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Was just talking to the new Executive Creative Director at our agency and turns out he is good friends with Will Arnett!! Will plays the role of Joe (the magician guy) on the show Arrested Development!!! FUCKING ROCKS!

Just saw that BoingBoing posted a link to the 100 oldest domain names. I thought I had posted it here ages ago but it turns out I posted it in a forum back in December before I had this blog. Anyway here is the link to the 100 oldest dot com domains. [Link]

I am posting this post using Linux on Nats powerbook. I feel like such a newbie using this OS. It took me like 5 minutes trying to figure out how to get the network setup though which is faster then it would have taken me trying to figure it out on Windows XP. Linux does feel allot like Windows though which isn’t a good thing. The OS is pretty fast and responsive running on Nats 867mhz pbook. I am running the live version of Ubuntu. The hardest part of working with Linux is I am using the Command key when I should be using the CTRL key for stuff like copying or closing windows. Anyway, gonna boot back up into OSX now.

Once I get the old clamshell iBook which I posted about yesterday night, I am going to install Linux on it. The reason is OS9 is a great OS and should run nicely on the iBook, but if I want to use it for web surfing its going to suck because there are no decent browsers on OS9. iCab sucks, Mozilla sucks and IE is the best of the bunch so you could imagine how bad the situation is. OSX would install on the iBook but its not going to be fast, its not even going to run at a decent speed at all.

This is why I have one other option to go with, Linux. I am going to install Ubuntu on the iBook and then install FireFox. With a 160MB RAM and 300mhz CPU, it should run smoothly and definitely faster then installing OSX on it.

If you have a Mac and are interested in installing Linux on it, you can download and burn the Live version on a CD. That way you can check out the OS without needing to install it. [Link]

A friend of mine called me earlier, he is in the Mac business and I had asked him before if he ever came across someone who wanted to sell their old iBook to give me a call. So he calls me up awhile ago tells me there is a 300mhz Tangerine iBook, excellent condition with box and all its CDs for and owner is selling it for only KD25. It comes with 32MB RAM but it would cost me only $29 to add another 128. I should be able to run OS9 easily on the system and if I need to I could even install OS10. I am thinking of getting it since when they first came out I really wanted one but couldn’t afford it. I remember I had just started going out with Nataly back then and I went with her to the Apple Store to show her how funky the ibooks were. I also wouldn’t mind having a laptop to surf the web while watching TV or lying in bed. I won’t be using it for anything else just web browsing. I might even just run VNC on it and connect it to my main mac and use it like that. Lots of possibilities for a really good price, KD25 only. Very tempting.

I just got an email from 23HQ (previously 23people). They have moved out of the beta stage and are upgrading all existing users to a free 2 year plus subscription. 23HQ is like flickr except not as crowded. I personally use it to put my favorite photos on and I also love the fact that my username is “mark” there. You can check out my favorite pictures by going to 23hq.com/mark

I just downloaded a copy of the newly renovated I-Mag magazine to check it out. I wasn’t expecting it to be any good but it turns out its actually better then the majority of the free English magazines you find at Starbucks. Check it out [Link]

Yesterday I watched Audition (Ôdishon) which was recommended to me by my brother. What a fucked up movie that was. The movie starts off extremely slow, boring and uneventful. I wanted to turn it off soo many times but I remembered my brother telling me wait till the end so I did. What a fucking end! No way on earth would I have expected anything like that. I wish I could explain what happens but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. The end of the movie has one of the most graphic scenes I have ever watched, Nataly even covered her eyes and wanted me to mute it because she couldn’t handle it. The movie in short is about this guy who is a widow and is looking for a wife. His best friend suggests they set up a fake movie audition in which he could use it to find a girl he is interested in. The guy finds a girl and falls in love. Other then that I will not say any more.

This is the second movie I’ve watched for Takashi Miike. The first one was Visitor Q (Bizita Q) which was also really weird but not as enjoyable as Audition. Overall I really liked yesterdays movie, I realize now why the intro was so normal and dull, its just to create a huge contrast with the end of the movie.

I got my new sneakers today from Aramex. I ordered them from Amazon since I can’t find the DCSHOE’s brand in Kuwait. I only wear DC’s, they are the most durable sneakers I have found and combined with my brother we have tried everything from DVS’s to Vans and DC’s always outlasted them all. I don’t skateboard (my brother does) but I only buy skateboarding shoes since they look really cool and they are built to withstand some of the harshest treatment.

My new sneakers are from the new DCSHOE’s Danny Way signature series. They fucking rock. Here are some technical features:

Super Suede
50% more durable, lasts longer, feels like regular suede

DGT Dynamic Grip Technology
DGT is engineered around the fact that each part of a skate shoe’s sole does different things, and wears out at different rates. With DGT, there’s soft rubber for control on ollies and flips. There’s medium rubber for grip and traction. Finally, there’s a tougher, thicker rubber for durability where it’s needed most.

Airbag
DC’s high performance skate shoes have a thermoplastic urethane airbag to provide cushioning in either the forefoot or heel area

Performolite Polyurethane
DC developed its very own exclusive composition of polyurethane and dubbed it Performolite. It’s softer and much lighter then standard polyurethane.

For more info on DCSHOE’s check their website [Link]

Thanks to Purg for the link to this site with famous Lebanese. Here are some interesting ones I didn’t know about:

Nicolas Hayek, creator of Swatch and savior of the Swiss watch industry.
Marisa Tomei, winner of Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in “My Cousin Vinny”
Frank Zappa, rock legend
Yasmine Bleeth, starred in “Baywatch” and “Nash Bridges”
G.E. Smith, guitarist and “Saturday Night Live’s” bandleader for many years (Smith is the translation of is family’s Lebanese name, Haddad)
Kathy Najimy, award-winning comic actress, the fun-loving nun in the “Sister Act” films and co-star of Kirstie Alley as Olive in “Veronica’s Closet”.
Tom Shadyac, director of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective(1994), The Nutty Professor (1996), Liar Liar (1997), Patch Adams(1998), Dragonfly (2002) and Bruce Almighty (2003)
Ned Mansour, president of Mattel, Inc.
Paul Orfalea, founder of Kinko’s

Here is the full list. [Link]

Update: Here is another list from a more reliable source. [Link]
Update 2: Wendie Malick is of Irish and Lebanese heritage. She plays Nina Van Horn on NBC’s hit show Just Shoot Me. [Link]

Yesterday I had time to watch only one movie, but it was a good one. Yesterday I watched Inside Deep Throat which is a documentary on the super famous porn movie, Deep Throat. I watched Deep Throat back in 1992 and I liked it, not because it meant anything deep to me or that it was the best porn movie I had ever watched, back in 1992 I think Deep Throat was the ONLY porn movie I had watched. I didn’t find out about the importance of Deep Throat until much much later and after watching the documentary yesterday I can’t wait to rewatch the original movie again. Here is the plot summary of the documentary from IMDB:

It was filmed in 6 days for 25 thousand dollars. The government didn’t want you to see it. It was banned in 23 states. It has grossed over 600 million dollars. And it is the most profitable film in motion picture history. More than 30 years after Deep Throat’s provocative debut, this documentary examines the legacy that the most profitable film of all-time left on society.

Unlike Born Into Brothels, this was not some average boring documentary. Inside Deep Throat is a really well produced movie and its visually very funky. It was also hilarious to watch. I never imagined the people behind the movie had such a great of sense of humor, everyone from the producer to the actors to the production guys. I also never knew how great the impact of Deep Throat was on society until I watched this movie. It really shook up allot of things back then. And then they also talk about how the mobsters were involved with the movie and how they were profiting from it and burning down theaters that weren’t paying them half of the profits. The movie is just loaded with so much information and its all presented in such a cool way. I also wouldn’t call this documentary a porn. Yes there are a couple of quick shots from the movie but they are not trying to turn you on or anything. The quick scenes are just to give you a glimpse of what Deep Throat was.

For those of you living abroad definitely watch this documentary, even if you haven’t watched the original Deep Throat before. For those of you living in Kuwait you can download the documentary from any torrent site like TorrentSpy and ThePirateBay.

The Eminem Apple ad that was played for the first time during the Apple event a few days ago was pulled. Want to know why? Check this.

This is what Psyop did awhile back [Link]
This is the ad Apple did [Link]

Notice the similarities? Maybe Apple should rework the color scheme atleast.

The Skeleton Key
I watched two movies again yesterday. Seems this 2 movie a day thing will continue till the end of Ramadan. The first movie I watched was The Business and the second movie was The Skeleton Key. I will start talking about The Skeleton Key first since it was the crappiest of the two. The movie was just not scary enough. I mean the name of the movie is actually scarier then the actual movie. Here is the movies plot summary from IMDB:

A young woman helping care for an invalid in New Orleans finds herself caught in the middle of morbid going-ons centered around a group of Hoodoo (Not Voodoo, it’s different. Hoodoo is an old African American magic that only works if you believe in it.) practitioners.

The movie starts off slow and as I said it wasn’t scary at all. The ending of the movie was the best part but to get to the ending you have to sit through the whole movie which isn’t worth it. So if you want me to save two hours of your life and tell you what happens in the end just send me an email.

The Business
The other movie I watched, The Business, now thats a cool movie. I wasn’t expecting it to be any good since I hadn’t heard of the director nor the actors but decided to take the plunge and watch it. Here is the plot summary:

Set in the Thatcher era with the cool sounds of the 80’s, THE BUSINESS is an action packed gangster flick set in Spain’s sun drenched Costa Del crime. Frankie (Danny Dyer), is on the run from the high-rise’s of South London to a new life in Malaga with nothing but a tin stuffed full of cash. Having no idea that this delivery of cash to super-suave playboy and ex-con, Charlie (Tamer Hassan), will change his life forever, he soon becomes one of the gang, and finds himself drawn into a flamboyant and violent world of organized crime.

The first thing that grabbed my attention in the movie was the cinematography. Every shot in the first 30 minutes of the movie was just gorgeous. The colors, the angles the situations, it starts off as a very beautiful artsy movie but then after 30 minutes the movie starts looking normal. I don’t know if they were pushed with time or something but the first 30 minutes looks allot different then the rest of the movie. The story is pretty cool, the movie never felt slow or boring, there was no nudity or excess violence yet the movie was still entertaining to watch and by the time you get to the end of movie you get really attached to the main characters. So between these two movies I watched, I would definitely recommend The Business.

This is todays B-Side. I shot it on my way out of McDonalds. I love the colors and I would have put it as picture of the day but Nat thinks I already have too many McDonalds related pictures. Sucks.

Waterworld
Yesterday I watched Waterworld and A History of Violence. I watched Waterworld before but I felt like watching it again since I remember I had really liked it the first time I watched it. When Waterworld first came out I don’t think there was any movie like it, or at least I don’t remember knowing of one. Waterworld was the first movie I watched were the whole world had been destroyed because of a natural disaster. Now there are other movies like that for example The Day After Tomorrow. The thing is with new movies they really love showing earth devastated, in Waterworld we have just one small brief scene where you actually see whats left of the cities and you barely see anything. Thats because Waterworld came out a decade ago and they didn’t have the technology we have today to computer render vast cities destroyed and buried below the ocean. When Waterworld came out it was the most expensive movie ever made coming in at over $200 million and I am sure if they redid the movie today it would cost just a small fraction of that.

A History of Violence
Anyway the second movie I watched I was really looking forward to because it was directed by David Cronenberg. The movie is called A History of Violence and stars Viggo Mortensen who previously played the role of Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings series and Lucifer in The Prophecy. Here is the plot summary from IMDB:

Based on the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke, A History of Violence is the tale of Tom Stall. Tom is a loving family man and well-respected citizen of a small Indiana town. But when two savage criminals show up at his diner, Tom is forced to take action and thwart the robbery attempt. Suddenly heralded as a hero who took the courage to stand up to crime, people look up to Tom as a man of high moral regard. But all that media attention has the likes of mobsters showing up at his doorstep, charging that Tom is someone else they’ve been looking for. Is it a case of mistaken identity or does Tom have a history that no one knows about? Either way, someone’s about to find out if there’s a history of violence.

So I watched the movie and I have to say, this is the most “normal” movie directed by Cronenberg. Its not a bad movie, I mean I did enjoy it but it was really missing Cronenbergs signatures. There wasn’t any excess sex, violence or graphic scenes. There wasn’t a twisted story or even a weird ending! I was disappointed of course but at least I got to see Maria Bello (Coyote Ugly, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, ER) nude in one scene.