Safer nuclear missiles

Thank god for small favors — at least when Bush finally flips his lid and the nukes start flying, we won’t be damaging our atmosphere

In order to comply with EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) regulations, and at a cost of about \$5.2 million per ICBM, the rocket motors on 500 Minuteman III missiles will be replaced with new ones. These rockets will emit less toxic chemicals when used. But the new, environmentally correct rockets will be heavier than the old ones, and will thus  have a shorter range than the original motors. The actual range of the  Minuteman III  has been classified, but is thought to be nearly 10,000 kilometers, based on where the missiles are stationed and where the original Russian targets were.  Thus, if the Minuteman III ICBMs have to be used in some future nuclear war, their rocket motors will not pollute the atmosphere. EPA regulations do not apply in foreign countries, so no changes are being made to reduce the harmful environmental effects of the nuclear warheads.

(via Boing Boing)

iTunes: “Killin’ Time (Hot Tracks)” by Cousins, Tina from the album Roadkill! 2.18 (1999, 6:29).

Donnie Darko coming back to Seattle!

How incredibly cool — Donnie Darko, which disappeared from most theaters practically before it was released, has become such a cult favorite that its studio is going to be re-releasing it to theaters, starting right here in Seattle!

“Donnie Darko,” which made a paltry \$517,375 when it was released in October 2001, will get a second chance.

Newmarket Films, which holds domestic distrib rights, is looking to cash in on the pic’s growing cult status by rereleasing a director’s cut this summer.

New cut, which includes 21 minutes of footage not in the original release, will premiere May 29 at the Seattle Film Festival.

Newmarket topper Bob Berney said the company then plans to release the pic on about 10 screens in the city as a test run for a wider national release.

“I want to see if we can play it in the malls and multiplexes,” Berney said, adding that the company planned TV and print ad buys commensurate with a big-budget release.

Newmarket says it will use the results of the Seattle release to determine the pattern for a national rollout.

Count me in on this one!

(via LJ Seattle)

iTunes: “Velvet Pants” by Propellerheads from the album Decksandrumsandrockandroll (1998, 5:47).

Garage Sale: DVDs

Okay, here’s part two of my online garage sale: the majority of my DVD collection is going up for grabs.

As shipping on DVDs is a lot more reasonable than it would be for the electronics, though, this one’s open to anyone who might be interested. As before, please leave comments on this post for what you’re interested in instead of contacting me directly, as it will allow me to keep track of things on a “first-come-first-serve” basis, and I’ll get back to you to set up the details. As far as payment goes, PayPal will be preferred, but local buyers will also have the choice of cash or check if it can be handed directly to me.

And with that, here’s the list…

  • Single-disc DVDs: $8 each
    • Alice in Wonderland (Hallmark’s TV miniseries, not Disney’s animated film)
    • Allosaurus: A Walking With Dinosaurs special
    • The Animatrix
    • The Big Blue (Director’s Cut)
    • Blade Runner
    • Beauty and the Beast (Jean Cocteau’s 1946 black and white version that heavily inspired the Disney animated film; Criterion Collection)
    • Carousel
    • The Cell
    • The Celluloid Closet
    • The City of Lost Children
    • Cleopatra (Hallmark’s TV miniseries, not the Elizabeth Taylor film)
    • Contact
    • The Cutting Edge
    • Dark City
    • Down from the Mountain (live performances of the music from O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
    • Excalibur
    • eXistenZ
    • Fantastic Planet
    • The Fifth Element
    • Free Enterprise
    • Gattaca
    • Girls Gone Wild: Endless Spring Break (Yes, I know…GGW? They were a promo item…)
    • Girls Gone Wild: Road Trip (…and somehow, I won’t be at all surprised if they don’t sell.)
    • Gulliver’s Travels (the Hallmark miniseries)
    • Heat
    • His Girl Friday
    • The Impostors
    • Jacob’s Ladder
    • Jesus Christ Superstar
    • The Last Temptation of Christ (Criterion Collection)
    • Lawnmower Man
    • Lost in Space
    • Mallrats
    • Manhunter
    • The Matrix
    • The Muppet Show:
      • Peter Sellers, John Cleese and Dudley Moore
      • Harry Belafonte, Linda Ronstadt and John Denver
      • Elton John, Julie Andrews and Gene Kelley
      • Mark Hamill, Paul Simon and Raquel Welch
    • Muppets from Space
    • Night of the Living Dead
    • Noah’s Ark (Hallmark miniseries)
    • Pink Floyd’s The Wall
    • Pleasantville
    • Real Genius
    • Red Dawn
    • Romeo + Juliet (Special Edition, Baz Luhrmann’s recent version)
    • Rush Hour
    • Saving Private Ryan (DTS)
    • Short (each of these are collections of award-winning short films, some live-action, some animated)
      • Short 1: Invention
      • Short 2: Dreams
      • Short 3: Authority
      • Short 4: Seduction
    • Showgirls
    • Small Soldiers
    • Something Wicked This Way Comes
    • Sound and Motion Vol. I (music videos: The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Josh Wink, Prodigy, more…)
    • Sphere
    • Star Trek: The Original Series
      • Vol. 1: Where No Man Has Gone Before, The Corbomite Maneuver
      • Vol. 2: Mudd’s Women, The Enemy Within
      • Vol. 3: The Man Trap, The Naked Time
      • Vol. 4: Charlie X, Balance of Terror
      • Vol. 5: What are Little Girls Made Of?, Dagger of the Mind
      • Vol. 6: Miri, The Conscience of the King
      • Vol. 7: The Galileo Seven, Court Martial
      • Vol. 8: The Menagerie Parts 1 and 2
      • Vol. 9: Shore Leave, The Squire of Gothos
      • Vol. 10: Arena, The Alternative Factor
      • Vol. 11: Tomorrow is Yesterday, The Return of the Archons
      • Vol. 12: A Taste of Armageddon, Space Seed
      • Vol. 13: This Side of Paradise, The Devil in the Dark
      • Vol. 14: Errand of Mercy, The City on the Edge of Forever
      • Vol. 15: Operation: Annihilate!, Catspaw
      • Vol. 16: Metamorphosis, Friday’s Child
      • Vol. 17: Who Mourns for Adonais?, Amok Time
      • Vol. 18: The Doomsday Machine, Wolf in the Fold
      • Vol. 19: The Changeling, The Apple
      • Vol. 20: Mirror, Mirror, The Deadly Years
      • Vol. 21: I, Mudd, The Trouble With Tribbles
      • Vol. 22: Bread and Circuses, Journey to Babel
      • Vol. 23: A Private Little War, The Gamesters of Triskelion
      • Vol. 24: Obsession, The Immunity Syndrome
    • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
    • Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
    • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
    • Star Trek: Generations
    • Star Trek: First Contact
    • Star Trek: Insurrection
    • Star Trek: Nemesis
    • State Fair
    • Strictly Ballroom
    • The Terminator
    • Terminator 2: Judgement Day (original metal-sleeve Ultimate Edition release)
    • Thirteen Days
    • Time Bandits (Criterion Collection)
    • Tomorrow Never Dies
    • Trekkies
    • The Usual Suspects
    • Vanilla Sky
    • Very Bad Things
  • Double-disc DVDs: $15 each
    • The Abyss (Special Edition)
    • AI: Artificial Intelligence
    • Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Disney)
    • Clerks: Uncensored (the short-lived animated TV series)
    • Dogma
    • An Evening with Kevin Smith
    • Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II (Limited edition tin-case release, #22638)
    • Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
    • Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (theatrical release edition)
    • Matrix Reloaded
    • Memento
    • Metallica: Cunning Stunts
    • Night of the Living Dead 30th Anniversary Limited Edition (#12156 of 15000)
    • Red Dwarf:
      • Red Dwarf I: The End, Future Echoes, Balance of Power, Waiting for God, Confidence & Paranoia, and Me2
      • Red Dwarf II: Kryten, better Than Life, Thanks for the Memory, Stasis Leak, Queeg, and Parallel Universe
    • Henry Rollins: Talking from the Box and Henry Goes to London
    • Romper Stomper
    • Star Trek: The Motion Picture (The Director’s Edition)
    • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (The Director’s Edition)
    • Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Special Collector’s Edition)
    • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Special Collector’s Edition)
    • Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (Special Collector’s Edition)
    • Tarzan (Disney)
    • Tron
    • X2: X-Men United
  • Multi-disc sets:
    • The Alien Legacy (NOTE: Not the recently-released Alien Quadrilogy 9-disc set, this is the original 4-disc release. Includes Alien [Original cut], Aliens [Director’s Cut], Alien3 and Alien Resurrection]: $30
    • The Nightmare on Elm Street collection (includes A Nightmare on Elm Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, The Nightmare Series Encyclopedia, and two sets of 3-D glasses for watching the 3-D sequence in…um…whichever one that is): $50
    • The Ultimate Scream Collection (includes Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, and a bonus behind-the-scenes disc): $25
    • The Simpsons: The Complete First Season (three DVDs): $20
    • Star Trek: The Next Generation: $75 each or $450 for the set
      • Season One
      • Season Two
      • Season Three
      • Season Four
      • Season Five
      • Season Six
      • Season Seven
    • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: $75 each or $450 for the set
      • Season One
      • Season Two
      • Season Three
      • Season Four
      • Season Five
      • Season Six
      • Season Seven
    • Super Dimension Fortress Macross (the entire original Japanese Macross series, before it was edited and dubbed for US television, in Japanese with newly translated English subtitles — this is not available in stores, and was only available for order online when it was released by AnimEigo): $75
    • The X-Files: $50 each
      • Season One (seven discs)
      • Season Two (seven discs)
      • Season Three (seven discs)
      • Season Four (seven discs)

Garage Sale: Electronics

Okay, so here’s what’s up for grabs. I’ll keep this current for, oh, two weeks or so to see what I can get rid of this way, then hit the pawn shops with whatever’s left over.

Only a few conditions: buyers need to be in the Seattle area and able to come by my apartment in downtown Seattle to pick up the goods. This is only because I don’t have my own transportation to deliver anything, nor do I have the original packaging to ship equipment anywhere.

I’d ask that any interested parties respond by leaving a comment on this post, so that I can keep everything on a “first-come, first-serve” basis, rather than e-mailing me directly. Just making things as easy and as fair as possible for everyone. :)

NOTE: This post isn’t finished yet, I’m still adding things on as I get them finalized. :) Okay, everything’s up.

Update: Wow, that was fast. Assuming that none of the people that contacted me fell through, everything listed here has been spoken for. Should that change, I’ll update, of course…but at the moment, it looks like this much is wrapped up. Now to get started listing the DVDs…

  • Sony Wega kv-27fs17Sony Wega KV-27FS17 27″ Television — $300 (originally purchased for $650, currently priced on the ‘net at around $450) SOLD.
    • 27″ FD Trinitron Picture Tube
    • 3-Line Digital Comb Filter
    • 16:9 Enhanced Mode (V-Compression)
    • Velocity Modulation™ Scanning (Off/Low/High) Control
    • 2 Tuner Picture in Picture
    • Dynamic Focus™ Circuitry
    • Dynamic Picture™ Processor
    • Magnetic Quadra Pole
    • Vertical Aperture Compensation
    • Auto White Balance
    • Auto Pedestal Clamp
    • Color Temperature Adjustment (Cool/Neutral/Warm)
    • MTS Decoder with DBX Noise Reduction
    • Enhanced Stereo Sound (7.5 Watts x 2 = 15 Watts)*
    • Matrix Surround? Sound
    • Small Footprint Design with Bottom Cabinet Speakers
    • Express Tuning? System (181 Channel Auto Preset Tuner)
    • Auto Mute (TV Tuner)
    • Auto SAP (Secondary Audio Program)
    • S-Video Detection
    • Auto Channel Programming
    • Easy Set Up Guide
    • Advanced On-Screen Menu with Program Palette™ Presets
    • Freeze Memo
    • Favorite Preview (7 Channels)
    • Speed Surf™ Channel Selection
    • Channel Fix
    • Basic Menu
    • Multi Language Display (English/Spanish/French)
    • V-Chip Parental Control
    • Channel Label (40 Channels)
    • Clock/Timer (2 Event)
    • Extended Data Service (XDS)
    • Sleep Timer (15/30/45/60/90 min.)
    • Control Deck Top Control Panel
    • CaptionVision (CC)
    • Jump Channel
    • Video Label
    • Energy Star Compliant
    • 2-Rear Audio/Inputs; S-Video (1)
    • Front Audio/Video Input
    • Variable/FixedAudio Output
    • 2-RF Inputs
    • Component Video Input (Y/PB /PR)
    • Remote: RM-Y181 New Silver Universal Remote Commander Luminous Remote Control (TV/VCR/Cable Box/Digital Satellite System/DVD)
    • Audio/Video Cabinet SU-27FD4 42 lbs (19kg) 27 3/4″ x 19″ x 21″ (704 x 482 x 535mm)
    • 99 lbs (45kg)
    • W/H/D 27 5/8″ x 25″ x 20 1/8″ (700 x 635 x 512mm)
  • Technics sa-ax6 and sh-ac500dTechnics SA-AX6 receiver and SH-AC500D surround processor — $200 (originally purchased for around $500) CLAIMED.
    • The receiver handles all the standard stereo receiver bits, including AM/FM radio, lots of inputs (CD, Tape, VCR 1 2 and 3, TV/DSS, Phono, DVD), S-Video in- and outputs. Has six 100W outputs, can be set up to run two sets of main speakers (A and B) or run a single set bi-wired.
    • The surround processor adds the ability to handle both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround sound processing.
    • As the processor is essentially useless without the receiver, I’d prefer to sell these as a set rather than individually.
  • 2004/04/graphics/jvcxv-s65JVC XV-S65 DVD player — $50 (bought for around $150, currently sells for around $100) CLAIMED.
    • Compatible with DVD Video, CD CD-R/RW and Video CD
    • High-bit/high-sampling (10-bit/27MHz video D/A converter)
    • Component Video, Composite Video, and S-Video terminals
    • 1-bit P.E.M. D.D. Converter with 96kHz/24-bit audio resolution
    • Progressive Scan Output, “Digital Direct” that can produce the video output at twice the conventional speed to allow the direct conversion of DVD”s 24fps into progressive 60fps for display on your TV, thereby avoiding the quality disadvantages of I/P conversion.
    • Glow Multi-brand remote control
    • Coaxial digital outputs for PCM, Dolby Digital and DTS
    • Optical digital outputs for PCM, Dolby Digital and DTS
    • Separate construction throughout: Power supply, Digital circuitry, Analog Video and Analog Audio circuits are physically separated
    • Resume (bookmark) function
    • “Digest” function for visual access to desired title/chapter
    • 3D-Phonic for virtual surround sound
    • Dynamic range (2 channel) 106 dB
    • VCR-matching slim design.
    • Video output
    • DVD Component Video output
    • S-Video Output
    • Weight: 5lbs 13oz (2.6kg)
    • Width: 17-1/4″ (435mm)
    • Height: 2-3/4″ (68mm)
    • Depth:10-5/8″ (267.5mm)
  • 2004/04/graphics/jvcxl-fz258bkJVC XL-FZ258BK 5-disc CD changer — $50 (originally bought for around $150, currently sells for around $100) SOLD.
    • 5-Disc Carousel CD Changer: Change any 4 discs while one more is being played
    • 1-bit P.E.M. D.D. Converter
    • 8-times oversampling digital filter
    • Program play of up to 32 ‘steps’ (tracks and discs) from 5 discs
    • 20 – track program chart
    • 5 DISC keys on the front panel
    • 10 – key pad for direct track access
    • Play Modes: Continous, Program, Smart Random
    • 4-way repeat:: all tracks, single track, programmed tracks, and random play
    • Auto and Manual Search
    • Remote with DISC keys and numeric keys
    • Resume function
    • Power consumption: 10 watts
    • Sampling frequency: 44.1 kHz
    • Power requirements: AC 120 V , 60 Hz
    • Frequency response: 2 Hz to 20,000 Hz (±1 dB)
    • Dynamic range: More than 98.0 dB (at 1 kHz)
    • Signal to noise ratio: More than 107.0 dB
    • Total harmonic distortion: Less than 0.0022% (at 1 kHz)
    • Channel separation: More than 94.0 dB (at 1 kHz)
    • Wow and flutter: Less than measurable limit
    • Output level: 2.0 Vrms (at full scale)
    • Connections
      • 2 Enhanced COMPU LINK Control System jacks
      • Optical Digital Output
      • Headphone Output with volume control
    • Dimensions: 17.2″ W x 5.1″ H x 15.3″ D
    • Weight: 11 lbs.
  • 2004/04/graphics/klipschkg4Klipsch KG 4 home stereo speakers — $400 (originally sold for upwards of $1500) CLAIMED.
    • These aren’t new speakers, but they are really, really good. I got very lucky when I got ahold of them (from a military gent being shipped out of Anchorage who couldn’t ship them with him), and have gotten a lot of good use out of them over the years.
    • FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 38Hz-20kHz±3dB
    • SENSITIVITY: 94dB @ 1watt/1meter
    • POWER HANDLING: 100 watts maximum continuous (500 watts peak)
    • NOMINAL IMPEDANCE: 6 ohms
    • ENCLOSURE TYPE: Bass reflex via passive radiator
    • DRIVE COMPONENTS: Two-way system using one 1″ (2.54cm) phenolic dome compression driver tweeter with a 90°x40° Exponential horn, two 8″ (20.32cm) front-firing, poly ICG cone woofers and one 12″ (30.48cm) rear-firing, fiber-composite cone passive radiator
    • TWEETER: K-74-K 1″ (2.54cm) Phenolic dome compression driver
    • HIGH FREQUENCY HORN: 90°x40° Exponential Horn
    • HF CROSSOVER: 1800Hz
    • WOOFER: Two K-8-K 8″ (20.32cm) Poly ICG cone active / KD-12 12″ (30.48cm) Fiber-composite cone passive
    • DIMENSIONS: 24.25″ (61.6cm) x 15.75″ (40cm) x 10.75″ (27.3cm)
    • WEIGHT: 40 lbs. (18.2kg)
    • ENCLOSURE MATERIAL: Medium density fiberboard construction (MDF)
  • Pioneer CMX-5000Pioneer CMX-5000 Dual CD DJ-style player — $300 (originally purchased for around $1200) SOLD.
    • I’ve had this up for sale for a while, but for some reason I’ve gotten more requests from people in Europe than anywhere else. Odd, but whatever. :) For full details on this piece of equipment, please jump over to my original “For Sale” post….

Emptying out the apartment

Consider this advance notice for anyone in the Seattle area that reads this site: within the next week, I’m probably going to be putting up a lot of goodies for sale. I just need to do a little bit of research to figure out good asking prices before I put up a firm list.

Basically, I’ve finally reached a point where I’m sick to death of my continuing financial struggles, and getting myself away from constantly stressing over money has finally taken precedence over my collection of “boy toys”.

Items likely to be up for grabs include:

  • 27\” Sony Wega television
  • JVC 5-disc CD changer
  • Technics stereo receiver
  • Technics digital surround processor (best if sold with the receiver, adds Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 surround processing)
  • JVC progressive-scan DVD player
  • Two Klipsch speakers (very high-end home stereo speakers)
  • Somewhere in the general vicinity of 200 DVDs, including complete collections of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
  • Pioneer CMX-5000 dual-CD player (yes, it’s still here…)

Prices, pictures, and more detailed listings will go up as soon as possible as the week progresses and I get everything figured out.

Right now, though, I’m off with Prairie to see The Merry Wives of Windsor at The Seattle Center‘s Shakespeare in the Park.

Alexa website reviews

I didn’t notice this last night when I was poking around with Amazon‘s A9 search engine, but Amazon has tied the search results into their Alexa website ranking tool with a little “Site Info” button at the tail end of search result. Part of what Alexa provides along with traffic ranking and site information is the ability to add reviews for the websites, in much the same way that people can post reviews of books, music, or anything else that Amazon sells.

Interesting. No reviews for me (not a surprise), but now that A9 is out and potentially sending more people towards the Alexa info pages, I may need to keep an eye out on that just to see if any pop up.

What did amuse me while looking at the info that Alexa has for Eclecticism is their graph of my traffic ranking:

Eclecticism traffic spike

Gee — can you tell when I got Slashdotted? ;)

iTunes: “Pick Up the Phone” by Swingerhead from the album Swing This, Baby! (1998, 3:07).

Speak English, George!

I’m so glad I didn’t bother trying to watch Bush’s national address the other night on television. I would have been so busy cringing at his first sentence — “This has been tough weeks in that country.” — to even pay attention to the amazing hypnotic tie.

(via MeFi)

iTunes: “Annihilate” by Major North from the album Junior Vasquez, Vol. 2 (1997, 5:20).