I happened to be looking at the Wikipedia article for Keyser Soze today, and saw this:
In his 1999 review of Fight Club, film critic Roger Ebert commented that "A lot of recent films seem unsatisfied unless they can add final scenes that redefine the reality of everything that has gone before; call it the Keyser Söze syndrome."
So naturally, I tried to think of films besides Fight Club and The Usual Suspects that do that. The only ones that leap to mind are The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. The Village comes close, but the twist arrives earlier than at the very end of the film.
Am I missing any outside of the Shayamalan oeuvre? I recall hearing that Vanilla Sky had a twist, but I haven't seen the film so I don't know if it qualifies by having a reality-redefining twist.
For our purposes, let's only consider films after The Usual Suspects (1994). And please, no spoilers.
In a private discussion group I'm part of, a thread today involved the recent Jedi's Path: A Game of Life game. The issue was that the spinner in the game apparently doesn't work very well-- so much so that one of the game's own designers handed out ten-sided dice to his kids when he tried it recently.
This boggles the mind.
The spinner is The Game of Life. I'm 40. I haven't played Life in over 30 years. But I can still vividly hear the whizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz of that spinner. It's a sound of visceral joy. Grabbing hold of that white knob, giving it a hearty twirl, listening to that sound and watching the wheel come to rest with a gentle bounce of the flap between two posts was the only reason to play the game. I loved getting my hands on that thing. It is the shining exemplar of all game spinners. That one simple hunk of plastic sustained the entire game experience.
How could they possibly have gotten that wrong?
But that got me to wondering about other experiences we enjoy not for the experience itself, but for some subsidiary component. Have you ever gone to see a movie just so you could get a bucket of popcorn? Bought a box of cereal to get at the prize on the bottom? Gone to a major sporting event just to be part of the energy of the crowd, without caring about the event itself? Do you hate fruity drinks, but love those little cocktail umbrellas?
What other experiences are appealing more for a side attraction than the main event?
Does anyone ever buy Toblerone outside of airport duty free shops?
I have to choose a gamertag, and I'm coming up empty. I've already rejected "Static Zombie" as being too long and unwieldly-- I'd rather have something a little pithier. Suggestions welcomed. Save me from being Peter2488.
Why won't this work?
Acquire two credit cards, A and B (preferably cards that earn reward points or frequent flyer miles). Charge stuff to card A for one month. Pay the bill with card B, and charge stuff on card B for one month. Now pay that bill with card A and switch back to card A for a month. Lather, rinse, repeat until one of the cards maxes out, at which point you pay off the bill with a check and start the cycle over.
Since each card is paid in full by the other each month, there are no fees or finance charges, and the amount keeps snowballing to earn more and more reward points.
I'm sure there's a flaw here. What is it? Is it even possible to pay one credit card with another?
The gf recently related to me an observation that she heard a comedian make some time ago, that goes something like this: if something's not funny to a woman, it will never be funny to her. If something's not funny to a man, if you repeat it a few times it becomes funny.
This, she said, explains why only men like Monty Python.
The gf likes The Princess Bride, so I'm inclined to cut her a little slack when she calls Monty Python and the Holy Grail stupid and unfunny. But the broad assertion that appreciation of Python splits down gender lines requires some further investigation. She allows that there are some women who like Python and some men who don't, but that statistically speaking it's the men who laugh and the women who just put up with it.
So. Conduct your own little survey among friends and family and report back. Monty Python: funny, or not funny?
I was talking with someone recently and mentioned that I have a hard time thinking of myself as an adult-- that my self-image is more of a college student, despite being fifteen years out of college. I hadn't really thought about it any more deeply until then, but the reasons make sense to me. A lot of things in life have changed-- location, job, hairline-- but one thing that hasn't is that, as a single guy, I'm still only responsible for myself. My decisions are based on what's best for me, or what I want. Any mistakes I make affect only me. I see that as a key hallmark of one's college years.
I think the true passage into adulthood comes when you start making decisions based on how they affect others. For most people, that comes first with a committed relationship (which may or may not include marriage), then again with children. I have none of those things and therefore enjoy the luxury of living selfishly, in a non-pejorative sense.
It was suggested to me that I'm not unusual-- that few of us really think of ourselves as adults. I have no doubt that's true physically-- that many of us imagine ourselves to be as attractive, slim, athletic, and fit as we were in our primes-- I'm less convinced that the pool of Peter-Pan-complexed adults isn't kiddie-sized.
And so, in the interest of science, I turn to you. How do you view yourself-- as an adult, a college student, a teenager, a child? Do you feel older than your years, or younger? What reflection does your psychic mirror show you?
Matthew Baldwin and I have been locked in battle for the title of last person on the planet to be without a cell phone, but I'm teetering on the edge of throwing in the towel for an upcoming project. Thing is, I know squat about cell phones. I've virtually never used one. I have DSL at home, so I can't get rid of my land line. A cell phone would primarily be used for incoming calls, and not very frequently. Here's what I'm looking for:
Any suggestions for cell phone models, carriers, and rate plans for someone who wants mobile telephony on the cheap?
The U.S. Treasury just sent me a check for $39.02. A pleasant surprise, but also a mysterious one. No letter accompanied the check, and the note field reads only "TORT CLAIM 2004102265550\". So, super-sleuths, can you shed any light on this mystery?
Update: Mystery solved. Got a letter in the mail today from TSA, informing me that this is the settlement of my claim against them for lost property due to their negligence when my flashlight got stolen from a bag I was forced to check. Eight months later-- and many months after Alaska ponied up their own reimbursement-- the government finally came through. When Alaska paid me, I figured they'd talked with TSA and decided it was their fault, but apparently they never spoke to each other. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your government at work. You may now proceed to divest yourselves of all your screwdrivers and flashlights, while bringing your pens, keys, and heavy laptops onto the plane with you.
I was reading a financial article the other day that suggested that by cutting back on the number of times one dines out for lunch, from five to three days a week, one could save $1560 per year based on a $15 price tag for food, drink, tax and tip.
To which I thought, "$15 for lunch? Whaaaaaaaaaaa?!"
A splurge lunch for me is a trip to the local Indian buffet, where eleven bucks gets you out the door with a full all-you-can-eat meal (with ice water-- I rarely order beverages in restaurants). More commonly I might go to Wendy's, a Chinese or teriyaki place, or perhaps a sandwich shop-- all of which would feed me for under seven dollars. And in our cafeteria I can get a chicken sandwich and fries for $4.05.
Fifteen bucks? Who the heck blows fifteen bucks on lunches twice a week, let alone every day? Granted, my world view is skewed-- I don't own, let alone wear, a power tie. Or a suit, for that matter. So I'm not hob-nobbing with martinis in steak houses and sushi bars. But really, is the average Joe plunking down fifteen bucks when he goes out for lunch? Am I really that far outside the norm here?
The comments are open for your take on the question.
Speaking of tombs, were deathtraps actually built into real tombs? I find it hard to believe that automatic dart traps, falling spikes, or self-sealing chambers were authentic parts of ancient tombs. Can anyone point to actual instances of these things being discovered?
The deathtrap meme has certainly become pervasive in fiction and gaming-- offering up a tomb without one is almost unthinkable. Where did the meme originate? In the modern era there's obviously Raiders of the Lost Ark, but that was itself an homage to adventure dramas of the past. The concept is much older, but how old? From where did it originate? Discuss.
Is blackmail illegal?
Does the answer depend on the demand? Is there a legal difference between "Back out of the Presidential race or I'll expose your Yanni collection to the public" and "Give me $100,000 or I'll give these photos of you and the naked nanny to your wife"?
I've started to contemplate a kitchen remodel, and I'm wondering about downdraft vents for the stove. I've never actually used one-- how well do they work? The whole design seems... backwards. The vent is only a couple of inches off the stovetop's surface, well below the edge of many pots. The steam and smoke intended to get vented will emanate from well above the level of the vent. Traditional hood venting sucks the vapors upward, which seems like the way God intended it. Do downdraft vents really get the job done?
At the end of the month I'll be in San Francisco for Justice Unlimited, the latest Game from the Bay area Game community. Will any SZ readers be participating?
I've received a Gmail invitation-- which, after experiencing the joys of reading POP3 mail via Mail2Web from an Internet cafe, is an attractive proposition. Problem is, gmail addresses must be at least 6 characters long, which means peter@gmail.com is out. I'm not crazy about using my last name in my email address, since I always wind up having to spell it out for people and they get it wrong anyway. So psarrett, petersarrett, and so forth are out. peters, which I don't really like anyway because it reads "peters" and not "Peter S", is already taken. I'm looking for something that's easy to remember and, when said aloud, suggests an obvious, unambiguous spelling.
The comments are open for your suggestions.
You're with a group of friends at a restaurant and the bill arrives. The expectation is that everyone's paying for their own meal. Let's say the total after tax and tip is $100 for four of you, and you all ordered the same thing so each of you owes $25. You have a $20 coupon. Do you:
a) pay $5 + the coupon
b) apply the coupon to the group tab, and everyone now pays $20 instead of $25
c) other
Now suppose it's a 50% off coupon instead. Do you:
a) pay nothing (since the table's tab is now $50 and you've effectively paid more than your own share) and have everyone else pay $16.66
b) pay $12.50 with everyone else
c) other
If you answered b, how does your answer change if you actually paid money-- say, $10-- for the coupon? Do you add the $10 to the bill and share the cost among everyone, or do you suck it up yourself?
I wonder which of these is more represented in their mailbag:
Dear Alaska Airlines,
Thank you so much for including an excerpt from Psalm 107:1 with my in-flight meal. In these troubled times I'm more nervous about flying than ever before, and reading this reminder of the Lord's endurance and goodness comforted me as I partook of His bounty. It gives me tremendous peace of mind to know that Alaska Airlines places so much trust in God.
Sincerely,
Maya Soltukeep
or...
Dear Alaska Airlines,
I was horrified to find a psalm included as part of my in-flight meals during a recent round-trip on your airline. I'm sure the intent behind this handout is noble, but it is utterly inappropriate for a corporation to foist a particular belief system on its paying customers. It is not Alaska Airlines' place to instruct me to "Give thanks to the Lord." My relationship with God-- or lack thereof-- is my own personal business. A sermon might be the price of a meal at a soup kitchen, but it has no place on an airline. This underhanded proselytism is offensive, and it has cost Alaska this customer. I will not be flying with you again.
Sincerely,
Nan Christian
I imagine that people who send holiday cards send out a LOT of them, which must be a fairly time- and labor-intensive process. On the other end, the recipient typically gets a canned greeting and a hastily-scribbled signature.
To which I must ask, what's the point?
Spare me the clap-trap about "thinking of you" and "keeping in touch." I don't call sending out a generic card to everyone on your address list either of those things. People who take the time to write a meaningful personal note get partial exemptions, and there's a clear role for family newsletters and photo cards. But does this annual ritual constitute any kind of meaningful contact, or is it just a pro forma obligation people mark off their holiday checklists? Does the "thought" of sending something at all count more than the "thoughtlessness" of sending a Christmas-themed card to someone of a non-Christian faith?
I received two cards today. One was custom designed and contained a nice personal note of fairly little substance, yet sufficient to make me think fondly about the senders and want to drop them an equally hollow let's-continue-to-keep-in-touch-despite-having-nothing-really-to-say-to-each-other reply. The other was a generic winter holiday card with pagan/Christian associations from a far-away friend, with no personal comment at all. It was nice of the sender to take the time and expense to include me-- a little unexpected frisson in the mailbox-- but the generic nature of the card created conflict between sorrow at the lost opportunity for personal contact and pleasure at the regard implied by even being included on the sender's list.
I don't mean to be ungrateful for being thought of, but then that's the crux of the question-- is it, truly, the thought that counts? Does cranking up the holiday card assembly line constitute genuine thought? Who's season's really being celebrated, the sender's or the recipient's? Would just a 1-2 minute personal phone call rate higher on the warm fuzzy scale than a canned card? Do holiday cards really say, "Thinking of you!" or just "Going through the motions!"?
I appear to have a virus on my system, or I had one and now I've got a trojan. Every so often when I have Internet Explorer running and I navigate somewhere (especially on the 1st navigation after running IE), a new IE window gets spawned. This is especially odd since I have the Google Taskbar running with the pop-up blocker activated. Sometimes this window never shows up anywhere but the task bar, and then vanishes. Sometimes it appears off-screen as a 0-size window. Other times it's a pop-under with ads.
Task Manager shows no unusual processes running. My system registry has no unusual keys in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run. I haven't found anything like this listed on AntiVirus sites, and my eTrust AntiVirus program doesn't detect anything awry. Has anyone else seen this? Help!
I only know two people who maintain non-news blogs (yes, I'm talking about you, Matt and Chris). I enjoy reading them because a) they're good reads, and b) the personal connection gives me a stronger vested interest.
As far as I know, the rest of you are just leeches on my creative jugular. <flops arms around and rolls eyes> "Oh, we're soooo disappointed when you don't post a new entry, Peter. Entertain us! Dance, monkey, dance!" </flopping>
Turnabout is fair play. Some of you must be blogging. Fess up and bare your neck, for I must feed.
I don't think I've waxed rhapsodic about Good Eats on SZ yet. But as host Alton Brown might say, that's another blog entry. My point here is that Alton uses some pretty cool stuff on his show. He sells some of it himself-- I've already got his salt cellar and plunger measuring cups.
But what I don't have are his dice plates-- a set of six square but slightly curved white plates with pip patterns matching the six faces of a die. They're groovy and very me. I want a set. They used to be sold by Restoration Hardware ($15 a set) over a year ago, but not anymore. The two stores in Seattle don't have 'em and couldn't get 'em, and the catalog salesperson said they're no longer available.
I've done the usual web searching-- Google, Ebay, Good Eats message boards-- to no avail. That's where you come in, loyal Zombies. Your mission: find me a set of those plates. I'll cheerfully reimburse you and proclaim you the cat's pajamas for all the world-- or the portion of it that reads Static Zombie-- to see.
Mother (to daughter): "Goodnight, sweetie."
Mother (to son): "Goodnight, darling."
Father (to daughter): "Goodnight, honey."
Father (to son): "Goodnight, son."
Whaaaaaaa? I'm not a dad, but as my mind wandered last night it occurred to me that I couldn't think of any terms of endearment that a father might use with his son short of "kiddo", "sport", "champ", and the like-- a far cry from the affectionate words we use when talking to little girls. What's up with that?
What's the deal with check-cashing shops?
One opened recently near me, and it got me wondering. You see these places all over. I've never used one, but I imagine they charge a fee to cash your check. As opposed to, say, a bank, which will cheerfully do it for nothing. I find it hard to believe there are enough people desperate for Haagen Dazs at midnight who lack an ATM or credit card to keep these places in business, and yet there they are, sprouting like kudzu.
Honestly, I'm just not understanding the market need here. Explain it to me.
