Shooting sparrows... [part 2]

In this post, I ranted about buying DVD's and hence actually supporting the industry, and STILL having to be faced with the suspicion and criminalization of my person, from the "You wouldn't steal a car..."-intros and printed inlays with the "now-now little Nicky - don't you go downloading movies"-raised finger messages.
- unfortunately at that time, I could not produce the inlay, as I had probably pissed on it, burned it, hanged it, stabbed it, burned it again, and finally tossed it out.

This time I kept it. It does have another sound to it compared to the first one though - it is not as much a raised finger as it is a thanks - and then again...
It's a small 12x18 cm leaflet with a logo on the entire front, saying (in danish):
"Skip the copies, keep the originals".
On the flipside there's first a little note saying:
"Thanks for keeping the movies alive. When you watch a movie in the cinema, buy or rent an original DVD rather than copying or downloading it illegally, you're participating in ensuring that actors, script writers, instructors and all the people behind the movie gets paid for their work. And thus you're participating in ensuring that there will also be someone who cares about making movies in the future. Because who want's to work for free?"

- and that was just the introduction. Fair enough. A little appreciation is absolutely commendable, and I DO agree with the gist of the text. But the lesson that follows about how many people it takes to make a movie (in the given example, Shrek), and how fast internet connections and DVD-recorders in every home are making it too easy to break the law, and so on and so forth, really bugs me. I already know this. And if people are buying the DVD, you really don't need to tell them that they shouldn't download it. Surprise - THEY ALREADY BOUGHT IT! So these little cards were much better off as free postcards on the many cafés and diners around town. I really resent having these lectures thrown in my face, when I am in fact not doing anything wrong. It just has this feeling of "yes yes, so you bought the DVD, but technically you COULD go and copy it or download it illegally". Come on - technically I COULD also use a crowbar to break into a house or smack someone silly with. But the crowbar doesn't come with a blurp like that... "Thank you for buying the Dyson Crowbar (tm). Use it for it's designed purpose, but remember - breaking into peoples houses and killing them with this item, will make a lot of people sad - including the Dyson staff, who worked long and hard to bring you the finest in demolition equipment".
Technically I could run someone over with my car - on purpose - yet the car does not come with a blurp of such kind either.
- it's just so wrongly aimed.

Furthermore, I'm sure they spend a fortune on the little informercials and printed campaigns and whatnot. But I'm almost willing to bet my entire DVD collection (yes, it is HUGE - the dvd collection, not... well...) that not one of those who intended to copy a DVD, decided to NOT do it when they saw the "You wouldn't steal a car..."-intro, or read the little inlay. Not one.
These campaigns are pointed at the ignorant. People who don't know it is illegal. But there's not really that many who don't know it's illegal, is there? They should instead target their campaigns to those who profit on the illegal copying/distribution. Those who refuse to pay anything to be entertained. But more importantly they should stop trying to dictate when and how we play our legally purchased entertainment. Don't bother with the copy protection - everything that can be coded, can be decoded. So it really is futile, and it stops nothing. On the contrary. Some people get off on being the first to crack a new protection, and it turns into a sport in those circles. And it usually never takes more than a day or so anyways. So it's expensively paid, but still borrowed, time. And all you get in the end, is pissed off consumers, who in sheer frustration of not being able to play their newly purchased cd on the car stereo because of some crappy protection which does not reckognize the 20 year old CD-player, goes and downloads it illegally instead - and maybe does so the next time too, without bothering to buy an original first.

Skip the regions on DVD's. Stop releasing movies on different times in different countries. Start working HARD on bringing digital content to people through the internet, rather than try to stop it. Give people options for the content. Cheaper=lower resolution/sound quality - More expensive=higher definition/THX or Surround. Give people the option to not spend everything they've got, but still be able to enjoy the stuff while still at least paying a little to the artists. It's so damned easy and the solution is right there. You can't get rid of it completely. As long as there's laws to break, there's people who will break them. But you can stop criminalizing people without any reason, and start caring for them as your customers - the same way a good restaurant cares about their customers. Give them a GOOD reason to buy your products, rather than point your finger at them the minute they set foot in the store.

Another infection...

Despite a pretty tight security and a good portion of common sense, a little nasty piece of malware managed to get into my primary PC. Something called "Yieldmanager". Apparently some kind of advertising service, which hijacks just about any advertising space it can find. It slowed down my system, and made browsing pages with banner ads (such as Facebook) pretty much impossible.
And I've never ever seen anything this persistent. It's taken me 8 hours!!! To research, try various fixes, research more, ask for help, try other fixes, downloads scanners and stuff. GAH!!!
People who invent and distribute malware like that should have their fuckin' balls removed (yes, I'm sure it's guys... with very small penises) by means of a large series of paper cuts!

So here's a big FUCK YOU, you tiny prick'ed, bottom of the food chain, infantile, pathetic, horses ass licking, donkey bukkake loving, wet yourself at the age of 25, pimple-faced, wears his undies for a week, sad excuse for a human being, sick fuck!!
- that's probably the worst time spent EVER. And I've had a root canal... twice, I've waited for the school nurse to have a piece of eraser removed from my nose, which I stuck in there myself, and I've jammed a pen in under my knee.

I hope you never reproduce!

Last day at the Empire

So today was my last day at 3D-empire. It was weird. On one hand it was just another day at the office with projects and tight deadlines, and on the other hand I was cleaning up my machine, and my desk. I've tried to sort out my current projects, hand over my duties, and make proper documentation for my works, where needed. Saying goodbye with yummy cake to my colleagues. So hopefully I've left in an orderly fashion, and hopefully they'll do fine at 3D-empire in my absence.

I now have 9 days off, to get used to the idea of starting somewhere else. Pretty excited, though it seems a bit surreal still.

- but first things first... 9 days :)

Another one bites the dust...

- in this particular case - ME! I started feeling dizzy and stiff (no not there...*pffft*) at work today, I was hot and cold at the same time - couldn't concentrate. Probably a bit of flu which is going on a lot these days in around here. So even though it's my last week at 3D-empire, and I have some projects that I need to hand over, I decided that it was a better idea to go home early, and combat the virus with chamomille tea (yuck!!), painkillers and a warm doona.

- I hate being sick. I'll be ¤!"/&¤#&%¤!&%"¤#% if I'll have to skip training.

Sexy - just sexy...

- it's the NEW Fiat 500 (Abarth version).
Now even if I'm more of a Volkswagen-guy myself, and even though my parents drove no less than TWO original Mini's when I was a kid, I still think that this is the best "remake" of an old classic. The New Mini is just too big, and the New Beetle is just a tad too slick.
But this... This is good. Fiat's designers have managed to keep alot of the original design features, and at the same bringing it up-to-date, without compromising the familiar looks.
Obviously this, the sports version, has a body kit which strays a bit from the standard. But still.


- the standard edition. Still sexy.

(Images courtesy of Fiat)

I'm getting too old...

I had my house warming yesterday - finally. Invited a bunch of people, and somewhere along the road, I lost track of who and how many. Luckily there were a few cancellations, or I simply don't know where I should've put people (I was short on seating arrangments already).
I had a great time - thanks to all who showed up, and thanks to my downstairs neighbours, where we ended up late at night playing Guitar Hero and drinking Absinthe.

*edit* And thanks to Karina for the most excellent, and very in-tune with Piratpinde, treasure chest of piratey goodness (including an undead monkey).

I'm pretty wasted today - got up at 11.30 after just about 4½ hours of sleep. First time in years I've actually gone to the baker for breakfast BEFORE going to bed...
But there's still Ben & Jerry's in the freezer, cold coke in the fridge, and I just finished watching Transformers, so I'm about ready for another movie and doing absolutely nothing for the rest of the day. Aaaahhhh...

- looking forward to hitting the gym tomorrow though but today? Nuh-uh!


*edit* I suck at Guitar Hero when I'm drunk - except for "Mother" by Danzig...

*edit edit* So much for not doing anything. I had to wash the kitchen floor because it reeked of beer puddles and cigarette butts. I ought to wash the office floor as well, because I can still smell the Arnbitter spills, though that's more forgiveable than cigarette butts. Maybe tomorrow...

Ugly fruit?

Well it ain't pretty, that's for sure.

Ugli fruit - more lemony than an orange, more orangy than a lemon, and twice as ugly as both of them combined.
It IS rather tasty though.
You can argue about clever marketing strategies or not, but the Ugli name works. Just like candy with names like "Dog farts", "Seagull droppings" and "Pee diapers" we're the hottest thing in the candy shop (da-daah-da-daah) some 10 years ago here in Denmark.

Cramps - what are they good for?

(...absolutely nothing - say it again hu-hah!)

Or are they? I occasionally wake up in the middle of the night with an extremely painful cramp in my lower left leg. Funny, because I hadn't had one for a while, but less than a week ago I spoke to Lasse about it, who gets them more frequently, and presto - last night I get brutally torn from an otherwise pleasant dreams about this here gir... well thats not important right now. So there I am - 3.48 am, suppressing the urge to scream out the pain. And it takes about 5 minutes to settle down enough, that I can slowly start moving again. Worst case scenario it can be sore for days after.

So - what ARE they good for (if anything at all)?

What - no ents? How disappointing...

- I went for a little bike ride today. Weather was almost spring'ish today, and I wanted to get some excercise. So I went to the forest for an hour of pedalling. Was nice, and refreshing.

[MOVIE] Sweeney Todd

A different kind of barber shop...
Now I'm not too keen on musical movies. Especially not the happy-go-lucky ones. There's just too much overacting and.... singing. Reminds me about "good" ol' danish movies (which in my oppinion aren't very good). I just can't stand over-articulation of even the most ordinary everyday stuff, nor can I stand the need to express yourself through singing, just because the sun is shining. Granted though, there's a few exceptions where singing in movies is OK. Moulin Rouge and Nightmare before christmas to name a few.

- and then there's "Sweeny Todd". Sceptical at first? Sure I was. But after all it IS a Tim Burton film, and it DOES have Johnny Depp (and the ever-lovely Helena Bonham Carter) in the leads. And they sing. But not just songs of happyness and joy. No. The movie was generally dark and gloomy, and so was a great deal of the music. There was little happiness to be found, little light in the dark, and good fortune is something of another world in Tim Burton's depiction of Fleet Street and surroundings. The acting and even the singing was brilliant. Either the cast had been hand picked for their singing skills as much as their acting skills, or they've had some excellent coaching prior to the movie, because they all came out great - even in their duets (which I imagine is hard - especially when you're not singing the same thing).
The base story is good, although not very original. But the characters are fantastic. There's little innocense anywhere, not even among the children - everyone is a cynic or a practical cynic. But especially in Sweeny Todd's case, it makes the foundation for an excellent vendictive personality.

If there was one thing I missed, it was a more grand finale. I didn't quite feel the emotions "all the way in" as I would have liked. But I DID like how so many things were left to the imagination.

- and is it just me, or is Johnny Depp starting to look more and more like Christopher Walken?

Rating :

Frozen or just plain cool?

- I think it's friggin' awesome!

Most awaited movie in long time

Rejsen til Saturn is based on a classic danish comic album by Claus Deleuran.
Judging by the teaser it promises to be most excellent. Visually better than "Terkel i knibe", and the humour looks spot on - although it IS a long time since I last read the comic.

- I can't wait, and if you can't either, go check out the new teaser on the website :)

Top Cock?

A little example on when it's a good idea, to adjust your marketing strategies :

www.toppik.dk

- I'm sure it's a fabulous product, but in danish it translates into something like Top Cock or Top Dick. But maybe the product can be applied.... elsewhere?