Pseudointellectual ramblings

What follows is a collection of my writings (or ramblings) on various issues that interest me (in case you've not guessed it, I'm extremely opinionated). The missives are roughly categorised by:

• Philosophy
• Science
• Movies, plays, and other shows
• Literature (including comic books)
• Fiction
• Miscellaneous

• Travelling and adventuring
• Letters
• Music, albums and concerts
• Lyrics and music as TWISTED HELICES

Philosophy

What is science without philosophy and philosophy without science?

• Atman == anatta
• Power and karma
• Transcending the jungle
• Judgement
• Bottle rockets set off horizontally are not cool, mmmkay?
• Work
• Are you happy with your life?
• Original ramblings collection
• Quotes
• Terms
• My first loves are science and music
• Your Digital Genome
• What sort of a government should we have?
• Tenets I live by
• Sleep
• Seizures are scary
• Do no evil
• My financial plan
• Suicidal psychopaths in our midst
• Enlightenment
• Diversity for diversity's sake
• Death: the high cost of living
• Killing
• Set off your own fireworks!
• The RIAA vs. Free Music
• Beam me up, Hilary! - The bottles are disappearing and the RIAA doesn't like it
• The meaning of life
• Learning to fly
• I jumped off a plane from 18,000 feet and survived
• Intelligence is the ultimate aphrodisiac
• What I look for in art and entertainment
• The happiest place on earth: my visit to Disneyland and Universal Studios
• The future of music
• Why I am an atheist
• On relationships and love
• Creativity and ownership: where is the balance?
• A solution to spam
• A primer on the ethics of "intellectual property"
• Children are better than adults
• Good and Bad design on the web
• Art, entertainment, and greed: my visit to Walt Disney World
• Free Music: progress and prospects
• Injustice
• The solution to the terrorism problem
• Why you should not vote
• Internet freedoms
• The Free Music Philosophy
• Five Myths and truths regarding the Internet
• The World Wide Web: the junkyard of the Internet
• Reverie
• Dystopia
• Law and order
• Pets
• Sex Change
• The Closing of the American Mind (Chapter 1)
• Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast...
• The Closing of the American Mind (Introduction)
• Life vs. choice
• The Infinity Nietzsche: The Three Metamorphoses
• Gun control
• Sports
• Gene therapy, rock, and politics
• Existence and my subjectivity

• Random theories/thoughts/observations about life
• Quotes

Science

This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart.

• Free will
• Cosmos
• Anthropocene: Anthropogenic global warming
• A big evolution: A unified meta theory of universes
• It's a small molecule world after all
• Why Science
• Your Digital Genome
• Self replication, emergence, evolution, self evolution, and sentience
• Science and medicine
• More on the dynamics of HIV infection
• Does HIV really cause AIDS?
• Apolipoprotein E and Alzheimer's
• How humans began
• Plausibility of time travel
• The Internet Society
• Time is relative
• The protein folding problem
• Genes, Macromolecules, -&- Computers are Strange Loops

• My research, including scientific publications

Movies, plays, and other shows

A complete a list of numerical (0-9) ratings for both reviewed and unreviewed movies is available since I no longer have time to review most movies. This list below is for movies with any kind of a review, and is ordered by date of review. An alphabetical sorting of this list is also available. Read the history and motivation for my movie ramblings or check out my choices for the best movies.

• Childhood's End - 9
• The Adventures of Tintin - 9
• Spiderman 3 - 9
• Solitary Fracture - 9
• Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines - 8
• 2 Fast 2 Furious - 4
• The Medallion - 7
• The Terminator - 9
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - 9
• The Matrix 3: Revolutions - 9
• Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life - 8
• The Jungle Book 2 - 6
• Final Destination 2 - 8
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - 9
• Femme Fatale - 7
• The Animatrix - 9
• Finding Nemo - 9
• X-Men 2: X-Men United - 9
• Identity - 8
• L'Auberge Espagnole - 7
• Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation 2003 - 7
• Mamma Mia!
• The Matrix 2: Reloaded - 9
• Metropolis - 9
• Fight Club - 9
• Maid in Manhattan - 6
• FearDotCom - 6
• My Big Fat Greek Wedding - 7
• Cirque du Soleil: Mystère
• David Copperfield
• Blue Man Group
• EFX Alive!
• Shanghai Knights - 8
• Casualties of War - 8
• Bad Company - 6
• Star Trek 10: Nemesis - 7
• The Omen - 9
• Omen 2: Damien - 8
• Omen 3: The Final Conflict - 8
• Omen 4: The Awakening - 7
• La Femme
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - 9
• The Hot Chick - 8
• I-Spy - 8
• James Bond 20: Die Another Day - 9
• The Tuxedo - 5
• The Scorpion King - 7
• Drunken Master (Jui Kuen) - 8
• Harry Potter 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - 9
• The Ring - 9
• Frailty - 9
• Austin Powers in Goldmember - 9
• The Adventures of Pluto Nash - 6
• Alien - 7
• Murder by Numbers - 5
• Insomnia - 7
• Signs - 8
• The Bourne Identity - 9
• Men in Black 2 - 8
• Minority Report - 8
• Undercover Brother - 9
• Vanilla Sky - 8
• Jason X - 7
• Chain Reaction - 6
• The Sum of All Fears - 7
• Star Wars: Attack of the Clones - 9
• Spiderman - 9
• Panic Room - 7
• Vertical Limit - 7
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - 7
• The Time Machine - 8
• Brotherhood of the Wolf - 8
• Mon Pleng Luk Tung FM - 7
• Heist - 6
• Blade Runner - 8
• John Q - 7
• Collateral Damage - 7
• Kung Pow: Enter the Fist - 8
• Black Hawk Down - 7
• Monsters, Inc. - 9
• Ali - 7
• Memento - 9
• Ocean's Eleven - 6
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - 9
• The Princess Diaries - 7
• Not Another Teen Movie - 6
• Behind Enemy Lines - 7
• Spy Game - 7
• It - 8
• Black Knight - 7
• Legally Blonde - 8
• Brazil - 9
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - 9
• Shallow Hal - 8
• The One - 8
• Halloween - 8
• Poltergeist - 8
• 13 Ghosts - 7
• The Iron Monkey - 8
• From Hell - 8
• Corky Romano - 7
• Training Day - 8
• Joy Ride - 7
• Zoolander - 8
• A Nightmare on Elm Street - 8
• Moulin Rouge! - 9
• The Glass House - 6
• Jeepers Creepers - 8
• Ghosts of Mars - 7
• Parenthood - 7
• Where is Tong? - 7
• Shaolin Soccer - 9
• Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back - 7
• Don't Cry, Nanking - 8
• Rat Race - 7
• The Others - 9
• Osmosis Jones - 8
• Kiss of the Dragon - 7
• Rush Hour 2 - 8
• Planet of the Apes - 8
• Jurassic Park 3 - 7
• Above the Law - 7
• Dr. Dolittle 2 - 6
• Anaconda - 7
• Swordfish - 7
• Tomcats - 7
• American Pie - 7
• Bamboozled - 8
• A.I. Artificial Intelligence - 6
• Red Planet - 6
• Whipped - 7
• Atlantis: The Lost Empire - 7
• Tomb Raider - 8
• Evolution - 7
• What's the Worst That Could Happen? - 7
• Angel Eyes - 5
• Shrek - 9
• Falling Down - 8
• Thirteen Days - 7
• The Wedding Planner - 6
• The Prophecy 2 - 7
• The Prophecy 3: The Ascent - 7
• Dude, Where's My Car? - 8
• The Mummy 2: The Mummy Returns - 7
• Behind the Painting - 8
• Valentine - 6
• Blow - 8
• South Pacific - 8
• Chocolat - 7
• Blow Dry - 2
• The Professor, the Puppet, and the Execution
• The Mexican - 7
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - 9
• Snatch - 9
• Hannibal - 7
• The Accidental Spy (Dak miu mai shing) - 8
• Shadow of the Vampire - 8
• Traffic - 8
• Dungeons & Dragons - 5
• Unbreakable - 9
• Requiem for a Dream - 9
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas - 7
• The 6th Day - 7
• Little Nicky - 7
• Charlie's Angels - 7
• Dancer in the Dark - 8
• Lucky Numbers - 6
• Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows - 6
• Bedazzled - 6
• The Nightmare Before Christmas - 9
• 101 Dalmatians - 6
• Naked Lunch - 9
• Man on the Moon - 8
• Drunken Master 2: The Legend of Drunken Master (Jui Kuen 2) - 9
• Pay it Forward - 7
• Meet the Parents - 8
• Get Carter - 6
• Sesame Street Live: When I Grow Up
• Psycho - 8
• The Exorcist - 9
• Woman on Top - 7
• Urban Legend 2: The Final Cut - 7
• Bait - 7
• The Way of the Gun - 8
• The Tao of Steve - 8
• Turn it Up - 7
• This is Spinal Tap - 9
• Bring it On - 7
• The Art of War - 8
• The Cell - 9
• The Watcher - 8
• The Replacements - 7
• Bless the Child - 6
• Erin Brockovich - 7
• Hollow Man - 6
• Coyote Ugly - 7
• Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps - 7
• What Lies Beneath - 8
• The In Crowd - 7
• The Perfect Storm - 7
• Tron - 8
• Loser - 7
• X-Men - 9
• Scary Movie - 8
• Me, Myself & Irene - 8
• Chicken Run - 8
• The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle - 6
• Big Momma's House - 7
• Shaft - 8
• Titan A.E. - 8
• Boys and Girls - 6
• Gone in 60 Seconds - 7
• The Minus Man - 9
• Shanghai Noon - 8
• Mission: Impossible 2 - 8
• Road Trip - 8
• Small Time Crooks - 8
• Gladiator - 7
• Time Code - 9
• Battlefield Earth - 6
• Stir of Echoes - 7
• Hurlyburly - 7
• Friday - 7
• Return to Me - 7
• Gossip - 7
• 28 Days - 5
• American Psycho - 7
• Fantasia/2000 - 8
• Black and White - 8
• High Fidelity - 8
• Final Destination - 8
• The Skulls - 1
• Romeo Must Die - 8
• The Whole Nine Yards - 8
• The Green Mile - 8
• Mission to Mars - 7
• The Ninth Gate - 5
• Drowning Mona - 5
• 3 Strikes - 6
• Reindeer Games - 6
• Pitch Black - 8
• Scream 3 - 7
• The Talented Mr. Ripley - 8
• The Hurricane - 8
• Play it to the Bone - 8
• Africa's Elephant Kingdom - 7
• Arlington Road - 8
• Galaxy Quest - 9
• Chill Factor - 7
• Eyes Wide Shut - 8
• My Fair Lady - 8
• Zorro: The Mask of Zorro - 7
• The Beauty Queen of the Leenane
• Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo - 7
• Princess Mononoke - 9
• Being John Malkovich - 9
• Toy Story 2 - 9
• Double Jeopardy - 5
• End of Days - 6
• Sleepy Hollow - 8
• James Bond 19: The World is Not Enough - 8
• Dogma - 7
• The Bone Collector - 6
• House on Haunted Hill - 6
• Bringing Out the Dead - 7
• Muppet Classic Theater - 7
• Office Space - 9
• Three Kings - 9
• American Beauty - 8
• Run Lola Run - 8
• Blue Streak - 6
• Dune - 7
• 2001: A Space Odyssey - 8
• Stigmata - 7
• Celebrity - 8
• The Iron Giant - 8
• Bill Viola: A 25-Year Survey - 7
• Cube - 9
• The Astronaut's Wife - 7
• Bowfinger - 8
• The Thomas Crown Affair - 8
• The Sixth Sense - 8
• The Blair Witch Project - 9
• Hard Rain - 6
• The Haunting - 7
• Wild Wild West - 7
• South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut - 9
• Big Daddy - 7
• Tarzan - 8
• eXistenZ - 9
• The General's Daughter - 6
• Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me - 9
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery - 9
• The Thirteenth Floor - 9
• Star Wars: The Phantom Menace - 9
• Notting Hill - 6
• The Mummy - 7
• Election - 7
• Entrapment - 7
• Spike & Mike's Classic Festival of Animation 1999 - 7
• La Femme Nikita - 8
• Diva - 7
• Life - 8
• Go - 8
• Twin Dragons - 7
• Windhorse - 9
• Outland - 7
• Indiana Jones 2: Temple of Doom - 9
• The Matrix - 9
• Edtv - 6
• The Corruptor - 8
• Cruel Intentions - 7
• Saving Private Ryan - 6
• Soldier - 7
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - 4
• 8MM - 7
• Payback - 7
• Life is Beautiful - 9
• Enemy of the State - 8
• Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark - 9
• Out of Sight - 7
• Storm of the Century - 7
• Star Trek: Voyager: Dark Frontier - 7
• Rushmore - 8
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show - 8
• Dream for an Insomniac - 7
• Everest - 8
• Moebius - 8
• Shakespeare in Love - 8
• Cry Freedom - 8
• Cry, the Beloved Country - 8
• Knock Off - 7
• 54 - 3
• Operation Condor 2: The Armour of Gods - 8
• Starship Troopers - 7
• The Prince of Egypt - 8
• Stepmom - 7
• The Faculty - 7
• Star Trek 9: Insurrection - 7
• You've Got Mail - 7
• A Bug's Life - 8
• The Siege - 8
• Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation 1998 - 7
• North by Northwest - 9
• Apt Pupil - 7
• Antz - 8
• Urban Legend - 7
• Rush Hour - 8
• Blade - 8
• Pi - 9
• How Stella Got Her Groove Back - 5
• The Avengers - 7
• The Negotiator - 7
• Disturbing Behavior - 7
• Lethal Weapon 4 - 8
• There's Something About Mary - 9
• Mulan - 8
• Armageddon - 7
• The X Files: Fight the Future - 9
• Hope Floats - 5
• The Truman Show - 8
• Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. - 6
• Godzilla - 8
• The Object of My Affection - 7
• Dark City - 9
• Dawson's Creek: The Scare - 6
• The Big Hit - 7
• Brave New World - 8
• Species 2 - 7
• Lost in Space - 7
• Primary Colors - 8
• Mr. Nice Guy - 7
• The Fugitive 2: U.S. Marshals - 7
• The Man in the Iron Mask - 8
• Wag the Dog - 8
• Scream 2 - 7
• Sphere - 7
• Titanic - 7
• Fair Game - 7
• The Replacement Killers - 8
• Kundun - 8
• Superman - 7
• Phantoms - 7
• Ghostbusters 2 - 7
• Lock Up - 4
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 7
• Deconstructing Harry - 8
• James Bond 18: Tomorrow Never Dies - 8
• The Jungle Book - 9
• Alien: Resurrection - 7
• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - 8
• Gattaca - 9
• Kiss the Girls - 7
• The Peacemaker - 7
• Mimic - 8
• Spawn - 8
• Air Force One - 7
• Operation Condor - 8
• Contact - 8
• Men in Black - 8
• Face/Off - 7
• Batman and Robin - 7
• Addicted to Love - 7
• Scream - 8
• Breakdown - 8
• Golden Years - 6
• Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World - 8
• The Fifth Element - 8
• Grosse Pointe Blank - 8
• The Saint - 7
• Double Team - 5
• When a Man Loves a Woman - 7
• South Pacific
• Liar Liar - 8
• Absolute Power - 7
• Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - 9
• Fear - 6
• Dante's Peak - 6
• Top Gun - 7
• Alice in Wonderland - 8
• Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - 9
• Star Wars: A New Hope - 9
• Metro - 7
• The Arrival - 8
• Look Back in Anger
• Hello Out There
• My Heart's in the Highlands
• The Front Page
• Mars Attacks! - 9
• Sister Act - 8
• Quick Change - 7
• Little Shop of Horrors - 8
• Star Trek 8: First Contact - 8
• Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey - 8
• Screamers - 7
• Richard III - 8
• Leaving Las Vegas - 8
• The Prisoner of Second Avenue
• Romeo and Juliet - 9
• 2 Days in the Valley - 8
• Fifth of July
• Quills
• Feeling Minnesota - 7
• A Time to Kill - 7
• Jack - 7
• The Crow 2: City of Angels - 7
• The Island of Dr. Moreau - 7
• Escape from L.A. - 7
• Trainspotting - 9
• Fled - 7
• Welcome to the Dollhouse - 8
• Independence Day - 8
• Phenomenon - 5
• Hair
• The Nutty Professor - 8
• Eraser - 7
• The Rock - 8
• The Cable Guy - 9
• The Phantom - 8
• Sudden Death - 7
• Red Heat - 6
• Deep Star Six - 6
• Mission: Impossible - 8
• Twister - 7
• The Craft - 7
• The Truth about Cats and Dogs - 7
• The Blues Brothers - 8
• Jade - 4
• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
• Celtic Pride - 3
• Reservoir Dogs - 9
• Murder in the First - 8
• Demolition Man - 6
• Executive Decision - 7
• Dance of Death
• Grand Hotel
• Heavy Metal - 9
• The Birdcage - 9
• Before and After - 7
• Judge Dredd - 7
• Salem's Lot: The Movie - 8
• A Return to Salem's Lot - 7
• Rumble in the Bronx - 8
• Muppet Treasure Island - 7
• Broken Arrow - 7
• All in the Timing
• From Dusk Till Dawn - 9
• Bed of Roses - 6
• Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace - 6
• Nixon - 7
• 12 Monkeys - 9
• A Goofy Movie - 7
• Heat - 7
• Jumanji - 8
• Money Train - 7
• Rush Limbaugh in Night School
• Toy Story - 9
• James Bond 17: Goldeneye - 8
• Ace Ventura 2: When Nature Calls - 7
• Copycat - 7
• Get Shorty - 8
• Strange Days - 8
• Fashion
• How to Make an American Quilt - 6
• Highlander: The Gathering - 5
• Highlander 3: The Final Conflit - 5
• Highlander 2: The Quickening - 5
• Highlander - 6
• Seven - 9
• Unstrung Heroes - 8
• Showgirls - 4
• Hackers - 6
• Kids - 8
• The Prophecy - 8
• Waterworld - 8
• Drop Zone - 6
• I.Q. - 7
• Lord of Illusions - 7
• Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - 7
• Mortal Kombat - 6
• Tank Girl - 7
• Timecop - 7
• Dangerous Minds - 6
• The Net - 7
• A Walk in the Clouds - 7
• Virtuosity - 8
• Clueless - 7
• Grosse Fatigue - 7
• Species - 8
• Batman Forever - 7
• The Complete History of America (abridged)
• Casper - 7
• Congo (1995) - 7
• Die Hard 3: Die Hard with a Vengeance - 7
• Johnny Mnemonic - 8
• Tales from the Hood - 7
• The Shadow - 7
• Don Juan DeMarco - 6
• Village of the Damned - 8
• The Stand - 8
• Underneath - 8
• Priest (1994) - 8
• The Wild Bunch - 8
• Muriel's Wedding - 7
• Bye Bye Love - 7
• Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh - 8
• Hideaway - 7
• Man of the House - 6
• Outbreak - 7
• Just Cause - 7
• Dumb and Dumber - 8
• Speechless - 6
• North - 3
• The Lion King - 8
• Toys - 8
• CyberTracker - 6
• Ghost in the Machine - 7
• Ready to Wear - 7
• Mixed Nuts - 7
• The Conformist - 9
• Star Trek 7: Generations - 8
• Stargate - 8
• Pulp Fiction - 9
• Exit to Eden - 6
• Trial by Jury - 7
• Dark Side of the Heart - 8
• Fresh - 7
• Natural Born Killers - 7
• It could Happen to You - 5
• The Mask - 9
• Flatliners - 9
• The Three Musketeers - 7
• Clear and Present Danger - 7
• The Client - 7
• True Lies - 8
• Forrest Gump - 8
• Speed - 7
• The Flintstones - 7
• The Crow - 7
• Brainscan - 7
• Dazed and Confused - 2
• The Lawnmower Man - 8
• Judgment Night - 7
• Cool World - 7
• The Wall - 9
• Jimmy Hollywood - 7
• Guarding Tess - 7
• The Ref - 7
• Reality Bites - 7
• The Snapper - 8
• Small Craft Warnings
• In the Name of the Father - 8
• Faraway, So Close - 8
• Ace Ventura: Pet Detective - 8
• Naked - 9
• The Crying Game - 8
• Grumpy Old Men - 7
• Heathers - 7
• Shadowlands - 7
• Wayne's World 2 - 8

Literature

Many of the movies above are derived from books. I don't include the reviews here again unless my comments specifically compare the movie to the book, or unless the book is the driving force behind the movie. Also, I consider comic books to be an integral part of being "well read" in terms of literature and art (as well as literature as art!).

• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - 9
• The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom - 9
• Kipper's Game by Barbara Ehrenreich - 7
• Would the Real First Amendment Please Stand Up? by Barry Krusch - 9
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by Joanne Rowling - 9
• Harry Potter 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by Joanne Rowling - 9
• Harry Potter 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by Joanne Rowling - 9
• Harry Potter 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by Joanne Rowling - 9
• Harry Potter 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by Joanne Rowling - 8
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by John Tolkien - 7
• The Eight by Katherine Neville - 8
• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - 9
• In Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll - 9
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo - 7
• The Regulators by Richard Bachman - 9
• It by Stephen King - 9
• Climbing Mt. Shasta by Steve Lewis - 7
• Tom Clancy's Net Force: Hidden Agendas by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik - 7
• Tom Clancy's Net Force: Night Moves by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik - 7
• Virtual Light by William Gibson - 7
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig - 8
• 100 Classic Hikes in Washington by Ira Spring and Harvey Manning - 9

• All sorts of books on my "to read" list

Fiction

From dreams, while sleeping, fully awake, or anywhere in between.

• The Bouncing Cups
• Reverie

Miscellaneous

This section includes that which is important to me, which, for various reasons, I've not spent too much time writing about on this web page (hey, I have to enjoy some things without analysing them excessively, right?).

• Travelling and adventuring
• Pictures and visual art
• Games
• TV

• Thought provoking exercises (lateral and logical thinking questions)
• Car crash!
• Rollerblading adventures
• Snippets from MAD magazine
• Do it Yourself Personal Ad (menu version)
• Do it Yourself Personal Ad (table version)
• A semiinteresting idea to use vehicle license plates to direct people to websites
• Veteran of the USENET wars (parody)
• My complaints and compliments pages
• Ramdom thoughts