April 23, 2003

Walkerton Public Utility Commission employees Stan and Frank Koebel are being charged with breach of trust, forgery and putting the public in danger for their part in the tainted-water tragedy that killed seven people. 11:21:33 PM

More movie news: The LA Times (reg. required) looks at a family with multiple generations of experience as film projectionists and how they, now as owners of a family run theatre are dealing with the change to digital projectors. 11:15:55 PM

The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions will be released in large format Imax cinemas after being digitally reformatted for their screen size using the Imax DMR technology. The Matrix Reloaded with come out two or three weeks after the May 15 general release while The Matrix Revolutions will be released simultaneous with the general release on November 5th of this year(via Slashdot).  Dispelling my fears the press release notes that an upgrade in the capacity of the Imax reel units to support film lengths of 150 minutes means the movies will not need to be cut to play on Imax screens. Last years initial Imax DMR releases last year of Apollo 13 and Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones needed cuts as they were longer than the two hour limit of the existing Imax film reels. 11:15:11 PM

Fictionwise is giving away electronic copies of some of the science fiction and fantasy works nominated for this year’s Hugo Award. First released is Madonna of the Maquiladora by Gregory Frost, nominated in the novette category. Meanwhile one of short stories on the Hugo Award Ballot has been replaced after being ruled ineligible, due to prior publication. 11:14:02 PM

In Slate.com Fred Kaplan argues that the Army’s AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter performed poorly during the war in Iraq and previously during the Gulf War, Afghanistan and Kosovo. He suggests that it should be dropped in favour of fixed wing aircraft such as the Air Force’s A-10 Warthog but interservice rivalries and an Air Force distaste for ground support roles prevent this from occurring. I disagree – the problem in attack is that the Apaches attacked an area where many enemy troops could not be fired upon because of the rules of engagement as they were on the roofs of civilian buildings. Therefore the problems they faced are due to usage not design. Furthermore helicopters can take off and land vertically and hover in one place and be stationary for greater accurately when firing. 11:13:12 PM

SARS It’s official – but highly disputed: Toronto is a hazard zone. 11:12:38 PM

Patch your Windows. 11:12:11 PM