Given the right treatment I think the Fall of Gondolin would be a great movie. Bring on the Balrogs! Actually there's plenty of stuff in the Silmarillion that could be made into film. I'd like to see Ungoliant killing trees in the theater.

If you're not replaceable then you're not promotable. I *want* people to be able to do what I do so that I have the option of doing something else.

I was thinking about that book myself - I don't know that I've ever read a better programming book. Not only could the guy invent a language but he could write well enough to explain it in as easy a manner as possible given the subject matter. That's a talented guy right there.

You just nailed exactly what I was thinking. Someone too cheap to pony up 150 bucks for my mental comfort doesn't deserve my attention to begin with. Something stupid like that just shows you how much they value (or don't value) your time.

I think the siege of Gondolin out of the Silmarillion would make a hell of a movie, as would the part where Morgoth & Ungoliant destroy the trees. Man, I need a life. I also agree that, given the right writing, the sequel they're planning could be decent.

Speaking of bad movies, imagine this guy doing De Niro's Taxi Driver thing... "You lickin' at me? Are you licking at ME?"

Ever have one of those mornings where your GF is pissed at you for something you did in HER dream? Man, I hate that...

watching stallman playing pitt's part in "burn after reading" would be totally worth the price of admittance.

I have a toyota tacoma (pre-recall) that has a 6 speed manual transmission and I love it. It's amazing to me, however, the number of people who simply don't know how to operate a manual vehicle. I insisted that my daughter learn to drive in one, and my son will be learning how in this particular one this summer. Seems to me there's no harm in knowing how to operate common machinery even if later on you decide you don't want to use it and choose an automatic instead. Some folks might think it's old fashioned or whatever, but I wouldn't be too amazed to find that those are largely the people who don't know how to use one.

I'm sure the guys in the grateful dead would be really upset by "distortion of reality"...

Nah, as a matter of policy we (the US) don't seem to follow the Geneva convention anymore. The use of either Pelosi or Clinton could, however, be construed as "cruel" even if it's not "unusual."

australia.

You know, that same problem put MY moon trip in doubt.

I'm pretty sure Eric Clapton played that solo.

Jimmy Page had (probably still has) that old Danelectro guitar that he kept in a different (open) tuning for stuff like Kashmir, In My Time Of Dying, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, etc. I always get a kick out of the thought of him rocking out in front of tens of thousands of people on a 30 year old $50 guitar. Jerry Garcia's first electric guitar was a Danelectro too.

Page is still the first person I think of as well when I think of a Les Paul guitar.