Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is like Kevin Smith’s version of The Muppet Movie with a bit of The Great Muppet Caper thrown in too. That doesn’t mean little kids should go see it, of course.

From the Journal of Mundane Behavior, a social experiment, The Bride, Off Duty. A woman dressed in bridal finery goes about her business, getting money at an ATM, walking the dog, pumping gas. In the wrong context, and without a groom, the bride elicits suspicion, congratulations, requests for photos, compliments. Is there a costume that carries more emotional identification than a bridal gown?

Thanks everyone for all the congratulatory links and email. We have returned from a mega bookshopping trip that involved us visiting every single Portland location of Powell’s. When the weather cleared (coincidentally) we visited Mount St. Helens. Some day I’ll get all our photos web consumable.

If I wanted to study stressful driving, I’d pick Boston too. Of course MIT is already ideally located for that, and Rosalind Picard’s continued research into discerning human emotions has a study focused on producing a car that can analyze its driver’s stress level. Partially funded by automakers (isn’t it nice when you can get a corporation to pay for your research and it’s for good, not evil?), the hope is that the car can calm the driver down when necessary. Or perhaps it can just tell other cars to get the heck out of the way.

HumanMarkup Language “seeks to embed human characteristics within data, through XML.” It’s an interesting and ambitious concept. I’m trying to imagine what it would be like if I could mark a phrase in my weblog as being sarcastic, and have a reader’s browser indicate it as such. My writing style would certainly be different, perhaps not for the better, if the intended mood could be sent over the wire in addition to the words. A better example of an application for an emotional markup would be avatars, like the newsreader Ananova who already interprets XML in order to convey the proper emotional look for a news story. A scary example is a website with a laugh track. Perhaps this concept will help cross cultural boundaries. But the reality is, even if I find something funny and mark it as such, not everyone will. So it’s a communication device that says “this is what I think”, not “this is how you should think.” Which is, perhaps, always the proper way to communicate. (from a New Scientist item)

We’re married. Everyone and everything was wonderful.

(Special “bored while waiting for friends to arrive from the airport” entry): I’m enjoying the extra verbiage that is now appearing under the ratings in the movie ads. You can play “guess which movie” when reading them aloud. “PG-13, Western Violence”, “PG-13, Action, violence, language, and some sexual material”, “R, Strong sexual content, crude humor, language and drinking”, “PG-13, Thematic elements and frightening moments”. Those movies are, in order, American Outlaws, Rush Hour 2, American Pie 2 (you got that one, right?), and The Others. Unfortunately the one in the Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back ad is too tiny to read. And I’m too tired to look it up. But I bet it’s good.

The wedding frenzy is upon us. I’m taking a needed break from updating here. I shall return in a week or so. Until then, make sure to enjoy some time away from the computer with someone you care about. Or a good book. Or both.

Personal news: My honor attendant’s mother passed away today. It was sudden, unexpected, and therefore a complete shock to everyone. I feel a bit disrespectful plastering the news here on my weblog, but this is the best place for me to express, in public, my dismay and sadness. And writing has always been a part of my healing process.

Needless to say, my honor attendant and I were best friends for the longest of times. We don’t see each other much now and our paths have drifted apart, but our friendship was so tight and close that we were each a part of the other’s family. So her mother’s death has ripped me into two sides. First side: if this had been any other week, and I mean any other week, I would be on the plane home to be there with her. But I’m getting married on Sunday and, even if I wanted to, there’s no way she and her mom would allow me to derail our wedding. Second side: I am hating that my best friend from childhood is not going to be able to share our wedding day. But, again, there are just too many people and logistics involved to do anything about that.

Ultimately, the beautiful gift her mother has left us is the importance of perspective. What life means and what love means. The wedding itself means little. It is the marriage, family, and community that truly matters.

NASA’s Helios may be the next new-fangled solution for “last-mile” broadband. At 1,850 pounds it can take off at an amazing 30mph, fly at an altitude of 100,000 miles, and recharges with solar power. Subscribers would use a satellite dish for access. Most surprising? “Helios’ ‘brain’ is an Apple Computer Macintosh computer.” Our skies could be layered with all sorts of transportation and telecommunications equipment soon.