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My Oscar Picks

The OscarsThere is less than an hour before the Oscars air. I’ve decided to make some predictions again this year.

Best Original Screenplay:
Diablo Cody – Juno

I loved the writing in Juno—very clever.

And the winner is: Diablo Cody – Juno

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There

And the winner is: Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Julie Christie – Away From Her

And the winner is: Marion Cotillard – La Vie en Rose

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men

He has creepy down!

And the winner is: Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood

“I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!” Loved it.

And the winner is: Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood

Best Director:
Ethan and Joel Coen – No Country for Old Men

This movie was a bit insane, but some of the subtleties in performances were fantastic.

And the winner is: Ethan and Joel Coen – No Country for Old Men

Best Picture:
No Country for Old Men

I would rather see There Will be Blood get it, since I enjoyed it more. The unresolved plot in No Country for Old Men was a bit frustrating but it’s a movie that stays with you and I think it’s a sure thing for the win.

And the winner is: No Country for Old Men

Of the seven categories I made predictions on, I got 5 of them right. I think I am getting much better at predicting these things than I have been in previous years.

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Control Room

Control Room is a documentary on the perception of the United States’ war with Iraq, with an emphasis on Al Jazeera’s coverage. It makes it clear that the endeavor for unbiased reporting is a difficult, almost impossible task.

Control Room running time is 1 hours and 26 minutes. Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

[Control Room – YouTube]

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New Computer

53. The Purolator Truck

I heard the crackling of a large truck on ice out my window this morning, and I knew my new computer had finally arrived! From what I’ve seen so far, the Intel Core 2 Quad really is all it’s cracked up to be—wow this thing is fast!

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Advanced Photography Research at Stanford

Last fall Robert Scoble and Thomas Hawk interviewed Marc Levoy, Stanford University Professor of both computer science and electrical engineering.

Levoy shows them leading edge research about automatically stitching images together, digitizing real world three dimensial objects like statues, and among others, camera technology that allows you to refocus the image AFTER you shoot it!

Multi-array image

You can view the interview here.

See also: CNet’s article about the multi-dimensional focusing technology.

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Gladwell Raises New and Troubling Questions

I just listened to last week’s episode (#348 Tough Room) of This American Life.

This week we bring you backstage with comedy writers at The Onion. They start with over 600 potential headlines for their fake-news newspaper each week, and over the course of two days, in the very tough room that is their editorial conference room, they select 16 to go in the paper. Plus other people speaking their minds in very tough rooms.

One of the contributors, Malcolm Gladwell, relates some prankery from his days at The Washington Post. The mp3 is available on TAL’s website, and you can also get it on iTunes. For those not interested in digesting stories aurally, Gladwell wrote a version of this story for Slate in 1996.

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Knitted Animation Music Video

This amazing music video by Director Simon Laganière, for the Quebec duo Tricot Machine, uses artwork of entirely knitted yarn to animate each frame. (A tricot is a plain, warp-knitted cloth of any of various yarns.)

Over 700 unique knitted pieces were created for the video by designer Lysanne Latulippe of the fashion label Majolie.

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Berkeley vs. the Marines

Did the city of Berkeley, California, tell the US Marines that their recruiting office was not welcome there? Yes, they did.

BERKELEY, Calif. Local officials in this liberal city say it’s time for the U.S. Marines to move out.

The City Council has voted to tell the Marines their downtown recruiting station is not welcome and “if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome guests.”

The measure passed this week by a vote of 8-1.

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Obama for President

This electrifying speech by Oprah Winfrey solidifies my belief that nothing could be better for the United States and possibly the entire world, than Barack Obama as President.


[LA Rally: Oprah Winfrey – YouTube]

Here are a few stats from urbanfervor:

Obama has received, on average, 51.2% of the votes in each of the states to have held primaries through Super Tuesday yesterday. Clinton has, on average, taken 42.3% per state. Obama has won 70% or more of the vote in three states, Clinton has won 70% of the vote in none.

Obama has won 60% or more in 8 states. Clinton has won 60% or more of the vote in only Arkansas, where she was once First Lady of the state and a successful corporate attorney.

Obama won 80% of the vote in one state, Idaho. Clinton has not won more than 69% in any state.

Obama has won 10 states by at least 15 percentage points over Clinton. Clinton has won only five states by such margin, including Arkansas again, New York, where she currently serves as the Junior Senator, and Florida, which was uncontested and is virtually worthless delegate-wise.

In the states Obama has won, he has won by, on average, 25.5 points. In the states Clinton has won, her average margin of victory is 15.09 points.

Obama hasn’t just won more states by big margins, he’s won the most tight battles. In elections decided by five or fewer points, Obama has won 3, Clinton only 1.

A couple months ago everyone was penciling Clinton in as the nominee. Probably time to rethink that. I think a lot more people out there are a lot more excited about Obama than are for Clinton. The more we see him and get to know him, the more we like him. As the primaries continue on, with the money he has raised and the enthusiasm he has generated, I can’t see him not winning the nomination.

I hope he’s right. I’m tired of not loving the United States—the world is watching and hoping for change.

Here’s Obama himself, answering some questions at Google headquarters.

[Barack Obama: Q and A from Google employees II – YouTube]