Thursday Thirteen #6

13 Things About Dane Bramage

13 Random Photos from the MyPhotos Folder

I am still deep in NaNoWriMo so I grabbed 13 photos from the MyPhotos folder on my PC. Most of them are photoshopped creations I did. And Many have a foot theme. Hmmm maybe its time for therapy.

1. 
   Jonny Depp and SpongeBob Squarepants together again for the first time. Somehow I don't think there is a woman out there who would reject John for having a SpongeBob tattoo.


2. 
   I did this during the campaign. Too bad no one listened to me! LOL.


3. 
   My little visual pun entitled "Obamanation"


4. 
   This is an actual Dutch magazine cover. It proclaims "Black Jesus is Here!" No wonder the man has a Messianic Complex.


5. 
   Here is my super friend Scott. I actually did two versions of the chop. This is the second. I added 15 pounds to him. Now he has a super gut.


6. 
   Shamed by my super photo of him, Scott began an intense workout regimen. Unfortunately his regimen consisted of eating nothing but green chili burritos and beer. I did this photo to let him know what he could have been.


7. 
   This is another super friend Dave. He once had a promising career as a foot model. It was cut short by a tragic ingrown toenail incident. As you can see Dave is currently suffering from burnout. But I have preserved some of Dave's finest work. Starting with today's Thursday Thirteen logo.


8. 
   Dave's problems started when he wouldn't keep his feet off the table.


9. 
   Dave's health began to fail and it affected the appearance of his prize winning feet.


10. 
    Soon all he could land were cheap Sci-fi gigs.


11. 
    But all was not lost. Two fellow foot models, Carpet Feet...


12. 
    and Escalator Feet helped Dave land a new gig.


13. 
    You cans see Dave's feet in a new exhibit honoring Magritte.

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Thursday Thirteen #5

13 Things About Dane Bramage

13 Bumper Stickers Found on a Marine Base

My buddy Karl saves the day when he forwarded me this list via email. Thanks Karl! Otherwise I would have no Thursday Thirteen due to NaNoWriMo.

1. "U.S. Marines -- Travel Agents To Allah"


2. "When In Doubt, Empty The Magazine"


3. "The Marine Corps -- When It Absolutely, Positively Has To Be Destroyed Overnight"


4. "Death Smiles At Everyone -- Marines Smile Back


5. "Marine Sniper - You can run, but you'll just die tired!"


6. "Marines, Providing Enemies of America an Opportunity to Die For their Country Since 1775"


7. "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Anyone Who Threatens It"


8. "It's God's Job to Forgive Bin Laden -- It's Our Job to Arrange the Meeting"


9. "Artillery Brings Dignity to What Would Otherwise Be Just a Brawl"


10. "Machine Gunners -- Accuracy by Volume"


11. "A Dead Enemy Is a Peaceful Enemy -- Blessed Be The Peacemakers"


12. "Happiness Is a Belt-Fed Weapon"


13. "Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. Marines don't have that problem."

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen #4

13 Things About Dane Bramage

13 Things I should Have Said and the 13 things I Said

NaNoWriMo is kicking my butt this month so this week I have dusted off an old T13 I did some time back. Enjoy

1. Of course not! Why you look ravishing! No. Your big butt makes you look fat.


2. Times are really tough for all of us. And I am sure once he bounces back he will be in touch. You knew he was a deadbeat before he was your baby's daddy.


3. I'm sure he was drawn to your vast intellect and beauty. I'm sure he was drawn to your vast wealth.


4. The screen says the flight is delayed. I'm sure it will be here soon. The plane ain't landing but your Mom's broom just touched down at gate 47.


5. Well he's had some setbacks with his health and other issues. The lazy bum is deathly allergic to work.


6. No I have never had this kind of food before and let me just say the texture and smell makes for a unique dining experience. Oh man this tastes like crap.


7. I would describe her appearance as classical. I bet men surround her staring, transfixed by her look. The trick is not to stare directly at her face, instead use shiny surfaces.


8. Genetics is a powerful thing and he could very well inherit your brains. Since you're a dumbass chances are he'll be a dumbass too.


9. Let's hold off on the drinks until we get to the air conditioned room. You know how your mom sweats.


10. You're Sisters? I see the striking family resemblance now! Which one of you did Dorothy drop the house on?


11. Dude your cologne is a little overpowering. Dude you reek. What'd you do, bathe in a latrine?


12. It's obvious you have championship attitude! if they gave awards for it you'd definitely get a gold medal at the Jerk Olympics.


13. Your track record isn't very good. And I see that these setbacks haven't diminished your perseverance. Don't you ever get tired of being wrong?

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

The Anticipation Is More Than I can Stand

Sunday is when NaNoWriMo starts and I can hardly wait. This year I have a new novel idea and I have been scribbling copious notes but I can't start writing until Sunday. I know a lot of Nanowrimos will start at Midnight but I have church Sunday and I don't do well unless I am fully rested. If I start writing in the wee hours I know I will pull an all nighter and be worthless in the morning. Not a good thing when driving a church van full of screaming kids. So I will start Sunday afternoon at the earliest but most likely after Sunday evening services. Then If I pull an all nighter I'll just fall asleep at my desk on Monday. But I have to go to work with some kind of word count (hopefully at least 1667) because the co-worker that occupies the seat next to mine is also in NaNoWriMo this year and if I have less of a word count than she does she will openly ridicule me.

Thursday Thirteen #3

13 Things About Dane Bramage

13 Facebook Apps to Waste Your Precious Time On

As you may know, NaNoWriMo begins this Sunday. I usually have no problem on the weekends cranking out my word count. During the week is another matter. I get easily distracted by computer things. This year I have two new additions. World of Warcraft and Facebook. WoW will be easy enough to deal with. When my time expires, I just won't renew until after November 30th. Facebook on the other had has a bunch of free applications (apps) that usually require dailly maintenance. Here are 13 Facebook appa that are likely to waste my precious time.

1. Mafia Wars Do jobs to earn money and experience. Recruit Facebook Friends to be in your Mafia family. Fight other players.


2. Vampire Wars Do jobs to earn money and experience. Recruit Facebook Friends to be in your Vampire clan. Fight other players.


3. Space Wars Do jobs to earn money and experience. Recruit Facebook Friends to be in your Space fleet. Fight other players.


4. Dragon Wars Do jobs to earn money and experience. Recruit Facebook Friends to be in your Dragon Alliance. Fight other players.


5. Pirates! Do jobs to earn money and experience. Recruit Facebook Friends to be in your Pirate crew. Fight other players.

Okay This should have been called Pirate Wars but I think someone had already taken the name. These games are remarkably similar so learning one teaches you the rest. Some are more popular than others and the "wars" list goes on.

6. Battle Stations This spaceship building game is more graphically appealing than your standard app. But basically its the same premise as the others.


7. Farm Town Big Facebook hit. You plant crops. You wait. You harvest crops. You expand. Lots of fun.


8. Farmville Zynga the "wars" company created a knock off of Farm Town. Sufficiently different to try though.


9. Dungeons and Dragons Tiny Adventures Completely different but not necessarily in a good way. You make a character. You pick missions. Time elapses and your mission will consist of 6 to 18 die rolls. You pass or fail each roll. If you fail the last roll of the mission you fail the mission. You earn experience and cash to buy gear.


10. Cafe World My new best diversion. You run a cafe by cooking meals hiring waiters, serving dishes and expanding your building. Big fun! I NEED NEIGHBORS!


11. Superhero City Do missions to earn money and experience. Flash animation for the fights is a very nice bonus but otherwise same as the rest.


12. Castle Age Higher quality artwork, more variations on gear but same type of app.


13. Starfleet Commander This app is quite different from the others. It appeals to the classic 4X strategy gamer in me.

Now the main purpose of these apps is to make money. You can play for free forever but you can enhance your game play by exchanging real money for virtual money to buy virtual goodies and boons for your squad/clan/tribe/crew/family/team etc. And of course they make it almost imperative for you to sign up your Facebook friends as "teammates", a reciprocal arrangement which allows you to be a member of their "team" at the same time. So if you are on Facebook and play any of these apps, send a friend request to Dane Bramage (Akron Ohio) and tell me what game you are in and I will be your neighbor!

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. Its easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Bent Objects

There is a book out by Terry Border. Check it out.

Thursday Thirteen #2

13 Things About Dane Bramage

13 Reasons Why I Am Going to Have Bariatric Surgery

Five years ago I contemplated the idea of Bariatric surgery. Well more than contemplated it. I actually joined the program and saw the doctors and dietitians, the whole nine yards. What kept me from going through with it was insurance. My plan would not cover it. Well that has changed and I am in the program again. This time it looks very likely my insurance will cover it this time. In honor of that I am listing 13 reasons why I chose/need to have Bariatric surgery.

1. At the dinner table I sit next to everybody. Same thing at the theater.


2. My belt size is "Equator" I have to put it on with a boomerang.


3. My cereal bowl comes with a lifeguard. Sometimes I just eat from a satellite dish.


4. My driver's license picture says "continued on other side". And it is an aerial shot to boot!


5. When I jump into the air I get stuck. I can't even jump to a conclusion.


6. I caught a flesh-eating virus and the doctor gave me 10 years to live.


7. I have to iron my pants in the driveway


8. At the zoo, elephants throw me peanuts. Still not as bad as having Greenpeace try to roll me back into the ocean when I sunbath.


9. I have smaller fat men orbiting me.


10. Once I went missing and they used all four sides of the milk carton.


11. I have my own zip code. And my butt has its own congressman!


12. My belly button doesn't have lint, it has sweaters.


13. At restaurants I don't get a menu, I get an estimate.

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen

13 Things about My NaNoWriMo Novel

November 1st begins NaNoWriMo. That's National Novel Writing Month. It is an annual excercize for budding writers to crank out 50,000 words in 30 days. This will be my 4th attempt and hopefully my second successful one. I am not allowed to start writing yet but I can have an outline and some notes prepared so I thought I would share 13 things about this years novel.

1. The genre is science ficiton/fantasy. While the hero starts on modern day Earth he travels to a myriad of different worlds and eras.


2. The Character's name might be Zach. Short for Zachariah. But the character I am using as my inspiration was actually Zephaniah so he could easily be Zeph. I haven't decided.


3. Zach has gifts. Special abilities far beyond normal mortals.


4. Zach is a Prime In a universe with infinite worlds and infinite variations, there are infinites numbers of you and me. There is only 1 Zach and 1 of each of the other primes.


5. Primes can pass through shunts. Shunts are invisible dimensional portals that come and go. Only Primes can see them or pass through them.


6. When Primes are not on the world of their birth, they do not age. So if they start adventuring young, a Prime can retain their youth indefinately. But they age normally on their world of birth.


7. All Primes instantly recognize other Primes as Primes. a "feeling" that is impossible to duplicate.


8. All Primes instantly know when they are on the world of their birth. Again a feeling.


9. Shunts never appear in the same place twice. But with practice a Prime can take a shunt to any world.


10. Primes can sense shunts. Some can sense when they will appear but not where. Others know where but not when. So communication is vital.


11. Primes have established a secret organization. They have a base in the form of a "members only" club on many worlds. A Prime doorman insures only Prime enter the premises. The goal is education and adventure reporting. Some think it should be more.


12. Physical laws vary from world to world Some places magic is very powerful while othere, magic barely exists


13. Zach wants to be a superhero With his new found abilities he can make his wish come true if he survives.

The basic idea came from a Champions campaign I ran where the heroes were Primes but there were only two worlds, Earth and Terra. Identical physically in everyway, the differences were often subtle and the heroes bounced back and forth between the two. I decided for NANoWriMo I would expand on the concept.

Too Bad It's Friday

I just discovered that Thursday Thirteen is still alive and well sort of. Many of the participants of the weekly meme continue to post weekly so starting next week I will jump back on the bandwagon.

Coming Soon! NaNoWriMo 2009!

It is that time of year again and I am planning to participate in National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo for short. I am under pressure this year to complete a novel (or novella for some of you purists) of at least 50,000 words. But I have to start it November 1st and complete it by midnight November 30th. The reason for the pressure is I completed the challenge last year so I am hopeful I can do it this year. The finished work needn't be ready for publishing and in most cases the end result requires numerous rewrites. But the object is to get the ideas out of your head and down on paper (or electronic media).

The biggest hurdles I will face this year will be depression over my economic situation, and World of Warcraft. To my credit I have gotten my toon in WoW to level 80 so as long as Cataclysm isn't released in Novemember I should be fine. Of course Blizzard could tempt me by releasing Starcraft II instead.

Last year my novel focused on a starship Captain, his android first mate and his strange collection of crew. Instead of furthering the adventures of my ensemble I have decided to change directions slightly. this year I have a new main character who has the ability to move through dimensions to different worlds. These worlds can be like modern day Earth or like Camelot or like Naboo. So it will be a blending of Sci-fi and fantasy backdrops.

I am hoping to get some support by encouraging my friends to participate this year. Wish me luck.

Superbowl Ads

Almost as important as the actual game are the commercials. Ad time for the Superbowl is astronomically expensive so those who do show their stuff come up with some pretty innovative stuff. Usually. The crop this year was pretty poor. I didn't watch the game, I was in church. So I didn't see the commercials when they aired. But there are websites that collect Superbowl ads. So I visited Hulu.com to watch this year's offerings. My favorite was Conan O'Brien's Bud Light commercial. Vrroom Vrroom Pah-tay Stah-tah.



I got a kick out of this Doritos commercial too.



I have mixed emotions about whether I am going to like the revisionist version of Star Trek. But the trailer looks interesting. Let's see if the film lives up to the hype. (BTW I HATED the series Enterprise with the sole exception of Scott Bakula as Archer)

In Memoriam: Patrick McGoohan

Patrick McGoohan as "The Prisoner"

Where am I?”
“In the Village.”
“What do you want?”
“Information.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“That would be telling…. We want information. Information! INFORMATION!”
“You won’t get it.”
“By hook or by crook, we will.”
“Who are you?”
“The new Number Two.”
“Who is Number One?”
“You are Number Six.”
“I am not a number — I am a free man!”

Patrick McGoohan passed away January 13th. He was best known for his role as Number Six in the psycological/sci-fi spy drama "The Prisoner".  The entire series consisted of only 17 episodes but is a cult classic. Before he passed away McGoohan had paved the way for a new updated Prisoner series. AMC and ITC shot the series and it is due to later this year. 

Aside from the Prisoner, the American born Irish McGoohan did many many T.V. shows in front and behind the camera. He starred in four Columbo movies and was a good friend with Peter Falk.  McGoohan also did movies like Silver Streak and Braveheart. He is known to have turned down the role of James Bond in Dr. No.  MaGoohan's career spanned four decades.

McGoohan is survived by his wife, three daughters and five grandchildren.

In Memoriam: Ricardo Montalban

Ricardo Montalban passed away January 14th. He was 88 years old. Montalban's career spanned 6 decades of movies, theater, and television. Best known as Mr. Roarke on ABC's "Fantasy Island",

Every week on “Fantasy Island,” a fairy tale of wish fulfillment and exotic luxury that was shown on ABC from 1978 to 1984, a planeload of visitors with unachieved dreams flew in to a remote resort somewhere in the Pacific and were greeted by their dream facilitators, the sleek and suavely welcoming Mr. Roarke, played by Mr. Montalbán, and his assistant, an irrepressibly spirited dwarf named Tattoo, played by Hervé Villechaize.

I will always remember his big screen performance as Khan in Star Trek II:The Wrath of Khan.

Aside from his acting career, Montalban was also active helping to find meaningful roles for Latino actors.

Although Montalban expressed appreciation for his success, he complained that Hollywood lacked respect for Mexican American actors. He said that while under contract at MGM, he portrayed Cubans, Brazilians and Argentines, but almost never Mexicans.

"Mexican is not a nice-sounding word and Hollywood is at fault for this because we have been portrayed in this ungodly manner," he said. He challenged Hollywood to stop stereotyping Latin actors by casting them only as prostitutes, maids, gang-bangers and bandidos.

Through Nosotros -- "we" in Spanish -- Montalban attempted to highlight and recognize Latino participation in the arts and entertainment. In 1970, the foundation created the Golden Eagle Awards, which annually honors Latino stars, shows and movies.

Sources close to Montalban say he was a spiritual man. He is survived by two daughters, two sons, and six grandchildren.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Why Remake A Film

  Okay I know there are dozens of movies that have been remade. And there are dozens of remakes of some films. My question today is why?

Sci-Fi flicks that are remakes today can take advantage of superior special effects technology like War of the Worlds and The Day the Earth Stood Still.  But to really set them apart from the originals they make changes to the plot.

So what excuse does anyone have for remaking a none sci-fi movie?  I ask this because it is said that Jackie Chan has been  chosen to play Mr. Miyagi in a remake of The Karate Kid.  I am sure a lot of people are saying "Wow! Cool! Jackie will be great!" And I ask why? Why remake a film that is undeniably a classic and spawned 3 sequels? What do the producers hope to add besides star power? Jayden Smith, son of Will and Jada, may get the part of Daniel so this version of the movie will not be lacking name recognition. 

Remakes, like sequels have a mixed hit/miss history. Some remakes turn out better than the original, The Omega Man was better than The Last Man on Earth, you decide if I Am Legion was better than Omega Man. Some are worse like Rob Zombie's version of Halloween. Some are so different that they only share a name with the original film like 13 Ghosts.

Kids films are not exempt from the phenomenon. It seems in the last few years they have done remakes of many of old school favorites like  Flubber and the Shaggy Dog(D.A.)  In each case "updating" the story to make it more appealing to today's kids. And if you think that isn't necessary, try getting todays kids to sit through the originals.

So where does that leave us?  I guess the quest for more money will always drive some producer or diredctor to remake an old film.  Often the determination of whether it is "better" than the predecessor is in the eye of the beholder.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite film with a horrible remake? How about a remake favorite that was better than the one before? Let me know in the comments.

In Memoriam : Eartha Kitt

The world lost a very distinctive voice and an most unique personality Dec 25th. Veteran actress, singer, dancer Eartha Kitt died at 81.

Through the 1950s and '60s, she performed on stage and television, in films and nightclubs.

Her best-known TV performance was as Catwoman on the '60s series Batman. Her distinctive purr was later featured in the animated film The Emperor's New Groove and the Disney Channel series The Emperor's New School, for which she won Emmy Awards in 2007 and 2008.

The biggest controversy of her career occurred in 1968, when she spoke out against the Vietnam War at a White House luncheon hosted by first lady Lady Bird Johnson.

She was investigated by the FBI and the CIA and subsequently worked almost exclusively overseas. She later returned and, in 1978, was the toast of Broadway performing in Timbuktu.

Just before she died I had downloaded several of her songs including "I Want to Be Evil" I also have a copy of her version of "Santa Baby" which was certified gold last month. Earth Kitt had one child, a daughter Kitt Shapiro from her marriage to John Barry Ryan. Kitt said this of her mother:

"I had the most amazing mother. She was not afraid of dying. She was in pain, but funny right to the end. One of the last things she said when I was talking loudly to her - like you do to a sick person - was: 'I'm dying. I'm not losing my hearing!'
"And she said, 'There won't be a burial. I'll be cremated. I don't want to take up space.'
"My mother had no regrets. She said: 'I have lived an amazing life. I did everything I ever dreamed of.' I was truly, truly blessed to have landed in her lap."

Eartha Kitt had to rise above an early life of abuse and her story is inspiring. I hope that at some point she was able to come to the saving Grace and Knowledge of Jesus. Please pray for her daughter and two grandchildren.



Eartha Kitt: A triple-threat talent for the ages - USATODAY.com

If Magritte Could Photochop

Someone commented that one of my photochopped images reminded him of a Magritte's painting. So I was inspired to do more. I scoured the internet and found images I thought would be easy to manipulate. I never realized how hard it was to remove 90% of a person from a photograph.