Last week movies,

Last week, it was a crappy heavy loaded week, but I manage to watch at least three films...

1. Babel, ****
   This film stressed me. Most probably I'm already stressed wanting to push a paper before the end of the month, worrying about the violence in Mexico, and so on. Whatever, this film is just great, it takes you and delivers a great narrative. It builds up, it twist, it uncoils, but fails to give an awesome closure. Nevertheless, a great film. By the way, it was made by a Mexican.
   


2. 3:10 to Yuma, ****
   I like westerns. I grew up watching them with my dad, likewise with WWII films. This film is true to the archetypical western film, heroes, villains, repentant anti-hero. It seems like Bale is an expert at playing a serious psychotic role. Crowe plays a nice anti-hero.
   


3. Battle in Seattle, **
   The good things about this film: You can learn about being a legal activist. It is not just mindlessly fighting the world elite, but protesting with a greater goal in mind and under the law.
   

I managed to catch up with the Big Bang Theory, the guys found a ring, a Lord of the Rings' ring, you can imagine what followed. I got myself into...

1. Andromeda: 3rd Season, ****
   While the attempts to expand the universe and producing possible Deus Ex Machina solutions for latter on have ceased, now the unfolding of inner crew stories and personal plans are not so awesome as the first season was. Nevertheless, this third season managed to keep me interested enough to get the fourth.
   

Keeping processes running after logging out from a remote server

Sometimes, the workstation at my desk is not enough for running a simulation and simultaneous on-line procrastination; enter the workstation or the cluster of our theoretical optics group.

While a cluster usually has a queue manager, a workstation usually lacks this software. In our case, both cluster and workstation lack a queue manager. Now, a queue manager usually keeps a process running in the remote server no matter what your logged status is. How to do the same without a queue manager? The answer is simple: nohup.

For simplicity's sake, I'm using an SSH connection to a linux machine if I want to leave a process running at the server and then log out I use the command:

nohup command_to_run &

Note that the ampersand symbol has to be issued in order to send the process to the background.

Say, for example, I want to leave the compiled binary file for a fortran program running in the remote server even if I log out:

nohup ./BinFile &

Or a matlab m-file script, please remind yourself to always add an exit command at the end of your script or you will end up with many matlab iddle processes running in the background:

nohup matlab -r MatlabScript.m -nodesktop -nojvm -nosplash &

Or a mathematica m-file function, again remind yourself to add an Exit[] command at the end of your script or you will end up with an iddle mathematica process running in the background:

nohup math -noprompt -run "<<MathematicaFunction.m" &

Usually, all the terminal messages from the processes are written to a file named: nohup.out

My first encounter with Durif...

Today I was wandering the neighbourhood and found a liquor store. They, the liquor store, trade with whiskeys and, it seems like, red Australian original but Scottish branded wines. While my favourite wines are red syrah, or a mix of it, I got myself a bottle of McManis Family Vineyards's Petite Sirah grape. It was my fist encounter with such a grape so I was a little bit amused about what I will get for my money. I have bought my dinner beforehand and predicted a catastrophe of sorts; it was a sea food dinner and Durif is a tannic. However, it proved I'm a prejudiced ass-hole. It was great! While the mixture of salmon, rice and the Durif wine was not awesome or something I will choose after any other combination, the taste of the Durif wine, somehow a raisin-like flavour, proved awesome for skipping the evening reading the news, watching some tv-series and writing this blog.

So, if you can go for it, try it!

Last week movies,

Last week, I went for one of Lyx choices, as every week, and two of mine. As always, Lyx's choice proved solid gold while mine, well, sucked big time...

1. The Illusionist, *****
   In the begining I took it for something related to The Prestige, another of Lyx choices. It seems both came to the theatres almost at the same time. While The Prestige story lies heavily in magic and science fiction, The Illusionist plot lies heavily in cunning and illusion. I really enjoyed it. I think the experience was enhanced by the fact that I was expecting some kind of bullshit magic twist like the one in The Prestige, but it never came.
   


2. Bridge to Terabithia, *
   Based on the novel with the same title, this Disney movie is just a Disney movie. While well done, there's nothing remarkable. By the way, I have read very good comments about the book.
   


3. Blue Crush, *
   The good things about this film: The Hawaiian sea, Michelle Rodriguez, Kate Bosworth, and Sanoe Lake wearing short pants or swimsuits.
   

While there was a Big Bang Theory episode this week, I didn't manage to watch it, so I will have to catch a rerun. What I manage to get my hands on was...

1. Andromeda: 2nd Season, ****
   I found the second season of Andromeda a little bit dissapointing; the universe keeps expanding and it seems quite clear how desperate the writters are to set a formidable foe for the dark one in the first season, at least I fealt it that way. I am currently watching the third season so I will keep you informed.
   

Last week movies,

Last week, I went for the Edward Burns and drinking film combination, again, plus a great fiction film. These are the results...

1. The Prestige, *****
   In the begining I took it for a drama and thought I've figured out the plot. Then, I was completely abashed. It happens that it is really a science fiction, magic film. A nice story, great twist, great actors and entertainers: Michael Caine, David Bowie, Hugh Jackman.
   


2. Looking for Kitty, ****
   This is the Edward Burns' film of the week. It is a story that takes you to those places in New York where the little man stood up to the great developer and didn't sell his piece of land. Those nice old buildings at the foot of skyscrapers. Meanwhile, it takes you into different broken hearts and their ways of coping or not coping. Give this a try.


3. Swingers, *
   I got the reference to this film from Sideways. The title made me hope for neo-swing, I got lucky as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy plays three songs here. I didn't like the film, truth be told, but it was fun to see Vince Vaughn, John Favreau, Ron Livingston, Alex Desert when they were young and thin. Also, there's Heather Graham. The thing that made me laugh the most was the scene stolen from Reservoir Dogs. That and BBVD made my day.
   

At last, Big Bang Theory is back on track with the 16th episode of the third season. The guys met Stan Lee, you can imagine that somehow they manage to fumble it all. Also I got my eyes on...

1. 3rd. Rock from the Sun: 2nd Season, *****
   I found the first season great and wanted more, risking to hate the series in case it didn't live up to the first season. It does, still the episode names revolve around the name Dick and many funny things happen. I'm waiting to get my hands on the third season!
   

Last week movies,

Last week, I decided to try some films I have heard about every now and then...

1. The Lost Weekend, *****
   A long time ago, I heard about this film. It is one of those 1945, black and white, great photography and acting, films. The story, a semi-biographical narrative, is based on the 1944 novel of the same title by Charles Jackson. It tells the story of a five day weekend in the life of an alcoholic writer.


2. She's the One, ****
   This is an Edward Burns film. I like Burns way of writing and directing, somehow you feel the city. Most of his stories have N.Y. and its islands as part of the cast, Burns takes you into the city, gives you a taste of it. Another thing I like about Burns' work is that it explores the feelings of those particular critical moments in men's life. Give this a try.


3. The Soloist, ****
   Based on the true story of Mr. Ayers, a schizophrenic homeless talented musician in L.A., and Mr. Lopez, a L.A. Times columnist. This film summarizes the book of the same title written by Mr. Lopez. It caught my eye because two good actors are on this film: Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx; it lived up to my expectations.


4. Up, ****
   I like Disney's films; the old ones. Truth be told, I enjoyed this film very much. It was a great mixture of hilarious surreal comedy with a lot of sentimental charge. An excellent essay on loyalty, love and living.
   

Again, there were no episodes for Big Bang Theory or Better off Ted this last week. So, this week I took a swing on:

1. Andromeda: 1st Season, *****
   I was looking for a good sci-fi television series and I found Andromeda. There was a Galactic Commonwealth and it fell. Fortuitely, one of its top of the line battleships , the Andromeda, maned by just its Captain, Dyllon Hunt, was kept outside of time for 300 hundred years. They have come back into the timeflow and with a ragtag crew of 4, they will try to bring the commonwealth back. I cannot wait to watch the second season!