"Hero" ("Ying xiong"); Wikipedia; The Great Outdoors - Revisited; "KYLE XY"

Friday and Saturday mornings, when I could not sleep, I decided to watch the 2002 film "Hero" ("Ying xiong') starring Jet Li. What a truly gorgeous film. The colors are magnificent. (By the way, it's the first film, I've watched on my lap top.)

The fight between Sky and Nameless in the rain is hypnotic.

Moon and Flying Snow battling in the swirling golden leaves is one of the most ethereal scenes in film.

There's scene after scene, each of which centers on a single color.

Instead of traditional sword play, you have something far more akin to aerial ballet. Acrobatics with elegance and grandeur.

One scene in particular almost attacks the imagination. Nameless and Broken Sword are dueling across the surface of a lake. But they seem to be dancing from spot to spot, each time using their swords to draw a character in the water. Not only is it filmed from close up but also from a considerable distance. And there are even shots that appear to be under water. I have no idea how this was set up, but the technical difficulties must have been formidable.

The July 31 "The New Yorker" has a fascinating article on Wikipedia. (The web site is Wikipedia.)

["Wikipedia, which was launched in 2001, is now the seventeenth-most-popular site on the Internet, generating more traffic daily than MSNBC.com and the online versions of the Times and the Wall Street Journal combined."

"Jimmy] Wales’s most radical contribution may be not to have made information free but—in his own alma-matricidal way—to have invented a system that does not favor the Ph.D. over the well-read fifteen-year-old. “To me, the key thing is getting it right,” Wales has said of Wikipedia’s contributors. “I don’t care if they’re a high-school kid or a Harvard professor.” "

"In the nineteen-sixties, William F. Buckley, Jr., said that he would sooner “live in a society governed by the first two thousand names in the Boston telephone directory than in a society governed by the two thousand faculty members of Harvard University.” On Wikipedia, he might finally have his wish."

"As was the Encyclopédie, Wikipedia is a combination of manifesto and reference work. Peer review, the mainstream media, and government agencies have landed us in a ditch. Not only are we impatient with the authorities but we are in a mood to talk back. Wikipedia offers endless opportunities for self-expression. It is the love child of reading groups and chat rooms, a second home for anyone who has written an Amazon review."]

I managed to mow part of the back yard a few days ago, but it has a rough look. One is because of all the hubris caught in the grass. Two is that the grass is a mix of types. I've raked over part of it twice, and it looks slightly better. I'll also do that with the other part.

A product that I've not seen on the market is something akin to a mechanical raker. A device that would dislodge debris without destroying the surrounding area.

Thursday, I used the reciprocating saw to cut down the second metal clothesline post. I dug down about a foot into the soil and sawed away. It requires a new blade. And it you plan on cutting the pole into sections, you may need a second blade. Now, I'll try to get rid of the pieces by sneaking them piece by piece into the trash. The garbage folks can be very fussy about picking up certain items. I know if I put the pieces out on the curb, they would not be picked up.

Yesterday, I bought some more potting soil for the gaps I've created in the lawn by removing roots. And some more mulch. Earlier, I'd made a comment about how some of the mulch seemed different - coarser with larger chunks. DUH!!!! That's because it's not mulch but bark. How could I have missed that.

This afternoon I mowed the front yard. I thought I had the mower at its lowest level, but I must have missed one, because I could definitely tell the difference in the quality of the cut. Also, it took about twice as long. I was like moving through warm molasses. Near the end, in a moment of utter brilliance, I ran over and cut the power cord. I've been using two 100-foot cords, so I had to chuck one. But I had two power cord reels I was able to use to finish.

I've mentioned how much I enjoy "KYLE XY," and it's more than just Matt Dallas' (Kyle) extraordinary looks. Try Matt Dallas for some snaps.

There also a web component to the show that can be found at KYLE XY. (Password for computer in the virtual room is "ACT26G." Once you explore there, you'll discover the Mada Corporation. There's also a really good discussion board at digital halcyon discussion embassy.

I know there a number of other board also worth visiting, but I just haven't made it yet.

PAX!