DarkObserver, 19. November 2002 um 20:09:12 MEZ

Finally: Linux

Although I've been using Linux in relation with my job for years I've been sort of afraid to install it on my desktop PC at home. Why? My Windows machine was so carefully tuned and loaded with utilities that I didn't want to risk losing it.

But thanks to dual-boot and the way distributions have progressed, I installed Suse 8.1 and bingo here I am, accessing the web to write this and doing all kinds of stuff.

OpenOffice looks good, too. Maybe I'll abandon Windows bit by bit... I'll let you know.

DarkObserver, 9. November 2002 um 17:03:40 MEZ

Movie review: Sphere

Just recently I catched the movie "Sphere" on TV. I had neither seen it when it was new or rented it later on because just about anyone -professional crtitics and friends alike- said it sucked...big time.

Well, I must say they were correct. Normally I can find something good in any film, but here I was at a loss. This movie should be shown to film students as an example of how to make a bad movie, even if you have all the right ingredients at hand. "Sphere" had a great cast (Hoffman, Jackson, Stone) and obviously no small budget. Also the story's premise -alien spaceship in deep sea is investigated by a bunch of specialists from different fields- seemed promising enough.

But if the writing is bad or the director is unable to overcome bad writing with style and his own inventions you end up with an incoherent mess like this. The movie got worse and worse the longer it went on. I really tried to like it, but the ideas -some of them evidently lifted from classics like "Alien" or "Solaris"- were crudely glued together with nothing much to keep them from falling apart.

Funny side note: In one sequence the crew sits in front of a computer screen, allegedly trying to decipher an alien code, a computer-savvy person could clearly see that they were staring at a Linux screen showing some random directory listings. How could the makers of this film so misjudge the sci-fi thriller audience which is bound to include a lot of computer geeks laughing their asses off at such a ludicrous depiction of computers?

The flick's conclusion is not very good either and leaves you disappointed, because it doesn't make much sense. If sometime in the future an American spaceship brings back this "sphere" thingy for whose powers "mankind is not ready yet", why not warn officials of this so the whole mess wouldn't happen in the future to begin with?

Anyway:This movie could have been great, but it's not. End of story.

DarkObserver, 7. November 2002 um 23:56:26 MEZ

What's been happening

In case anyone has wondered why I didn't post any new entries as of late: I've found a new job and I am perfectly busy with getting used to the work, the environment, the people etc.

So while there will still be occasional updates on weekends or so they won't be as frequent as in the past. Not too many people will care about that anyway, but I thought I'd explain it nonetheless.