BillSaysThis

Byron shows off his diving skills in the waters off Grand Turks

And he takes his own picture:

x++: The World’s First Full XML-Based Programming Language Released! – this looks wild! [via Kimbro Staken’s XML Database JuJu]

Never wonder again where that piece of meat you’re about to eat sits on the cow:

Cause it’s all about the Beef

Conspiracy, anyone? – Not that I want to get a reputation like my mother’s sort of namesake of Area 51 fame. Is it a coincidence, though, that the day after Bush unveils his new Middle East policy that the US Space Shuttle fleet gets grounded due to some baloney about hairline cracks in a propellant line, in one shutle, just a few weeks before the first Israeli astronaut ever goes on a mission?

Got up at 6:05 to watch Germany – Korea with nothing in the house to eat (well, I’m too lazy to cook the eggs) and then I found the Springsteen news, need to get my ass over to the coffee shop for the morning energy! Germany, showing their trademark precision, was never really in danger and American-killer Michael Ballack gave them the only net they needed. Other than Oliver Kahn–who will have to be tournament MVP if Germany wins–the team showed no passion and since Ballack will be disqualified after geting his second yellow card of the knockout stages, have to be the underdog if Brazil come through. If Turkey pulls off a miracle, all bets are off, I wouldn’t even try and pit my scant soccer knowledge against such confusion. So I still see Brazil as the best choice to lift the ugly thing.

Come on up for the rising! The title track for Bruce Springsteen can now be heard on his website–the whole thing, not just a 30 second sample! Latest news on the release:

• Springsteen and the E Street Band will play four songs from The Rising on the Today Show on July 30
• In addition to the standard CD, there will be a special limited edition deluxe package including the CD in a hardcover book with a 40 page, full color booklet filled with extra photos and handwritten lyrics.
• Three more songs from the album–“Lonesome Day,” “Into the Fire” and “Mary’s Place”–will premiere on July 8, 15 and 22, respectively, on AOL Music (music.netscape.com or AOL Keyword: First Listen)
• You can enter to win a ticket to a pre-release listening party in 19 cities–San Francisco’s is on July 11 (would it be too much to ask to win one?)

What did I think of the song, you ask? It rocks, hard, with terrific lyrics and I love the swirling mist of Frederici’s organ and the crisp drive of Max’s drums. Bruce may be coming up on his 53rd birthday in September, The Rising may be coming 30 years after Greetings from Asbury Park, but he still makes the music that reaches right inside of me better than anyone else.

Read, it is to weep:

Kevin Phillips: DYNASTIES!

Paul Krugman: The Reality Thing

Two highly recognized commentators, not just guys throwing grenades from a foxhole, bring us very different commentaries on our wonderful president that wind up at the same conclusion: Bush and his top aides are not in touch with reality and, what’s worse, they don’t care about it. Meanwhile life for the people in the real world gets worse by the day. Depressing

First mover disadvantage – Do you really need an app server?: “The real long-term losers become BEA and Sun. The company that launched the Java revolution (Sun) will ultimately be swept away by the companies who perfect the application server environment that makes truly scalable enterprise applications possible (IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle).” [via Karl]

Took me a few years and the urging of The Sweet One to finally catch up with this quirky German production. Run Lola Run stars Franka Potente and Moritz Bleibtreu as pait of young lovers caught up in circumstances threatening him with death at the hands of his ruthless drug dealer boss. They have 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 Deusche Marks that he was to deliver but lost.

Director Tom Tykwer has Potenta (Bourne Identity) literally running for Bleibtreu’s life. Three times he retells those 20 crucial minutes, from the phone call from him to her explaining until the scenario runs out. Though the starting point, with Potente hanging up the phone and racing out of her apartment, is the same, each runthrough quickly takes a different turn. Lola’s father is featured in a short subplot and gives Tykwer a strong mirror story. He’s involved with a woman at work and his results more or less reverse Lola’s. As the director himself explains: “It is this woman’s passion alone that brings down the rigid rules and regulations of the world surrounding her. Love can move mountains, and does. Over and above all the action, the central driving force of this film is romance.”

Like most movies, this one has fans willing to be more enthusiastic and detailed than me.

Recommended

Just short of 50 years from now, due to the effects from a new form of narcotic taken by their mother while pregnant and some assistance from genetic engineers, a few children are born with the ability to tap into the common gestalt when so serious a tear as murder is going to occur and literally see the event in advance. Technology allows their minds to be tapped and tied into computer systems. Max von Sydow plays Burgess, the scientist who develops this combination into a new type of police force that can prevent murders from happening. The system has been under test for six years and has cleaned up all the murders in Washington, DC, and a referendum to approve national expansion is only days away.

That’s the background for Minority Report, the heavily hyped film starring Tom Cruise as the top Precrime cop and directed by Steven Spielberg. A good film though not quite up to the hype or fawning reviews. Like Blade Runner and Total Recall, this is another movie based on a Philip K. Dick short story; like those all that’s really kept is the basic premise, a slight tilt towards the dark side, and major character names.

Cruise is not bad, actually, given a much better script and character than he had last time out in Vanilla Sky. Hot new actor Colin Farrell is okay but his character is a little too obvious. von Sydow is beyond acting, he’s made so many movies over the years that he just is the character. Samantha Morton isn’t called on for more than very obvious facial emoting but does that well enough.

Spielberg puts huge visuals up on the screen, a ot of very cool stuff that appeals to the technogeek in me, but after awhile this distracts from the story and hurts the movie. Though I surely wouldn’t mind having one of the jet packs the cops fly around on. One of my companions complained mightily about the slightly grainy quality of the film, which I suppose was a choice affected by the director too.

Joshua has an interesting take on MR, Cruise, and Spielberg.

Not quite as good as, say, The Bourne Identity but worth seeing.

Artistfacts – about Bruce and Born to Run

Some strange business midway through the second half. USA has a free kick from about 30 yards and off to the right but before we can start Reyna and Neuville are pushing and jostling and Scottish referee Hugh Dallas stops play. The agitation continues, so Dallas waves Reyna over to the side of the box while he goes to consult with the sideline assistant. After much chatter, he walks back on and shows yellow to both players, the kick comes in but the Germans have had too much time to organize and catch their breath.

The cards start flying, Pope, Lewis, Mastroanni, Burhalter all getting one, and since all four had one already from the Mexico match, they would not be playing next time if we had won.

Cobi Jones and Ernie Stewart both come on as the final US substitutions for more offense while Germany uses theirs for more defense. Keeping 11 men behind the ball any time the US has posession, still we come close on a few plays. Tony Sanneh, who has had an outstanding tournament, gets his head on the ball twice, one time missing the left side of the net by inches, and those are the best scoring chances we get.

We couldn’t get on the board, Kahn with his defenders was simply too tough but Friedel was almost as good. He was supposed to share playing time with Kasey Keller but coach Bruce Arena could not ignore his fine play and so Keller, very unhappy, claiming he was lied to, never got on the field. Friedel is my Team MVP!

And so the American team goes home with heads held high. Reyna drove his mates further than ever before–I could see the respect from the Germans the entire second half and then in the aftermath, the way Rudy Voeller, a mean goalscorer himself before taking the national team reins, was making a point of talking with many American players. Next time out, when the Germans have home field advantage, we will be there and not just for respect–but with that home field advantage plus some superb young players like Klose on offense and Kehl at center defense they have to be favorites next time.

Nothing here or in the Brazil-England match, though, makes me rethink my previous call for this Finals: Germany will go through to the finals after defeating the winner of South Korea-Spain (probably South Korea on emotion and a rumored injury to Raul) but will not be able to handle the play of the Brazilians.

The US is controlling the ball pretty much the whole time so far in this half, a couple of good chances including one that was inches from the net.

Mathis, who scored twice against Germany in the March 27 game, comes on as a substitute for McBride in the 58th minute.

For 38 minutes, the Americans were giving the German players as much as they could, with five shots against one, forcing the German keeper Kahn to make three quality saves. The marking was tight but fair, no cards shown. Then, quickly, off a direct kick from Christian Ziege, Michael Ballack led a rush into the American box, got the ball on his head, and knocked it just to the right of Brad Friedel and in for the 1-0 lead. Landon Donovan, playing forward alongside McBride in an unusual for USA 3-5-2 lineup, has had the chances for us but Kahn showed hy he is the world’s best.

Okay, no overtime, but my boys have no one to blame but themselves, they choked under the pressure of the extra man. The Brazilians showed all the technical skill they are famous for, stopping passes with chest or foot precisely in place, sliding passes through slender openings, running the other team off the ball. Posession football. Now Brazil rests up to meet the winner of Senegal-Turkey in Saitama, Japan, in five days.

Three hours to wait for USA-Germany

England’s play on the offensive end, when they’ve got the ball in the 18 yard range, is just crap.

Brazil are just eating up the clock, maybe five minutes left: think the old North Carolina/Dean Smith four corners offense.

And right away again, Ashley Cole goes out for Teddy Sheringham on the next stoppage.

Here’s the next English sub: Darius Vassell in for Owen, who may be suffering from a bad groin.