My Review of The Dark Knight

My review (no spoilers) -

The Dark Knight was really good and yes, the buzz around Heath Ledger's performance is worthy, he really turned the toes up. I don't think there was a single lull throughout the entire movie, it's very visually stunning, extremely fast paced, and engaging, for a two and a half hour long movie that says a lot. Director Christopher Nolan did an amazing job all around with this film and really elevated the standard for the genre. I would not be surprised if he walked away with an oscar for his work on this film.

This isn't a spoiler but... the "pencil trick" introduction - so awesome. It makes you want Joker to win from the second he comes on screen... did for me anyway.

The Dark Knight: A -

~Ty

p.s.
WATCHMEN looks really good, check it: HERE

Warren Buffett’s 7 Secrets for Living a Happy and Simple Life

Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget Rule. No. 1- Warren Buffett

Are you sold on the fake notion that owning possessions is the touchstone of your self-worth? Have you felt jealous and self-pity when a neighbor bought a new Mercedes or a new Yacht that you always wanted to possess? We all have.

If your paycheck is not keeping up the pace with your cravings for the new iphone, why not learn the secrets of simplicity from the richest man on the earth who still lives without a cell phone? Before you sink your money for the latest gadget what if you were to know that the Oracle of Omaha still has no desk computer in his modest office?

In this world full of the rich and famous, Warren Buffett remains the greatest investor ever born not due to his acumen for the wise investments that he has made during his life but more for exemplifying the greatness with simplicity. He’s full of wit and happiness and this is at the core of everything that he does.

Secret # 1 : Happiness comes from within.

In my adult business life I have never had to make a choice of trading between professional and personal. I tap-dance to work, and when I get there it’s tremendous fun.- Warren Buffett

This is the man who truly does what he loves. The battle between Productivity and anti-productivity blogs stems from their convoluted chains of frequently twisted rational to substantiate their claim that productivity is a force of an external demand - from an employer or a competitor. In reality, productivity comes from within. It comes from doing what we love and loving what we do. When we start trading time between our professional and personal life, we wage war in our own mind to justify our passion in terms of a personal benefit. In my business I have felt more stress and angst when I haven’t given all of my talent, hard work and passion to help others on a given day. The myth of working hard to make more money to buy more things throws us in the vicious circle of hallucination. Our happiness always remains imprisoned when we do work that we abhor yet justify doing it to pay bills for those things that we don’t need. I used to work even after buying my first hotel for many years to justify the fake notion that I needed additional income to pay bills. What I needed was to change my lifestyle to free myself from this never-ending rut chase.

Secret # 2 Find happiness in simple pleasures.

I have simple pleasures. I play bridge online for 12 hours a week. Bill and I play, he’s “chalengr” and I’m “tbone”. — Warren Buffett

If the man richer than God can find happiness in the simple pleasure of playing bridge online with another billionaire, I have to learn to be happy with the simple pleasures of playing cards with friends or playing with my children or taking a walk in the wilderness. All of these simple pleasures do not need extravagant spending. I used to go play golf with other businessmen when the local chamber of commerce sponsored an event. I never found happiness in those events as they were centered on generating more business and exchanging business cards than on truly enjoying the moment. I was allowing myself to be run ragged by trading business cards after hours in a vain hope of making more money whereas that time deserved a dinner with my family.

Secret # 3 Live a simple life.

I just naturally want to do things that make sense. In my personal life too, I don’t care what other rich people are doing. I don’t want a 405 foot boat just because someone else has a 400 foot boat. — Warren Buffett

The sad truth is that our ever-sophisticated advertising industry has conditioned our mind to find happiness from consumption by spending our hard earned money on the possessions that never bring us lasting happiness. We spend our life-energy on those possessions that we seldom use. We worry about making payments for a luxury car that sits in our garage collecting dust only for the right to brag about it in an occasional social gathering. Keeping up with the Joneses is the worst epidemic among those who should never contemplate that notion in the first place. If a man who can possibly buy a nation with his cash never espouses the mantra of “more the better”, I need to learn not to spread my legs beyond the reach of the blanket. We are conditioned to spend money before we earn it. We are sold on the fake happiness of “Buy now, pay later dearly” - It’s nothing more than buying possessions that we cannot afford. I have my share of insanity when it comes to mindless spending, but lately I try to pay for most of my purchases with cash. It creates awareness towards the impulse buy when I pay by cash. I have also started red lining items on the credit card statement that I consider useless spending. All of these efforts have built my awareness towards my impulse purchases. I have been using mantra of - “less is more” to simplify every aspect of my life. It’s a work in progress but the results are astounding.

Secret # 4 Think Simply.

“I want to be able to explain my mistakes. This means I do only the things I completely understand.” - Warren Buffett

There lies one of the greatest secrets of simplicity. Warren Buffett invests only in the businesses that he understands. If you ever read research reports from an accomplished Wall Street guru, you’ll find a plethora of details that make you dizzy. The success of Warren Buffett as the greatest investor ever lies in his ability to think simply.

I used to invest in the stock market in the mid 90’s when everyone wanted to make over night millions in an exuberant market. I used to read “Investor’s Business Daily” only to look at the movers and shakers. These were the stocks that made a significant upward move a day before. A few days before Christmas, I made $52,000 in one stock in a matter of a few days. I knew nothing about the company. I created a new reality for my thoughts that I had figured out how the Wall Street works. I was on my way to the riches. I applied the same thought model on the next several stocks. Needless to say, I lost all that I made and much more. I was lacking in a basic human quality that Warren Buffett has mastered well - common sense. It says a great deal about the character of a man who invested a measly amount in Microsoft despite the fact that Bill Gates is one of his closest friends. I learned a valuable lesson of life from this experience - “Not losing hard earned money is far more important than making more money”.

If I apply this rule in my life, I can develop clarity and sanity in my thoughts. Clarity is the mother of simplicity. Life is not a roulette; life is about simple yet profound choices.

Secret # 5 Invest Simply.

The best way to own common stocks is through an index fund. - Warren Buffett

It is astounding to know that the greatest investor in the world is not bragging about intricate financial maneuvering to impress the rest of the world with his financial genius. Instead, Warren Buffett shows us the most simplistic approach to our financial freedom - “Flow with the market rather than pretending to be smarter than God.”

In this world full of so-called financial experts, Warren stands tall by showing us the simplest way to the riches. The stock market has moved upward for the last hundred years despite numerous setbacks. He is using a long historical view to back his argument rather than making a futile effort to predict how we can make a quick fortune. After losing most of my capital in the late 90’s, I have precisely followed the simple advice of investing in the no-load index funds. I’m happier than ever and while my assets have not skyrocketed, they haven’t dwindled either.

Secret # 6 Have a mentor in life.

I was lucky to have the right heroes. Tell me who your heroes are and I’ll tell you how you’ll turn out to be. The qualities of the one you admire are the traits that you, with a little practice, can make your own, and that, if practiced, will become habit-forming. - Warren Buffett

We are worshipers of celebrity demi-gods. All of us have this acute desire to look and live like these celebrities. However, are they truly the ones with character and moral compass to lead us? Having a mentor is as important as having a purpose in our life but having a wrong mentor is as devastating as having a wrong purpose in our life. The mentor has to be someone whom we can trust and have an unwavering faith in his/her guidance. The mentor has to be the one who has made outstanding strides in advancing the greater and guiding purpose of happiness in his/her own life. You’ll find that person in your inner circle if you think hard enough. Write down why you admire them. Try to emulate their traits and as Warren has shown by his exemplary life, with a little practice, you can form a habit to clone the life that you admire the most.

Secret # 7 Making money isn’t the backbone of our guiding purpose; making money is the by-product of our guiding purpose.

If you’re doing something you love, you’re more likely to put your all into it, and that generally equates to making money.- Warren Buffett

How do you rationalize the richest man on the earth still living in a small 3-bedroom house that he purchased fifty years ago? Warren Buffett never travels in a private jet despite the fact that he owns the largest private jet company. His character and way of life speak volume about his greatness. This is the man who spent his personal time investigating a $4 line item on his tax return to hunt down the specifics of it while giving away billions of dollars to Bill Gates foundation. It is rare to find the richest man on the earth living without luxuries that we want to possess even by mortgaging our future. He has demonstrated that while valuing the worth of money is vital for our ingenuity and success, money shall never become the object and end all of our motivation.

I’m an avid admirer of simplicity, but I’m an even bigger fan of the man who has mastered the greatness by living and breathing simplicity amid an ocean of wealth. Do you agree?

Found at: http://www.successsoul.com/2008/07/15/warren-buffetts-7-secrets-for-living-a-happy-and-simple-life/

Scientists: Humans and machines will merge in future

"LONDON, England (CNN) -- A group of experts from around the world will Thursday hold a first of its kind conference on global catastrophic risks.
Some experts say humans will merge with machines before the end of this century.


Some experts say humans will merge with machines before the end of this century.

They will discuss what should be done to prevent these risks from becoming realities that could lead to the end of human life on earth as we know it.

Speakers at the four-day event at Oxford University in Britain will talk about topics including nuclear terrorism and what to do if a large asteroid were to be on a collision course with our planet.

On the final day of the Global Catastrophic Risk Conference experts will focus on what could be the unintended consequences of new technologies, such as superintelligent machines that, if ill-conceived, might cause the demise of Homo sapiens.

"Any entity which is radically smarter than human beings would also be very powerful," said Dr. Nick Bostrom, director of Oxford's Future of Humanity Institute, host of the symposium. "If we get something wrong, you could imagine the consequences would involve the extinction of the human species."

Bostrom is a philosopher and a leading thinker of transhumanism -- a movement that advocates not only the study of the potential threats and promises that future technologies could pose to human life but also the ways in which emergent technologies could be used to make the very act of living better.

"We want to preserve the best of what it is to be human and maybe even amplify that," Bostrom told CNN.

Transhumanists, according to Bostrom, anticipate a coming era where biotechnology, molecular nanotechnologies, artificial intelligence and other new types of cognitive tools will be used to amplify our intellectual capacity, improve our physical capabilities and even enhance our emotional well-being.

The end result would be a new form of "posthuman" life with beings that possess qualities and skills so exceedingly advanced they no longer can be classified simply as humans.

"We will begin to use science and technology not just to manage the world around us but to manage our own human biology as well," Bostrom told CNN. "The changes will be faster and more profound than the very, very slow changes that would occur over tens of thousands of years as a result of natural selection and biological evolution."

Bostrom declined to try to predict an exact time frame when this revolutionary biotechnological metamorphosis might occur. "Maybe it will take eight years or 200 years," he said. "It is very hard to predict."

Other experts are already getting ready for what they say could be a radical transformation of the human race in as little as two decades.

"This will happen faster than people realize," said Dr. Ray Kurzweil, an inventor and futurist who calculates technology trends using what he calls the law of accelerating returns, a mathematical concept that measures the exponential growth of technological evolution.

In the 1980s Kurzweil predicted that a tiny handheld device would be invented sometime early in the 21st century allowing blind people to read documents from anywhere at anytime -- earlier this year such a device was publicly unveiled. He also anticipated the explosive growth of the Internet in the 1990s.

Now Kurzweil is predicting the impending arrival of something called the Singularity, which he defines in his book on the subject as "the culmination of the merger of our biological thinking and existence with our technology, resulting in a world that is still human but that transcends our biological roots."

"There will be no distinction, post-Singularity, between human and machine or between physical and virtual reality," he writes.
Don't Miss

* Just Imagine: 2020
* Waste not, watt not
* Curing diseases with nature
* Animal inspired robots

Singularity will approach at an accelerating rate as human-created technologies become exponentially smaller and increasingly powerful and as fields such as biology and medicine are understood more and more in terms of information processes that can be simulated with computers.

By the 2030s, Kurzweil tells CNN, humans will become more non-biological than biological, capable of uploading our minds onto the Internet, living in various virtual worlds and even avoiding aging and evading death.

In the 2040s, Kurzweil predicts non-biological intelligence will be billions of times better than the biological intelligence humans have today, possibly rendering our present brains as obsolete.

"Our brains are a million times slower than electronics," said Kurzweil. "We will increasingly become software entities if you go out enough decades."

This movement towards the merger of man and machine, according to Kurzweil, is already starting to happen and is most visible in the field of biotechnology.

As scientists gain deeper insights into the genetic processes that underlie life, they are able to effectively reprogram human biology through the development of new forms of gene therapies and medications capable of turning on or off enzymes and RNA interference, or gene silencing.

"Biology and health and medicine used to be hit or miss," said Kurzweil. "It wasn't based on any coherent theory about how it works."

The emerging biotechnology revolution will lead to at least a thousand new drugs that could do anything from slow down the process of aging to reverse the onset of diseases, like heart disease and cancer, Kurzweil said.

By 2020, Kurzweil predicts a second revolution in the area of nanotechnology. According to his calculations, it is already showing signs of exponential growth as scientists begin test first generation nanobots that can cure Type 1 diabetes in rats or heal spinal cord injuries in mice.

One scientist is developing something called a respirocyte -- a robotic red blood cell that, if injected into the bloodstream, would allow humans to do an Olympic sprint for 15 minutes without taking a breath or sit at the bottom of a swimming pool for hours at a time.

Other researchers are developing nanoparticles that can locate tumors and one day possibly even eradicate them.

And some Parkinson's patients now have pea-sized computers implanted in their brains that replace neurons destroyed by the disease -- new software can be downloaded to the mini computers from outside the human body.

"Nanotechnology will not just be used to reprogram but to transcend biology and go beyond its limitations by merging with non-biological systems," Kurzweil told CNN. "If we rebuild biological systems with nanotechnology, we can go beyond its limits."

The final revolution leading to the advent of Singularity will be the creation of artificial intelligence, or superintelligence, which, according to Kurzweil, could be capable of solving many of our biggest threats, like environmental destruction, poverty and disease.

"A more intelligent process will inherently outcompete one that is less intelligent, making intelligence the most powerful force in the universe," writes Kurzweil.

Yet the invention of so many high-powered technologies and the possibility of merging these new technologies with humans may pose both peril and promise for the future of mankind.

"I think there are grave dangers," said Kurzweil. "Technology has always been a double-edged sword."

5 p.m. (EDT), the Clerk of the House of Representatives will give the first reading of the Article of Impeachment of President George Bush

Original message from Dennis Kucinich -

"Dear Friends,

This afternoon, at approximately 5 p.m. (EDT), the Clerk of the House of Representatives will give the first reading of the Article of Impeachment of President George Bush. Article One charges the President with deceiving Congress with fabricated threats of Iraq WMDs to fraudulently obtain support for an authorization of the use of military force against Iraq.

Once the Clerk reads the bill, I will move to refer the bill to the Judiciary Committee for hearings. I believe the American people have a right to an open airing of the charges against this President. Did he or did he not lie to take us into a war? I believe the evidence is overwhelming that President Bush knew that Iraq was not an imminent threat, was not in possession of WMDs at the time, and had nothing to do with 911 or with al Queda's role in 911. And yet, despite having facts to the contrary, he took the U.S. into war with devastating consequences for our troops, our nation, and the people of Iraq. Congress must hold hearings.

There can be no greater offense of a President or a Commander in Chief than to conjure a war based on lies to Congress, to the troops, and to the people of America.

I love our country with all my heart and I intend to persist until America is America again.

Please contact your friends and neighbors and ask them to go to our website at www.kucinich.us and sign the impeachment petition. Thank you for your continuing support and for your love of our country and its people.

Sign the petition.

Sincerely,

Dennis"

Max Payne Trailer Leaked

"We're not sure how long this will stay online, but it looks like the new trailer for 20th Century Fox's Max Payne has been leaked by international sites.

Opening October 17, the video game adaptation stars Mark Wahlberg, Chris O'Donnell, Beau Bridges, Ludacris, Mila Kunis, Donal Logue and Amaury Nolasco. Max Payne tells the story of a maverick cop determined to track down those responsible for the brutal murder of his family and partner. Hell-bent on revenge, his obsessive investigation takes him on a nightmare journey into a dark underworld. As the mystery deepens, Max (Wahlberg) is forced to battle enemies beyond the natural world and face an unthinkable betrayal."

US Senate Annihilates Constitution

FISA Passed, Obama voted in favor of it.

read more | digg story

FISA Amendment Act - Another Unlawful Underhanded Attack on The People of America

WASHINGTON - The Senate has approved a bill overhauling the rules on secret government eavesdropping and granting immunity to telecom companies that helped listen in unlawfully on Americans.

read more | digg story

I'm going to put this all together and make it easy to do something... even if it does feel like an exercise in futility, at least we're doing something...

Email them at: senate.gov/general/contact_information

Here's a list of the senators that approved the Act:

Alexander(R-TN)
Allard(R-CO)
Barrasso(R-WY)
Baucus(D-MT)
Bayh(D-IN)
Bennett(R-UT)
Bond(R-MO)
Brownback(R-KS)
Bunning(R-KY)
Burr(R-NC)
Carper(D-DE)
Casey(D-PA)
Chambliss(R-GA)
Coburn(R-OK)
Cochran(R-MS)
Coleman(R-MN)
Collins(R-ME)
Conrad(D-ND)
Corker(R-TN)
Cornyn(R-TX)
Craig(R-ID)
Crapo(R-ID)
DeMint(R-SC)
Dole(R-NC)
Domenici(R-NM)
Ensign(R-NV)
Enzi(R-WY)
Grassley(R-IA)
Gregg(R-NH)
Hagel(R-NE)
Hatch(R-UT)
Hutchison(R-TX)
Inhofe(R-OK)
Inouye(D-HI)
Isakson(R-GA)
Johnson(D-SD)
Kohl(D-WI)
Kyl(R-AZ)
Landrieu(D-LA)
Lieberman(ID-CT)
Lincoln(D-AR)
Lugar(R-IN)
Martinez(R-FL)
McCain(R-AZ)
McCaskill(D-MO)
McConnell(R-KY)
Mikulski(D-MD)
Murkowski(R-AK)
Nelson(D-FL)
Nelson(D-NE)
Pryor(D-AR)
Roberts(R-KS)
Rockefeller(D-WV)
Salazar(D-CO)
Sessions(R-AL)
Shelby(R-AL)
Smith(R-OR)
Snowe(R-ME)
Specter(R-PA)
Stevens(R-AK)
Sununu(R-NH)
Thune(R-SD)
Vitter(R-LA)
Voinovich(R-OH)
Warner(R-VA)
Webb(D-VA)
Whitehouse(D-RI)
Wicker(R-MS)

Here's a rough draft I worked out of the comments (thanks for the help):

"The leadership of the United States of America has committed high crimes and treason against the American people. Here is my list of charges against the Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and White House:

1) Used false and misleading intelligence to start wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
2) Have violated the Constitution by holding US citizens without charges.
3) Have violated the Constitution by tapping our calls without warrants.
4) Have violated the Geneva Conventions by waging wars of aggression for profit.
5) Have violated the Geneva Conventions by torturing enemy combatants in Abu Ghraib.

It absolutely blows me away that you could approve the FISA Amendments Act. The disgusting abuse of power and rampant corruption in this once great republic has gone too far. How could you support such a thing?

Is there no end to this madness? Does anyone "up there" care about the future of this country and its people at all?"

- ask for a reply.

Another sad day in the history of America. Damn shame...

Apple Security is Really Not Great...

No need for 'social engineering' at Apple, ask and you shall receive.

read more | digg story

John McCain lies about his vets voting record

At his townhall meeting in Rochester, MI today, John McCain lied about his veteran's voting record saying, "I received the highest award from literally every veterans organization in America." The truth is, the recognition McCain has received from veterans groups is not "high awards" but failing grades. Check the record for yourself.

read more | digg story

Net Neutrality: Five Facts Everyone Must Know

The term net neutrality, unless you’re a tech geek, conjures up thoughts of fair trade, international policy or possibly anti-fishing zones. Here's a clarification the oft confusing technical jargon slimmed down to only the necessary information:

read more | digg story

Kucinich to bring single article of impeachment Thursday

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) is sticking to his drive to impeach President Bush. After brining 35 articles of impeachment to the floor last month, Kucinich will return this week with a single article accusing Bush of misleading the nation into war.

read more | digg story

11 Powerful Firefox 3 Add-ons to Replace Standalone Apps

Firefox add-on developers have created some impressive applications that can replace larger, bloated programs. These add-ons can help if you have a small amount of precious hard drive space or you are on a tight budget and don’t have cash to fork out for applications.

read more | digg story

Hardy Har Har

You should watch this.



Now you should get mad and do something about it. Like contact your representative at: https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

More on this later...