For whatever reason, links within blog posts on this site are not working properly. The HTML code is automatically adding extra information to each link and I’m trying to figure out why. I have a workaround in place, but it means updating each link manually. So, if you come across some that are still broken, please be patient while I get them fixed. Thanks!

EDIT: At the risk of sounding like a whiner, this is proving to be a real pain in the butt. Most of the links should now point to their correct destinations, but certain links’ behaviors are still acting a bit wonky. I prefer it when clicking on any link inside a blog post opens a new tab or window and does not display the newly accessed page in the existing tab or window. Well, some are working this way and some aren’t, but I’m determined to get them all updated. Patience is a virtue, I guess.

- Joshua

As mentioned in the previous post, we were planning on seeing the movie Mongol. I’m glad we did, but I left the theater feeling fairly underwhelmed. It wasn’t a bad movie, I just felt the areas of focus were not as interesting as other aspects of Genghis Khan’s life. I wouldn’t say don’t go see it, but some of the documentaries I’ve watched are more informative and, quite honestly, more entertaining. The best one I’ve seen so far is a ten part BBC series posted on YouTube. The following list contains links to all ten parts:

Genghis Khan BBC Part 1 of 10
Genghis Khan BBC Part 2 of 10
Genghis Khan BBC Part 3 of 10
Genghis Khan BBC Part 4 of 10
Genghis Khan BBC Part 5 of 10
Genghis Khan BBC Part 6 of 10
Genghis Khan BBC Part 7 of 10
Genghis Khan BBC Part 8 of 10
Genghis Khan BBC Part 9 of 10
Genghis Khan BBC Part 10 of 10

A lot less filler and enough information to write one kick-butt college essay about the greatest ruler in history. I just got through watching it again (posting the links got me itching to see it) and now I’m amped to gather up troops and go conquer the other departments in my office. Network Operations, succumb to my power!

- Joshua

Filed under mongol movie

Yesterday, a co-worker of mine was razzing me for how much I’ve been talking about Genghis Khan as of late. A few months ago, I watched a highly informative, nicely produced documentary about the Mongol ruler, and I found it to be quite fascinating. I had quite a few misconceptions about him before watching it, and I learned a lot of new things I never knew about:

- He is currently the most prolific historical figure. It is stated by genealogists that he procreated with so many women, 1 in every 200 people alive today can trace their lineage back to him.

- His reign of conquest started over the love of his wife. It wasn’t until a neighboring tribe of nomads attacked his village and kidnapped her that he ever initiated combat with anyone outside his own tribe.

- He initially had no intention of conquering Beijing. The Chinese emperor forced this action when he decapitated one of Khan’s trade emissaries. It is said the emperor mistook the intentions of the emissary and thought he heralded the coming of the great Mongol army.

There is so much more I could keep going on about, but I think it is best witnessed in movie format or from within the pages of accurate historical text. Speaking of movies, Mongol came to Anchorage yesterday and is playing at a theater only blocks from our house. You can be sure we’ll be going to see it very soon, and from what I’ve heard, anyone with even the slightest interest in the history of Genghis Khan and the Mongols definitely should not miss it.

- Joshua

Filed under mongol movie

One thing we really, really like about our Macintosh computers is the plethora of awesome shareware and freeware applications available for OS X. The following list is a collection of some of our favorites:

1) AdiumX

Need an all in one IM client? AdiumX has been on the scene for quite some time and has steadily grown to become the most widely used client for OS X users. With a bevy of useful features, we’re surprised the company hasn’t started charging for this wonderful app.

2) Colloquy

Like AdiumX, Colloquy is a robust and beautifully designed freeware IRC client. While it does lack a bit for programming and running automated scripts, the easy to use interface makes it our favorite out of those available as a free download.

3) NetNewsWire

Up to a few months ago, NewsGator was charging for their premium RSS client, NetNewsWire. With a huge list of pre-entered feeds and a built in web browser which allows you to open stories and links directly within the program, this one gets our vote as the cream of the crop. So much so, in fact, we’d have been willing to pay full price for it if when it wasn’t free.

4) Transmission

Transmission is an open source bittorrent client for *nix based operating systems. While it might not be as feature-rich as the Windows-only µTorrent, the primary and most needed functions are all present.

5) Cyberduck

There are quite a few FTP clients available for OS X, but most of the free ones aren’t nearly as cool as Cyberduck. Lightweight, fast, and sporting an eye-pleasing GUI, it is a great FTP client for the thrift-minded webmaster.

There are a lot more candidates worthy of any spot on this list, but these are the ones we use every day. If you want to see what else is out there, look no further than VersionTracker (which has selections for multiple operating systems) or MacUpdate.

Filed under software shareware freeware apple macintosh os

It has been a few years since the release of Spider-Man, which was quite possibly the landmark comic book film for the current generation. It set the tone for the genre, informing studio executives and audiences all over the world the comic book medium could be translated into well made, big budget, respectable movies. We’ve seen quite a few since then, some good, some bad, but everyone pays attention and takes note whenever they’re released.

This month marks the release of both The Dark Knight and Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and both have me chomping at the bit like a race horse on amphetamines. In otherwords, I’m very, very excited to see these two movies. I’ve been reading early reviews posted online, but I think the following snippett from Moriarty at Ain’t It Cool News summarizes my feelings and anticipation perfectly:

...these are films that are built to last. When someone says to me, “It’s just a comic book movie,” these are the films that make that statement pointless. Nothing has to be “just” a comic book movie or “just” a video game movie or “just” a remake or “just” a sequel. Every single time you set out to make a film, you have a chance to say something, a chance to genuinely affect your viewer ... It’s ambition plus inspiration plus creative chemistry plus a little bit of dumb @#!%ing luck that all come together to make movies like these. But the only reason they accomplish anything is because Christopher Nolan and Guillermo Del Toro and all the remarkable madmen they collaborated with in bringing them to the screen... they all dared to drop the word “just” from their vocabulary. They aimed for art. They aimed for pure enduring cinema.

And, good god, we are richer for it.

It is a very well written review, and that paragraph makes me proud to be both a comic book enthusiast and hardcore movie geek. And, if it doesn’t make your heart race with excitement in anticipation to see these movies, then, well, you might want to check in with a mortician because you’re probably dead.

- Joshua

Filed under hellboy batman dark knight comic book joker movie