issacmangold.com/blog

The Sword - Freya

Sat, 31 May 2008 14:24:00 -0800

This is a test to see if I can embed video from Youtube

Ma name a Borat

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 22:36:01 -0800

Borat was freakin hilarious. It had it's share of forgetable moments but overall it was well worth my ten bucks. Honestly, it could have been just ok and one scene in the middle of the movie would have still made it worth it. This scene was so good/offensive the people sitting behind us had to get up and leave - which kinda made it even funnier to me. I was laughing so hard I though I might throw up a little. I know, gross, but it was that funny. I read a story, before seeing the movie, about two frat boys suing the makers over getting them drunk and tricking them into looking stupid for the film. At first I kinda sympathized with them for being set up but after seeing the movie they really should have known better. I don't care how drunk and stupid they are, it was their racist and sexist words.

Big Basin

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 22:31:13 -0800

We just got back from camping in Big Basin. The chilly air, foggy forest and blueberry pancakes were just what I needed before being fully engulfed my the coming holiday season. I am sure that this will be the last camping trip of the year though...the real winter weather has got to be comin' soon. The trailer for the new Christopher Guest film "For Your Consideration" is now online. It certainly looks funny but so did the preview for "A Mighty Wind" and I was disappointed with that. Let's hope it lives up to "Best in Show" and "Waiting for Guffman"".

The Departed and 300

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 22:48:27 -0800

I got to skip work today and go see Martin Scorsese's The Departed. Great cast, great performances and a cool soundtrack (what is it with Scorsese and the Stones? he even snuck an Exile on Main Street CD cover in the film). What I liked is that it's quite different from his other gangster films and the fact that the story was told in a unique way. It starts off with a quick progression of events that set up the story and then settles into a more familiar pace. I also appreciated the not so obvious ending. I also saw a preview for Frank Miller's 300. The official site has some nice before and after production shots as well as some of the initial still frames used to develop the visual style. If the movie lives up to the preview it should be pretty cool. The visuals are very unique, almost painterly but not in a gimmicky way...like pages from a graphic novel come to life. The same could be said for Sin City but this film looks very different (as did the respective graphic novels). I watched the preview again online but the style and dramatic visuals didn't hold up as well. I am definitely going to try to catch this one in the theater.

San Simeon

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 21:15:38 -0800

A small group of us made a quick trip down Highway One this weekend to San Simeon. Liz, Jeff, Brenna, Brian and Ming on two wheels, me still on four. I quite enjoyed the ride though. One of my favorite things, still, is driving alone with the music way too loud. I am sure it helped out that I could fit a few extra supplies in my car for the camp site although for the most part they all hauled what they needed on their bikes. The drive was gorgeous as always. I didn't get to take many pics before my camera battery died but here are a few. The trip really enforced the fact that I want to get a bike. One option would be to buy Liz's Ninja as my first "starter" bike so she could upgrade. I am not sure I really want a sport bike but then again I am not really sure what I want at all. I guess the biggest obstacle so far has been money and commitment. Two things I am short of right now.

Visual Complexity

Sat, 09 Sep 2006 11:38:03 -0800

I came across the Visual Complexity site the other day while browsing del.icio.us. The site is basically a place to discuss and showcase the visualization of complex networks which I don't propose to know much about but think are really cool. I have been trying to develope some semi abstract art projects that incorporate type for myself lately and some of these come really close to what I have been striving to achieve. I am hoping to write some code in Flash that can generate some random vector artwork similar to what these visual networks portray as a starting point for my own art projects...that may be beyond me right now though. Here ares some of my favorites visualizations from the site: Flight Density, RhNav, Typologies and Capacities, and Flickr tags although there are lots of other very cool ones.

Ben, Henry and Shepard

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 10:20:41 -0800

I just started my new job this week so it has taken me a while to update the site. So far the switch to the new group (same company) has gone pretty smooth. I am optomistic. Last weekend we went to Berkely's Greek Theatre and saw Ben Harper. I saw him years ago when he opened for Pearl Jam and was less known. He was impressive then but this show was amazing. Since he basically provided the theme music to our wedding it was really cool to see him live so soon after. Damian Marley opened so the reggae vibe was in full effect. I found a video of Slayer performing one of their new songs on the Henry Rollins show. Also videos of Ben Harper and some other cool acts. I didnt even know Rollins had a show. Man, I wish I still got IFC. Click on the Video tab and browse to the Henry Rollins Show and then Musical Performances. Lastly, I just ordered the new Shepard Fairey retrospective. I own a couple of his prints but this is the first book of his I have bought. This looks to be a pretty comprehensive collection of his work from the last 17 years so if you are gonna buy a book this is the one. I saw his show a couple of months ago at White Walls in SF. Very impressive. I wish I had enough dispossible income to by one of his original pieces. I guess I will just have to stick to the mass produced ones for now.

Rasputin's and Slayer

Fri, 18 Aug 2006 21:06:44 -0800

It's probably been four years since I made a trip to the music store but I picked up the new Slayer CD, Christ Illusion, at Rasputin's in San Jose tonight. It's just been too easy to download the songs or order from Amazon but tonight I had nothin to do and thought I would check out the bargin bins since I am old and everything I like should be in there by now (or so I thought). I actually didnt have any luck with used CDs but I did find a few things that I will try to pick up eventually like the latest Death Angel album which apparently came out last year. I also picked up the debut album by Wolfmother. I am not sure where I heard of these guys first, MySpace, Yahoo!, my brother? but they must be doing some good marketing because I have their album now. Even the cashier said the album rocked. I am not sure what to say about the new Slayer album. I have only listened to it once now and while I am sure I will enjoy it it seems to lack something that their early albums had. I guess that is typical. You grow up and what you latched onto at 18 is not gonna be the same as what you are looking for in your 30s. They just sounded so much more evil back then though. Each song had it's own character and mood (South of Heaven being my favorite). Their most recent albums kinda sound like one long song with the same tempo, and barking vocals. I am a sucker for that palm-muted open E string though. I liked browsing the music store though and will try to do it more often now. Plus, it's nice having the back up CD instead of just the downloaded mp3. That's getting annoying. DRM sucks.

Oh mi estomago

Tue, 15 Aug 2006 17:11:03 -0800

I suppose it was because we had a nearly perfect wedding that we had to edure a hellish honeymoon. Mexico kicked my ass. We had two fun days but the rest of the time was spent sick in bed. Oh ya, it also rained most of the time. Liz faired much better than I and recooped fairly quickly. I am currently on day seven and just beginning to feel a little better. Definetly the most bad ass virus I've ever met. Liz uploaded some photos. The zip line tour was a blast and I'm glad that we were able to do that before the sickness took hold. Flying through the canopy of the jungle was beautiful and a little scary. Next vacation is skiing.

MOTOPHONE

Wed, 02 Aug 2006 23:20:50 -0800

Easy to hear, easy to use and a rugged housing. If the price is decent the Motorola MOTOPHONE will probably be my next cellphone upgrade. What I like best is the emphasis on making phone calls...no games, no video or photos, no mp3 player...just a phone.

The sculpture of Ron Mueck

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 10:55:50 -0800

The artist Ron Mueck creates photorealistic sculptures depicting scenes of everyday life. Not having scene this show, which is currently at the National Gallery of Scotland, it is hard to get a sense of of how they really come off but it is obvious that they are incredibly detailed and painstakingly created. The most interesting element to me is the fact that they rarely seem to be done at actual size. Just as photorealistic paintings seem to lose their interest (for me) as soon as the "gimmick" wears off these wouldn't be as interesting if it weren't for their jarring size. Hopefully these make it to the Bay Area eventually.

Love and marriage

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 16:50:27 -0800

The day has now come and gone and I have to say that the whole experience was surreal. Liz and I are married and I couldn't be happier with how everything turned out. We were lucky to have a beautiful evening with a perfect sky and perfect weather. Thanks to all of our family and friends who made the journey and made the night so enjoyable. Once we get all of the photos organized and the professional shots back I will post links to them here. In the meantime here are some shots courtesy of Anita.

"Burn rubber not gasoline"

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:36:45 -0800

I am sure I won't be able to afford one of these Tesla electrics but I'm happy that this seems to be the future as opposed to the Hummer/Escalade trend. I am not a fan of the company name although I understand the nod to Nikola Tesla. All I can picture is the 80's group of the same name. Thanks to Brian for the link though. The one advantage of jaw dropping gas prices ($3.50 here in the Bay Area) is that people really start looking at alternatives seriously. I don't plan on buying a new car for a few more years but I am hoping there are more choices like these available. With the SmartCar coming to the US in 2008 I'm hoping the trend will continue.