I love Discovery Channel. They're always putting cool stuff on. This weekend it was a show called Xtreme Martial Arts. They used matrix style motion capture and graphics to show the science behind martial arts. The other thing about the Discovery Channel, of course, is that it'll be on again. A lot. So you'll have a chance to see it if you missed it.

Last night, I watched a movie only because nothing else was on and it turned out to be excellent. The Yakuza is about a criminal Japanese cult/clan based on Samurai ritual. This 'honour among thieves' movie requires a lot of your attention to follow a somewhat complex plot. If you like movies like that, this is definitely worth your time to rent. The Day of the Jackal and Murder on the Orient Express also have a similar quality. I recommend both of those as well. If you only like the current trend for constant action, little story, and rapid cuts, then you won't like any of them.

Incidentally, they say that the Japanese economy is likely failing because it is believed that almost 50% of the outstanding unpaid loans being supported by the banks are to the Yakuza. The banks cannot hope to collect these loans. It is rumoured that those that have tried have disappeared or turned up dead. These loans amount to tens of billions of dollars. Memorize that. There will be a quiz after the blog.

I think my cat should win an award for the sheer length of the poop skid mark he left down my bedroom hallway. It runs all the way from the living room to by my bedroom door. It must be longer than 10 feet.

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, you obviously don't own a cat or dog. You see, when we look at the floor we see "rug". When pets look at the floor they see "wall-to-wall toilet paper". It doesn't happen very often, but every once in a while your furry parasitic companion will decide that they don't want to lick their bum clean (who can blame them?). Instead, they plant their ass firmly on the rug, lift their two back paws into the air and pull themselves along with their front paws. Yes, it would be hilarious if they weren't leaving a slug-trail of shit.

I have a few other questions about my cat that make me think he trying to make me go insane.

• Why does he, from a sound sleep, suddenly decide it is vital that he be in a different room right now?
• How is it possible to comb more than his weight in fur from him one day and still have him shed on the couch the next?
• Does he know he's tormenting me when he waits for me to be almost asleep and then suddenly sits bolt upright staring at the bedroom door as if to say, "Well, that sounded strangely like someone sneaking down the hallway dragging a huge machete. Oh well. Never mind." and then goes back to sleep?
• When he starts to get sick on the linoleum, why does he run franticly to the center of the most expensive carpet instead of staying where he is?

Ok, the crappy, unusual, and funny commercials are building up on TV again. It makes me want to buy TiVo just for the commercial-skip function.

• Has anyone seen the commercial for those cholesterol-free liquid eggs? There is a room filled with claymation chickens. All of the chickens are oddly misshapen, but there is one particularly encephalitic hen who says, "My eggs have been... changed." Am I the only one that finds this commercial really creepy in a Nazi-bio-engineering sort of way? Skin-crawl creepy.


• This time of year you always get a raft of pathetic products hopping on the gifting bandwagon. This one takes the cake (so to speak):
  
  ...so, this year, give the gift that speaks of the season: BUTTER!
  
  Uh, ok. Leave that gift under the tree and you'll be giving the gift of botulism.
  (Oh, Son! It's just what I've always wanted: a box of rancid lard!)


• There's a new Pepsi commercial out that's actually pretty funny. No... it's not the one where they set Michael Jackson on fire.
  
  A dog is running back and forth between a table and somewhere off camera. First he brings a loaf of bread, then a plate, and then a Pepsi. There's a bit of a delay and he finally brings a cat and puts it on the plate. Voice-over: Nothing goes with a sandwich better than Pepsi!
  
  (Personally, I'd have the voice-over as Nothing goes with a pussy better than Pepsi!, but what do I know about advertising?)

And before you bug me that the commercial is cruel towards cats, I like cats. I have one.

I saw two interesting shows on the tube today. The first show was on the Life Network and called The Surgeons. This particular episode was about a doctor that specialized in beating-heart surgery. That's exactly what it sounds like: heart surgery without stopping the heart.

The other was Junkyard Wars on TLC. This week they built jet cars. It was one of those episodes where you think neither team can have possibly built something that will work. Both teams cars worked very well. One was a turbojet, the other was a pulse jet. Both cars were driven directly by the thrust, too. Neither used the engine to power wheels or anything like that.

Also, if you haven't seen it yet, here's another great use for a turbojet. Brewski anyone?

Oh, and yes, I'm still watching Survivor. I know. I know. I'm not proud of it, but I can't help myself. I know there are others out there that carry the same shame. Today, Jon out assholed himself. On one level I can't fault the guy. The one thing he's not forgetting is that he playing a game for a million bucks and the people on the island are his enemies. He has no pride, though. That's for sure.

A barber calls his next customer to the barber chair.

"So, what can I do for you today?", the barber asks.
"Just a little shorter, please... no, wait. I'd like to try something a bit different. Tell you what... style it so it parts from ear to ear.", replies the customer.
"Ear to ear? Are you joking?", asks the startled barber.
"No, I'm not joking", says the customer, "I've made up my mind now. That's what I want: part it from ear to ear."
"Well...", ponders the barber, "I've never done that before. I never do anything I can't do well, though. If you're willing to come back tomorrow, I'll put some real thought into it. I'll do a better job, and it'll give you a chance to change your mind, too."
"OK", says the customer, "but I won't change my mind. I'll see you tomorrow."

Sure enough, the customer is waiting the following day as the barber arrives to open his shop.

"Well, I'm ready if you are," says the barber. "It's not that it's hard to do, you understand, it's just that I always take the time to do things right."
The customer replies, "Yes, I understand, and I'm ready to go. Let's get this done."

The haircut takes a bit longer than usual since the barber keeps consulting a notepad, but true to his word the end result shows the barber's skill.

Hesitantly, the barber asks, "Well, do you like it?"
"Yes," is the reply, "I really do. I think everyone will start getting their hair parted ear-to-ear when they see this!".

The customer pays the barber, hands him a big tip, and walks happily out of the store.

Two days later, the customer is again waiting as the barber arrives to open up shop.

Before the barber can say anything, the customer says, "I want my old hairstyle back."
Not too surprised, the barber says, "I knew you'd start to hate it after a couple of days. I was kind-of expecting you back."
"That's not it at all.", says the customer. "I love the haircut, I'm just sick of people whispering in my nose."

My X2: X-Men United DVD arrived today. I'll watch it as soon as Resident Life finishes, and then come back and post about it.

Time for the rest of the world freezes as I sit and watch the movie...

Just so you know; I thought the original X-Men was not a bad movie. Not great, but worth watching. X2 was much better than that. I'd give it something like a high 6 or medium 7 out of 10. For me, that's pretty good.

It's unusual, but I guess pure action movies were starting to wear on me. I enjoy them, but I think their lack of an honest attempt at story development was starting to bother me subconsciously. X2 seem to resists that urge, and is better for it. A lot of time and effort was taken just building the story and furthering the developing of the characters. The movie ended and I didn't feel visually exhausted or bothered by any gaping plot holes.

Even the standard Hollywood dangling plot lines were somehow handled with a little more care. They didn't smack you over the back of the head screaming SEQUEL like they usually do. More like being bonked with a sequel pillow.

My copy of The Two Towers arrived on Thursday, and I just watched it today. Like many of the movies I see, I didn't see it in the theatre. I waited for the DVD.

I was amazed. What an unbelievable movie. I was expecting much from this, and it exceeded those expectations.

Sméagol, in particular, amazed me. He's completely and utterly believable. Only after I'd watched the DVD was it that I realized how I'd simply taken him as another character and not "an impressive digital effect". I went back and watched some key scenes to see if I had just been "dazzled" or been overly impressed because I had suspended my disbelief. Not at all. The depth of character is something incredible to see.

The additional DVDs take plenty of time to insure that Andy Serkis gets the credit he so richly deserves for his role. His part in realizing Sméagol goes so, so far beyond his voice talent.

Of course, one piece does not a puzzle make. No worries here, though: everything else about this movie also comes together to make a breathtaking whole. I've read the book, and support the choices made that have the movie deviate from Tolkien's original. Those deviations fall well within artistic license and add so much power to the representation of the story in movie form.

I have heard the few negative comments about the differences between the movies and the book, but I don't agree. Film and novel are different. I believe the right approach was taken here. The film makers have allowed themselves the flexibility to show their vision of an epic tale.

Wow.

Tomale, canned tomale, canned tomale Crêpes in this pâté paste from plate to plate Chew the mashed salad bowl of ricotta thyme. Endive sour yeasted dates Half ryebread crullers whey to crusty bread. Oat, oat, beet canned dill. Life's butter gerkin sourdough. Apple layer fat strudle fritters His flour capon the sage An dish curd no smore. Ox tail boiled pie yam meaty ate, Pilaf scone and curry, Kidney pie and stuffing. Al Hunt (with apologies to Shakespeare)

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time. And all our yesterdays Have lighted fools the way to dusty death Out, out, brief candle. Life but a walking shadow. A poor player that struts and frets His hour apon the stage and is heard no more. It's a tale told by an idiot, Full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. Shakespeare (who thinks Al Hunt is an ass)

No, that title isn't a typo (you should know me better than that by now). The bus I take to work is always full of dicks.

I actually tolerate the bus fairly well, but I've definitely been able to group people into several distinct types.

• Backpack Attacker: This is the guy that has a ridiculously huge backpack that would easily hold just about any large African ungulate. Somehow, he's forgotten he's wearing it so manages to smash it into everyone around him.
• Miss Medicated: She's the one swearing at large pink rabbits only she can see. Its time that she cut back on the horse tranquilizers. Too bad the rabbit is the one writing the prescriptions. Hopefully, she's not armed.
• Champagne Flight: This guy thinks his transfer reserves a particular seat. He's going to take that isle seat even if the next person on the bus has to climb through the emergency hatch and hang from the railing to maneuver into the inside seat. I target these particular folks for shin bruises and sore feet.
• Just Me and My Testicles: This is the ignorant-little-shit-poster-child-for-school-whippings that slouches and spreads his legs so wide he takes up three seats. Sit properly, dipshit. Your pencil-dick doesn't need that much breathing room.
• Got News For You: Since when is 'library' spelled B-U-S? When these people aren't trying to give your eyeballs paper cuts with their newspaper, they get the urge to practice origami with it. I don't smoke, but I'm seriously considering bringing a lighter for these jerks.
• Decibel Doofus: When did CD players turn into public address systems? The only good thing about the morons that have their (awful) tunes cranked so loud their ear-buds are glowing red is that they'll be deaf before they get out of junior-high. I'll have the last laugh. Too bad they won't hear it.

You do use ZoneLabs ZoneAlarm, don't you? Yes, of course you do. If you missed it, there is a new version available for Pro users. Time to pop into your 'Overview/Preferences' tab and click 'Check for update'.

The new version includes a feature that allows you to store snippets of personal information such as passwords and partial credit card numbers. ZoneAlarm will then alert you when those items are being sent to non-approved sites or E-mail locations. You then have the choice to block the transmission or add it to your approved list.

I'm not sure if this update is available for the free version. It's about time you paid for the Plus or Pro version anyway, isn't it? Would you have the nerve to leave your broadband connection on all the time without ZoneAlarm? Isn't that worth a few bucks?

Now if they would only streamline the management of approved web sites for the pop-up and ad blocker...

Google has its eye on going public, so of course MacroSloth has its eye on Google. If they get hold of it, prepare yourself to watch one of the best services on the internet fester and die. I'm already working on my 'Boycott MS-Google' icons...

On the plus side; I see that Google has an interesting new search tag called 'Define:'. It's perfect for getting definitions for those constantly mutating computer terms. A few examples:

• define:wi-fi
• define:blog

Along similar lines, the 'Google Calc' feature should be old news for most. Here's a few examples of that little gem:

• 2+2
• two+two
• 1942+834 in roman
• 14 cups in litres
• Distance to the sun in light minutes
• Answer to life, the universe and everything

And, as a final note, Google Labs has released an experimental version of Google Deskbar. A typing box is placed on your Windows taskbar that gives you instant access to searches and some other GoogleBar features right from your desktop.

I'm back from the folks, and had a great time. It's always a blast to see my niece, too. Boy, she's sure growing up fast now.

I picked up a copy of Max Payne 2 - The Fall of Max Payne while I was in a Walmart, too. It's very well done. It similar to the original, of course, but with improved graphics that you'd expect. Definitely worth your time. One plus: Max Payne doesn't walk around looking constipated all the time like he did in the first "episode".

The 'Mature 17+' rating is probably almost warranted. The sex and swearing is at about the same level as you would see on regular late night Canadian TV. The violence is, well, Max Payne. I wouldn't have any trouble letting a well adjusted teen younger that 17 play it, though.

Sorry folks, no bloggage this weekend. I'm off to see the folks. It's a combo birthday/wedding aniversary, so it should be pretty fun.

I also haven't seen my Niece for months. I miss her more than anything. Spoiling her rotten is addictive.

Uh-oh. It looks like my DVD database has become corrupted. All my movies are scrambled together. Let's see what's left of it:

• The Fifth Sixth Se7en: The perfect human female is sent to save Earth from dead people only she can see. While she's asleep, she is secretly cloned. Furious, she chops off Bruce Willis' head and puts it in a box.
• Das Predator: An heroic German u-boat crew struggles to save their sinking submarine while being attacked by a killer space alien.
• One Hour Insomnia: Robin Williams plays an insomniac in Nightmute, Alaska. He spends his endless waking hours stealing photos from a family he pretends is his.
• There's Something About the Evil Dead: Ted desperately wants to eat Mary's brain. Will his rotting corpse be satisfied, or will Healy beat him to it?
• Pink Panther - Hidden Dragon: The Pink Destiny Sword is stolen. Inspector Clouseau joins forces with a young aristocrat to battle Inspector Dryfus.
• Barton Thing: A playwright suffering from writer's block takes over the bodies of his visitors as he struggles to build a space ship out of his typewriter.
• A Fish Called Terminator: Four jewel thieves are sent back in time to kill a British barrister, but keep killing small animals instead.
• Lord of the Blow: The rise and fall of three Hobbit drug lords who become the largest importers of Columbian Pipe Weed in Middle Earth.

I just started thinking about some of the old computers I owned. I shouldn't really do that, it makes me feel old.

The very first was a VIC-20. This workhorse had a whopping 4K of RAM (just over 4000 bytes), and a 22 by 24 character screen. The display took up 1.5K of that 4K of RAM, too. My current video-card has thirty-two thousand times more memory than my first computer.

An 8K RAM cartridge back then cost just under $400. At todays prices 8K of RAM costs, for all intents and purposes, $ZERO. You do the math.

My first modem was 300 baud. The big thing back then was BBS's. Basically on-line chat boards. Sort of the precursor to e-mail. 300 baud is about reading speed, so few BBS's had a "pause" button. Not much point when you could read faster than the text would scroll. I even remember thinking "what good is 1200 baud? You can't read that fast". There wasn't such a thing as "downloads" back then, so all you did was read.

I stored my programs on a tape cassette. If you put the cassette in a regular tape player, it sounded like a modem. The programs were basically stored as a tape recording of a 300 baud modem. Even when I upgraded to the Commodore-64, it still used the tape drive. It wasn't unusual to wait 45 minutes for a program to load off tape only to get the dreaded "Load Error".

It was all worth it, though: Spam hadn't been invented yet.

November 11^th is Remembrance Day in Canada.

• Veterans Affairs Canada is definately worth a visit.
• The Royal Canadian Legion is also a great resource.
• This site is dedicated to John McCrae's poem "In Flanders Fields".

Canadians are asked to observe 2 minutes of silence at 11:00AM.

The U.S.A. is observing Veteran's Day. Here is a web site about their day.

eWeek's Jim Rapoza has an interesting article about how 3^rd-party application designers may just have seriously damaged the trustworthyness of SSL. They were probably trying to be helpful, but they definately should have put more thought into their actions.

It is worth your time to read.

My Terminator 3 DVD arrived today. I don't think it's even officially released until tomorrow, but I ordered it online. Chapters.ca tries to send the DVD so it arrives on release day. Occasionally, that comes out in my favour as an early arrival.

I haven't seen this at the theatre, so I'm looking forward to it. I even think I'm going into this movie with the right attitude... expecting a great ride, but not much of a plot. That's fine by me. Ah-nuld is at his best like that, after all.

Getting a DVD without seeing the movie in the theatre isn't uncommon for me. If I'm not desperate to see the movie right away, I just skip the theatre and wait for the DVD instead. This lets me avoid all the people that have never heard of manners. People are so ignorant in theatres these days, I just can't take it any more. Maybe if it was still 25¢ for a matinée.

You can take a peek at my DVD collection at Guzzlefish, if you like. The first blog entry I ever made was about Guzzlefish.

Edit (Nov 11): I really enjoyed it. It was pretty much exactly what I was expecting. The extra disk has some great stuff on it as well.

I used to fancy myself a bit of an inventor. I never had a great deal of success, though. I wish I knew why. I still think I have a few good ideas in me.

My inventions started out centered on the food-service industry. I came out with Aerosol Spray-on Fish. Even targetted at fancy restaurants with names like "Squid Soufflé" and "Flounder Foam", it didn't do well. Right about that time, I saw what mad-cow disease was doing to the beef industry and tried to find a use for all that wasted meat. I guess people weren't ready for Leperoni Pizza.

Time for a change in tactics. Adult web sites were doing well, so I targetted that market. Looking back, I see I still had food on my mind, though. Guinness Genuine Douche, Lusterine Morning-after Mouthwash , and Jalapeño Condoms all did really poorly. Underarm Reodorant was the pits, too, but I almost expected that one to fail.

The last nail in the coffin was my attempt with family planning devices. Both Vasecto-matic and Vaginomite barely got of the ground. I pretty-much gave up after that. I do have some ideas for pets and children though. I guess you can never stop being an inventor.

Several more obscure but memorable items from my childhood. Does anybody else remember any of these things?

• Bill and Ben, the Flowerpot Men: If Teletubbies trigger homophobia in you, this English show from the BBC would have made your testicles explode.
• The Clangers: Another BBC masterpiece that included a gravy lake and a soup dragon.
• Holmes and Yo-yo: A short-lived show about a police detective and his flakey robot partner.
• B.J. and the Bear: A short-lived show about a trucker and his monkey partner.
• Automan: A short-lived show about a police detective and his holographic partner.
• Stretch Armstrong: A super-hero doll action-figure whose power was apparently some sort of collagen disorder.
• Salvage 1: A short-lived show about a man who builds a rocket-ship in his junkyard.
• The Goodies: A weekly sketch comedy show. Goody, goody, yum-yum! I'd love to see this come out on DVD.
• Mille Bournes: My sister and I used to play this great card-game on those lengthy road trips. Great fun.
• Tomorrow People: Another old BBC show. Science fiction about kids with special powers. I've mentioned it in my blog before. See if you remember the theme song.

I really hate the fine print and deviously cautious wording on TV commercials. It lets anyone say anything about any product. Here are a few that are bugging me at the moment:

• Made with Carne Asada™ steak! Big deal. Carne Asada is Spanish for "roasted meat". I won't eat anywhere that brags about the fact that they're now cooking their meat.
  
  Tip for the savy #1: If a key phrase isn't in English, activate the warning siren.
  
  
• Now with Menthactin™! The whole (really badly acted) commercial is about the wonders of the new miracle fluid "Menthactin". The fine print reveals that Menthactin is just menthol flavour added to the same old cough syrup.
  
  Tip for the savy #2: If a key word or phrase is made up, activate the warning siren.
  
  
• Snore stopper spray! Oh, by the way, this product is not intended to "diagnose, treat or cure". Legalese for "Doesn't do a fucking thing, but we can say we were selling a placebo effect if we ever get sued".
  
  Tip for the savy #3: If the small print is really, really small, activate the warning siren.
  
  
• KFC™ Chicken breasts contain lots of protein and carbohydrates so they're a great part of an excellent diet. Lot's of fine print here, and it's reminding you that they're not a low fat or low salt food. That is legalese for "if you can dig past the lard and sodium, you will find a statistically significant amount of non-harmful components. You're unlikely to die during the process of eating. What happens when you walk out the door is not our responsibility".
  
  Tip for the savy #4: If the fine print obscures more than half of the screen, activate the warning siren.
  
  
• Pork-Rinds Lite™ Pardon? Pork-Rinds LITE?!. If you aren't familiar with them; they are strips of deep-fried pork fat that are then heavily salted. Really. Here's the fine print: 'Lite' refers to texture and/or colour. Come on, now. If you want to eat deep-fried lard, go for it. But to have a product like this jump on the "health" bandwagon is just pure sleeze.
  
  Tip for the savy #5: If they misspell something, activate the warning siren.
  

I really have a feeling I'll be coming back to this blog entry to add some more. I'm watching TV right now, and there is never a shortage of this crap.

This is, um, interesting:

Important Medical Study Results

This, of course, leaves me with one question: how do I get the names and phone numbers of the women in this study?

Welcome to Fear Factor 2005. This is your chance to prove that fear is not a factor with you. We're running out of ideas. That scares us, but it won't stop us!

Welcome to challenge #1. Various members of the film crew will beat each one of you around the head and private areas with a piece of pipe. The first one of you to lose consciousness will not be going on to the next challenge.

Welcome to challenge #2. I'd like to introduce you to Bessie and her three friends. These cows have flesh-eating disease and explosive diarrhea. Each of you will have to slaughter and eat one complete cow using only your mouth.

Welcome to challenge #3. This large device is a Pratt & Whitney™ JT9D-7Q engine. It has 53,000 pounds of thrust. Once we spin it up to full speed, you will have to sneak up behind it. Then you must push your face into the exhaust port and stop the turbine with your tongue. Once that is done, you will be able to see a Glock 9mm hidden inside the engine. Grab the gun and kill your opponent before he kills you. The survivor will win $50,000!

I'm sick. Really sick. I would be wallowing in self-pity if I wasn't wallowing in mucus.

I guess I have the fact that I'm not actually dieing to buoy my spirits. Yesterday was a lot worse. It was the fact that I must actually be dieing that was buoying my spirits then. It's a matter of perspective.

I went into work today anyway. Too much to do.

"You look terrible!". Good. I'd hate to feel like shit and not have it show.
"Are you infectious?". I've been told I have a nice laugh.
"Why didn't you stay home?". The thought of suffering this alone was too much to bear.
"Ewww! Ew!". Sorry. I'll get some glass cleaner for your monitor.

It's a slow day, so I'll just lame-out and do one of those list things that everyone else seems to be doing. So here are 10 things I remember fondly from my early childhood (in no particular order):

J.P. Patches

A very low budget TV show that's now become a cult classic. J.P.Patches was a clown, and Mr. Nouncerman was the announcer (and camera man). A whole generation of west-coast children and their parents dragged themselves out of bed early to see this show.

The Secret World of Og

I think we had this book read to us in elementary school. It's a classic. Read it to your kids.

The Phantom Tollbooth

I saw this in our local cinema and still remember thoroughly enjoying it. I thoroughly enjoyed the big bag of popcorn we used to get for 10¢ too.

The Fantastic Voyage

This movie doesn't really hold up today, but I remember being truly in awe.

Snow Forts

Where I grew up it wasn't unusual to have 5 feet of sticky snow on the ground. When we built snow forts you could stand up in them. We had some great snow-ball battles.

The Bugs Bunny - Road Runner Hour

I think this is also the source of the hatred I have for curling. Whenever curling ran long, the T.V. station would just cut the beginning off Bugs Bunny. Horror!

Mad Magazine

Like every other kid I knew, I had a subscription to this magazine. I used to read every word when it arrived. Even the movie satires that I didn't understand.

Blackpool, England

Blackpool in England was a similar concept to Coney Island. To my young eyes, it was better than Disneyland.

My Poppa's Workshop

My Poppa (great grand father) was a jack-of-all-trades. His workshop was packed with all the tools and tidbits he collected through his life. It had everything from the makings of false teeth through to telescopes.

Kitimat

This would be "home" to me. It was the perfect place for a child to grow up. Not so great for teenagers or adults, though, so we probably left at the right time. Lots of snow, beautiful landscapes, rocks to climb, and friendly neighbours.

I guess I can see why bloggers do these lists. That was a fun ride.

I was bouncing around from blog to blog. I stumbled across someone who had initially disliked "Matrix Reloaded", but really liked it after they watched it a second time. I really liked it the first time I watched it, but what changed this person's mind? (spoilers) He said he'd missed a few major plot points, including the fact that the guy in the infirmary with Neo at the end of the movie was Smith in disguise.

Shenanigans! Shenanigans I cried!

I grabbed my Matrix Reloaded DVD and skipped to the end. I was right. The guy at the end looks nothing like Agent Smith. Well, I thought, I have the DVD out now... let's watch it again.

Oh my. I completely missed it the first time through, but the guy was right. It hadn't spoiled the movie for me at all because I simply took this guy as a generic "bad guy" (he has a goatee, after all!). It is clearly established within the first few minutes that he is Smith. At least he is "infected" or influenced by Smith. Well. That adds an interesting new layer to the upcoming movie I hadn't anticipated.

In defense of myself, I did notice one concept that seemed pretty obvious to me but not clear to many of my friends. We are left wondering if Neo was a human "rescued" from the Matrix, or a program "released" from it. An interesting duality. Which side of the looking-glass is real, and if you step through, are you stepping into the reflection or out from it?