This post being written on my new PC. The build went smoother than any previous one. After I finished the assembly, I plugged it in and everything worked first time out. I suppose it’s possible I’ve gotten better at this as time goes by. Twas not always thus.

I’m sure some people will gladly secondguess my choices, but here’s what I went for:

  • Intel Dual Core E6600 chip
  • Asus P5B motherboard
  • 2 gigs RAM
  • Cooler Master Centurion case
  • Cooler Master Extreme Power 430 watt power supply
  • Asus EN7600 GT video card (since I don’t play any 3D games, I expect this to suffice)
  • Lite On 20x dual layer DVD burner

(I already had a spare 500 gig SATA drive lying around and moved my Creative X-Fi sound card over from the old PC.)

They tried to sell me on getting Vista but no thanks. WinXP Pro will do fine for me until Microsoft releases the first service pack of Vista bug fixes. And this was one of the two things they didn’t have in stock (they had to toss some cash at someone and have him run to some other shop to get it). And it seemed like no open shop had a 4-PC KVM/USB switch in stock. So that’s gotta wait a day.

In the meantime, with most of the software I need installed, certain tasks are definitely moving ahead noticeably faster. And now I’m able to devote the second PC to full time DVD burning, CD ripping, file format conversions, etc.

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Watched The Prestige the other day. I think it’s far more ambitious than the similarly themed The Illusionist, which came out around the same time. Some people preferred the Edward Norton film and I would guess that’s because it has a more traditional story, easier to follow and figure out. Whereas The Prestige comes from Christopher Nolan, who of course did Memento (and the last Batman movie). Note that the great Ricky Jay is credited in both films as a technical advisor but only actually appears onscreen in Prestige.

(Also note that Ricky Jay has a new CD out, a compilation called Ricky Jay Plays Poker. It includes a 21 song CD of poker-inspired songs, a DVD of Jay doing some close-up card magic, a 72 page book and a deck of cards.)

Warning – Potential Spoilers Ahead! The Prestige’s structure is problematic. It’s hard to keep track with flashbacks within flashbacks within flashbacks and I think this should have been fixed a bit – not entirely straightened out but it’s more complex than it needs to be. Or is that purposeful misdirection? The key to the movie, as other reviewers have noted, is the first four words of dialog – are you watching closely? With that in mind, it’s relatively simple to figure out Christian Bale’s secret, and the end of the film flashes back to all of the earlier clues. But the film dispenses too quickly with Hugh Jackman’s secret at the end, probably even more horrific and deserving of a bit more screen time itself. The full extent of what he has done is not completely explained, only hinted at, and yet, it’s the contemplation of his deed that makes the movie stay with me.

Oh, and Bowie acquits himself nicely as Nikola Tesla.

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Lunch today with a friend who said he thinks everyone misses the “old Spike.” I told him I’m not even living the “old Spike” lifestyle anymore – well, not as much anyway.

And in the last couple of days, a couple of heavy things have come my way. One potentially is good news but it’s weeks or months too soon to even begin to discuss it. The other was T opening up to me with more tales of her past and all I’ll say is it’s amazing what people can live through and survive, the way life can mark us and damage us and yet we go on.

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Speaking of movies, a bit of googling has turned up a new DVD release of Devil’s Express, the first film that I worked on (as production assistant and actor). (Fittingly, it’s the bottom part of a double bill on a budget DVD release.) I’ve even found places online selling the poster and lobby cards.

And then, much to my surprise, I found a DVD for the second film I worked on (assistant cameraman and, um, body double), as well as the poster and the press kit.


Of course, the third (and last) feature film that I worked on is readily available …..

Hongkie Town
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