Off traveling...

A lack of updates is hardly a new thing for me (I think this is the 4th post I've done all year), but now I'll have justification = on Saturday I leave for my annual summer trip.

What's in store? A little bit of this, a little bit of that.... here's the first leg of the trip, on the East Coast (just 5 days).

• Philadelphia = Phillies vs. Red Sox (boo), and a cheesesteak at Pat's King of Steaks (because I friggin' hate Geno's)
• Delaware = because it's the only state on the eastern seaboard (besides Georgia, curiously) that I haven't been to yet
• New York = you guessed it, Yankees (vs. Nationals... forecast is for rain showers, grrr)
• Baltimore = my friend Bill is a huge O's fan, so we'll see them play the Mets

From there, I fly to Europe!

• Stockholm, Sweden
• Helsinki, Finland
• Tallinn, Estonia
• St. Petersburg, Russia
• Valaam and Kizhi, Russia
• Moscow, Russia (and the Golden Ring)
• Kiev, Ukraine
• Minsk, Belarus (don't ask...)
• Vilnius, Lithuania
• Riga, Latvia
• Oslo, Norway
• Bergen, Norway
• Trondheim, Norway
• Back to Stockholm, Sweden, and then back to San Francisco

Two days after I get back (August 6), I leave for a week to Alberta, Canada, to go hiking in the Rockies with my friend Nathan. Don't ask me what my bank account is going to look like at the end of summer... it's a scary thought.

Sun Kil Moon @ Great American Music Hall = setlist

Last night (May 29) I went to see Sun Kil Moon (Mark Kozelek, Red House Painters) at the Great American Music Hall. Mia Doi Todd opened. I was able to get the very last ticket (a dinner ticket for $50) before the show sold out - and my neighbor at the dinner bar was bassist Jerry Vessel's brother, Terry. Here's the setlist for the show - I'm missing just the secondary encore song title (please assist in the comments):

1. Glenn Tipton (Ghosts of the Great Highway)
2. Make Like Paper (Songs for a Blue Guitar)
3. Last Tide (Ghosts of the Great Highway)
4. Floating (Ghosts of the Great Highway)
5. Like the River (April)
6. Priest Alley Song (Songs for a Blue Guitar)
7. Heron Blue (April)
8. Moorestown (April)
9. River (Old Ramon)
10. Tonight in Bilbao (April)
11. Salvador Sanchez (Ghosts of the Great Highway)
12. Duk Koo Kim (Ghosts of the Great Highway)

(First encore)
13. Unlit Hallway (April)
14. Trucker's Atlas (by Modest Mouse; Tiny Cities)
15. Mistress (Rollercoaster)

(Second encore, just Mark Kozelek solo on guitar)
16. ???? (lyrics include words "pigeons peck")

Dustin representing the Sharks in Jerusalem, Israel

No, I am not Jewish - hence the less-than-credible paper yarmulke.... but I absolutely mean no disrespect to Judaism. I just happened to be in Jerusalem, Israel, during the first two games of the playoffs - so I came prepared with my Sharks gear. A Jewish man wearing a Philadelphia Flyers shirt was at the wall just before I walked down there - I assure you I am not kidding.

Academy Award predictions

Goodness gracious it's been awhile since I've tended shop here at Blah Blah Blog - I've been busier than beavers over at Fear the Fin, and I haven't been to a concert since December 20th, so I felt no need to update the ol' personal blog... until now.

The Academy Awards are tomorrow, and since I was technically a film major, I'll take the opportunity to break down who I think will win the statues. I still haven't seen Milk, Rachel Getting Married, Changeling, or The Visitor, but just as the Academy members aren't required to see all of the films to vote, neither will I require myself to do the same.

Best Picture nominees
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Prediction = Slumdog takes it home. The film is amazing to the point where I can't see Milk, which I haven't yet seen, measuring up either in substance or in popularity - and neither of the three other films I have seen (Button, Frost, and Reader) can even hold a candle to Danny Boyle's masterpiece. The Academy will also want to appeal to the "Third World" - think of it as an extension of white guilt. Fortunately, the politics of the Academy won't compromise the selection of the proper film for the honor.

Best Actor nominees
Richard Jenkins in The Visitor
Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn in Milk
Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Prediction = Mickey Rourke. If Sean Penn hadn't already won, then the Academy would honor him. The battle comes down to those two. The Academy will be conflicted over wanting to honor Milk in something other than the screenplay nod on the one hand, and wanting to pick the comeback-story-of-the-year on the other. I have yet to see Sean Penn's film, and something tells me he is even better than Rourke - but even though the Academy will want to honor Milk in the wake of Prop. 8, Mickey Rourke will get his statue.

Best Actress nominees
Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie in Changeling
Melissa Leo in Frozen River
Meryl Streep in Doubt
Kate Winslet in The Reader

Prediction = Kate Winslet, even though it should go to Meryl Streep. I would jump up and down if Melissa Leo pulled off the upset, but her nomination is the reward for both her film and herself. Like the best actor award, it comes down to two individuals. Streep should win - Kate Winslet was great in Revolutionary Road, but barely qualifies for a leading role to begin with in The Reader - and the performance is inferior both to her other film and that of Meryl Streep. However, the Academy has a bad history of awarding careers and not performances, and thus they will award Winslet for the first time. Politics wins again.

Best Supporting Actor nominees
Josh Brolin in Milk
Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road

Prediction = This is the only sure-fire bet of the night. Heath Ledger, hands down. I originally felt that it was silly wanting to immortalize a dead guy, but his role is so devestating, so complete, and so unforgettable that it sets the bar for all supporting roles to come. The award should go to Ledger not so much for his legacy as for a standard by which to measure acting. In a side note - I saw Revolutionary Road before studying the list of nominees, and thought to myself, "MAN, that guy (Michael Shannon) should have been nominated." When I got home, I double-checked the list, and was pleasantly surprised. Philip Seymour Hoffman was amazing as well - good thing he's won before, since he doesn't stand a chance.

Best Supporting Actress nominees
Amy Adams in Doubt
Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis in Doubt
Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler

Prediction = This category, much more than its male counterpart, is notorious for its unpredictability. I HAVE seen all of the nominees' films, however (the only category in which my judgment is complete), and I have to go with Amy Adams (and not only because I have an enormous crush on her). Voters will be torn over her and Viola Davis, but even though Davis has one hell of a devestating scene, Amy Adams plays the role of a naive nun to perfection. Penelope Cruz was certainly memorable, but her film suffers from being less fresh in the minds of the voters. Marisa Tomei has won already, but her role in The Wrestler was certainly worthy of the nod... plus she makes a strong case for being the sexiest 44-year old alive.

Best Director nominees
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Prediction = Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight - a write-in campaign. Just kidding (?) - it will go to Danny Boyle, as it should. Ron Howard has won for A Beautiful Mind (blech), though no one else has won yet. Gus Van Sant could weigh on voters' minds, but expect Danny Boyle to bag the Oscar on his first - and long overdue - nomination.

P.S. - if The Reader wins, I'm going to permanently boycott the Oscars, without exaggeration. Last year I threatened a boycott if Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) didn't win, but I really did not like The Reader. Harvey Weinstein's connections and influence (read - ability to prey upon Holocaust sensibilities amongst the Jewish Hollywood population) are the only reason this contrived piece of b.s. is in the running, while The Dark Knight is not. For shame.

The Academy Awards will air tomorrow at 5pm PST.

Metallica @ Oracle Arena, 12/20/08 SETLIST

Here's the setlist from tonight's Metallica show @ the Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA.

1. That Was Just Your Life

2. The End of the Line

3. Creeping Death

4. For Whom the Bell Tolls

5. One

6. Broken, Beat & Scarred

7. Cyanide

8. Sad But True

9. The Unforgiven

10. All Nightmare Long

11. The Day That Never Comes

12. Master of Puppets

13. Blackened

14. Nothing Else Matters

15. Enter Sandman

ENCORE

16. Metal Militia (teaser) / Last Caress (by the Misfits)

17. Whiplash

18. Seek and Destroy

The openers were The Sword and Lamb of God... the Sword's set was less than 30 minutes, and the time in between them and Lamb of God was 12 minutes, allowing for a longer L.o.G. set. Metallica came on around 9:15 and finished sometime after 11:15.

The oblong centralized stage allowed the band to roam at will, as is customary at their arena shows. Death Magnetic-style coffins hung over the stage, and projected laser beams in minimalistic fashion - much cooler than it sounds. There were also pyrotechnics, beginning with "One," and continuing with "Blackened" and "Enter Sandman."

The band surprised drummer Lars Ulrich on the last day of their North American tour - they creamed him with whipped cream pies in honor of his December 26th birthday.

After James Hetfield quipped that Lars always got out of celebrating his birthday because Metallica rarely plays the day after Christmas, Lars made a speech: "I guess I'm going to go book a show on August 3rd [James Hetfield's birthday], November 18th [Kirk Hammett's], and... I don't even know when the f*** your birthday is."

(Psst... Robert Trujillo was born on October 23).

As far as audience behavior was concerned, a mosh pit broke out in each of the four corners of the general admission area, while up top in the aisle between Sections 217 and 218, a duo of teenagers repeatedly (no joke) roundhouse-kicked a burly middle-aged man in the face, bloodying him severely, though not enough to keep him from seeking retaliation. All were escorted out. Just another night at the concert, kiddies!

Oh, and Metallica was brilliant - let's just forget that awful acoustic performance at Bridge School last year, shall we?

Meet MALINTENT - Homeland Security's *mind-reading* system

The following was written by my chiropractor, Dr. Aaron Hinde of Scotts Valley, CA. Although I have not formally asked his permission to transcribe this, I doubt he would mind. All bold type is Dr. Hinde's. The interpretation of the facts that Dr. Hinde provides is not necessarily the opinion of this blog poster.

Imagine this: You're walking through the airport really fast because you're running late and trying to get to the gate on time, before your flight takes off without you. You reach the security but instead of a long, drawn out process that includes a baggage search - you simply pass through a body scanner that...

Reads Your Mind!

I hope you have pleasant thoughts while you pass through the scanner... because... even though this sounds like science fiction - it's not.

Believe it or not, this technology is being tested and perfected as you read this [blog post - DK]!

What this is all about: Most preventative screening looks for explosives or metals that pose a threat. But a new system called MALINTENT turns this old school approach on its head. This Orwellian-sounding machine detects the person - not the device - set to wreak havoc and terror.

MALINTENT, the brainchild of the cutting-edge Human Factors Division in Homeland Security's Directorate for Science and Technology, searches your body for non-verbal cues that predict whether you mean harm to your fellow passengers.

It has a series of sensors and images that read your body temperature, heart rate and respiration for unconscious signs invisible to the naked eye - signals terrorists and criminals may display in advance of an attack.

But this is no polygraph test. Subjects do not get hooked up or strapped down for a careful reading; those sensors do all the work without any actual physical contact. It's like an X-ray for bad intentions.

Currently, all the sensors and equipment are packaged inside a mobile screening laboratory about the size of a trailer or large truck bed, and just last month, Homeland Security put it to a field test in Maryland, scanning 144 (mostly unwitting) human subjects.

Results of the test are being kept very "hush-hush!"

Here's how it all works: When the sensors identify that something is off, they transmit warning data to analysts, who decide whether or not to flag passengers for further questioning. The next step involves microfacial scanning, a measurement of minute muscle movements in the face for clues about mood and intention.

Homeland Security has developed a system to recognize, define and measure seven primary emotions and emotional cues that are reflected in contractions of facial muscles. MALINTENT identifies these emotions and relays the information back to a security screener, almost in real-time.

This whole security array - the scanners and screeners who make up the mobile lab - is called "Future Attribute Screening Technology" - or FAST - because it is designed to get passengers through security in two to four minutes, and often faster.

If you're rushed or stressed, you may send out signals of anxiety, but FAST isn't fooled. It's already good enough to tell the difference between a harried traveler and a terrorist. Even if you sweat heavily by nature, FAST won't mistake you for someone with bad intentions.

Bob Burns, MALINTENT's project leader, said that this is not Big Brother. Its goal is to "restore a sense of freedom." Once MALINTENT is rolled out in airports, it could give us a future where we can once again wander onto planes with super-sized cosmetics and all the bottles of water we can carry - and most importantly without that sense of foreboding that has haunted Americans since Sept. 11.

That's a nice thought.

(Yawn, stretch, sigh) Sharks win... again.

Here's the bare bones analysis of the latest Sharks victory... I pilfered it from Fear the Fin, where I've been moonlighting lately (if you've wondered why Blah Blah Blog has been quiet).

What follows is, um, satirical. Though I hate to reveal that from the get-go...

BARE BONES ANALYSIS

• The Coyotes jump out to an early 2-0 lead, thanks to goals from Derek Morris and Kyle Turris. Phoenix fans at Jobing.com Arena high-five each other, remarking, "Hey, we've got an early 2-0 lead! As we all know from games involving the San Jose Sharks at Jobing.com Arena, that lead is insurmountable!"
• Todd McLellan analyzes the situation, and says, "Hmm... a goal from a defenseman, and another from a center, in 3 minutes and 13 seconds worth of play? I bet we can do that in TWO minutes and 13 seconds!"
• The Sharks boldly take up their commander's challenge, causing Ilya Bryzgalov to mutter Russian swear words when he gives up a goal to Sharks center Joe Pavelski and Sharks defenseman Rob Blake, in a 71 second span... or 2 minutes and 13 seconds from the Kyle Turris goal.
• Marcel Goc, who assisted on Blake's goal, is besides himself - "A point? Me? Really? Yeehaw!! - Uwe Krupp won't be the only German with his name on the Cup, not this season, no siree!"
• Desert Dogs coach Wayne Gretzky takes a moment to analyze the situation, and deduces that the Sharks goals came on their first two shots. "Well, I guess Ilya gets another night on the bench - you ok with that, Tellqvist? It's a good thing that Russians and Swedes have historically gotten along, because I don't want any controversy here!"
• As the game degenerates into a dump-and-chase routine, Patrick Marleau is heard muttering, "This looks strangely familiar to something I saw last season..."
• Coach Wayne Gretzky looks at the box score of the last Phoenix / San Jose matchup to try and figure out how to gather two points out of the evening, and cries when he realizes Olli Jokinen is out of the lineup.
• Joe Pavelski decides that tonight is the perfect night to reach 10 goals and 20 points on a game-winner... so he does just that.

Sharks win... again. 41 points in 24 games (20-3-1). The End.