Ex Machina (2015)

IMDB

Ex Machina (2015): SciFi. Explores what it means to be human. Creepy rich eccentric builds an AI robot. Is it conscious or itself creepy? B-

POTD: Idle Oil Rigs

From 2015 11 13 Caribbean Cruise

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Galveston, Texas. It shows idle oil rigs in the Galveston Channel. Now I don't know anything about the oil industry, but I know that gasoline prices are below $2/gallon, the lowest they've been in a decade. That can't be good for the oil industry. I wouldn't be surprised if these rigs stand idle for a while longer.

The Sad State of Suburban Office Parks

In a story titled, "The Sad State of Suburban Office Parks", CityLab sounds a warning that ought to resonate in Richardson.

So-called Class A office space is in transit-oriented areas that are at least close to highways. These offices don't need to be in walkable, urban neighborhoods -- though that's ideal. At the very least, today's workers want to get lunch or maybe even a workout without firing up an engine.
...
There are models that developers are using to transform older office parks throughout the country, to measured success. They mostly involve turning definitely-suburban office parks into urban-like, albeit still isolated, office “cities.” (It is worth noting that many of these projects involve extensive rezoning efforts.)

Source: CityLab.

Winter on Fire (2015)

IMDB

Winter on Fire (2015): Documentary of Ukraine revolution. Can't praise these people enough for their courage & determination. Stunning. A+

POTD: "World's Only Corn Palace"

From 2015 08 15 South Dakota

Architects call them the "Big Three" -- the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, and the Corn Palace. Today's photo-of-the-day is from Mitchell, South Dakota, home of the "World's Only Corn Palace." A bonus in the photo is the 1959 Pontiac Bonneville, Motor Trend Magazine's "Car of the Year" for that year. It's fitting that it's in the photo, given that my only previous visit to the Corn Palace was in the late 1950s, when many similar vintage cars filled the streets.

Big Eyes (2014)

IMDB

Big Eyes (2014): Biopic of Margaret Keane. Art or kitsch? Innocent fib or fraud? Trapped or complicit? Portrait of a bad marriage. B+

POTD: Classic Road Picture

From 2015 08 15 South Dakota

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Badlands National Park. It's the South Dakota version of the classic road picture. The original classic road picture, from Monument Valley on the border of Utah and Arizona, is after the jump.