My stash

2008-11-16T17:57:00.000-05:00

Here's my video review of QUANTUM OF SOLACE...

2008-11-12T14:50:00.001-05:00

2008-07-29T09:07:00.001-04:00

See all Movies in Theaters reviews at Expotv

Click here to watch more stuff

2008-07-29T08:57:00.001-04:00

Click here to visit foreign-films-for-you.com

2008-02-13T17:43:00.000-05:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

2008-01-22T20:37:00.000-05:00

I can't wait until this comes out!

2008-01-12T12:30:00.000-05:00

Here's my review of RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION (on DVD)

2008-01-10T14:16:00.000-05:00

2008-01-08T23:47:00.000-05:00

2007-11-23T18:18:00.001-05:00

Here's an Apple ad I'd love to see, but I'm not holding my breath...

2007-11-18T23:16:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm glad to say that the regular football season is over. Our final game against the University of Minnesota took place in Minneapolis, and we won 41-34.

I had a great time the night before with my drinking buddy Milda, who drove 5+ hours from Fargo, ND to hang out with friends and to go tango dancing. We went to the 4 seasons studio and it was a fun time. Mellow atmosphere, friendly people, good music, etc.

2007-09-22T12:21:00.000-04:00

Here's an article from investors.com which every American (regardless of political affiliation) should read... CLICK HERE

2007-07-30T01:03:00.001-04:00

Joe Yang is still a reckless idiot...

2007-06-05T23:19:00.000-04:00

My first AFF-1 skydive...

2007-04-22T17:37:00.001-04:00

Joe Yang is a reckless idiot...

2007-02-18T16:04:00.000-05:00

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! It's the year of the P-I-G pig!

2007-02-14T14:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I know not everyone has a valentine (myself included) but I won't join the ranks of those "I hate Valentines Day" people who go out of their way to wear black on Feb 14 and sit at home, stuffing their faces with chocolate ice cream and pork rinds while bitter, evil, and unclean thoughts fill their minds. Yeah, I'm sure THAT will make it all better.

I'm also not one of those "I love ME and I don't need a valentine" kinds of single people who go around with forced smiles and wear red just to show everyone how annoyingly and (unrealistically) positive they are. These people are so obviously in denial that that you KNOW they're one step away from throwing themselves in front of the nearest city bus. If they don't, they end up sitting at home, stuffing their faces with chocolate ice cream and pork rinds while bitter, evil, and unclean thoughts fill their minds.

So if you don't have a valentine and feel bad about it, admit to yourself that you feel like sh*t. Emotional sincerity is healthy. Understand that you can''t choose your feelings. However, you DO have control over doing or not doing things that will make you feel worse.

So don't do anything stupid, which includes (but is not limited to) threatening, stalking, prank calling, flashing, and driving your car into a wall at high speed (even if you are curious as to what the air bag smells like). Valentine's Day is just one day out of the year, for God's sake. And if you're like me, you'll be spending most of that day at work anyway.

2007-02-12T21:41:00.000-05:00

The US Navy uses sea lions and dolphins to patrol US interests here and abroad. You can read about it here...

There's a concern that California sea lions might not be able to handle colder environments such as Alaska. What I don't understand is why the Navy hasn't thought about using harbor seals. Harbor seals are just as smart as sea lions, and just as trainable. They can dive to deeper depths and can withstand much colder temperatures.
Sure, harbor seals may look like fat lazy buggers who sleep all day (and some of them can pull that off without any help at all), but they're every bit as much fun as sea lions. Harbor seals are awesome. They can drink any human under the table and they throw the coolest parties. One time this harbor seal invited me over to his house and we were trying to take his new Mercedes off these crazy jumps. I accidentally crashed it into a wall and the harbor seal totally didn't get mad at me. Instead, we went to taco bell and spent the rest of the day watching Benny Hill reruns on his widescreen TV.

2007-01-29T13:04:00.000-05:00

Here's a link for the UK versions of the Mac-PC ads. They're pretty much like the ones shown here in the US, only more English. Enjoy!

Click here

2007-01-11T12:27:00.000-05:00

For you Mac lovers out there, these are some pretty interesting apps:

http://djodjodesign.free.fr/rightEN.html

2007-01-10T22:53:00.000-05:00

COMMENTARY

In his televised address to the nation this evening (Wednesday 10 January, 2007), President Bush spoke of the war in Iraq and his plan to commit 20,000+ American troops to the region. The speech also spoke of a restructuring of Iraqi security forces within Baghdad- from what I understand the city will soon be temporarily placed under martial law. US forces are to be embedded with the Iraqi military in the hopes of stemming sectarian violence, rooting out Al-Qaida, and providing stability to a very messy area of the country.

If you're expecting another Bush-bashing blog, then go somewhere else. That's not what I'm here to do. Although I'm no conservative, I'm certainly no liberal either so dump out the Cool-aid. Here are some points I'd like to make about the President's speech for those of you who care to hear from a level-headed guy:

WILL THE TROOP INCREASE REALLY DO ANY GOOD?
We won't know right away. In any armed conflict, our men and women in uniform, as well as our allies from the UK, Australia, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, and other nations have performed brilliantly. However, freedom, stability, and all those nice-sounding words uttered by our Commander in Chief can only become a reality if the people of Iraq are willing to fight and die for it. In Afghanistan, the folks there were eager to fight and die for their liberty after we helped them kick out the Taliban. That's why that country is much more stable even if we don't know where Osama's bin Hiding. We can round up Al-Qaidas and toss them into Guantanamo Bay all day long until Cuba becomes the most populous muslim nation in the Caribbean. Militarily, we won't lose the war in Iraq. But unless the Iraqis step up and start fighting back against Al-Qaida, sectarian thugs, and invaders from Iran and Syria, we won't win it either.

I'M ANTI-WAR. WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Hey, I don't blame you for dissenting from this war. It's been costly, we haven't found WMDs, Rumsfeld screwed up by overestimating the willingness of the Iraqi civilians to help us, and we're all sick of hearing about Sunnis and Shiites blowing each other up. All of that criticism is legit. But the reality is that WE MUST WIN. Why? If we cut and run, Iraq will descend into chaos and Iran will likely take over as a major influential force in the region. Terrorists will have a sanctuary there, they'll become emboldened, people will start listening to their propoganda, and groups like Al-Qaida, Jemaah-Islamiya, Ansar al-Islam, and other unsavory characters will get plenty of oil money to do the kinds of things that will really hold you up at the airport security checkpoint next Christmas. Tuning them out with episodes of AMERICAN IDOL and DANCING WITH THE STARS will NOT make them go away. If we don't fight them in Iraq now, we'll be fighting them in Midtown Manhattan tomorrow.

IRAN WANTS A NUCLEAR BOMB. WHY SHOULD I CARE? CAN'T WE JUST LET THEM HAVE IT SO THEY'LL LEAVE US ALONE?
No. If Iran gets a nuke, one or more of the three following things is likely to happen:

1. They nuke Israel. They said they wanted to "wipe Israel off the map," remember?
With a nuke they can do just that.
2. They nuke a major city in the US by giving the bomb to the highest paying
terrorist group. If this doesn't bother you, or if you need further elaboration,
then you seriously need to have your head examined.
3. They don't nuke anyone but threaten to do so. This cold-war tactic is an
effective one. Anyone who posseses a nuclear weapon has a major bargaining chip
at the geo-political table. And with access to huge oil reserves, Iran can
blackmail any other oil-rich nation into falling in line with their policies. And
with their pals Russia and China backing them up, a nuclear-armed Iran would be a
MAJOR problem for Uncle Sam and SUV owners everywhere.

I THINK GEORGE BUSH MADE THE TERRORISTS WANT TO KILL US EVEN MORE. IF WE GET OUT OF IRAQ THE TERRORISTS WILL LEAVE US ALONE RIGHT? AND GEORGE BUSH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR GLOBAL WARMING, TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH, AND THE EXTINCTION OF THE DINOSAURS.

In any armed conflict, attacking your enemy will make them want to kill you. Duh. But make no mistake. The Islamic extremists (not the majority of normal muslims, I'm talking about the small percentage of crazies here) want to kill us no matter what. They don't care who the president is and they don't care who John Murtha or Ted Kennedy are either. They want to KILL us simply because of who we are. They want to kill us because we don't have a problem with Jewish holidays and we allow women to vote and hold public office. They hate us the same way the Nazis hated anyone who wasn't a Nazi, and you know what? There isn't anything you, George Bush, Howard Dean, John McCain, or Simon Cowell can do about it.

As for global warming, yes it's a reality and we must deal with it. Is George Bush responsible for it? He's certainly not doing much to address it as far as I can tell. But if you're concerned about pollution the biggest offenders aren't in the US. Take a look at China. They have virtually no emmissions standards on their vehicles and 68% of their energy is produced by coal. And in a country with over a billion people, that's a hell of a lot of coal that's going into the air. You do the math. I don't care if I'm being politically incorrect. I'm blaming the Chinese on this issue before I go after the Republicans. But hey, the environment is important and I encourage you liberals to keep an eye on this one. Just stick with the facts and lay off the conspiracy stuff, okay? To all liberals and conservatives: just be prepared to accept the possibility that the real cause of global warming may not agree with any of your politics.

Tax cuts for the rich? Sounds like another trendy thing to say these days. But let's not forget that the wealthiest Americans pay the most taxes. Rich people also own most businesses, and provide jobs to people like you and me. If their taxes get cut, they'll spend more and put more money into the economy, which puts more money into YOUR pocket. Furthermore, the GAO (General Accounting Office) has reported record tax revenues and a big decrease in the deficit in the face of these so-called tax cuts for the rich. So I hate to break it to you, but the tax cuts have worked. Now if you raise taxes on rich people, they'll spend LESS, put LESS money into the economy, which will put LESS money into YOUR pocket. Also, when taxes go up, rich people will put their monetary assets in offshore bank accounts where Uncle Sam's tax laws don't apply. Remember, increasing taxes is tantamount to punishing someone for working hard. If you work hard and earn lots of money, what right does the government have to take a substantial portion of your cash to use on a wasteful program or to give it to someone who doesn't work as hard?

And finally, I have not come across any credible evidence that suggests George Bush had a hand in causing the extinction of the dinosaurs. But I'm not letting Cheney off the hook. If you look hard enough, I bet you'll find a Haliburton sticker somewhere on that asteroid...

2006-06-02T15:55:00.000-04:00

SANDISK, maker of the world's 2nd best-selling mp3 player (behind Apple's iPod) has started a new anti-iPod advertising campaign. You can read about it in detail here.

Here's the hoopla in a nutshell. SanDisk is said to be porting Rockbox, an open-source OS for digital music players (which supports many different mp3 devices), onto its popular e200 mp3 player. To bring the matter to public consciousness, SanDisk has started releasing the before-mentioned anti-iPod ads in an attempt to blatantly attack its arch-nemesis, Apple.

The ads depict graffiti-like illlustrations made to resemble posters for an underground revolutionary movement. One shows a monkey sporting the iPod earbuds with the line "Are you an iChimp?", and another is of a guy strung up in white iPod cables like a marionette, with the text: "Have you become an iPuppet?"

Okay, okay. Mp3 competition is fierce- I get it. SanDisk wants to play rough- fine by me. As far as I'm concerned, open source is good stuff, and there's no doubt in my mind that SanDisk makes a good product. Competition is good for capitalism and the consumer. I'm not here to tout the technical prowess of one geek gadget over another.

What I will comment on, however, is the nature of the ads themselves. I took one look at these things and I'll tell you right now that I'm not going to switch from iPod to e200. You know why? Because as an iPod user, I feel like I'm being insulted. Hey, I'm not a complicated guy so I won't go into the whole nitty-gritty of "Apple makes you do this-and-that blah blah blah and it only works with iTunes blah blah blah."

I plug the iPod into my computer and the damn thing works. That's why I use it.

In my opinion, SanDisk's whole "revolutionary" ad approach, however provocative, is ultimately misguided. For one thing, SanDisk won't win me over by insulting me and comparing me to a monkey, puppet, sheep, or any other kind of farm animal. Secondly, SanDisk's ads also evoke a political edge, which makes no sense. For better or for worse, people buy iPods because they WANT TO, not because they're forced to. Furthermore, Apple allows its products to stand on their own merit and they never insult people for not using them. Although Apple has poked fun at PCs in their own internet and TV campaigns, it's a far cry from SanDisk's "Are you an iPuppet?" approach.

Perhaps I'm an iPod user who's taking this whole thing a little too personally. But if the e200 and Rockbox are so great, which I'm sure they are, maybe SanDisk should just tell us why and let the people decide.

For all of SanDisk's anti-iPod effort, Apple could easily fire back and say SanDisk is still #2, and 2nd place is the first loser. Even if it's true, it would be insulting, right?

2006-05-28T02:53:00.000-04:00

Here's a fake Star Wars trailer that the harbour seal cut together because he was bored. Check it out here

2006-05-25T10:52:00.000-04:00

THOUGHTS ON THE GHOST RIDER TRAILER...

by Harbourseal

I don't read comic books, but for those of you who know even less about comics than I do, Ghost Rider appears to be about some dude who rides a motorcycle while his head is on fire. I don't know about you but this is probably not a good idea. If my head caught on fire one of the last things I'd think of doing would be to find a motorcyle and ride around on it.

Anyway, the trailer looks pretty interesting. I'm glad the filmmakers show Ghost Rider using a motorcycle and not a riding mower or school bus. That would have been stupid.

2006-05-06T02:41:00.000-04:00

Tired of that rubbish they pass off as television these days? Then click here (or the above picture) for some quality entertainment.

This is the first episode of MY TORPEDO-SHAPED FRIENDS, entitled THE HONK OF DOOM.

This 14.5 minute movie has comedy, action, suspense, and most important of all...seals! Watch it on your computer or save it to your iPod.

This file is pretty big (about 99 megs) so it might take a while to download, but it's worth it!

If you like this episode enough to buy the DVD, then go here. The DVD comes with another cool episode and some extras. Seals rule!

2006-05-01T01:38:00.000-04:00

Click here to view (approximately 5.3 megs)

2006-02-14T07:28:00.000-05:00

2006-01-28T23:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

2006-01-19T16:37:00.001-05:00

I'm back from China. Happy belated New Year! I bet some of you are looking for new jobs, and the above video showcases the kinds of questions a few of you may face. Remember folks, just because you're qualified for a job doesn't mean you should take it.
(Approximately 11.3 megs)

2005-12-31T10:36:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year from China! I'm somehow able to access my blog here in Guangdong, which is nice. Anyway, above is a pic from Yangshuo, taken from a riverboat chugging down the Lijiang River at the breakneck speed of 5 knots. I believe the above hill resembles a fur seal that's facing away from us. Look real hard and you'll see what I mean...

2005-12-22T10:17:00.000-05:00

I'm in the PRC right now, and I cannot view my own blog over the internet. Either the website is experiencing difficulties or the government here has a serious beef with our beer-loving flippered friends. I can't imagine why. But hey, stranger things have happened. Other than that, I'm having a great time people-watching and noticing how you can buy lots of cool stuff here for real cheap. ¡Viva el capitalismo!

2005-12-18T12:11:00.000-05:00

Here's some more RANDOM LEARNING! Click here to learn a few exciting facts about orcas!
(Approximately 35 megs- It's a large file but worth the wait!)

2005-12-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

It's the week before Christmas. Hard to believe, isn't it? And if you're still in the middle of holiday shopping, click here for a great gift idea for that special someone.

2005-12-11T18:22:00.000-05:00

Today we're starting something new! It's called RANDOM LEARNING, where Alx the seal picks an exciting topic at random and teaches us about it. So put away the junk food, switch off the idiot box, and click here to learn something useful!

(Approximately 8.3 Megs)

2005-12-05T15:24:00.000-05:00

Click here to listen to the seal rant! Maybe you'll agree with him, maybe you won't. Whatever the case, it's worth listening to. Feel free to leave your own thoughts and opinions.
Note: Personal attacks don't count. Any 5 year-old can call someone names. We're looking for well thought-out statements.
(Approximately 12.8 megs)

2005-11-29T21:09:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Joe! And remember:

"There is no victory at bargain basement prices."
- General Dwight D. Eisenhower

2005-11-23T14:03:00.000-05:00

Here's another freebie from harboursealpictures.com. This Thanksgiving, remember to have good table manners...or else.
CLICK HERE to view the video...
(Approximately 12 megs)

2005-11-22T17:45:00.000-05:00

I'm out of town for the holiday, but more videos will be on the way. In the meantime, if you don't hear from me on Thursday, eat turkey. Eat pie. Eat stuffing. Eat anything that isn't nailed down unless someone else gets to it first. Watch football. Flop over on your back and grin like an idiot while clutching a cold one under your right flipper. And as you fade in and out of consciousness (assuming you're indoors and your pants are still on), remember to be thankful.

2005-11-21T17:27:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone. It's the Monday before the holiday (longest day of the week). But don't worry, Tuesday will be over soon, and then we can start getting excited when the Wednesday before Thanksgiving rolls around.

But for those darn seals, it might as well be the beginning of Mardi Gras...

2005-11-19T23:14:00.000-05:00

Now THIS is a game.

What? Pointless, you say?

Well, what did you do last weekend that was so special?

Now just watch the flippin' video! CLICK HERE
(Approximately 11 megs)

2005-11-18T00:58:00.000-05:00

Click here for Alx's ipod nano review!
(Approximately 11 megs)

2005-11-16T16:33:00.000-05:00

Sorry, no video today. I'm sick.

In the meantime, get your seal fix at www.harboursealpictures.com

Our 2nd DVD is currently in development, and our first is available now.
CLICK HERE.

More info to come!

2005-11-14T23:35:00.000-05:00

Click here to view video.

2005-11-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

The above video proves why seals should never fake serious gunshot wounds...