Month: May 2010

On public transport in Cyprus

Often, when I talk to my friends abroad, I hear that we have it too good here, in Cyprus.  As one of the example, they say that everyone has a car.  And while I don’t disagree – the life in Cyprus is good indeed – I often find it hard to explain that a car here is more than just a convenience.  It’s a necessity.

I also understand why it is difficult to grasp the idea for those who’ve never been in Cyprus.  Many of them can’t imagine a city with no public transport at all.  Public transport is a norm pretty much everywhere you go.  But not in Cyprus.

Finally, I now have a link to send to those friends of mine, who find it difficult to believe me.  Cyprus Mail runs an article with some statistics.  These are Nicosia-based, but I don’t think Limassol or any other city on the island would be much different.

Nicosia also stood out with 84 per cent of respondents saying they never used public transport. Only a minority – four per cent – used public transport to commute in Nicosia with 91 per cent travelling by car or motorcycle. Just five per cent walked or cycled to work.

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2

Last Friday I went to see a much anticipated movie – “Iron Man 2“.  I really enjoyed the first “Iron Man” and the trailer for “Iron Man 2” looked really promising.

The film left me with mixed feelings.  On one hand – there was plenty of action and  fantastic cast.  On the other – this part is much dumber than the first one and the ending is horrible.  Sorry, not the ending, but the epic battle between good and evil, the part of the film where the villain is defeated.  That sucked really bad.  The good thing though that it’s a small part of the film and it only happens towards the end, so there is plenty of time to enjoy the visual effects and such.

I still think that the first part was way better, but this one does count for a good Friday evening entertainment.  See it on the big screen, if you are planning to watch it at all.  I’ll  rate it as a weak 4 out of 5.  It barely made it.

Pen-based computing? Really?

Here is a quote form Bill Gates that made me go “Huh?  Are you for real?”:

Microsoft has a lot of different tablet projects that we’re pursuing. We think that work with the pen that Microsoft pioneered will become a mainstream for students. It can give you a device that you can not only read, but also create documents at the same time.

What?  Pen-based?  Really? In 21st century?  For students?  Even me, who dropped out of college a decade ago considers pen to be nothing but a pain and an absolute last resort for input and notes.  I can barely write anything longer than my own signature, and even that comes out different every time I try it.  Stylus?  Do you mean that thing which is constantly lost or broken or stuck in the pocket?  I can’t believe it…

I could understand it as a familiar interface for older people.  Yes, why not.  But for students?  Have you seen any students recently?  Most of them have mobile phones growing out of their thumbs. They can type with a single thumb faster than I can do do with ten fingers.

A pen?  Nope.  I think we tried the combination of pens with computing devices, and we are done with that.  It’s been confirmed a painful experience and I don’t think anyone should be betting anything on pen’s future in the technology world.

Ninja Assassin

H

How much would you expect from a movie titled “Ninja Assassin“?  Either not much at all, or way too much – depending on two things: whether you saw the trailer for this film and whether you lived and loved every ninja movie that was released back in the videotape days.

I loved ninja movies.  Most of them got to me exactly at the age when a boy thinks he is becoming a man.  That’s the time when you are romantic and want to feel the power and have way too much time on your hands and you are still a kid who haven’t forgot how to imagine things and how to play with toys.  How could anyone not love those movies was beyond me.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) ninja movies are mostly a thing of the past. They are not mainstream any more and even if they are released at all somewhere – you don’t hear about them.  “Ninja Assassin” was an exception, I think, for two reasons.  First, it was way too long since we saw a ninja movie.  There are many people out there who miss them.  Nobody would watch one ninja movie after another these days, but an occasional nostalgia is very welcome.  Second reason is the trailer.  It was visually awesome.  Even those who saw it once a long time ago still remember it.

Now, to the movie.  I enjoyed it quite a bit.  It was better than any other ninja movie that I have seen (or remember) and mostly that is due to a huge leap in visual effects and movie martial arts since the time I last saw a ninja movie.  I mean the graphics and choreography are breathtaking sometimes.  It was all post-processed, of course, to give it a fake look – similar to the massacre of Crazy 88 gang in Kill Bill.  The blood is too red, too liquid, too gushing, and too much.  But it’s fun to watch.  Sword fights are awesome.  All the ninja accessories are there.  And, probably, for the first time we are shown the most terrifying ninja skill properly – hiding in the shadows.  Ninjas in this movie appear out of nowhere and disappear into nowhere.

There are plenty of fights and action and the story is deeper than in many other ninja movies. In fact, I think they slightly overdid the setting – there are 1000 year old clans, governments and corporations using assassins, code of honour, and all those billion other things, which unfortunately never get used.  They just mention them but they are either totally or mostly irrelevant for the happenings in the film.

Regardless, I had fun watching this film and it brought a whole lot of awesome memories.  And, being biased towards the ninja stuff, I feel empowered to give it a 4 out of 5.