Entries for August, 2005
July 31st, 2005
In The Womb
Posted by MikeyMike at 06:38 PM on July 31, 2005 in Tech.
This is an amazing
program using state of the art "4D" photography to show a human babies development from conception to the big event... It's on National Geographic Channel tonight at 9PM E/P. In case you miss it, it's airing again on:
Monday, August 1, (at midnight) and Saturday, August 6 at 5PM (and many more times in the future, no doubt)
Might make you think twice... one way or another!
And here's the
video clip!
From a single cell to a complex, self-sustaining organism. With ground-breaking photography, computer graphics, and 4-D imaging, In the Womb reveals this amazing process as the first heart cells begin to beat, the nerve cells flicker to life, and the senses develop.
Currently feeling: and baby makes 3
August 1st, 2005
Extended Hours Announced for Tutankhamun...
Posted by MikeyMike at 05:09 PM on August 1, 2005 in Geographica.
Seems the "Tut" exibit in LA is so popular, they are extending the hours! I gotta' get myself down there soon. Anyone else what to go? My best days are THUR/FRI/SAT - Thursday being best with less traffic, hassles, etc... Let me know.
Tickets and Availability
Take the Tour
Due to overwhelming demand, additional hours and VIP tickets have been added for Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, an exhibition from National Geographic.
The exhibit, currently at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is now open at 8:00 a.m. and stays open as late as 10:00 p.m. on certain days.
One hundred VIP tickets have also been added per day. The VIP ticket allows for special access into the exhibition through a VIP line and does not require a commitment to a particular time.
The standard ticket is good for a particular time of day and the extended hours have increased the availability of these tickets.
You don't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience over 130 priceless items from Ancient Egypt. Many of King Tut's treasures have never been seen in the U.S. before now.
LA is the exhibit's only stop west of the Mississippi, so buy your tickets now. For up-to-the-minute times, ticket prices, availability, and "Tut After Dark" hours
Currently listening to: Walk Like An Egyptian
Currently reading: Curse of The Mummy
Currently feeling: Middle Kingdom
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Posted by MikeyMike at 08:08 PM on August 1, 2005 in Arts.
Update: Added links to all the major stars from IMDB
Memoirs of a Geisha is currently being made right here in Southern California. I have very high hopes for it when it comes out at the end of the year! Looking at new poster: I thought Sayuri has GREY eyes? I guess that doesn't translate into non-Japanese astonishment... Here's some stills from the film: (what a cast!!)
Memoirs of a Geisha at IMdb.com
Register for updates on
Memoirs of a Geisha Site
More Memoirs info
Here (Thanks! to
MiniAngel ^^)
Ziyi Zhang .... Sayuri Nitta
Ken Watanabe .... The Chairman
Kôji Yakusho .... Nobu
Michelle Yeoh .... Mameha (Wish Michelle
Happy Birthday by Aug. 3!)
Kaori Momoi .... O-kami (landlady)
Youki Kudoh .... O-Kabo (Pumpkin)
Li Gong .... Hatsumomo
Kenneth Tsang .... General
The "Tipsy" House
The Huntington Library Museum, San Marino, CA filming set
Currently reading: Memoirs of a Geisha
Currently feeling: tea ceremony
August 8th, 2005
The Two Types of Digital Cameras
Posted by MikeyMike at 05:22 PM on August 8, 2005 in Tech, Arts.
Here's an interesting article about the differences between "Point and Shoot" (PS) digicams and Digital SLR (DSLR) cameras. Now I'm not saying that everyone should rush down and buy a DSLR camera - they are big, and expensive, especially with lenes and accessories.
I think PS digicams are getting better every day and are, in general much more portible and easy to use. So PS digicams are more practical for most people, just like in the 35mm arena. Many of the issues he addresses don't often concern the casual user that doesn't require blazing speed. But I often get asked about the differences, especially once they know that my D70 is "only" 6 megapixels... This article by Ken Rockwell explains what you need to know about why someone would want a DSLR.
There are two completely different kinds of digital cameras: fixed lens and SLR. Many fixed lens cameras attempt to parade as SLRs, which they're not. I'll refer to the fixed lens cameras also as point-and-shoot or p/s, and SLRs as DSLRs and SLRs.
Even the best fixed lens cameras are still way too slow to be used efficiently to photograph moving subjects, like people. SLRs on the other hand work quickly, just like a film camera, and are great for subjects that move.
Even the most expensive and exotic camera that is not a true SLR is going to be slow and a pain to use. Many expensive digital cameras are still just very complex point-and-shoot cameras that take way too long to do anything. More
PS digicam
DSLR
Currently reading: Ken Rockwell's site
Currently feeling: click
Pix from SD Harbor
Posted by MikeyMike at 07:14 PM on August 8, 2005 in Geographica.
OK, here's some pix from my trip to the San Diego harbor last Wednesday with my friend (and co-worker) John Williams. I took these with my Nikon D70. It was a brilliant day (in both senses)
Looky
Here for pix
Poster from
Master and Commander
Master and Commander! haha... This is the ship HMS Surprise that it was filmed on though...
View from the fight deck of the USS Midway - The
Coronado Bay Bridge is in the background.
Currently feeling: nerdy
August 15th, 2005
Mommy of Peggy's Hippo
Posted by MikeyMike at 07:36 PM on August 15, 2005 in Usual Crapola.
The mommy of
Peggy's hippo reunites!
Peggy decided to return baby hippo after it ate *everything* plus pooped up the pool!!
Actually (this is the real story!)
Baby Gregor is pushed aside by his mother Nicole at the Zoo in Berlin on Monday, Aug. 15, 2005. The little hippo was born on July 27, 2005. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
New Baby Cheetahs at SD Zoo!
Posted by MikeyMike at 07:55 PM on August 15, 2005 in Geographica, Kawaii.
Update: Here's a collection of BABY ANIMAL VIDEOS from World Famous San Diego Zoo!! Very cute... (
Monkee - they got Bonobo babies!! ^^)
New Baby cheetah at SD Zoo! Born just this week... Hope to see them soon at the Children's Zoo with the other baby animals...
Four two-day-old cheetah cubs snuggle in a keeper's arms after receiving their every-other-hour bottle feeding at the San Diego Zoo, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2005. Nursery keepers care for the cubs 24 hours a day after their mother did not care for them. The cubs can be seen at the San Diego Zoo's Children's Zoo. (AP Photo/Zoological Society of San Diego, Tammy Spratt)
Currently watching: Lion King
August 21st, 2005
Panda Birthday and Baby
Posted by MikeyMike at 02:17 PM on August 21, 2005 in Geographica.
There's a birthday and a new birth to celebrate at the San Diego Zoo! The Zoo now has more pandas than anywhere outside China.
Beside papa Gao Gao and mommy Bai Yun, Mei Sheng just turned two years old this August (that's the Panda I got video of last year). The new baby doesn't have a name yet and they don't know its sex yet either. Docs did get a quick exam of the little one recently. Looks good so far!
WHAT SHALL WE NAME NEW PANDA BABY? (GIVE MALE/FEMALE CHOICE)
See new baby panda's first exam
under Streaming Videos
August 23rd, 2005
Heart Gallery of NJ
Posted by MikeyMike at 06:54 PM on August 23, 2005 in Arts.
It's always nice when people can do what they love and really contribute to society.
The Heart Gallery of New Jersey was founded to help spread awareness of the plight of foster children, especially those with severe disabilities. Some of the best photographers in the country have volunteered their time to photograph them. The pictures show the life in these kids - and as the article says "Everyone deserves a family".
The Heart Gallery is designed to win hearts and homes. To achieve that goal, over 150 of the world's top photographers are volunteering their time and talent to create intimate, compelling portraits of foster children in New Jersey. The children featured are typically considered the "hardest to place" — those who are at least 3 years old, minorities, and/or in sibling groups, and are now available for adoption anywhere in the country.
Today Show clip
** This article was cross-posted from MikeyMike's Tabula account. You can find the original (perhaps updated) article here:
http://www.tabulas.com/~MikeyMike/969866.html ***
Currently feeling: grateful
August 24th, 2005
Dog of a Name
Posted by MikeyMike at 05:26 PM on August 24, 2005 in Geographica.
Apparently this name (Gou) is pronounced the same as "dog" in Chinese - hardly a compliment!
BEIJING (Reuters) - More than 50 people in a central China village have thrown their centuries-old surname to the dogs, hoping to free themselves of a stigma supposedly imposed on their clan by an ancient emperor, Xinhua news agency reported.
The villagers legally changed their surname from "Gou," a word that means "humble" in Chinese but is pronounced the same as "dog" -- a sharp insult in China -- back to their original family name "Jing," which translates as "respect," Xinhua said in an overnight report on its English Web site, www.chinaview.cn.
"It was really embarrassing. My son couldn't even find a girlfriend because of his name," Gou Feng from Tangzhuang township in Henan province was quoted as saying before the name change.
When the Gou families of Tangzhuang collectively petitioned the local police in May to change their names, they said Shi Jingtang, the founder of the shortlived Jin Dynasty (936-947), ordered their ancestors to give up the surname Jing and adopt Gou. More
August 28th, 2005
Pandas Are Blogging
Posted by MikeyMike at 06:19 PM on August 28, 2005 in Tech, Geographica.
Well, not actually... but the keepers and other staff are blogging about their experiences working with endangered and unique animals from around the world. Wanna enter their worlds through their posts? Here ya' go right
Here By the way - baby panda is a
GIRL!
(hehe! San Diego Zoo uses WordPress!)
Currently listening to: Dr Doolittle's Talk to the Animals
