Film #108: Grindhouse

The following is an interview conducted by the magnificent Dark City Dame of Noirish City about one of my favorite films of the 2000s:DarkCityDame: Let me start off by asking you this question: why did you select the film Grindhouse to be added to your list of 30 films from 2000 to the present?Dean: Grindhouse stands as one of the most unusual moviegoing experiences I've had in recent years. As a

Film #108: Grindhouse

The following is an interview conducted by the magnificent Dark City Dame of Noirish City about one of my favorite films of the 2000s:DarkCityDame: Let me start off by asking you this question: why did you select the film Grindhouse to be added to your list of 30 films from 2000 to the present?Dean: Grindhouse stands as one of the most unusual moviegoing experiences I've had in recent years. As a

MASTER LIST #4: The 101 Greatest Documentaries

Based on quality and influence, the results are: 1) Salesman (Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin, 1968) 2) Best Boy (Ira Wohl, 1979)3) The “Up” series (Michael Apted, 63-2005) 4) Sherman’s March (Ross McElwee, 86) 5) Gimme Shelter (Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin, 70) 6) Monterey Pop (D.A. Pennebaker, 68) 7) Titicutt Follies (Frederick Wiseman, 67) 8) Man With A Movie

MASTER LIST #4: The 101 Greatest Documentaries

Based on quality and influence, the results are: 1) Salesman (Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin, 1968) 2) Best Boy (Ira Wohl, 1979)3) The “Up” series (Michael Apted, 63-2005) 4) Sherman’s March (Ross McElwee, 86) 5) Gimme Shelter (Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin, 70) 6) Monterey Pop (D.A. Pennebaker, 68) 7) Titicutt Follies (Frederick Wiseman, 67) 8) Man With A Movie

Historical Of Titanic - Images

MASTER LIST #3: The 101 Greatest Westerns

There are two types of westerns: the traditional (High Noon and such) and the revisionist (like Brokeback Mountain and Dances WIth Wolves). They are quite different from one another, making this genre a wide-ranging one. I would say there's a greater education about the western in store for me; there must be scores of great 30s, 40s, and 50s-era oaters I must see. Unfortunately, they are

MASTER LIST #3: The 101 Greatest Westerns

There are two types of westerns: the traditional (High Noon and such) and the revisionist (like Brokeback Mountain and Dances WIth Wolves). They are quite different from one another, making this genre a wide-ranging one. I would say there's a greater education about the western in store for me; there must be scores of great 30s, 40s, and 50s-era oaters I must see. Unfortunately, they are

KFOG Broadcast: January 27th, 2009

How do I change hostname in Ubuntu Linux?

You can see or change hostname of your computer with hostname command.

You need privileged access to use this command.

In terminal, typing hostname gives you the hostname of the computer.

hostname xyz changes the name of your computer to xyz.

Quick Guide to locate the Orion Nebula

Face south in the early to mid-evening and Orion is high in the southern sky. It is easy to identify because of the distinctive "belt" stars and the bright shoulders and kneecaps of Orion. Below the belt hangs the sheath of the sword of Orion, and in the middle of what appears to be three stars is the Orion Nebula. Through binoculars or a small telescope you can clearly see glowing gas and clouds with a distinctive blue hue.

MASTER LIST #2: The 101 Greatest Science-Fiction Movies

Films are ranked in order, based on (1) quality, (2) relevance to genre, (3) influence. Here are the results: 1) 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 68)2) Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 82)3) The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 80) 4) The Matrix (The Wachowski Brothers, 99) 5) Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 27)6) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 56)7) Close Encounters of the Third Kind

MASTER LIST #2: The 101 Greatest Science-Fiction Movies

Films are ranked in order, based on (1) quality, (2) relevance to genre, (3) influence. Here are the results: 1) 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 68)2) Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 82)3) The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 80) 4) The Matrix (The Wachowski Brothers, 99) 5) Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 27)6) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 56)7) Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Unable to remove old X config backup file /etc/X11/xorg.conf.backup.

Many people complains me that they get error "Unable to remove old X config backup file '/etc/X11/xorg.conf.backup'." after pressing "Save to X configuration file" in nvidia-settings. The reason is very simple, launching nvidia-settings doesn't give you enough permission to write inside /etc/. So run nvidia-settings in the following way:

Press Alt+F2

type gksu nvidia-settings

Brilliant Venus

Venus is a remarkable object in the evening sky. It has been steadily brightening throughout January and will continue through February as it climbs high in the evening sky. Winter skies in San Francisco can yield some of the best viewing. I went out for a look at the western sky at Ocean Beach tonight and although it was cold and breezy, the week ahead is forecast to bring sunny days and crisp, clear nights. With Venus approaching its maximum brightness it is shimmering in the west, dominating the sky and making all other celestial objects pale by comparison. That is, until the Moon shows up!

This week brings the monthly dance of planets and Moon. Find a good western horizon to enjoy the monthly spectacle of the young crescent Moon climbing higher each night. The Moon takes just over 29 days to orbit the earth so from one day to the next it moves approximately 12 degrees against the backdrop of stars. Each evening you can see the change in the Moon's position and Venus serves as a helpful reference point in the sky especially from Thursday 29th to Friday 30th. Dress warmly and enjoy!

MASTER LIST #1: The 101 Greatest Horror Movies

Films are ranked in order, based on (1) quality, (2) scares, (3) influence. Here are the results: 1) The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 73) 2) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 74) 3) Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 60) 4) Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 68) 5) Halloween (John Carpenter, 78)6) Frankenstein (James Whale, 31) 7) The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 80)8) Eraserhead (David

MASTER LIST #1: The 101 Greatest Horror Movies

Films are ranked in order, based on (1) quality, (2) scares, (3) influence. Here are the results: 1) The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 73) 2) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 74) 3) Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 60) 4) Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 68) 5) Halloween (John Carpenter, 78)6) Frankenstein (James Whale, 31) 7) The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 80)8) Eraserhead (David

2009 Oscar Nominations: The Final Tally

Okay, so the 2009 Academy Award nominations were announced, this morning at 8:30 ET/5:30 PT as per usual, and here's how they line up: BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Josh Brolin, MilkRobert Downey Jr., Tropic ThunderPhilip Seymour Hoffman, DoubtHeath Ledger, The Dark Knight Michael Shannon, Revolutionary RoadGOT WRONG: Eddie Marsan, Happy-Go-Lucky (instead of Michael Shannon) (

2009 Oscar Nominations: The Final Tally

Okay, so the 2009 Academy Award nominations were announced, this morning at 8:30 ET/5:30 PT as per usual, and here's how they line up: BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Josh Brolin, MilkRobert Downey Jr., Tropic ThunderPhilip Seymour Hoffman, DoubtHeath Ledger, The Dark Knight Michael Shannon, Revolutionary RoadGOT WRONG: Eddie Marsan, Happy-Go-Lucky (instead of Michael Shannon) (

Waning moon meets red giant before dawn

Many of the brightest stars in the sky are located on or very near to the Ecliptic, the path across the sky that the Sun, Moon and planets follow. The Ecliptic crosses over all 12 of the Zodiac constellations as well as pieces of other constellations. Every 29 days as the Moon wanders on its journey around the Earth, we see it crossing through all 12 Zodiac constellations, often with close encounters with the stars in these constellations.

On January 21st, the Moon will cross very near to the bright red star Antares in the constellation Scorpius. Antares is in fact a red supergiant star, thousands of times larger than our Sun but considerably cooler, hence the red color of the light emitted from it. For those in South America, the Moon will appear to pass directly over ("occult") Antares but for us here in San Francisco we will see the Moon and Antares several hours later when they are going to be very near each other but not overlapping.

All of this is visible in the final minutes of the night just before the first light of dawn, but given good weather conditions lately in San Francisco, it should be very visible and quite striking indeed. The view in the above illustration is what you will see from 5:30 to about 6:30 AM, before the light of dawn begins to brighten the sky.

George Ellery Hale and the world's biggest telescopes

I never tire of sitting in a domed room experiencing something to do with the universe, and when on the road I try to check out the local planetarium if time permits. While in New York City on business this week, I gave myself a night off and took in a show at the Hayden Planetarium. I was drawn in by a special showing of the PBS documentary The Journey to Palomar with an introduction and discussion by the film's two producers, Todd Mason and Robin Mason.

Growing up in Southern California I had a keen awareness of big telescopes in the region, including the 60-inch and 100-inch reflectors at the Mount Wilson Observatory (a little more than 10 miles line of sight from my home near South Pasadena), and of course the biggest telescope in the world at that time, the 200-inch Hale Telescope at the Mount Palomar Observatory. One time I convinced a couple friends to drive out and camp at Mount Palomar. We visited the observatory during the day and saw the big telescope from the visitors gallery - an impressive sight indeed.

Watching the documentary movie, I was very moved by the story of George Ellery Hale. It is accurate to say that he can be credited with single-handedly driving the creation of the biggest scientific instruments for astronomical research in the first half of the 20th century. He was a man of passion, vision and drive who used his boundless energy to gather the funding needed to build telescopes that had never been built before. Why did he do this? He was in a quest to see more, learn more, and uncover truths about our universe. He took the time to ask hard questions and then set out to create the scientific instruments necessary to get the answers he needed. By creating such amazing places to study the universe, he set the stage for astronomers such as Edwin Hubble to use these extraordinary telescopes to discover that the Milky Way was just one of many billions of galaxies. New theories were tested and validated by the images being gathered. The entire world of astrophysics was turned on its head.

The film producers pointed out that for those of us who grew up during the space race and the moon landings, these events overshadowed the profound discoveries using Hale's big telescopes and in time his notoriety was diminished. But if you take the time to learn about his life and the drive he had to better our understanding of our universe, you will see a story that has relevance for anyone interested in science. He showed that great advances in our understanding of all things comes from inspiration and commitment to an idea. I am motivated to carry on with my work as an amateur astronomer this year, the International Year of Astronomy, so others may be moved to look up and get inspired by what they see in the sky.

Saul Bass

Saul Bass (1920-1996) is best known as the graphic designer who pioneered not only the look of both movie posters and their opening credits sequences, but also the sleek appearance of the corporate logos that have become such a part of our lives (and, yes, you can groan if you want). In the 50s and 60s, it became a film critic cliche to state that his credits sequences alone were worth the price

Saul Bass

Saul Bass (1920-1996) is best known as the graphic designer who pioneered not only the look of both movie posters and their opening credits sequences, but also the sleek appearance of the corporate logos that have become such a part of our lives (and, yes, you can groan if you want). In the 50s and 60s, it became a film critic cliche to state that his credits sequences alone were worth the price

Film #107: Feed The Kitty

Of course, as a cat lover first and a dog lover second, I have to adore Chuck Jones' 1952 Warner Brothers cartoon Feed the Kitty. With only three characters, minimal dialogue, and the barest of plots--bulldog Marc Anthony absurdly tries to hide the teeny kitten he's adopted from the lady of the house--Jones' film is absolute animation mastery. The director once described himself as "an actor

Film #107: Feed The Kitty

Of course, as a cat lover first and a dog lover second, I have to adore Chuck Jones' 1952 Warner Brothers cartoon Feed the Kitty. With only three characters, minimal dialogue, and the barest of plots--bulldog Marc Anthony absurdly tries to hide the teeny kitten he's adopted from the lady of the house--Jones' film is absolute animation mastery. The director once described himself as "an actor

I'll be celebrating the International Year of Astronomy in 2009

400 years ago Galileo crafted a telescope and pointed it up at the sky. He might not have been the first person ever to do this, but he was the first to document his findings. By using visual evidence, he was able to shake up the truths of the world as it was known and understood in the early 17th century.

Now in 2009 it is time for us to celebrate his great work by turning our attention skyward and connecting ourselves with the sky - perhaps with a telescope, with binoculars, or just looking up with the unaided eye and taking it all in. Whether we uncover great new science or just learn the names of a few stars, The International Year of Astronomy (IYA) is already underway. Here is the purpose statement on the IYA website.

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is a global effort initiated by the International Astronomical Union and UNESCO to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the Universe through the day- and night-time sky, and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery.

As an amateur astronomer, I am very excited about the potential of such an effort. To that end, I am adding a second new years resolution to my list, and that is to get out with my telescope and show off the sky to anyone who will care to stop by and look and talk. I have always found "sidewalk astronomers" to be good people, committed to raising awareness of the planets and moon and sun and ultimately, of science.

A highlight of the IYA will be "100 Hours of Astronomy" in April. From the IYA website: This is a 100-hour, round-the-clock, round-the-globe event that includes live webcasts from research observatories, public observing events and other activities around the world. I will certainly plan to do some public work such as sidewalk astronomy. I expect there will be local, national and international events as the date draws nearer. I'll post to the blog as I hear about interesting events.

Film #106: The Honeymoon Killers

It was supposed to be Martin Scorsese's movie, but he was fired after the first day's shooting for taking too long on the set-ups. So the writer of the script for The Honeymoon Killers, Leonard Kastle, took over the directorial duties. A novice filmmaker, Kastle was barely known upon the movie's 1970 release as the composer and librettist of numerous obscure operas. He used the music of his

Film #106: The Honeymoon Killers

It was supposed to be Martin Scorsese's movie, but he was fired after the first day's shooting for taking too long on the set-ups. So the writer of the script for The Honeymoon Killers, Leonard Kastle, took over the directorial duties. A novice filmmaker, Kastle was barely known upon the movie's 1970 release as the composer and librettist of numerous obscure operas. He used the music of his

sudo echo

Many people complain that they cant use sudo with echo.
For example people try to do

sudo echo 1 > /etc/file

To know why this fails, lets break the command in two parts.

sudo echo 1
You are just echoing "1".

> /etc/file
You are trying to write something to file inside /etc for which you need root access. But there is no root access as sudo was needlessly used with echo command.

So to use sudo and echo we need help from one command called tee. With tee you can accomplish the above work.

echo 1 | sudo tee /etc/file
echo 1 | sudo tee -a /etc/file

Film #105: Heaven Help Us

In the spring of 1985, it was John Hughes' The Breakfast Club that captivated all the kids. Steeped in undying high school archetypes seen through a garish 80s lens, and alternating between malcontent trans-clique discourse and annoying over-statement (did Hughes really have to include a stoned Emilio Estevez yelling so loud he shatters glass?), The Breakfast Club sucked up millions at the box

Film #105: Heaven Help Us

In the spring of 1985, it was John Hughes' The Breakfast Club that captivated all the kids. Steeped in undying high school archetypes seen through a garish 80s lens, and alternating between malcontent trans-clique discourse and annoying over-statement (did Hughes really have to include a stoned Emilio Estevez yelling so loud he shatters glass?), The Breakfast Club sucked up millions at the box

Film #104: JCVD

I've never sat all the way through even one Jean Claude Van Damme movie. Not one. Bloodsport, Universal Soldier, Kickboxer, Street Fighter, even John Woo's Hard Target? Sorry. Missed 'em. I despise the conversion of video games to movies, so should I why waste my time hoping each one is gonna be good? So I went into JCVD with low expectations, even though I've been told by some very

Film #104: JCVD

I've never sat all the way through even one Jean Claude Van Damme movie. Not one. Bloodsport, Universal Soldier, Kickboxer, Street Fighter, even John Woo's Hard Target? Sorry. Missed 'em. I despise the conversion of video games to movies, so should I why waste my time hoping each one is gonna be good? So I went into JCVD with low expectations, even though I've been told by some very

Ubuntu 9.04 to be called Jaunty Jackalope

Jaunty Jackalope is known for its fastness, so will the next version of Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope.

The main goal on this release is to make boot up time or resume time very short and integrating desktop applications and web applications.

Hear from Mark Shuttleworth himself, link

The 20 Favorite Actors Meme begins...

Seeing as how the 20 Favorite Actresses meme has taken hold of my film-blogging cohorts so completely, I see no reason to delay in starting a 20 Favorite Actors meme, too. It was tough picking my crew (and remember: they're my faves, not the best), but without delay, here are my choices, with twenty runners-up close behind: Clint Eastwood (key films: Dirty Harry, The Good The Bad and the Ugly,

The 20 Favorite Actors Meme begins...

Seeing as how the 20 Favorite Actresses meme has taken hold of my film-blogging cohorts so completely, I see no reason to delay in starting a 20 Favorite Actors meme, too. It was tough picking my crew (and remember: they're my faves, not the best), but without delay, here are my choices, with twenty runners-up close behind: Clint Eastwood (key films: Dirty Harry, The Good The Bad and the Ugly,

My FINAL, FINAL 2009 Academy Award Predictions

I suppose that, after the WGA, DGA, and ACG noms have been announced, one would have to be a fool to contend that The Dark Knight isn't going to slip into the top spot, making it film history's first sequel to win a Best Picture nod without its predecessor being nominated. Sorry, Wall-E--no Best Pic nom for you. So here are my revised, and very final, Academy Award predictions:BEST PICTUREThe

My FINAL, FINAL 2009 Academy Award Predictions

I suppose that, after the WGA, DGA, and ACG noms have been announced, one would have to be a fool to contend that The Dark Knight isn't going to slip into the top spot, making it film history's first sequel to win a Best Picture nod without its predecessor being nominated. Sorry, Wall-E--no Best Pic nom for you. So here are my revised, and very final, Academy Award predictions:BEST PICTUREThe

Film #103: And I Will Not Leave You Until I Die

Working as a film festival programmer from 2002 to 2004 was one of the most rewarding and taxing experiences of my life. As the Programming Director of the Dahlonega International Film Festival (nicknamed the DIFF and now relocated in Rome, Georgia), I worked closely with Executive Director Barry Norman, a mass of dedicated volunteers and filmmakers, and the good people living in the North

Film #103: And I Will Not Leave You Until I Die

Working as a film festival programmer from 2002 to 2004 was one of the most rewarding and taxing experiences of my life. As the Programming Director of the Dahlonega International Film Festival (nicknamed the DIFF and now relocated in Rome, Georgia), I worked closely with Executive Director Barry Norman, a mass of dedicated volunteers and filmmakers, and the good people living in the North

simple way to write to files from bash script

Here is two of the simplest method from where you can write to files from a bash script.

Method One

Within the bash script write

echo "what you want to write" > filePath/fileName

echo "What you want to append" >> filePath/fileName

Method Two

Within the bash script write

cat << EOF > filePath/fileName
Lines of the text that you want to write.
You can write any number of lines.
EOF

cat << EOF > filePath/fileName
Lines of the text that you want to append.
You can write any number of lines.
EOF

Film #102: Kramer Vs. Kramer

After a low-key credits sequence radiantly scored with Vivaldi's "Concerto in C Major for Mandolin & Strings," Kramer Vs. Kramer begins with an exquisite, madonna-like image of Joanna Kramer (Meryl Streep) as she's wishing her nearly-sleeping son Billy (Justin Henry) a good night. Trying to prolong the moment, she says "Don't let the bedbugs bite," and as she strokes his blond hair, he

Film #102: Kramer Vs. Kramer

After a low-key credits sequence radiantly scored with Vivaldi's "Concerto in C Major for Mandolin & Strings," Kramer Vs. Kramer begins with an exquisite, madonna-like image of Joanna Kramer (Meryl Streep) as she's wishing her nearly-sleeping son Billy (Justin Henry) a good night. Trying to prolong the moment, she says "Don't let the bedbugs bite," and as she strokes his blond hair, he

Film #101: Twelve Angry Men

Studio One was an original series of stand-alone dramas that appeared on CBS for a full decade--1948 to 1958. In that time, the show gave the airwaves over to artists that would forever change the movie industry, while leaving TV and Broadway in the dust, standing lonely as mere training grounds for the movies (thus setting each up to be moviedom's bitch, a stance which is now finally fading).

Film #101: Twelve Angry Men

Studio One was an original series of stand-alone dramas that appeared on CBS for a full decade--1948 to 1958. In that time, the show gave the airwaves over to artists that would forever change the movie industry, while leaving TV and Broadway in the dust, standing lonely as mere training grounds for the movies (thus setting each up to be moviedom's bitch, a stance which is now finally fading).

TCM says goodbye in a most classy way...

Turner Classic Movies--for my money, the only reason to have cable or satellite--has put together a masterful obituary piece that salutes those moviemakers who passed from this mortal coil in 2008. Even the Oscars' obit won't highlight some of those familiar people you see here--it's really a beautifully researched bit of TV. Having worked at Turner before, I know positively that the camera

TCM says goodbye in a most classy way...

Turner Classic Movies--for my money, the only reason to have cable or satellite--has put together a masterful obituary piece that salutes those moviemakers who passed from this mortal coil in 2008. Even the Oscars' obit won't highlight some of those familiar people you see here--it's really a beautifully researched bit of TV. Having worked at Turner before, I know positively that the camera

Control brightness from command line

Screen brightness can be viewed and controlled from /proc directory.

/proc/acpi/video/VGA/LCDD/brightness is the file.

First cat the content of the file with cat /proc/acpi/video/VGA/LCDD/brightness

It will show all the supported levels and current level. The current level is the current brightness of your screen.

To change the screen brightness just put any number on that file.
For eg:
echo 10 > /proc/acpi/video/VGA/LCDD/brightness
echo 5 > /proc/acpi/video/VGA/LCDD/brightness
echo 1 > /proc/acpi/video/VGA/LCDD/brightness

Lenovo Y510 surround sound in Ubuntu

Lenovo Y510 has go 4.1 sound system with a sub-woofer (Dolby Home Theater)


Default installation of Ubuntu doesn't recognises all four speaker. There are few fix going on the Internet. There is one problem with those fixes, i.e. headphone doesn't mute the speakers. So you have to manually mute and un-mute the speaker while using the headphone.

However I have found one fix, that recognises all four speaker and one sub-woofer, mutes and un-mutes them while using headphone, and produces 5.1 surround sound.

Open /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base for editing. (you need root access)
Open /etc/modprobe.d/alsa.conf if you are using Fedora (Thanks to the Anonymous user)
add the following line at the end

options snd_hda_intel model=6stack-dell

save and reboot.

Now, go to Audio Preferences and select "6ch" under the options tab.

You are all done, test it with the command "speaker-test -Dplug:surround51 -c6 -twav"

Note: If you have updated your system to Maverick Meerkat, you have to repeat this process again.

Resolution for 2009: See more meteor showers

I awoke this morning shortly after 5:00 and dressed warmly to see the first meteor shower of 2009, the Quadrantids. I had just been reading about this shower the night before and it sounded like it would have an impressive peak at 5:00 pacific time. The conditions looked good from inside my house, so I ventured to my backyard and looked high into the north-east. It took only a minute or two before I was rewarded for my efforts: a pinpoint of light streaked across the sky for an instant. I was energized and focused and saw a particularly bright one a minute later. In my brief 15 minute session, I saw about 8 meteors. By then the first light of dawn was beginning to color the eastern sky and I was ready to hop back into bed!

Meteors are a delight from my point of view for a variety of reasons. They are high-speed astronomical events, those rare things you can encounter in the sky that are fast and require you to pay attention, like a total solar eclipse. Meteors are quick and yet they leave the impression of a long trail in your eye (sometimes the long streak is real, but often it is just a visual memory). My favorite thing is that they are silent. I always expect them to make a sound like an exploding firework, but despite the fact that we are witnessing mass vaporizing in an explosion of heat and brightness, nearly all meteors make no sound. The occasional fireball that is of massive proportion (such as a recent fireball over Canada) are the extremely rare spectacles that might create some local sound.

Meteor showers are annual events that are specifically tied to a time of year and a location in the sky from which the meteors all appear to radiate. For 2009, I am going to make a point of seeing more of these. Typically meteor showers peak after midnight and are best seen when there is no interference from the moon. So for the 10-12 major showers that occur in a year, the phase of the moon will make some of them easier to see than others. Of course, weather plays a role like it does for any other astronomical viewing - the clearer the atmosphere, the better the viewing. And of course the darker the sky, the more meteors you will see. Last night was a chance alignment of nearly all these factors: no clouds, clear atmosphere and no moon. So I jumped at the opportunity to enjoy the sight of the Quadrantid meteors. Even in the city lights of San Francisco the conditions were favorable enough to see some.

The informative astronomy website EarthSky has an excellent summary of the major meteor showers in 2009. Mark your calendar and plan to see a few - they are truly beautiful to witness.

Brushes with Greatness: My Ten Thrilling Celebrity Sightings of 2008

Living in New York City has a few minuses, to be sure. But the pluses far outweigh them, especially if you're an attentive and active movie lover such as myself. One of those benefits is being able to see and even talk to your favorite film and media stars. They're milling about all over the place up here--appearing at film festivals, special screenings, and even just going about their daily

Brushes with Greatness: My Ten Thrilling Celebrity Sightings of 2008

Living in New York City has a few minuses, to be sure. But the pluses far outweigh them, especially if you're an attentive and active movie lover such as myself. One of those benefits is being able to see and even talk to your favorite film and media stars. They're milling about all over the place up here--appearing at film festivals, special screenings, and even just going about their daily

Best of the Movies: 2008

For me, this past year was all about:The Fall (Tarsem Singh)Synecdoche, NY (Charlie Kaufman)Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt)The Wrestler (Darrin Aronofsky)Paranoid Park (Gus Van Sant)Wall-E (Andrew Stanton)Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson)In Bruges (Martin McDonagh) Smiley Face (Gregg Araki)The Promotion (Steve Conrad)Doubt (John Patrick Shanley)Tropic Thunder (Ben Stiller)JCVD (Mabrouk El

Best of the Movies: 2008

For me, this past year was all about:The Fall (Tarsem Singh)Synecdoche, NY (Charlie Kaufman)Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt)The Wrestler (Darrin Aronofsky)Paranoid Park (Gus Van Sant)Wall-E (Andrew Stanton)Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson)In Bruges (Martin McDonagh) Smiley Face (Gregg Araki)The Promotion (Steve Conrad)Doubt (John Patrick Shanley)Tropic Thunder (Ben Stiller)JCVD (Mabrouk El

Film #100, and The Best Movie of 2008: The Fall (and Its Most Overrated Movie: The Dark Knight)

In the spring of 2008, I was wandering around New York City when I saw a stunning poster plastered all over a city wall.Always on the lookout for new movie posters (which trump trailers as my preferred way of being notified about new films), I saw this masterful work of art glued to these battered bits of particle board and exclaimed inside "WHAT IS THIS??" I read the fine print. At the top, it

Film #100, and The Best Movie of 2008: The Fall (and Its Most Overrated Movie: The Dark Knight)

In the spring of 2008, I was wandering around New York City when I saw a stunning poster plastered all over a city wall.Always on the lookout for new movie posters (which trump trailers as my preferred way of being notified about new films), I saw this masterful work of art glued to these battered bits of particle board and exclaimed inside "WHAT IS THIS??" I read the fine print. At the top, it