN (Roman Polanski, 1974)
3 – ET: The Extra Terrestrial (Stephen Spielberg, 1982)
2 – There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
1 – Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)

Apple Store Frozen in Time

I stumbled across this pictorial recently. It is of an abandoned (circa 2000) Apple Store in Kuwait that’s just been sitting there. It is very interesting to see how Apple’s design philosophy has changed so much over time. For those of you long time Apple users, like myself, this should be very nostalgic.

Photos by Miskan

NetVibes Digital Life Aggregator

So I discovered NetVibes today. Ok so I didn’t so much discover (as in Christopher Columbus) it, because I’ve known about NetVibes for some time now, but I made the switch from IGoogle(and Google reader) as my DLA/homepage over to NetVibes. NetVibes is a free Digital Life Aggregator, that allows you to organize your entire online life( for the most part) into tabbed pages. Everything from email to blogs to comics and games. Why, might you ask, would such an avid supporter of the googleverse make such a fundamental digital-life change? Well for what I have lost in one click access to all my various google accounts/apps and tools I have gained in recouped time and ease of use. So here are some of the things that made me switch:

Thing number 1: Visual appeal

The flexible layout ie. 2/3/4 column options make visually much easier to canvas all your feeds in a manner that saves time and space. It truly allows you to get all you information at a glance. Plus there’re just more things that can be optimized to better your experience.

Thing number 2: It’s like Google reader and Igoogle smashed into one app.

Netvibes’ layout and navigation is more like igoogle (on steroids), but the functionality and depth of information is more like google reader. Most widgets display up to the last 25 posts from an rss fee, whereas igoogle only allows you a measly 9.

Thing number 3: Sharing stuff

Incidentally, that’s how I first leart of NetVibes, through an invite which included the invitor’s setup for a particular tab. Yes, I was able to, with one click, start using a presetup netvibes page inclusive of cool widgets and feeds already setup by my friend who invited me to test it out. By the way, here’s a link to try net vibes out: http://www.netvibes.com/subscribe.php?preconfig=126efb5c739f8468139e69206b4fe46d

Thing number 4: It’s portable

If one day I decide NetVibes isn’t for me anymore, I can pack up my digital belongings via OPML and move on the the next DLA. Google has been touting the coming of this feature for a long time, but I am yet to see it. Incidentally, had they already done this, it would have made the switch to NetVibes a lot less time consuming.

Thing number 5: Netvibes supports igoogle widgets!

At least so they claim, and we all know how “support” for a 3rd party format can be. Up until writing this posted, I hadn’t tested the feature, but it does exist.

Thing number 6: They’re going social with Netvibes Ginger.

Yes, now it will be a whole lot easier with NetVibes Ginger (now in testing) to share all this wonderful “Funtastimation” that you’ve amassed in all new ways.

So why doesn’t Google just make one even more killer app like Netvibes?

My guess is: 1. They’re working on it and/or 2. The same internal structure which has led to Google’s great success where people take ownership of projects that are their own ideas can sometimes lead to political/bureaucratic slowdowns when it comes time for the company to change direction, shutdown, or merge projects especially if those project leaders have become more influential in the company . and/or 3. We’re so big and have so many things going on right now that this is the least of our issues. Plus, what is a “netvibe” anyways? Who knows. My point is, give Netvibes a chance, you might just like it.

Rf.

The Bamboo Notebook PC is Here!

By Philipp Gollner

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Back in 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built the Apple I, an early personal computer that consisted of a circuit board in a simple wooden box.

Apple Inc and other computer makers went on to make advanced PCs in metal and plastic casings, but now Taiwan’s Asustek Computer Inc is finding potential beauty — and sales — in an eco-friendly notebook PC encased in another natural material: bamboo.

The Asus Eco Book, as it’s dubbed, has a case made of laminated bamboo strips available in different shades.

Harvesting bamboo, an abundant, flexible, durable and fast-growing grass, is unlikely to harm the environment as processing wood from trees might, Asustek said, although glues and laminates for shaping and fortifying the material sometimes contain toxins.

The product is still in the prototype stage and engineers are checking to see if bamboo is suitable for laptops, which have to endure extreme conditions while allowing heat from microprocessors and monitors to escape.

The Eco book is a new tack for a company that caters to executives and other high-end users with its calf leather-bound notebooks and faux alligator-skin models.

“Originally we came out with a leather model style-book,” said Cher Chronis, director of marketing communication for Asus Computer International, the Taipei-based company’s U.S. unit.

“It was very popular,” she said. “After that, it was kind of natural for us to experiment with other types of materials, so we decided to go green.”

Asustek says its leather notebooks have not been criticized by animal-rights activists and that the Eco book is not meant to assuage critics.

BAMBOO MICE, KEYBOARDS

While just about all big computer makers are taking steps to make technology more environmentally friendly, Asustek is one of the first to unveil a bamboo-encased computer.

Some niche companies geared toward eco-conscious consumers offer bamboo computer mice, keyboards and monitor frames.

“As part of a portfolio of case choices, it makes sense,” said Roger Kay, president of PC market researcher Endpoint Technologies Associates Inc.

“I don’t think the computer is going to go over to wooden casing,” Kay said. “It’s ecological to grow it, but my sense is there’s probably more show than substance to the claim of sustainable manufacturing.”

While plastic casings often contain toxins like polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, the bigger environmental threats come from lead in cathode ray tube monitors

All major manufacturers, such as Hewlett-Packard Co, the world’s largest PC maker, Dell Inc , the No. 2, Apple as well as Asian rivals Lenovo Group Ltd and Acer Inc, have programs to reduce energy consumption, recycle components and reduce hazardous materials in computers.

Consumers and businesses are expected to buy about 260 million PCs this year, a 12 percent jump from 2006’s level, according to market researcher IDC. Growth is being fueled by surging demand for notebook computers.

With so many computers being sold, and an estimated 500 million computers hitting obsolescence in the United States alone in the past 10 years, PC accessory makers are going green, too.

PVC-FREE

Laptop computer case and accessory maker Targus Inc recently introduced its environmentally-friendly Grove laptop cases, made of recyclable plastics, nickel-free hardware and PVC-free material.

Targus teamed up with the Texas-based computer maker last month to sell its cases on Dell’s Web site and will donate a portion of its Dell-sold cases to Dell’s “Plant a tree for me” program, which allows consumers to make donations to plant trees to offset the carbon impact of electricity for running their computers.

Dell and Lenovo plan to eliminate PVC and brominated flame retardants, or BFRs, another potential hazard, from their new products by 2009, and Dell requires its parts suppliers to meet environmental targets such as carbon-emission reductions.

Apple says it plans to eliminate the use of PVC and BFRs from all its products by the end of next year.

The major computer companies including Apple and Dell also have programs to recycle discarded PCs and monitors. By 2010, Apple expects to recycle 19 million pounds of so-called e-waste per year, or about 30 percent of the product weight it sold seven years earlier.

HP said it is on schedule to meet a goal of recycling 1 billion pounds of equipment and supplies by the end of this year.

Asustek, while small compared with HP, Dell and other heavyweights, says its size enables it to design, manufacture, market and distribute PCs on its own, allowing it to get new ideas like the bamboo PC to market faster.

“If it does get to the point where we do find a model that meets all the engineering requirements and allows green computing, we will release it,” the company’s Chronis said. “Everybody loves the Eco book. It’s a beautiful computer.”

(Editing by Brian Moss)

Source: Reuters