Movie: The Intern

The_Intern-Experience_never_gets_old

I watched the movie “The Intern” by a recommendation from a friend and did not feel sorry even for a second. The movie is a very refreshing experience, it feels very light-footed, so to say, with an interesting story told expertly by good artists in a very convincing way. The current movie landscape is almost all “bigger than life” and this movie stands out being “just right”.

Interestingly, the story has come at just the right time for me. The CEO of an Internet start-up is being pushed by venture capitalists into accepting a downgrade and hiring another CEO to actually lead the business. I had this discussion twice this week with potential business leaders. It seems all the hype nowadays is to get money from venture capitalists or investors and get going real quick. What people forget is that this way they give up the essential control of their own business. It’s not theirs anymore and they would have to accept some decisions by the real owners – the financial owners of the company. That’s a bad idea, don’t do it unless you absolutely must. Make your own company on your own terms with your own effort. What’s the hurry? And a large part of the movie’s plot is also about that – make your own company your own way.

But, of course, there is more than that. A love story, a get back into the action story, a dad going astray under the pressure of being in a woman’s role in the family, a woman going psychologically ruined under the pressure of a man’s role in the society – it’s all there, all greatly shown, without excesses, without too much hype, but very much life-like. And, yes, it’s great when you are accepted as never being too old for the job if you know how to do.

Anyway, the story is great, Robert De Niro is still wonderful, Rene Russo is splendid and it’s definitely a worthwhile movie to watch.

The_Intern_Robert_De_Niro_and_Rene_Russo

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What would you do if you were God?

I know what I would do: exactly what I am doing now!

You see, if I was God, I could do anything, so I would try to live my life in different ways to see which way would be most exciting, interesting, pleasurable, whatever… Then I would likely come to the point where I would also like to live completely different lives. Quickly, I would discover that I can live several lives in parallel and compare… From there, it is a quick step to actually living every life around and enjoying all of them! Of course, I would actually have to make sure that while I am living the life I would not know that it’s all me, because it would quickly lose any sense otherwise, would it not? All of me would pretend to not know anything about Me and get on with life to only get reconciled eventually after living the life.

So, yes, if I was God, I would be living all these lives simultaneously, in all this huge universe, and enjoying it all in all its diversity. I guess, I am doing it already. Cool, eh?

Bruce-Almighty

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Russell’s Teapot

Bertrand_Russell_transparent_bgMany orthodox people speak as though it were the business of skeptics to disprove received dogmas rather than of dogmatists to prove them. This is, of course, a mistake. If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however, the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time.

— Bertrand Russell

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Vredestein Quatrac 3

I normally run two sets of tires in the standard original size 275/55 R17 – one for summer and one for winter. That is because in most of Europe I have to get winter tires with the so-called “snowflake symbol” to be street legal in winter. The original equipment tire is Dunlop SP Sport 5000, although named “mud and snow” (M+S) tire, it doesn’t have the symbol, so I can only run those in the summer. I had a set of Pirelli Scorpion Ice+Snow for the winter and they were quite all right. Except that it always annoyed me to have two sets of tires and having to change them. And, if you run Pirellis on dry warm pavement and break real hard, the tire seems to boil and you are suddenly skidding just like in winter.

Vredestein-Quatrac-3So this year I decided to look for a proper all season tire that would be also street legal in winter. I found Vredestein Quatrac 3 to have the right designation – it sports the snowflake symbol. So I decided to go for the Vredestein, especially since they were only 165 Euro against the 155 Euro for the standard Dunlop.

Now after running them for two months and three thousand kilometers, I say I am impressed with them for the dry and wet road. They seem to be noticeably softer than the Dunlop and that creates a smoother, quieter ride. The difference is especially noticeable when you ride over small ridges or those speed bumps – Vredestein is much, much quieter and less bumpy over those. The handling is good, I have a feeling they have seriously more grip than the original tire. I like both the stability in curves and the ability to stop more than with the originals.I didn’t have but a few chances to drive in the rain and although I was careful at first the tire has managed both the wet surfaces and overabundance of water quite well.

I did not find any downsides at the moment, so I am really, really happy with the choice so far. I am not usually writing reviews of things but this time I am impressed so here it is. I recommend this tire wholeheartedly as a better replacement than the originals.

How they handle on snow and ice remains to be seen but I have my hopes high.

One more thing: the tire has a very, very “oily” feeling when brand new. The first couple of hundred kilometers was like driving on ice. It settled quickly and now the grip is fantastic but be careful at the beginning.

 

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John Scalzi, “Old Man’s War”

John Scalzi. Old Mans WarI happened to come across an interesting title, as it happens to me sometimes, and I did not feel sorry a bit for reading the “Old Man’s War” by Jouh Scalzi. It was so good, I actually went on and read the sequel, “The Ghost Brigades”. Strangely, that did not disappoint me either. The writer is surprisingly good and I was not able to predict the turns of the plot, which makes for a very exciting reading. Well, sometimes you do go “oh, damn, I wish he didn’t do that” but it’s the author’s cruel world and he is the king.

The writing style is very much reminiscent of that of Robert Heinlein, whom I love to read. Author even acknowledges pretty much that Robert Heinlein was an inspiration to him. The last sentence reads “Thank you, Robert A. Heinlein, for debts that have … become obvious.” I have to say John Scalzi lives up to the expectations, albeit being far more cautious and less provocative than Heinlein. All in all, a highly recommended, very entertaining reading in the Sci-Fi genre with plenty of interesting ideas interspersed with action.

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George Carlin. I’m a modern man…

george-carlinI’m a modern man, a man for the millennium. Digital and smoke free. A diversified multi-cultural, post-modern deconstruction that is anatomically and ecologically incorrect. I’ve been up linked and downloaded, I’ve been inputted and outsourced, I know the upside of downsizing, I know the downside of upgrading. I’m a high-tech low-life. A cutting edge, state-of-the-art bi-coastal multi-tasker and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond!
I’m new wave, but I’m old school and my inner child is outward bound. I’m a hot-wired, heat seeking, warm-hearted cool customer, voice activated and bio-degradable. I interface with my database, my database is in cyberspace, so I’m interactive, I’m hyperactive and from time to time I’m radioactive.

Behind the eight ball, ahead of the curve, ridin the wave, dodgin the bullet and pushin the envelope. I’m on-point, on-task, on-message and off drugs. I’ve got no need for coke and speed. I’ve got no urge to binge and purge. I’m in-the-moment, on-the-edge, over-the-top and under-the-radar. A high-concept, low-profile, medium-range ballistic missionary. A street-wise smart bomb. A top-gun bottom feeder. I wear power ties, I tell power lies, I take power naps and run victory laps. I’m a totally ongoing big-foot, slam-dunk, rainmaker with a pro-active outreach. A raging workaholic. A working rageaholic. Out of rehab and in denial!

I’ve got a personal trainer, a personal shopper, a personal assistant and a personal agenda. You can’t shut me up. You can’t dumb me down because I’m tireless and I’m wireless, I’m an alpha male on beta-blockers.

I’m a non-believer and an over-achiever, laid-back but fashion-forward. Up-front, down-home, low-rent, high-maintenance. Super-sized, long-lasting, high-definition, fast-acting, oven-ready and built-to-last! I’m a hands-on, foot-loose, knee-jerk head case pretty maturely post-traumatic and I’ve got a love-child that sends me hate mail.

But, I’m feeling, I’m caring, I’m healing, I’m sharing– a supportive, bonding, nurturing primary care-giver. My output is down, but my income is up. I took a short position on the long bond and my revenue stream has its own cash-flow. I read junk mail, I eat junk food, I buy junk bonds and I watch trash sports! I’m gender specific, capital intensive, user-friendly and lactose intolerant.

I like rough sex. I like tough love. I use the “F” word in my emails and the software on my hard-drive is hardcore–no soft porn.

I bought a microwave at a mini-mall; I bought a mini-van at a mega-store. I eat fast-food in the slow lane. I’m toll-free, bite-sized, ready-to-wear and I come in all sizes. A fully-equipped, factory-authorized, hospital-tested, clinically-proven, scientifically- formulated medical miracle. I’ve been pre-wash, pre-cooked, pre-heated, pre-screened, pre-approved, pre-packaged, post-dated, freeze-dried, double-wrapped, vacuum-packed and, I have an unlimited broadband capacity.

I’m a rude dude, but I’m the real deal. Lean and mean! Cocked, locked and ready-to-rock. Rough, tough and hard to bluff. I take it slow, I go with the flow, I ride with the tide. I’ve got glide in my stride. Drivin and movin, sailin and spinin, jiving and groovin, wailin and winnin. I don’t snooze, so I don’t lose. I keep the pedal to the metal and the rubber on the road. I party hearty and lunch time is crunch time. I’m hangin in, there ain’t no doubt and I’m hangin tough, over and out!

— George Carlin

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