O= /) FLIPPERSMACK 022 `= culturemag for a penguin generation http://www.flippersmack.com/ x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x The holidays have been really hectic. SlapAyoda and I went to Boston for week over Thanksgiving. Best vacation ever. We saw the MIT Robotics Museum and kicked it in Salem. Now we're planning a New Years trip to New York. The next issue will be our Holiday special, so send articles in! We want to hear about your best and worst Christmases and how you celebrate the holidays. Email your submissions (anything Holiday related!) to pinguino@comicartist.com. I don't have time to write about this.. but after you're done reading Flippersmack, you need to look at this link. It's AMAZING and INCREDIBLE. This is IT. You must read about IT. Then talk to us on the meeplist about how great IT is. http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,186660-1,00.html There has been an influx of amazing movies this Winter season. This issue, we'll be taking a look at Harry Potter, Donnie Darko, Waking Life, and K-Pax! We can't wait 'til Lord of the Rings, though; Burger King has some really good toys for it that speak and light up. The goblets they have are cool too. Vanilla Sky and The Majestic look like great movies coming up, based on the trailers. Join us on the MeepList; it's a Yahoo Group for all you Flippersmacking penguins out there. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/penguinlist/ pinguino [pinguino@comicartist.com] tABLE oF cONTENTS [movie] K-PAX ......................................... pinguino [movie] Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ........ SlapAyoda [movie] Donnie Darko ................................. SlapAyoda [movie] Waking Life .................................. SlapAyoda [poem] Trackless Mouse ................................ pinguino Photoshop Tennis ...................................... pinguino Get AMPEd on Taurine .................................. pinguino An Introduction to Telus' Terminating Test Lines ..... The Clone .x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x -.x.x.x.- K-PAX [movie review] by pinguino (pinguino@comicartist.com) Prot (Kevin Spacey) is a patient in a mental institution who's convinced that he's from another planet. Mark Powell (Jeff Bridges) is his doctor, who has to prove to Prot that K-Pax, the planet Prot claims to be from, doesn't exist. Prot is the most convincing delusional that Dr. Powell has come across. As Dr. Powell grows closer to Prot, he pushes harder find Prot's true identity, and uncovers a murder mystery from years long past. Meanwhile, Prot helps his fellow patients begin a road to recovery by giving them something that they never had before: hope. K-PAX is a touching movie, directed by Iain Softley. If you can see it in a theater, do so, but definitely grab it when it hits video. This movie from Universal Pictures took top placement in the box offices its opening weekend. It's the kind of movie that you'll think about for a few days. It also has made people look at the world around them, realizing the beauty of their everyday surroundings. Overshadowed by Harry Potter and some of the other Winter hits, K-Pax is an amazing movie you don't want to miss. -.x.x.x.- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone [movie review] by SlapAyoda (slapayoda@yahoo.com) Having not read the books (somewhat purposely), and definitely a bit leery of the "Harry Potter phenomenon", I can honestly tell you I went into this movie with fairly low expectations. Coming out of this movie, however, my opinion had been entirely changed. I am currently about three quarters of the way done with reading the first book. The movie is that good. If you enjoy the books, you've probably already seen it, and most likely loved it; if you haven't read the books, it will send you out to the bookstore the next day. The basic story, which should be well-known by now, follows young wizard Harry Potter during his first year at Hogwart's - a school for young practitioners of magic. A great story on it's own, filled with wonderful characters and a fantastic world for them to inhabit, this movie truly brings the magic of the book to life. Not since Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory has a children's movie been so recognizable as an absolute instant classic. The flawless representation of the characters by a varied cast of wonderful British actors young and old, the breathtaking and magical locations, the brilliant costuming, and faithful dialogue all serve to draw the viewer into a new universe, captivating and entrancing. Even if you have serious doubts about Harry Potter, you should go see this movie. It is a wonderful movie for all ages in the vein of Willy Wonka and The Wizard of Oz. -.x.x.x.- Donnie Darko [movie review] by SlapAyoda (slapayoda@yahoo.com) Donnie Darko is what can only be described as an instant cult-classic movie. This is evidenced by the fact that there are two Yahoo! Groups ( http://groups.yahoo.com/ ) mailing lists about the movie already, one about the movie itself and one about the website for the movie. That website, http://www.donniedarko.com/ , is in my opinion the most original and engaging website for a film to date. Written and directed by 26 year old Hollywood newcomer Richard Kelly, the script had been making the rounds in Tinseltown for awhile before Drew Barrymore read it and immediately agreed to produce it under her company, Flower Films. A vastly different and original script, now backed by a major star (who cast herself into one of the supporting roles), Donnie Darko was certain to have an impact in Hollywood. Though currently in small-scale release (check the website for your local showing), it has not yet achieved wide release. Though with a growing fanbase and many supporters, it may some day see the wide release it deserves. So, what is the film actually about? Well, since this is a movie that relies greatly on the interpretation of itself by the audience, I'm going to refrain from disclosing plot details. You will spend much of this film analyzing the scenes and characters to try to figure out what it is really about. In fact, as you read this, there are hundreds of people trying to uncover the meaning of this movie on the Internet. Unlike Waking Life (reviewed below), however, this movie does have a solid narrative and plot. It's about a high-school teen in the late 1980's and his demonic, talking 8-foot tall bunny rabbit. That should be enough to encourage you to see the movie. So go see it, already. -.x.x.x.- Waking Life [movie review] by SlapAyoda (slapayoda@yahoo.com) "Waking Life is more than just an interesting moment in the history of film technology. The technology has allowed this particular story -- a story that probably wouldn't have worked in any other form -- to be told." -- Richard Linklater Waking Life, directed and written by Richard Linklater (Slacker, Dazed and Confused), starring some notable (yet sometimes barely recognizable) faces such as Ethan Hawke, Steven Soderbergh, with Linklater himself, and animated by a team of 30 animators, is an all-together fresh approach to the film process used to present a wide range of ideas and philosophies to the viewer. The process is described as a new form of rotoscoping, an animation technique that dates back to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. But this is no Disney animation. Linklater shot the entire movie in digital video with a Sony handheld camera, and hired a team of digital artists to animate the movie on top of that footage, using Mac workstations and Wacom tablets. The end result, after an estimated 20,000 hours of animating (for about 100 minutes of footage), is an animated film that doesn't feel like an animated film at all. Though often filled with humorous details (such as a talking duck), the animation is very true to the personality of each character and what the character is saying. Every character in this movie has his or her own philosophy on life, and as such, are animated with a unique and individual style. The film is, much like Slacker, not so much a medium for a particular story, as it is a presentation of ideas and themes. The entire film consists of the audience following the unnamed protagonist as he discusses, as Douglas Adams put it, "life, the universe, and everything", with everybody he meets, occasionally deviating from this path to listen in on the similarly-themed discussions of others. If it is -about- anything at all, it is about the search for meaning in life. As the character progresses from conversation to conversation, he realizes that he feels like he is trapped inside a dream. Through dialogue alone, the film begins to develop a sense of urgency. One might have the complaint that before this moment, the film seems aimless and slow. Indeed, the character himself refers to his conversations as rather boring. It is much like being dropped into the middle of something - at first his life (or dream) seems shapeless, but your mind begins to work out the order of it after a short while. Many of the ideas, dealing with such topics as existentialism and predestination, will be familiar to anyone who has taken a college course in philosophy. Even so, Waking Life uses these ideas to form an enormous impact on the viewer. I left the theater curious about my surroundings, feeling somewhat cleansed and ready to take on life. At the risk of sounding either corny or new-age, Waking Life is less a movie and more an experience. Hunt down this film in your city and see it now. -.x.x.x.- Trackless Mouse by Pinguino (pinguino@comicartist.com) arms reaching to the sky a black canvas devoid of life somewhere a star shines bright with misty eyes i cannot see endless arms groping hopelessly i could trip over a tiny rock or walk into a leafless tree or shrink into a bottled charm following orders mindlessly yet determination fuels my veins pushing me in direction unknown the finish line seems to far away my friends tell me its not so -.x.x.x.- Photoshop Tennis by pinguino (pinguino@comicartist.com) A new sport that's been catching on in graphic design circles is Tennis. Photoshop Tennis. Photoshop Tennis is a game between two graphic artists. It began in the offices of Coudal.com, an advertising and design company in Chicago. This is where the majority of the live matches happen. ( http://www.coudal.com/ ) To play, the first artist creates an image, usually a Photoshop layer. He sends the digital file to his competitor. The competitor modifies the layer and sends it back. As the rounds take place, an announcer posts his comments and the spectators score each round. Photoshop is a graphics application standard to the design industry, and some of the best artists have virtually gathered at Coudal to compete. Photoshop Tennis is very competitive, and growing in popularity. Recently, Zhixel from Hivehaus and Penguin Palace took on Skrike from Echo23. Check out their match here: http://www.echo23.com/tennis/ -.x.x.x.- Get AMPED on Taurine by pinguino (pinguino@comicartist.com) Energy drinks have swept the nation by surprise. RedBull, one of the first drinks on the market, is growing in popularity at bars and clubs, when ordered mixed with Vodka. High-school athletes like the extra boost they get from these drinks, attracting controversy over the summer when kids started to dehydrate to the point of hospitalization. Energy drinks do have a problem: they all taste awful. Until now. Mountain Dew started distributing a new drink last month in Southern California called AMP. It tastes a lot like Mountain Dew; you can hardly taste the other ingredients you normally find in energy drinks: taurine, ginseng, and guarana. It can be found in local 7-11's and other convenience stores, and is the same size as RedBull. One of the major differences between Amp and RedBull, aside from taste, is that Amp contains a large amount of caffeine. Mountain Dew is known for its level of caffeine, and Amp will get you more hyper than other leading brands. Track some down tonight! -.x.x.x.- 'An Introduction to Telus' Terminating Test Lines' by The Clone (theclone@hackcanada.com) Disclaimer: The content within this file is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Unauthorized access of the test systems spoken about in this file may get you in trouble with local and/or national law enforcement. By reading this, you agree not to try any of this. Definition: "Test numbers are dialups to testing equipment or test features set up by the phone company or private entities." Introduction: Back in early 1999 when the 403/780 area code split went on, Telus decided to set up a series of test numbers called "Alberta Terminating Test Lines" in the 403 and 780 area codes. Since the split affected millions of landline/cellular customers, Telus thought that permissive phone numbers would be the best way to keep the information flowing between employees. Alberta Terminating Test Lines gave Telus techs the ability to call up a private number and leave detailed messages regarding any technical issues (problems) that may have arised with 780 to 403 (and 403 to 780) long distance call routing. To this day, Telus still uses Terminating Test Lines as a way for local and long-distance carriers to communicate. By dialing up the specific number, you will be greeted by an automated female voice; "You have reached an Alberta 780 Terminating Test Line", followed by an Octel system voice telling you that you either have messages waiting (which it then plays it for you), or it'll tell you: "No messages are waiting. Please try again later. Thank you. Good-bye." Default Prefixes: These prefixes are in the 780 area code only. If you have a list of Alberta Terminating Test Line prefixes the in 403 area code, please pass them on and I'll add them to this particular listing. More prefixes are being added as more Terminating Test Line numbers are discovered. Prefixes; 423-XXXX 425-XXXX 428-XXXX 429-XXXX 455-XXXX 459-XXXX -- Additional Terminating Test Lines: British Columbia; (604/778), Overlay: NPA 778 introduced for service on 11/03/01. 778-510-XXXX (Call-Net Communications, Southwestern B.C.) 778-610-XXXX (Telus, Southwestern B.C.) 778-810-XXXX (AT&T Canada, Southwestern B.C.) Ontario: (905/289), Overlay: NPA 289 introduced for service on 06/09/01. 289-210-8378 (Bell Canada, Southern Ont.) 289-510-8378 (Call-Net, Southern Ont.) 289-810-8378 (AT&T Canada, Southern Ont.) Other Test Numbers: [ Taken from "ALT.PHREAKING FAQ 1.41", http://members.tripod.com/~SeusslyOne/ ] 1004 hz test tone - This is a vanilla 1004 hz tone. Nothing too useful here, without a loop analyzer anyway. ANAC - This test dial up will read off the number of the line you’are calling from. On rare occasions you will find ANACs with a DTMF response for use with remote test terminals. DATUs - DATUs (Digital Audio Test Units) are a godsend to technicians and phone phreaks everywhere. DATUs allow a caller to monitor lines (don't get too excited), open and short pairs, and put trace tones on the pair. While it might not sound too exciting, it has more applications than most people think. Loops - These numbers exist in linked pairs. Call one number and you'll get a tone. Call the other number and you get dead silence. If both are called at the same time they make a connection. It used to be that you could then talk over this connection, but now there are filters that block speech placed on most loops. Ringback - Calls back the originating number in an annoying fashion. Dialing all the touch-tone digits in order (starting with 1 and ending in # going across the keypad rows) will generate 2 tones saying the keypad is ok. Milliwatt test - These are 1004 hz tones sent out at 0 db. Milliwatt tests are used to check for line loss and other complex tests. Sweep Tones - Tone sweeps are a test tone ranging from 304hz to 3204hz. A common use for sweep tones is to check for infinity-transmitter style taps. Dial up a sweep tone. If an audible clicking is heard during the sweep then a transmitter could be installed on your line. Telco maintenance uses sweep tones to check for the presence of loading coils, and other such nasties that eat high frequency tones in order to qualify a line for high speed services. Quiet termination - This feature connects the caller to a port with fixed resistance, 600 ohms or 900 ohms being the most common. There should be nothing but dead silence on connection. Clicks, static or crosstalk will be clearly evident if a noisy line is used to dial this test. I hope this paper was of interest and of benefit to you. Test numbers are quite interesting little toys to play around with, while traveling through the land of the telephone system. One never knows what they can find until they start actually taking the time to hand-scan... (see: http://www.nettwerked.net/files.html | "Scanning (Manual)"). Peace out! Thanks to Phlux for the additional input. Support Phlux's HASH project ( http://www.hackcanada.com/hash.txt ). +-----------------------------------------------------+ Flippersmack (c) 2001 Flippersmack All Rights Reserved. Flippersmack does not condone any of the acts in this collection of writings. Your dog has a frompy nose. Don't forget about IT. http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,186660-1,00.html