Around noon today, we're going to be extremely close to the planet Mars. There'll only be 55.758.006 kilometer between the middle points of both the earth and Mars. According to calculations of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of Nasa, Mars hasn't been that close to earth in the last sixty-thousand years - even though both planets approach eachother's orbits every two years. Tahiti will be the closest to Mars, Sudan will be on the opposite side of the world by then. We can expect spectacular photos because a european, a japanese and two american robotexplorers are hurling through space to get closer and space-telescope Hubble is making pictures from Mars from it's orbit around earth. For those who can't wait, tonight you'll have the opportunity to look for Mars with the naked eye. Look for a bright orange lightspecle, low above the horizon in the south-east.

Editorial - 26 August 2003

Hope y'all enjoyed the weekend and normal summer temperatures. Still, I'm going to miss the blistering heat a bit. You never needed to worry about what to wear, grab a t-shirt and go out. Grab a clean t-shirt and go to work. Easy peasy.
Song of the week : "Sound Of Solitude" Myslovitz
Oldie of the week : "Good Grief" Foo Fighters
Last seen movie : "What A Girl Wants" : When there's not so much to chose from and you haven't been reading up on new movies, you just have to listen to your girlfriend and go see the movie she wants to see. Seems that girls have a knack for picking the right sweet and harmless comedies about teenage girls looking for their father, gaining almost royal status and changing the lives of everyone around her ... Yup, when it comes to that I usually tend to skip it, but I'm glad this time I listened because it's quite funny most of the time. Sure, we all can predict how it will end, but, what the hell, that can be said of most horrormovies too, innit ? If you want to see a comedy that ain't too romantic, this is it.
"Big" : an early Tom Hanks movie where he shows he's able to portray the feelings and mindset of a twelve year old child in a grown man's body. In some scenes he's truly spectacular (the night in the motel - brilliant). A kid, facing the start of years of teenage misery, wishes to be big and gets his wish granted. Waking up the next day, he's Tom Hanks. That'd scare anybody I guess. After a while he sets out with a friend, searching for the carnival with the wishing-machine, to get his wish reversed, meanwhile going to work for a toy-company and hence discovering women. Sounds a bit too much ? Well, it is sometimes, but thanks to many funny scenes and a great Hanks, it's worth watching again and again.
"Revelation" : utter crap and not worth viewing or reviewing. You better thank me for sitting through it and warning you here and now. Too bad it ain't so crappy it becomes fun again.
Doing this week : It's Pukkelpop time baby ! No work from thursday on, only loud guitars and freedom.

Editorial - 18 August 2003

Consider me fresh and renewed after a long weekend-break with temperatures of a more humane sort (25 degrees celsius instead of 35), a few free gigs (Hale-Bopp and Daan), a visit to my sister's baby Lorn, followed by a family get-together with around 9 little children (between 7 months and 4 years) and a lot of cleaning in my bookshelves. Ready for a new week of work !
Song of the week : "If You C Jordan" Something Corporate - harmless & damn catchy
Oldie of the week : "Spiritual" Johnny Cash
Last seen movie : "The Sweetest Thing" : remember those frat-movies from the eighties with lots of sexual references ? Or the American Pie series ? Well this is more of the same, but with women in the leading roles. Not from a female perspective, but with women. They behave in the same way as men do in these movies : hunting down sexual preys, acting childish, drinking too much ... suddenly realizing they're missing a "soulmate". It's all so predictable, but all so damn funny at the same time. Laughed my ass off.
"Twelve Angry Men" : classic courtroom-drama. We follow the deliberation of a murder trial jury. Eleven people are eager to go home and - granted considering overwhelming evidence - vote guilty, but one man (a superb Henry Fonda) is not convinced. Something is nagging him and he wants to go over the so-called evidence piece by piece. Locked in a closed room with a broken airco on the hottest day of the year, tension builds ...
Doing this week : let's put it this way : two boxes down, only seven more to go.

Editorial - 11 August 2003

She did it. As of yesterday Kim Clijsters is the new number 1 in women's tennis. I've always thought she'd go far, but number 1 at age 20 ... that's quite an achievement. Belgium is blessed with two tenniswonders these days. Kim, a hardhitter with a knack for relentless returns and a never-give-up attitude and Justine, talented and quick-moving backhand wonder with a growing talent for mental warfare. It's possible that Justine takes over the number 1 spot by the end of this year and I truly hope she'll do it with remarkable tennis (like the Roland Garros 2003 final) instead of the "allowed trickery" that the recent injuries (which seem doubtfull) sometimes seem to be. It's too bad that a talented player like her would have to resort to that.

Let's hope all is well now so she can show everybody those extra breaks were justified. And let's hope that it all doesn't matter because Kim is better and keeps the number 1 spot for weeks, months, even years to come. Wouldn't that be great ? As great as becoming the first number 1 without first winning a Grand Slam titel, the first number 1 with a year of winning the most tournaments entered, always getting to at least the semi-finals, earning the most prizemoney (which isn't overall the most money mind you) ... and remember, she's number 1 in the doubles too (with Ai Sugiyama) ... isn't that a record too ?

Song of the week : "Show Me How To Live" Audioslave
Oldie of the week : "The Bomb" L7
Last seen movie : "Sweet And Lowdown" : Woody Allen's take on the life of the second best guitar-player, right after Django Reinhardt, the gypsy jazz-player, is a wonderful comedy with Sean Penn in excellent form - oozing just the right combination of suave, charm and arrogance. It doesn't end well, but manages to avoid getting sobby or overly dramatic. And it's always nice to listen to the music too.
Doing this week : Think I'll be browsing through my SQL handbooks again. Picking up some of the dropped pieces of tips and tricks for a new project. SQL has been a while - have only been doing a bit of Java and a lot of designing lately.

Editorial - 8 August 2003

In tone with the release of the third Terminator movie - which features Skynet as the ultimate evil global network of machines as you all should know by now - I decided to check out the domain skynet.com. And what'd ya know ? It's hacked ! Skynet is hacked. Now that's a scary thought. And a very, very funny coincidence, not ?

Editorial - 7 August 2003

Yesterday was T-day : Ahnuld is back as the terminator. Only a month later than the states-release - quite good. Franky and I went to see "Terminator III : Rise Of The Machines" late in the evening after some leftover pieces of birthday-cake. Given these extreme temperatures an airco-filled cinemaplex seem like a good idea. A lengthy review can be read here.

Editorial - 5 August 2003

Today it's time for the yearly mentioning of Ellen's birthday. So in order to state things as eloquently as beautifully I'd like to use these maybe simple, but effective words : a happy birthday to you.
Song of the week : "First it Giveth" Queens Of The Stone Age
Oldie of the week : "Feel Good Hit Of The Summer" Queens Of The Stone Age
Last seen movie : "The Italian Job" : decent and very british heist-movie featuring Michael Caine as the leader of a group of thieves trying to steal millions in gold from the Fiat-factory in Italy. Features brilliant escape-driving in lots of nutty places. Probably the only reason why it got remade last year (in cinemas this year) with Edward Norton and Mark Wahlberg - much to the dislike of Ed Norton who was obligated due to contractual restraints.
"The Mask" : sometimes brilliant Jim Carrey movie based on the absurd Tex Avery cartoonworld. Howling coyotes, bulging eyeballs, tongues rolling out of mouts becoming carpets ... you know the drill. Carrey - a typical too good for the world loser-wannabee bankclerk - finds an african/scandinavian/tribal mask which transforms him into a green monster (no, not The Hulk) capable of all the things he isn't - including picking up Cameron Diaz in a time when she was extremely hot. Needless to say things go wrong quickly (and funny) and a typical Hollywoodian good ending must be attached. But since this is a harmless comedy this isn't obstrusive and bearable. The whole movie itself is very good. Probably in Carrey's top three of big hits.
"Legally Blonde 2" : Continuing the streak of embarrassing comedies I've been watching lately we went to see this gem with Reese "yummy" Witherspoon. Reprising the role of Elle Woods, blonde lawyer with ambition, she takes on Washington in the name of her stupid ugly little doggy. It has it's funny moments but you really have to be a fan of this genre. And compared to the first one it's a little less believable - which says a whole lot. Anyway Capitol Barbie does gets some kuddos her way for the excellent choice of cars : an Audi TT and a Smart. Both convertibles off course. I'll take the Audi and Ellen the Smart, deal ? Oh and did you notice both cars aren't american ( unless you consider the DaimlerChrysler group under which the Smart-label resides as american) ?
Doing this week : Surviving the blistering 35 degrees celsius the sun is pouring upon us. Sure makes me wish to relocate to california during our winters. Then I'd never have to get used to other temperatures.

darkman says sleep tight

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