July 2000 -

Nothing

I can't believe that I lost an entire post due to 'server timeout.'
This blows. Whether or not I can rewrite up to memory, only time will tell.
It was such a well constructed argument on why organic webshooters for Spider-Man would be a travesty to the whole notion of the superheroic being.

Soon Van - Saturday, 29 July 2000 - 10:21

Popcorn

As I found out on DarkHorizons three different websites have snagged sneak peeks at some of the designs for the upcoming Spider-Man movie. CA Report, FilmForce Report and The Fetal Film Report. They all pretty much have the same thing except with differing versions of the copies. Much like what many are saying about weblogs. Check the Fetal Film site, it looks the most slick of the three.

None, however, have any news on the material from which Spidey's suit would be made from. That to me is the most vital part of this particular comicbook film adaption. I didn't mind it for X-Men, because they didn't seem to me like the kind of superheroes who should have been kept in their comicbook tights. Great overall but the lack of the spandex made diehard fans cringe. Even if they, the producers, did fall to the weight of objection they would still lose. How do you make spandexed heroes look cool in the cinemas? You can't.

Soon Van - Thursday, 27 July 2000 - 10:34

Sport

The 200 metres race at the Sydney Olympics are gonna be pretty boring. It seems that the event's two biggest runners didn't make it onto the team at the US trials. They didn't even finish the race. In the semi-finals both Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene were victims of unwilling muscles, Johnson with dire cramps in his hamstring and Greene with a slight tear on his. Both on the left hamstrings, maybe it was not to be. Then I read over at CNN that Johnson will never run another 200-metre race.

Soon Van - Wednesday, 26 July 2000 - 07:18

Spiralling

I know I'm forgetting something. I just know it.

Soon Van - Wednesday, 26 July 2000 - 07:05

Spiralling

A small cry of celebration as yesterday was the day I stopped wearing the same outfit I had been for the past week. It was an off-white soft cord jacket and white Levis jeans. I though I might give it a rest as I felt that the constant wear was boring. It does not reek. Matter of fact, it just smells burnt. It always does.

Soon Van - Wednesday, 26 July 2000 - 03:23

Occupied

The toilets at uni are odd. I walked into the toilets to find a newly installed condom dispensing machine. $2 each. Still no soap dispenser. Where in the hell are their sanitational priorities? Good thing the doors are never closed. Especially since I saw a lecturer take a piss with both hands in his pockets. Don't think he even washed his hands.

Soon Van - Tuesday, 25 July 2000 - 10:34

Spiralling

On Friday I made my first ever GST affected purchase.

That is of course if you don't count takeaway or public transport. Funny, they also happen to be purchases made in the pursuit of an education. Books that aren't read, trains that suck, foods that poison. GST.

Soon Van - Tuesday, 25 July 2000 - 07:31

Nothing

The US have finally managed to score a hit for their Star Wars program. On the weekend they sent up a missle, then, a few seconds later followed it up with a seeker. "3...2...1.........Mark, we have a hit." The seeker made contact with the missle, eventually. Too bad then that the earlier trials proved to be less than spectacular. This test was supposed to determine if Clinton would fork out billions in developing the technology as one of his last duties in office.

Soon Van - Tuesday, 25 July 2000 - 07:31

Comics

Forbes report that Peter Cuneo, Marvel's new Chief Exec is totally fuming over Marvel's stupid licensing deal with Fox in the early 1990s. It's the kind of deal that George Lucas made only in this case, Marvel got the burnt end of the stick. The deal made then meant that the recent box office success of X-Men did not filter any funds toward Marvel as they had already taken a lump sum in the 90s. Cuneo is responsible for getting more and more people into Marvel comics, part of the exposure deal would have comics out in the cinemas free after the X-Men movie.

I got screwed again.

Soon Van - Saturday, 22 July 2000 - 07:53

Nothing

Living a fragile enough existence as it is, the African penguins just can't seem to get a break. In an AP report penguins were saved only to be slaughtered. What happened was that there was this oil spill in Cape Town and as soon as the tuxedoed birds got a cleaning and travelled 470 miles to Port Elizabeth to swim home these bonehead fishermen blast them away. Why? They might scare away our catch said the fishermen. Any excuse to kill off a part of nature.

Soon Van - Saturday, 22 July 2000 - 07:07

Sport

While working on Stadium Australia, the crew accidentey let loose the biggest secret so far for the Olympic Games, next to the Opening Ceremony - The Cauldron. The fact that there just happened to be a couple of television crews scoping the area worsened the shock. They got it on film. It looks so damn humble. The cauldron didn't seemed to be the size for an Olympic flame. It isn't, it's merely the shaft that will hold the cauldron. Or at least that's what SOCOG wants us to believe.

Soon Van - Friday, 21 July 2000 - 09:18

Spiralling

Mighty winds smacked my face on the way home. So powerful that I could of done the Smooth Criminal scene from Moonwalker.

What was supposed to be a ten minute walk from the station turned out to be a twenty minute crawl as I fought against the winds. My eyes were being hit with minute particles of debris and dust. I collapsed on the floor of my home after I had fought the beast.

Soon Van - Thursday, 20 July 2000 - 10:17

Popcorn

Word was that it would end up like The Avengers, then it opened to what was a spectacular premiere. Finally, after much anticipation I saw X-Men. It was fantastic. There was at most ten people in the theatre watching the marvel with me. Despite what everyone else may think it was pretty damn cool. Very slick. To my mind it remained fairly true to the comicbook while appeasing the movie crowd. ILM did not handle the special effects of the movie, Digital Domain did. Pretty fine work and at the same time showing that ILM aren't the only SFX people around. The thing that got me was that in the credits the BlackBird is referred to as the X-Jet and Halle Berry was the only one with an assistant.

I almost thought it was a Wolverine movie as opposed to an X-Men movie what with the amount of screen time that the Canuck got. I spotted Bobby "Iceman" Drake as well as Kitty Pride. Jubilee, however, I cannot recall an instance though the credits say otherwise. A sequel was all ready in discussion before the premiere, maybe they'll stick in Gambit and Beast, I can't wait. Might go watch it a second time.

Soon Van - Thursday, 20 July 2000 - 10:12

Freeload

Got my Kodak Olympic Volunteer pin today.

Man, is this thing small, as small as my thumb. I thought I would never get it. I can't even remember when I sent out for it. It came in a bubblewrap envelope and it itself was in its own little bubble shield. It is very fragile. Wonder how much I can sell it for as the Olympics hit Sydney.

Soon Van - Wednesday, 19 July 2000 - 10:00

Sport

I attended the Orientation Training for GamesForce2000 on Saturday 0100 at Darling Harbour.

They had a nice slick little intro on the vidscreen. I was sitting in front of three old ladies who, before the start I thought were gonna talk like a bunch of pensioners at the cinemas. "What did he say?" "Did you see that?" "Pass the bedpan."

It seemed less like a training session than it did a lecture. All it was was just bringing to spoken word the folders we had been given moments earlier.

Soon Van - Wednesday, 19 July 2000 - 09:41

Nothing

On Sunday night I went and checked out that lunar eclipse. I thought I had missed it. It would of been nice to have the glass ceiling—the one that I always hear about—and a crystal roof to watch it through.

Any way, here's a quick and useless summary of my viewing of the lunar eclipse.

2240 - The moon starts to blacken. Only a sliver of white moon is visible.
2246 - The sliver on the left is being tailed by a sliver of orange from the right. Both look like less than 20% of the moon.
2253 - Only a wisp of white moon is seen as the orange takes over.
2311 - Moon is now entirely orange.
2313 - Moon has turned a dark orange.
0117 - The dark orange moon seems to of moved 26 degrees to the south I guess. Can't find my bearings.
0120 - Clouds now appear between me and the moon. Fast moving too. One third has started to come back.
0205 - Moon has re-emerged in white with a light covering of cloud.