http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/ en-us 2008-07-19T11:43:21-05:00 http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/027551.html This morning I felt daring. Perhaps it was the fact that I've been thinking about trying out the DeLonghi ever since I got it for my birthday. Or maybe it was because I woke up at 7:30am, watched A Fist Full of Dollars, and was totally pumped to accomplish something this morning--you know, like the kind of accomplishment the Man with No Name pulls off in the third act of the movie. While there weren't really any feuding gangs for me to mess with, I did get up the gumption to try my hand at espresso. non_academic MikeRubino 2008-07-19T11:43:21-05:00 http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/027541.html For my birthday this past weekend, my brother gave me a rather mysterious and intriguing gift. Like in children's film when a strange relative gives a boy a magical book or a mystical relic that's been passed on for generations, I was handed a gift that has been stored in our basement for about a decade, untouched and never used, yet containing great power. It was a DeLonghi Bar-6 Espresso Machine. non_academic MikeRubino 2008-07-16T15:07:18-05:00 http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/027532.html National Review Online recently posted a roundtable discussion with its contributors about their ideal "conservative summer reading list." Basically various writers and editors at NRO talked about their favorite books that happen to exemplify conservatism--and I'm not just talking about books of punditry by Sean Hannity. So I thought I, too, would fill out their survey. non_academic MikeRubino 2008-07-10T11:19:46-05:00 http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/027504.html Because of mere chance, and the fact that I'm closest to the door in my office and therefore have to sign for all deliveries, I received what is said to be the Pen of the Year. Specifically, it is a Uni-Ball Vision RT, which was given to me for free just because I filled out a little Sanford survey card. The pen did not come along, but was accompanied by a slip of paper detailing its credentials. non_academic MikeRubino 2008-06-30T13:54:54-05:00 http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/027507.html Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation last night at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. The Adaptation is a shot-for-shot remake of the Spielberg classic, filmed back in the early 1980s by a group of 12 year olds. It took the kids seven years to complete their film, which they promptly shelved and forgot as they moved on with their lives. Time passed, and through a complicated series of events a VHS copy of the tape made its way to Eli Roth, and subsequently, Steven Spielberg. That was 2003, and since then the director Eric Zala has been holding rare screenings of his movie for non-profits and charities across the country. He can't exactly sell the thing, since it borrows heavily from the original Raiders soundtrack and script (which the kids recite word for word), but he's more than willing to share it.]]> non_academic MikeRubino 2008-06-28T10:23:34-05:00 http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/025744.html I can't say I didn't see this coming: the National Wave, which hoped to "unite" America by making everyone wave "uniting towels" at the behest of Hulk Hogan, has been cancelled. While this may sound strange to an outsider, to the small town of Freedom, PA (in Beaver County), it's been a part of daily life... mainly because the Freedom Group of America, the non-profit organization founded just to promote the event, erected a gigantic countdown sign next to the town's municipal building. non_academic MikeRubino 2008-06-23T18:15:22-05:00 http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/025719.html John McCain's campaign appears to be doing alright for itself. His adherence to the public money deal of campaigning is especially beneficial since Barack Obama flipped on the issue. Of course, this means that McCain will have considerably less money against Obama's corporate-funded juggernaut campaign; he'll have to rely on unconventional, grassroots campaigning to win the presidency. The biggest aspect of this grassroots effort is apparently e-mail. non_academic MikeRubino 2008-06-22T14:41:21-05:00 http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/025728.html The ever timely and visionary Al Gore emerged at a decisive point in the presidential campaign today to endorse Barack Obama. It was a daring and bold move for Gore, who is likely to make some enemies by endorsing Obama over his stiff competition. non_academic MikeRubino 2008-06-16T22:43:42-05:00 http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/025711.html The 2008 Presidential Election is really starting to heat up because of one major new development: John McCain revamped his website! Okay, so that's not nearly as exciting as it sounds... and you may have been thinking I was talking about Hillary (finally) dropping out. While as entertaining as that was, the re-vamp of McCain's website is something that sent the graphic design blogosphere into a frenzy. The Vanity Fair blog first noticed the change at the end of last month while they were in the middle of comparing the websites of Obama, Clinton and McCain. Now, with the race entering the general election, these new media powerhouses have to stand up to plenty of scrutiny. non_academic MikeRubino 2008-06-11T22:52:38-05:00 http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/025694.html I just finished BioShock for the XBOX 360, and, aside from being one of the most engrossing games I've ever played, I was surprised to find the game brimming with the philosophies of Ayn Rand. I don't know why I was surprised, there is plenty to read online about the game's connection with the radical 20th Century philosopher, but I never had a reason to look into it before I got my XBOX. Having read Atlas Shrugged and other books she's written, it's cool to see a game wrestle with these heady libertarian ideas and bring them to a bigger audience. non_academic MikeRubino 2008-06-08T14:42:33-05:00 http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/025686.html Last night, the Pittsburgh Penguins battled for their lives. Caught in the city of Detroit with the Red Wings on the verge of claiming the Stanley Cup, the Pens reached deep; they tied the game with 35 seconds to go, and then essentially played an entire second game of hockey, going in to triple overtime before winning off of a goal by Peter Sykora. There were plenty of amazing storylines last night: Malone getting blasted in the face by a slapper from Hal Gill, only to return with a bloodied, purple face to finish the game; Gonchar leaving the game after a shoulder injury, coming back just in time to play on the game-winning powerplay; goaltender Marc Andre Fleury stopping 55 shots and playing the game of his life; Crosby sacrificing his body and diving in front of almost every overtime shot he saw; and, of course, Peter Sykora telling Pierre McGuire that he will score the game-winning goal... and then doing it! And so rightfully, that game will go down as one of the best ever in Pens history. non_academic MikeRubino 2008-06-03T10:06:29-05:00 http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/025685.html Time to do some more podcast waxing. So for anyone who is an avid follower of our radio serial Dodge Intrepid and the Pages of Time, you know that it's been quite some time without an update or an episode. This isn't for lack of trying, I assure you. The usual routine for our podcasting habits are to get into our recording studio (which consists of some decent microphones, stands, and a Peavey soundboard who's model number currently escapes me) either directly before or a few days after our live Cafe Kolache performances. I then take those studio recordings and edit them with Apple Garageband, taking time to foley some sound effects and add some polish to everything. Unfortunately, this time around, when I went to edit our recordings, I found that they had all been infested with a terrible electric hum (which my audiophile comrade Moses diagnosed as a 60hz hum). The buzz can apparently be caused by a loose wire, inadequate power, or a bad cord. I haven't yet determined which one of those is the culprit, mainly because I've been trying to salvage all the hard work we did. non_academic MikeRubino 2008-06-02T15:19:15-05:00 http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/025668.html Over the Memorial Day Weekend I had a chance to visit a little treasure tucked away in the small town of Indiana, PA: The Jimmy Stewart Museum. Being that the fine actor is from Indiana, and this past week was his 100th birthday, it seemed like the perfect time to hit up the museum that I had been dying to visit (ever since Karissa first informed me that it existed). non_academic MikeRubino 2008-05-29T21:49:17-05:00 http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/025661.html I went and saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull last night at midnight. There was a lot of early talk that this newest installment in the franchise was going to be horrendous (or at the very least, not be worth the 19-year wait). With countless screenplay changes, the lack of Connery, and the general involvement of George Lucas, people may have been right to be skeptical. Thankfully, I can report that there's nothing to worry about. non_academic MikeRubino 2008-05-22T10:14:29-05:00 http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeRubino/025643.html MOVIE SELECTION, OCTOBER 1992 dorky MikeRubino 2008-05-20T13:12:10-05:00