Paul Jacobson Life, law and other stuff

Da Vinci Code casting newsPosted by Paul on January 24th, 2005

If you have not yet ready the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, I really suggest you do.  If ever there was a page turner, this is it!  This book is the first of his books I read and I was captivated by it.  His writing keeps you turning those pages to see what happens next.  I think it has to do with keeping his chapters short and never giving you you the satisfaction of knowing how that bit ends before you hit the end of the chapter.

Anyway, the book is being turned into a movie starring Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon and IMDB has reported that Audrey Tautou will play the role of Sophie Neveu:

Tautou To Play ‘Da Vinci’ Role?

       

          French film star Audrey Tautou is thrilled she’s won the lead role in the upcoming film adaptation of US author Dan Brown’s best-selling thriller The Da Vinci Code. The popular Amelie star, who is currently on screens in A Very Long Engagement, will play Sophie Neveu - the young French cryptologist assisting Professor Robert Langdon - played by Tom Hanks - in his investigation. The Professional actor Jean Reno
will also star, playing detective Bezu Fache. Filming is due to start
later this year - with a predicted cinema release of May 2006.

DrainedPosted by Paul on January 24th, 2005

Isn’t it unfortunate how you can be excited and energetic and one glance from your boss or not-so-friendly coworker and all that energy just bleeds right out of you.  I know the scenario and how it all works and how to fix it.  The problem is that I am just so tired now, a mere 2 and a half hours after the Look.  That one look and it all comes flooding back; the exhaustion, lethargy, feelings of low self-esteem and the fear of impending doom because of one man’s disapproval.

These are the things that keep us small, stuck.  They are the experiences we have because we have become so dependent on someone else’s approval that even when we begin to see how that relationship is over and it is time to move forward into a space that supports us and encourages us to grow in directions we never though existed, we stay where we are, stuck.  In times like this I am reminded of the Robin Williams movie "What Dreams May Come" and the discussion about what happens to people who commit suicide.  If I remember correctly, people who commit suicide find themselves in a very gothic, self-absorbed hell where they struggle with their choices including their choice to end their lives.  They become so absorbed in their own misery that they can’t see beyond it.

In a way it is a bit like that for me.  I find myself becoming so absorbed into my unhappy job and the choices I made which contributed to my circumstances that it is a struggle to lift myself out of that funk and grasp the opportunities that have been presented to me.  Bit like emotional quicksand.

Firefox downloads exceed 20 000 000!Posted by Paul on January 24th, 2005

Wow!  There have been over 20 000 000 (yes, 20 million) downloads of Mozilla’s Firefox browser since version 1.0 was released on 9 November 2004.  That works out to roughly 187 000 downloads a day!  Very impressive stuff.  Here is the post from the sfx site (cross posted from Asa’s primary blog):

In seventy six days, more than sixty three thousand of you have joined the effort to deliver Firefox 1.0 to more than twenty million thankful users!

You all are simply amazing!!

You’ve engaged your friends and family, your co-workers,

colleagues, and fellow students in a novel and exciting effort to take

back the Web. You’ve helped twenty million people to get beyond the

daily chaos of adware, spyware, and constant virus infections. You’ve

created the first and the largest open source marketing effort in

history. And you all are educating the world that they do have a choice

and that they can take control of their Internet experience.

You all have demonstrated that open source community can be

powerful, committed, and capable of accomplishing once-unimaginable

feats.

Today, we celebrate twenty million Firefox 1.0 downloads. But

more than that, we celebrate the community that you all have built and

we celebrate each and every one you!

–Asa, on behalf of the sfx team

Women screwed by South African businessesPosted by Paul on January 24th, 2005

IOL has reported on a growing incidence of women finding themselves unemployed on their return from maternity leave.  Not only is this morally objectionable, it is illegal.  Here is the article:

Working moms get a raw deal

By Nalisha Kalideen

South African companies are increasingly forcing women out of
their jobs when they return from maternity leave, and many are refusing
to hire pregnant women.

Labour experts have told The Star that most women who feel the pinch of
"nature’s burden" are those in middle or senior management positions.

Martina*, a mother-of-two, recently returned to work after four months’
maternity leave, only to find her position was no longer available. A
male colleague, who was meant to stand in for her, had been hired
permanently as a bookkeeping financial manager.

"They said my salary was (very high) for the only position available in
the accounting department and that I would now work elsewhere," Martina
said.

Read the rest of this entry »

Paris HiltonPosted by Paul on January 24th, 2005

I know there is massive hype surrounding Paris Hilton.  I have seen a little bit of her in "The Simple Life" where she did a stint on a farm with her friend Nicole Richie.  I am sure she appeals to a whole host of people and there is even a sex video of some sort with her (from the screen shot I saw, it looks like this one was taken on the sly).  I haven’t seen the video and don’t really plan to but if it takes your fancy, go right ahead.

I was reading an article about Tara Reid (who Paris is good friends with) and it turns out that Paris is a huge fan of the attention she gets in the press, no matter what the exposure is.  This girl thrives on this stuff.  She is also one strange cookie with her quirks that wind up spawning whole trends.

For my part, I am not taken by her.  She is very plastic and the perfect object of our materialistic society which is focussed largely on what is ‘in’ for the time being and all that sparkles.

Update:  Paris Hilton’s cameraphone service has been hacked … again.

Jinky Art photoblogPosted by Paul on January 24th, 2005

I linked off Michele’s blog to this amazing photoblog called Jinky Art.  It is very simple and focusses on photos of children and simple objects.  Definitely worth taking a look at this one.  It has made its way into my daily list of blogs to visit!  Here is a picture that really appeals to me:

Access denied … or simply unavailablePosted by Paul on January 24th, 2005

This weekend was a bit frustrating from a blogging perspective mainly because I couldn’t get into TypePad at all to post stuff.  I could reach the main page and other blogs hosted on TypePad but when it came to actually logging in, no dice!  So if you popped in looking for updates this weekend, my humble apologies!