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Posts Tagged 'Paul Bettany'
Waiting in Silence
Posted in Film Reviews, tagged 2018, Asa Butterfield, drama, Journey's End, Paul Bettany, Sam Claflin, Saul Dibb, war on February 6, 2018| 1 Comment »
The First World War shows no signs of losing its grip on our collective imagination, even as it inevitably recedes beyond the realm of living memory. Part of this may be due to the fact that we are currently living through the centenary of the war, with regular reminders in terms of the specific commemorations of individual battles and other events, but it may also be because the war in a way marked the death of a particular notion of how the world was, and the birth of another. And there is the fact that it is popularly remembered as the archetypal example of a futile, pointless war, whereas the Second World War is virtually celebrated as the proof that such a thing as a just war is possible. In other words, if you want to make an anti-war war movie, you're probably going to set it in the trenches, and this is certainly the case with Saul Dibb's new adaptation of R.C. Sheriff's famous play Journey's End.
The film is set in early 1918, with British soldiers on the western front living in anticipation of a major German offensive, intended to break the deadlock between the two sides. Each company of soldiers is required to spend five days a month on the actual front line, and scheduled to be there when the German attack is expected is the company of Captain Stanhope (Sam Claflin). Stanhope has been worn down almost to nothing by the stresses of command and the war, and is drinking heavily, relying on the counsel of his older second-in-command Osborne (the ever-watchable Paul Bettany). He is less than delighted when his fiancee's young brother Jimmy (Asa Butterfield) has himself posted to his company as a second lieutenant.
Nevertheless, the company takes up its position in the front line trenches – squalid, dangerous, horrible – and is settling into a kind of routine when word comes down from the top: the German offensive will be coming in a couple of days, on their watch, and no help will be available. Adding to this, Stanhope is ordered to launch a dangerous raid on the German lines just a few yards away, in order to secure a prisoner for intelligence purposes. Being considered too valuable to risk himself, Stanhope is obliged to send Osborne and Raleigh on this insanely perilous and poorly-planned mission – but is there really any point to it…?
So, to coin a phrase, not a lot of laughs in this one – although there is a welcome touch of rather black humour courtesy of Toby Jones' somewhat put-upon trench chef. The danger here, of course, is that any jokes about dubious cooking in this kind of context will invariably remind audiences of a certain ilk of Blackadder Goes Forth. Is it too much to say that this sitcom played a major role in reinforcing perceptions of the First World War for a whole generation of viewers in Britain and beyond? I'm not sure, but what this film really seems to suggest is that Blackadder Goes Forth is, at heart, a rather liberal adaptation of Journey's End with a lot of jokes added to it.
The danger here is that the movie might appear to be simply dealing in the tropes of this kind of story, when the truth is that the original stage play (first put on in 1928) probably played a significant role in creating them in the first place. All the stereotypes are here – careworn protagonists, bright-eyed newcomers (a useful device for introducing the set-up to an audience), unfeeling top brass, and so on. This movie actually does a heroic job of keeping you invested in the characters and emotions of the piece, especially when so many of the actual moments are so firmly at odds with our more emotional times: the various characters restrict themselves to simply saying a stolid 'cheerio' as they prepare to await the enemy onslaught, for instance.
There are moments when the story and the manner of its telling can seem rather familiar – the callousness of senior officers is made clear when it is established the raid is to take place in daylight, when it is horrendously dangerous, simply because this is less likely to interfere with the dinner plans of the generals who will be considering the intelligence it provides – but on the whole this is a film which manages to feel contemporary and relevant rather than something too dry or retrospective. Mostly this is because of the quality of the performances, which are uniformly extremely good – none of the acting is particularly showy, but the characters come to life, and you are drawn into the story. The build-up to the crucial raid creates a queasy sense of dread which is genuinely uncomfortable, while the action itself is staccato, confusing; characters simply disappear in the chaos and are never seen again. If I have a criticism it's that the film's decision to go for a box office-friendly certification means the battle sequences are relatively anodyne – this is the kind of film where a touch more gruelling horror would not have felt out of place.
This is a highly impressive film, well-performed and written, and not showing obvious signs of what one assumes must have been a fairly modest budget. And I suspect the tendency will still be to dismiss it as another piece of heritage film-making, a period piece or a kind of heritage movie. Partly this is down to the subject matter, while the fact that virtually every speaking role is played by a white male means it might also feel a little out of step with the modern world. I'm not really sure what to say about this: it's a film about British army officers in the First World War, so how diverse can it realistically be? Does its attempt to be authentic make it necessarily flawed?
It would be ironic if Journey's End didn't reach an audience solely because it is perceived to be about a vanished milieu that has little in common with the world today. This film does work on a personal level, and bravery, compassion, fear, and all the other human strengths and frailties with which it is concerned are still very much with us. Maybe anti-war films are old-fashioned and redundant today, even ones as well-made as this one. But there are things which I think we will always need to be reminded of, and this film discharges that duty in a highly commendable manner.
The Latest Krays
Posted in Film Reviews, tagged 2015, Brian Helgeland, Christopher Eccleston, drama, Emily Browning, Paul Bettany, Tom Hardy, Tom Hardy (again), true story (?) on September 16, 2015| Leave a Comment »
It's not normally a good sign when you go to see a movie with a friend and can't decide afterwards exactly what sort of film it was supposed to be. I suppose you could have gone to watch one of those films which sets out to subvert the whole idea of genre, but then those are always a dicey proposition. Generally it just means you've spent a couple of hours watching a film with a bit of an identity crisis. This is not inappropriate, now I come to think of it, when we are talking about Brian Helgeland's vaguely-monickered new movie Legend.
Legend concerns the lives of the infamous Kray twins, London gangsters of the 1960s, who were notable for being celebrities as well as criminals. This is by no means the first film to be about them, either directly or obliquely, but it has carved out a bit of distinctiveness for itself by using the miracle of modern technology to enable Tom Hardy to play both twins, a challenge he tackles with considerable gusto (maybe a bit too much gusto, but we'll come back to that).
The movie opens in the early 60s with the Krays rising figures on the London gangland scene, routinely watched by the police (when they're not actually in prison). Reggie Kray is presented as the brains of the firm, a smooth, plausible-seeming businessman (though not averse to a spot of the old ultra-violence when necessary), while his brother Ronnie, according to the film, is a slightly thick criminally insane maniac. Fairly early on they dispose of their main rivals, the Richardsons, after a gruesomely violent bar brawl, and from then on the city is theirs.
The film is mostly framed by Reggie's relationship with Frances Shea (Emily Browning), the woman he eventually marries, but covers all the stuff you'd expect a Kray biopic to handle – gang warfare, the Boothby scandal, their connection with the Mafia, the murders of George Cornell and Jack McVitie, and so on. This is, inevitably, the kind of film which concludes with mugshots of the principals and captions relating what happened to them in later life (at the risk of spoilers: an awful lot of porridge).
Helgeland has assembled an impressive, mostly British cast, including Christopher Eccleston, the ever-watchable Paul Bettany, David Thewlis, Tara Fitzgerald, and so on, but the focus is almost always on Tom Hardy. Now, as Reggie, I would say Hardy gives a customarily good performance. The problem is with his turn as Ronnie – it seems to me that playing both characters perhaps allows Hardy to take each a bit further than he would if he were playing only one of them. Or perhaps a good deal further, because as Ronnie he arguably goes way over the top a lot of the time.
There's rather more Dinsdale Piranha in Hardy's glazed-eyed performance than is probably a good idea: he makes some rather curious choices, to say the least. 'What accent is he doing?' asked the friend of mine I saw Legend with, and I had to confess I had no idea. Is Tom Hardy genuinely playing a real-life convicted murderer for laughs? It's difficult to say, and that itself is a little disconcerting.
Then again, the whole film is arguably softer on the Krays than it should be – probably more than Peter Medak's 1990 biopic was. As the title suggests, this paints the twins as glamorous, almost romanticised figures – 'gangster princes… the city was theirs to conquer,' gushes the voice-over at one point, while within minutes the film is trotting out that old chestnut that the Krays were lovely boys who only ever hurt their own, and you could leave your front door unlocked in the East End back in the old days… and so on. It's not until close to the end of a long film that you're reminded that terrorising witnesses was part of the Krays' standard procedure, by which point it's a jarring realisation.
Even so, Legend has apparently been criticised by surviving members of the Kray clan for misrepresenting the twins – particularly the depiction of Reggie brutalising Frances Read, although the film doesn't make reference to the allegation that Read was actually murdered by Ronnie. Whatever you think of the twins, it's very difficult to shake the sense that their story has been stretched and twisted to fit Brian Helgeland's agenda, which appears to be to incorporate some modishly savage gangland violence into an ain't-those-Brits-quaint-style period piece. I'm not sure the intention justifies the changes – as ever, the morality of making an entertainment out of real life killers strikes me as questionable.
And an entertainment this certainly is. On the way out I asked my companion (who is not well acquainted with British culture or recent history) what kind of film she thought Legend was, and she said she thought it was a dark comedy. I couldn't honestly disagree, but on the other hand it can't really avoid being judged as a based-on-true-events crime drama, either. The technical skill and commitment that has gone into the entirety of the film is undeniable, for it is by no means badly made, but – just as with Tom Hardy's central performances – some of the creative choices that have been made are, to say the least, deeply questionable.
Age of Excess
Posted in Film Reviews, tagged 2015, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Elizabeth Olsen, fantasy, James Spader, Joss Whedon, Marvel, Paul Bettany, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, superhero on April 23, 2015| Leave a Comment »
What in the world is more likely to get a sequel than a movie with a $1.5 billion box office? A movie with a $1.5 billion box office that's a keystone of a sequence of over a dozen movies which has already made $7 billion. Yes, it's time for the unstoppable colossus that is Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron. I tell you, folks, there's something almost unsettling about the sheer aura of implacable self-confidence that this extraordinary film gives off: it's almost as if it doesn't care whether you like and enjoy it (or even understand it) or not, it's still going to make more money than the GNP of most African countries. Resistance feels useless.
As things get underway, the Avengers are in the process of sorting out a HYDRA base in the obscure Balkan nation of Fictionalakia, which they do with a reasonable degree of alacrity: this is more an excuse for the director to get all flashy with the camerawork than a source of genuine conflict, though HYDRA's pet superhuman pawns the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) give it a good shot.
This looks like the final victory in the team's current campaign, and it seems to offer the opportunity for a significant step forward in the cause of global security: for Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) thinks he can use captured alien technology to create a sentient robotic security system encompassing the entire planet. He decides not to mention this side-project, codenamed Ultron, to the rest of the team, because what could possibly go wrong? To the surprise of nobody but Stark himself, Ultron (voiced by James Spader) turns out to be an indestructible genocidal maniac with a snarky line in repartee, and after delivering an admonitory spanking to the team flies off to set about his plan for global destruction, recruiting Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver along the way. But will they ultimately prove to be heroes or villains? One thing Marvel Studios' lawyers are very clear on: they're definitely not mutants.
While waiting for the film to start, I did find myself observing to a friend that it would be interesting to see how Joss Whedon coped with making a film with nine actual Avengers in it, and that's before we even get to the villain or supporting cast. The answer, clearly, is to make a film which is almost ridiculously massive in every respect. It opens with a hugely lavish special effects action sequence and just gets bigger and bigger and (in true comic book style) sillier and sillier as it goes on. The crash-bang-wallop-zap-kapow is relentless, reaching an early peak in the long-awaited Iron Man-vs-Hulk fight, which brings new meaning to the word blockbuster, and proceeding all the way to a notably untrammelled climax. (One character even shouts 'This is crazy!' in the middle of the concluding chaos, which probably counts as an example of Whedon's noted self-awareness.)
It does go on for a remarkably long time, but this is because in addition to the actual plot and his nine Avengers (in addition to the original cast and the two non-mutants, the ever-watchable Paul Bettany finally gets some proper screen-time as the Vision), Whedon also opts to include a coachload of other characters, either ones from previous movies, or ones destined for more signifcant roles in future projects: Don Cheadle has a surprisingly beefy role, and also present are the likes of Anthony Mackie, Stellan Skarsgard, and Andy Serkis. We even get to see what an Avengers works do looks like – needless to say, the world's most famous nonagerian comic book writer puts in an appearance.
Also in true comic-book style, the lavish property damage is leavened by some slightly histrionic soap-opera style interactions between the principal cast, but I would honestly argue that finding a space in a film like this one for actors to genuinely find their characters and act is as impressive an achievement on Whedon's part as any of the technical wizardry or plot-wrangling on display elsewhere. Whedon's stated intention was to favour the characters who don't appear in movies of their own, especially the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and he pretty much pulls this off – although his attempts to wrong-foot the audience are somewhat undermined by Marvel's fondness for announcing the cast lists of future movies several years in advance. Personally I could have seen a bit more of the Vision, but there is a huge amount to squeeze in and on the whole the film does the best it can in the circumstances. Elsewhere, I found that Whedon's brand of self-aware knowingness was getting a bit predictable – I was able to more-or-less guess what some of the jokes would be, so perhaps it's just as well that this film marks the end of his association with the Avengers films, at least: I suspect the writer-director would agree, because to be honest the film sometimes feels like a monumental contractual obligation – it's never less than competent, but (not inappropriately for a film largely about androids) it often has a curiously mechanical, joyless feeling to it.
At least the sense one sometimes gets watching Marvel movies, that of characters being laboriously shunted around in order to facilitate the launching of the next instalment, is less pronounced this time. But I do wonder how this film will play with some sections of the audience: if you know who Baron von Strucker and Ulysses Klaw are, get all the other references, and have been meticulously keeping track of the meta-plot about the Infinity Stones, you'll be in some variety of heaven, while if you're a non-discriminating partaker of overblown CGI action you will find nothing here that disappoints you either. However, if you're a normal, mature person who expects a film with a bit of focus and a recognisable beginning, middle and end, this may not be your best choice of night out.
However, I get a strong sense that Avengers: Age of Ultron doesn't really care about that as it cruises merrily toward the various box-office records it will reduce to smithereens. This doesn't feel quite like it's raising the bar on the comic-book movie in the same way that the first film did, nor does it really seem to be intent on allowing the franchise as a whole to regroup: it just looks like another attempt by Marvel to see how crazy they can get before they lose the audience. I suspect they still haven't reached that point. Depending on your point of view, it's either a bloated carnival of absurd empty spectacle held together by ridiculous soap-opera plotting, or a grandiose monument to Marvel's ambition and skill in growing their world-conquering franchise-of-franchises, but either way it's going to be more or less unavoidable for some time to come.
Depp Thought
Posted in Film Reviews, tagged 2014, drama, Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Paul Bettany, Rebecca Hall, SF, Transcendence, Wally Pfister on May 3, 2014| Leave a Comment »
There is a sense in which Wally Pfister's Transcendence is one of those movies that was inevitably going to be made sooner or later: it deals with a hot-button issue somewhere on the borderline between science and society, the sort of thing which is still essentially speculative, but sufficiently close enough to reality for people to be thinking seriously about it. As a piece of socio-cultural history it may well be recalled as a flag-moment in the development of our awareness of an idea: if something is well-enough established as a concept for Hollywood to start making a big-budget all-star cast movie about it, it can't be that obscure. Whether or not the movie is any good is another matter, of course.
The movie tips its hand by opening with a prologue set in a post-technological world where lifestyles seem to have stepped back in time a century or two: mobile phones lie discarded, laptops are used to prop open doors, and so on. We are promised the story of how this came about.
It turns out to be the story of brilliant computer scientist Will Caster (Johnny Depp) and his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall). They are both working on creating a strong Artificial Intelligence in the belief that such an entity, capable of improving its own capabilities at extraordinary speed, would revolutionise the world. Unfortunately a radical terrorist organisation has appeared and is devoted to stopping work on this kind of system, and an attack from one of these people leaves Caster with only a very short time to live.
Using radical new technology, Evelyn and her friend Max (the ever-watchable Paul Bettany) attempt to save Caster. That's save as in 'save to a hard-drive' – they wire his brain up to electrodes and copy his cerebral functions to a computer, effectively creating a download of his mind. But once Will Caster's body has expired, in what sense is the entity in the computer truly him? Have they in fact just spawned something totally new and alien, a potential threat to civilisation?
Well, this is just the first act of the movie, and probably its strongest segment: as I believe I've mentioned in the past, I am somewhat familiar with some of the philosophical issues associated with AI research, and the movie articulates these clearly and intelligently. From here, however, the film's identity as a successor to fondly-remembered early 70s SF movies like The Andromeda Strain, The Forbin Project, and Phase IV becomes much clearer. Much of the action takes place in gleaming underground installations, the nature of human existence is pondered upon at length, and there is a slightly awkward mixture of action set-pieces and visual and narrative extravagance. As usual, some rather good actors (in this case Morgan Freeman and Cillian Murphy) are retained solely to stand around on the periphery of the plot and look vaguely concerned.
And, as you may have guessed, the whole thing doesn't quite come together as a satisfying whole. Partly this is because, while the dialogue is telling us this story is about a potentially world-changing event, the actual images are all about a small town in the middle of nowhere with a lot of solar panels. There's no sense of scale to the crisis (there's not much sense of crisis at all, if we're honest), while the film's transition from just-about-plausible near-future drama to something more fantastical is a bit of a wrench as well. The fact that the plot appears to be well-endowed with a number of big holes is also a problem.
This is ultimately a film about ideas, but – presumably in an attempt to make it more commercial – thriller and action elements have been grafted on, without much conviction. There's a subplot about nanotechnology being used to enhance people so they become superhuman cyborgs, but the film shies away from using this as a device to create the extravagant action sequences you might expect. In a way this is commendable, as they clearly don't want to make a blandly obvious and simplistic film dealing with a black-and-white ideology.
On the other hand, it may just be that Pfister and his team have just made a vague and oblique and slightly confused film dealing with a black-and-white ideology instead. It's probably a great problem for Transcendence that it's come out only a few months after Her, another movie about the nature of AI and how human beings will come to terms with it, both as a society and in our personal relationships. However, Transcendence is a much more conservative movie than Her: it largely functions in a cautionary-tale mode, the usual old story of scientists interfering with things of which man was not meant to know, playing God, and so on (there's a fair bit of religious imagery in this film). It gives the human condition a privileged status and seems to default to the assumption that anything radically different from and more powerful than us is necessarily a threat. To be fair, the film does hedge its bets to a considerable degree come the climax – the human characters may just be acting out of an unjustified fear of the AI – but this seemed to me to just be trying to give the conclusion a little spurious depth.
Wally Pfister is a brilliant cinematographer and long-time collaborator with Christopher Nolan, whom I was not surprised to find credited as an executive producer on Transcendence. However, this doesn't have the clarity of ideas, the narrative drive, or indeed the sheer innovation of any of Nolan's own movies. The near-total humourlessness of the film is a problem, and none of the actors really seem capable of bringing their characters completely to life (it increasingly seems to me that when Johnny Depp isn't in camp overdrive mode, he just comes across as slightly stoned all the time), but the main problems with the film come from the storytelling issues I mentioned above. It has a whole bunch of ideas and themes it wants to deal with, but it can't quite build a story just from them alone, and the inclusion of more traditional action-SF elements doesn't work. This is an interesting film, and a curious attempt at a 70s-style intelligent-SF movie four decades on – but it simply isn't close to being completely satisfying as a story.
The Heiress and the Heresy
Posted in Film Reviews, tagged 2000s, Alfred Molina, Audrey Tatou, fantasy, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, Paul Bettany, religion, Ron Howard, The Da Vinci Code, thriller, Tom Hanks on June 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »
So, truth be told, I enjoyed Ron Howard's 2009 movie Angels & Demons much more than I was expecting to, and on a greater number of levels – which is another way of saying this is an unironically fun movie as well as a crazed piece of unbelievable nonsense. Bearing this in mind, the sensible thing to do was obviously to check out the other film from the same team, The Da Vinci Code.
This was music to the ears of my landlady, who was very resistant to letting me view Angels & Demons anyway, complaining that 'it's the sequel, you should watch the other one first'. I riposted that the two books the films are based on take place in reverse order, so it wasn't likely to make a lot of difference, and following an interesting and heated discussion resulting in only a small rent hike I settled down to watch the movie of The Da Vinci Code, from 2006.
Tom Hanks again plays maverick symbologist Robert Langdon, who, in time-honoured movie style, proves his academic credentials by giving a thematically-relevant public lecture at the top of the film. One of the pitfalls of doing this kind of thing is that someone always turns up intent on sending you off on an adventure of some kind. In this case it is the French police (Hanks is visiting Paris, not that he seems much inclined to parley the old Fronsay), who are principally embodied by the marvellous Jean Reno (giving another masterclass in ambiguity).
The curator of the Louvre has turned up dead, his body arranged in the manner of Leonardo's Vitruvian Man and with a strange arcane sigil inscribed on his chest in his own blood. Hanks believes he has been summoned to lend his professional assistance, but passing police cryptographer Sophie (Audrey Tatou), who also happens to be the dead man's grand-daughter (yup, we're only just setting up the plot and already everything is creaking like hell), reveals he has actually been framed for the killing.
So, obviously Hanks and Tatou go on the run from the cops, trying to work out why the murder victim was trying to attract Hank's attention and who actually did the dirty deed. The audience is several steps ahead at this point, as we already know who the killer is. I had hopes for The Da Vinci Code being just as uproariously daft as its sequel, and the early appearance of the ever-watchable Paul Bettany as a (deep breath) self-flagellating albino assassin monk named Silas promised great things in this department. Hanks has already figured out the death is connected to an heretical secret society known as the Prieure de Sion, and Bettany is attached to a militant chamber of the Catholic Church which is intent on wiping this group out and destroying their greatest secret: the Holy Grail itself…
Well, there's a lot of running and driving and flying around to various places, not to mention the doing of lots of anagrams and other word puzzles. Alfred Molina pops up as a morally-compromised Cardinal, while the veteran Grail-hunter Hanks and Tatou turn to for help is played by Ian McKellen, who appears to be having a quite inordinate amount of fun. So the performances all round are actually pretty good.
And – and my antipathy towards the original book and scepticism towards its sources make this slightly tough to admit to – this seemed to me to be, in many ways, a much better and more classy film than Angels & Demons. (Not having antimatter bombs exploding in the Roman sky and free-falling pontiffs is always a help in the credibility department, I suppose.)
This is, of course, only my opinion, and it's true that on one level this is every bit as implausible a movie, and equally as much an Indiana Jones pastiche with a very thin veneer of erudition brushed over the top of it. Indeed, the resemblance to the third Indiana Jones is very striking indeed, given both films concern a search for the Holy Grail, and both scripts talk about this mythic artefact using very similar language.
The two films' takes as to what the Holy Grail actually is vary somewhat, of course, with The Da Vinci Code opting for a less traditional concept. This element of the film is famously derived from the blockbuster 'conspiracy'-expose The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, which proposed that… you know, I think that would probably constitute a spoiler. (By the way, you should not let your opinion of this theory be affected by the fact that one of its authors used to write scripts for Doctor Who.) One of the rather impressive things about this movie is the way in which it seizes upon this rather complex and convoluted theory and serves it up for mass consumption in an accessible and cinematic way.
On the other hand, you could equally argue that this is a rather strange Hollywood thriller, in that the spaces which would normally be filled by high-octane action sequences are here occupied by lengthy and lavish flashbacks – some of them to the personal lives of the characters, others to key moments in church history (whether real or apocryphal). Making these as interesting and engaging as they are is a bit of an achievement. Personally, I'm interested in philosophy, theology, and history, and so a big movie largely revolving around these things was always going to appeal to me on some level – if, on the other hand, you're more in the market for car-chases, things going bang, and end-of-second-act whoh-ho-ho you may find this particular film more wearing.
But, as I say, I enjoyed it much more than I expected to, and in a mostly non-ironic way. Bettany doesn't really get a huge amount to do as the self-flagellating albino assassin monk, and in any case the whole action-thriller-innocents-on-the-run aspect of the plot gets resolved a surprisingly long time before the climax. At this point the film really does become more about ideas and philosophies, and ancient secrets being revealed – and on these terms it's surprisingly effective. Given this is a film which is explicitly about symbols and symbolism, it seems to be working on an almost symbolic level itself, as the characters descend into ancient vaults, decode musty old manuscripts, and generally seek for truth in chaos and darkness. You could quite easily argue that the movie itself is heretical, or anti-Christian – especially anti-Catholic – and I suppose this is to some extent quite true. Here, however, we find ourselves at one of those fault lines, or barriers, which is in a very real sense impermeable – either you treat the Bible as, er, Holy Scripture, or you don't, and rational discussion isn't going to change anyone's mind about that. You will either be willing to consider the central thesis of The Da Vinci Code (and The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail before it), even if just as a thought experiment, or you won't. Personally I didn't find this aspect of the movie risible or offensive – and the almost-subliminal fantasy elements it brought to the story just added to its appeal – but I'm well aware others may strongly disagree.
Here again, though, we're in slightly odd territory in that this film, more than the vast majority of mainstream Hollywood output, treats the existence of God – or belief in this – as an important fact in the world, and central to its story. And yet, arguably for this very same reason, the film has been criticised and boycotted by Christian groups worldwide. Sometimes the converted don't want to be preached to, I suppose. It may well be that my own tendency to view the likes of The Da Vinci Code as not much more than barnstorming escapist entertainment, with perhaps a little intellectual meat to add flavour, is just another sign that I have an appointment in the Sixth Circle of Hell when I eventually shuffle off there. Fine, as long as they don't show a non-stop series of Paul W.S. Anderson movies in that section of the afterlife. In the meantime, a movie like The Da Vinci Code eases the suspense until I find out very pleasantly: it's slick and it's fun and it's just a bit silly, but it also has a surprising amount of soul and intelligence to it, too.
Careless Growly Whisper
Posted in Film Reviews, tagged 2000s, Firewall, Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany, Richard Loncraine, thriller, Virginia Madsen on April 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »
From the Hootoo archive. Originally published April 20th 2006:
Hello again, everyone and welcome to another edition of the film review column you really shouldn't get your hopes up about. This week we take a look at a thriller with aspirations to be Hitchcockian, but which instead comes perilously close to falling several syllables short of that ambition.
Ah, when I was a lad, Harrison Ford was probably the biggest movie star on the planet, battling evil and standing up for the decent thing to do, all the while using that funny hoarse-but-rumbly voice he's got. He still is a big star, of course, but — to paraphrase Norma Desmond — of late the pictures he's in have become smaller. So it is with Firewall, a rather conventional thriller directed by Richard Loncraine and apparently a bit of a remake of a TV series he made back in the 1980s. Here, our erstwhile megastar plays Jack Stanfield, the head of computer security at a small but prosperous bank. (Making the audience accept that the now-slightly-wizened Harrison Ford is actually a computer programming whiz is but the first of several knotty credibility problems the movie is forced to navigate.) Jack has a palatial house, a lovely view of Seattle from his office window, a beautiful — and obviously much younger — wife (Virginia Madsen, who in her own way is equally a movie veteran, but less wizened), two cute and fairly well-behaved kids, etc, so you just know he's in for a hard time in the rest of the movie.
Well, after a tough day fending off the hackers and standing up for the integrity of his bank against the corporate slimeballs who want to merge with it (key amongst them Robert Patrick, who's only a bit wizened), Jack is talked into having a quick drink with a young and thrusting all-American entrepreneur, Bill (the ever-watchable Paul Bettany, not wizened at all). But no sooner does Jack excuse himself so he can shoot off home for Pizza Night with the family (all say 'Aaaah' and/or copiously vomit), than Bill casts aside his American accent and reveals himself to be British — and as we all know, British people in this kind of movie are always callous, brilliant and occasionally slightly gay evil geniuses! So it proves, for Bill is a bank robber whose lunkheaded fratboy henchmen have kidnapped Jack's wife, kids and dog and turned their lovely mansion into the Big Brother house! Bank robber, bank manager — I'm sure our founder would appreciate how wonderfully their two jobs dovetail. Bill's plan is fairly simple: he's going to hold Jack's nearest and dearest hostage until Jack lets him into the server room at the bank so he can download all the money. But Jack, being played by Harrison Ford, didn't get where he is today by taking any nonsense off uppity Brits and eventually the moment comes when he whirls ferociously into action against his tormentors. Although there is of course a limit to the amount of ferocious whirling that can reasonably be expected from a 64-year-old bank manager.
Now, you may very well be asking yourself the following question: beyond the fact that it's a snappy and techno-literate-sounding name, what reason can there be for calling this film Firewall, given that the robbery in it still revolves around the bad guys physically sneaking into the bank? And the answer consists of two words, the second of which is 'all', and the first of which we have all had surgically excised from our brains, being the conscientious h2g2 habitues that we are (well, you've a number of options, but they're all equally likely to deprave, so purge the lot of them). The fact is that Firewall is incredibly desperate to show how modern and zeitgeisty it is, which is why the plot revolves around (to name but a few) identity theft, online gambling, camera phones, iPods and GPS tracking. This is a largely futile attempt to conceal how incredibly old and hackneyed this particular story is, not to mention silly and predictable (well, to some extent — I was slightly startled when, after Harrison Ford attempted to escape roughly fifty-seven times in the first day of their acquaintance, Paul Bettany's response was to start shooting members of his own gang, although this may explain why he hasn't got further in the bank robbery line).
Of course, Harrison Ford looks fairly old and hackneyed himself these days, as I believe I may already have mentioned. He is in fact probably a bit too old to be doing this sort of thing: towards the end, where a younger actor would be doing a flat-out sprint, Ford restricts himself to a moderate trot. This is before we even get to the concluding bout of fisticuffs. But for all this, he still has presence and charisma — star quality, in fact. It's only Ford that keeps this from being a totally forgettable and routine straight-to-video thriller. There are signs that it could have been more: there's a very effective segment where Ford is on the run from his former colleagues and the police, having been neatly framed for all sorts of rum doings, and he desperately has to avoid them while simultaneously hunting down Bettany and his gang. But this is only a short section very near the end of the film, rather too little too late. Also quietly effective is Mary Lynn Rajskub (even less wizened than Bettany) as Ford's much-put-upon secretary, who has nearly as bad a time as him in the film but doesn't get to growl about it as much.
Firewall is not actually a bad film, it's just tremendously average and predictable. It's interesting that it should be in UK theatres at the same time as Inside Man, another film concerning a rather unorthodox bank robbery. The two films are of course different in almost every way, but it's the unrepentantly retro and traditional Inside Man which is by far the superior piece of work, while the achingly contemporary Firewall very definitely gets the second prize. But it's watchable, and I suppose it'll keep Ford in shape in case two-fisted archaeology ever comes back into vogue…
New Balls, Please
Posted in Film Reviews, tagged 2000s, Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Richard Loncraine, rom-com, Sam Neill, Wimbledon on March 20, 2011| Leave a Comment »
From the Hootoo archive. Originally published October 14th 2004:
Pop-quiz, everyone: if you had a film to release about the Wimbledon tennis tournament, which happens every June, when do you think would be the best time to release it in order to cash in on its popularity? Would it be a) early summer b) Christmas or c) the back-end of September?
Well, anyway, I expect the makers of Wimbledon (directed by Richard Loncraine) have their reasons because it's out at the moment. The ever-watchable Paul Bettany plays Peter Colt, an ageing British tennis player coming up to his last Wimbledon as a wild card. Retirement beckons, something he's not keen on. However, a chance encounter with top American player Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst) leads to sparks a-sizzling and a certain steely quality appearing in Peter's forehand. Before you know it he's thundering into the second week. However, Lizzie's dad (the equally watchable Sam Neill) takes the quite reasonable view that all this soft-focus fumbling to a David Gray soundtrack is putting his daughter off her game. But if she can't win if they're together, he can't win while they're apart… so what's a boy to do?
I normally try and avoid spoilers in this column but I don't think I'll be ruining anyone's day by revealing that Bettany wins Wimbledon and ends up with Dunst. This is of course a rom-com, possibly the most predictable genre at the movies, where the conclusion is never really in doubt, and the film's success or failure is mainly determined by how entertained you are along the way. And, to be fair, Wimbledon does a pretty good job. For all that he's second-billed, this is largely down to an engaging performance from Bettany. He's not the most obvious choice of romcom lead (and, let's face it, were a certain floppy-haired performer whose name rhymes with Lou Brant ten years younger he'd be the obvious star of this film) but he does a very solid job, bringing an appropriately fraught quality to the less romcommy elements of the story. Dunst is fine as his love interest, but never quite manages to bring her character to life. There's a rather distinguished supporting cast (Neill, Eleanor Bron, Bernard Hill, Jon Favreau) but none of them really gets very much to do, which I suppose is a shame.
At the risk of sounding fatuously obvious, the main thing about Wimbledon that distinguishes it from all the other Working Title Brit-boy-courts-imported-American-star pictures is the tennis. The tennis sequences themselves look fine, thanks no doubt to the input of Pat Cash and some unobtrusive CGI, but more interestingly the film in passing makes some interesting and genuine-sounding points about the realities of tour life for the various pros. This more than makes up for the sense one gets that the writers were given a tick-list of Wimbledon cliches to include in their script – rain delays, strawberries and cream, dodgy line-calls, mad dads, lesbianism, etc.
Wimbledon is good-natured and entertaining fun, with a nice central performance, inventive direction, and some originality to its background. It's not quite as funny or as convincingly romantic as it would probably like to be, but if nothing else it presents us with the sight of an Englishman winning the mens' singles title – so it has novelty value as well. Worth a look.
Nautical But Nice
Posted in Film Reviews, tagged 2000s, action, avast me hearties, Awix's picks, costume drama, drama, Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World, Paul Bettany, Peter Weir, Russell Crowe on February 9, 2011| Leave a Comment »
From the Hootoo archives. Originally published 4th December 2003:
It's quite rare that many of the biggest and most successful films in a given year should share even a tenuous connection: but 2003 seems to be just such a beast, with two huge blockbusters united by their hearts of oak and the tang of brine in their nostrils. Only a churl could begrudge the revival of the maritime movie – well, only a churl or someone whose stock of naval jokes ran out about the same time Pirates of the Caribbean was released. Hey ho…
Sailing into view and hoping to emulate the success of Pirates and Finding Nemo comes Peter Weir's hefty and unwieldily-titled 19th century adventure Master And Commander – The Far Side Of The World, wherein big Russell Crowe plays 'Lucky' Jack Aubrey, captain of the HMS Surprise. Also aboard are surgeon and naturalist Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), who interestingly doesn't turn out to be a figment of the captain's imagination, and coxswain Barrett Bonden (Billy Boyd, who's apparently in some piece of junk due out in a few weeks, and has seemingly gone all cockney on us). Ordered to hunt down a French warship, Crowe and his command get a severe mauling on their first encounter with it – but refusing to give up, Russ embarks on a pursuit that will take him and his ship halfway around the planet…
There's been a lot of frankly quite excitable hype about this movie, mostly declaring it to effectively be Gladiator 2. It isn't, to be honest, and I have to say I found it much more engaging and enjoyable than that. This isn't a routine studio adventure but something more subtle and idiosyncratic. There really isn't much of a plot, for one thing – the pursuit of the French ship merely provides the framework for a series of loosely-linked vignettes about shipboard life at this time in history. Suffice to say that before all is done and dusted, there's time for sing-songs, iguana-spotting, the odd duet on violin and cello, grisly ad hoc brain surgery, cunning ruses, heroism, tragedy, and one really and truly shockingly bad pun (and as attentive masochists will know, that's an informed opinion).
This certainly makes the film distinctive and the sheer level of detail makes the film highly absorbing (fans of Patrick O'Brian's original novels may still be inclined to nitpick). But it also delivers when it comes to thrills and spectacle – there are two top-notch sea battles and a storm sequence that nearly made me seasick. The pace is, for the most part, expertly judged, and the only slightly peculiar note is struck by the 'just another day at the office' ending, which jars slightly with the epic nature of the main story.
But it's the characters that bring the tale to life, and of course foremost amongst these is Aubrey, a towering performance from Crowe as a man who's no stranger to compassion or self-doubt, but also exactly the person you want watching your back at the sharp end of a boarding action. Expect at least one of his rousing speeches to enter the cultural lexicon alongside 'Are you not yet entertained?' and other things like that. Bettany is very nearly as impressive in a much less showy part, and it's to the credit of the actors that the friendship of two such very different men is credible throughout. All the cast are good, though, from Max Pirkis' commendably non-schmaltzy turn as a very young officer, to David Threlfall's quietly comic performance as Aubrey's grumbling steward.
As you can probably tell I enjoyed Master And Commander enormously and in almost any other year I would happily have made it my preferred candidate for big time Oscar success. It is, admittedly, totally lacking in female characters and the plot is perhaps a bit too linear for some people's tastes. But it's enthralling, instantly convincing fun, and hugely impressive in every department. Highly recommended.


James Taylor penned these words to a song, "I've seen fire, and I've seen rain." As I write, my young nephew has been hit by a car and is having heart surgery. Without God, fear can overtake us in storms like this. Recently we have seen hurricanes and earthquakes assail our world. Fear can intercede in life at any moment. Maybe you haven't been hit by a hurricane or an earthquake, but you feel like your world is in turmoil. Here are 3 Helpful Insights for Families Facing Fear in Life.
1. Fear often comes when we face difficulties in life.
2. Fear often frustrates and unnerves us.
Being afraid is an inside job, an inner reaction produced in the brain, when it senses danger. The response about fear may bring about anxiety, distress, and even terror. Activist Noam Chomsky stated the truth, when he said, "When people are frightened, they develop means of concealment and aggression." We might try to hide it, or be angry about it.
3. Fear may cause fright or flight, even making some furious and ready to fight.
Be aware that in this world, we may face marriage and family storms, persecution and nations-at-war storms, poverty and natural disaster storms, etc. Yet in all these stormy things, we can remember God and His Word: "Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad, so He guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving kindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men!" – – Psalm 108: 28-31 Charles Stanley has a great sermon series on fear where he encourages us to take the Master's hand; spend time in His Word and let God lead you from fear into the full assurance of His power in your life.


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Report card: Defense, coaching to blame for Irish loss
SOUTH BEND — IndyStar Notre Dame Insider Laken Litman grades the No. 18 Fighting Irish after a bleak 36-28 prime time loss to No. 8 Michigan State.
Report card: Defense, coaching to blame for Irish loss SOUTH BEND — IndyStar Notre Dame Insider Laken Litman grades the No. 18 Fighting Irish after a bleak 36-28 prime time loss to No. 8 Michigan State. Check out this story on IndyStar.com: http://indy.st/2cw756B
Indianapolis Star Published 9:51 a.m. ET Sept. 18, 2016 | Updated 3:54 p.m. ET Sept. 20, 2016
Michigan State Spartans running back Gerald Holmes (24) runs for a touchdown as Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Devin Studstill (14) pursues in the third quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. MSU won 36-28.(Photo: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports)
This grade could easily have been worse had it not been for quarterback DeShone Kizer's late surge in the fourth quarter that nearly flipped this into a victory. First of all, the Irish ran for a total of 57 yards. Brian Kelly explained they tried to run more, but when the score got out of hand they had to resort to the passing game. Kizer went 20-of-37 for 344 yards, two passing touchdowns, one rushing and had a costly interception that ended in a Spartans touchdown. No receiver had more than 100 yards and even though Torii Hunter Jr. is back from the concussion he sustained against Texas, he didn't make enough of an impact. The offense was re-energized in the fourth quarter, scoring 21 points and amassing 137 of its total 401 yards. It was too late by then though. Kizer took full blame for the lack of execution after the game.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer (14) attempts to throw the ball against the Michigan State Spartans during the first quarter of a game at Notre Dame Stadium. (Photo: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports)
NBC's broadcast caught Kelly yelling at defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder several times. For the third straight game, Notre Dame hasn't accounted for a sack — and despite Kelly saying that stat is overrated, it still looms as fact that the Irish are one of few teams to have zero so far this year. There were missed tackles, an inept pass rush, the young secondary struggled deep, and late in the third quarter, MSU running back Gerald Holmes was able to break through the entire defense for a 73-yard touchdown.
That muffed punt in the second quarter is pretty much all you need to know about special teams. After Michigan State went three-and-out, Notre Dame would have had good field position at its own 40 up 7-0. But the ball hit an Irish player's foot, was ruled a fumble and recovered by MSU. It took one play for Spartans' quarterback Tyler O'Connor to find Donnie Corley for a 38-yard touchdown. Michigan State decided to go for two, converted, and took an 8-7 lead. Notre Dame never recovered.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly stands on the field prior to a game against the Michigan State Spartans at Notre Dame Stadium. (Photo: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports)
Kelly made a strong statement after the game, putting the onus of this loss on his staff.
"Those are the guys we have. We can't trade 'em, they're not getting cut. We recruited them," Kelly said. "So I don't want to hear anybody, and I told our staff: Those are our guys, so we've got to get them better. We've got to put them in better position to make plays. Those are our guys. Give Michigan State credit, they broke through some tackles, and they deserved to win today.
"We missed the tackles, and those are our guys that are going to be out there next weekend against Duke, and they're going to have to make some tackles the following week against the next opposition. So we can cry all we want about what we didn't do, but we got start doing it."
Notre Dame falls to Michigan State
Michigan State wide receiver Monty Madaris stretches for yardage past Notre Dame cornerback Cole Luke during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State running back LJ Scott (3) leaps over Notre Dame linebacker Nyles Morgan during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio celebrates a win over Notre Dame after an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State quarterback Tyler O'Connor celebrates a win over Notre Dame after an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State quarterback Tyler O'Connor, left, hugs the Rev. Jake Foglio, the team's priest, after a win over Notre Dame after an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State running back LJ Scott (3) heads downfield past Notre Dame defensive back Nick Coleman (24) and linebacker Nyles Morgan during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State running back Gerald Holmes (24) celebrates his touchdown with tight end Josiah Price during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State running back LJ Scott (3) scores a touchdown past Notre Dame defensive back Nick Coleman (24) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State linebacker Jon Reschke (33) trips Notre Dame running back Josh Adams after Adams got the handoff from quarterback DeShone Kizer during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio watches from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State safety Montae Nicholson (9) recovers a fumble during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State wide receiver R.J. Shelton (12) runs in for a touchdown in front of Notre Dame linebacker Te'von Coney during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State quarterback Tyler O'Connor (7) picks up a first down on a quarterback sneak on fourth down against Notre Dame during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly signals from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Michigan State, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State safety Khari Willis (27) celebrates a fumble recovery on a punt during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer (14), right, celebrates a touchdown with offensive lineman Colin McGovern (62) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Michigan State, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer (14) throws against Michigan State during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State running back Delton Williams (22) is tackled by Notre Dame safety Nicco Fertitta (28) on a kickoff return during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State wide receiver Monty Madaris (88) runs after a catch in front of Notre Dame defensive lineman Jarron Jones (94) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State quarterback Tyler O'Connor (7) throws against Notre Dame during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer (14) heads to the end zone in front of Michigan State safety Montae Nicholson (9) for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Michigan State quarterback Tyler O'Connor (7) scrambles away from Notre Dame defensive lineman Jonathan Bonner (55) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Notre Dame wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. (16) cuts away from Michigan State safety Montae Nicholson (9) and linebacker Jon Reschke (33) after a catch during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Play of the Game
When Michigan State running back Gerald Holmes ran for a 73-yard touchdown to go up 36-7. The Irish had just gone 3-and-out in response to the Spartans' second touchdown of the third quarter. And on the second play of MSU's fourth drive, Holmes slipped through a gaping hole. No one could catch him.
Player of the Game
Michigan State quarterback Tyler O'Connor. He proved he's next in line of reliable Spartan quarterbacks after Kirk Cousins and Connor Cook — although he accomplished something neither of them did, which is beat Notre Dame. O'Connor went 19-of-26 for 241 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Pippin: Questions and Answers (Part 1 of 2)
This article is part one of answers to questions concerning the Apple Pippin.
This article has been archived and is no longer updated by Apple.
Question: What is Pippin?
Answer: Pippin is a multimedia player platform derived from AppleÑs second generation Power Macintosh hardware and system software. It is designed as a playback tool for multimedia CD-ROMs initially created for the Macintosh and/or IBM compatible PC and at a low cost.
Pippin is directed to the home market (and probably schools) as an intergral part of the consumer AV stereo and TV environment. Its primary display will be a TV screen. It uses one of the most advanced RISC microprocessor architectures in the industry today, PowerPC. It is derived from both the hardware and software architectures of the Macintosh. It will provide developers with an easy way to take their investment in personal computer CD-ROM content and make it available to a wider audience in a more natural environment associated with entertainment and fun.
Question: What events led to the introduction of Pippin?
Answer: The percentage of personal computers having CD-ROM drives, is rapidly approaching 100% for the Macintosh. In 1994, for the first time, the worldwide sales of personal computers (from all manufacturers) into the home exceeded 10M. It was also the first year in which more personal computers sold into the home went those already having a personal computer.
More than 60% of the households in the U.S. have combined gross income less than $40,000 per year. While most of these homes have one or more television sets, it is expected that even by 1997 the number of homes in this category with a personal computer will be well below 10%. The high barrier price of personal computers is limiting its penetration into homes around the world. Multimedia hardware and content sales will be limited in the years to come, just as many new title publishers are entering the industry. It is essential to the long-term health of the CD-ROM title industry that the growth it is experiencing now, continue into the future.
Apple realized that for multimedia technology to reach the home, the entry price must be reduced substantially. A low entry price is still not enough. The platform must be distributed by many companies which collectively can reach a much larger audience than one company alone. Apple has chosen to make the Pippin platform available under license to manufacturers interested in building and selling their own version.
Question: How will Pippin be positioned in the market?
Answer: If all a family wants is the least expensive video game player and does not want to be able to use their purchase for other uses they will probably be better off buying the upcoming new platforms being introduced by the video game giants Nintendo and Sega. Other new platforms such as Atari Jaguar, Sony Playstation and 3DO are all video game players and cannot be useful for much else. It remains to be seen how these platforms will hold up against the two mainstay players, Nintendo and Sega.
Apple believes that families are looking for more than video game players today. Certainly they want to be able to play their favorite games, but they also want to communicate, learn, play interactive music, access information and much more. Pippin provides them this capability. In addition it provides them a high level of compatibility with a mainstream personal computer technology. This will provide them the knowledge that their investment in CD-ROM titles and experience will not go to waste.
Question: What is the difference between a Macintosh and Pippin?
Answer: Pippin is derived from the second generation of Power Macintosh computers. Much of its system software code, integrated circuit cells and integrated circuits come directly from the Macintosh world. Pippin is being designed for optimal playback. It operates from a run-time version of the MacOS on less memory with more dedicated functions. While it is possible to add mass storage devices in the aftermarket, Pippin will ship with only a readable CD-ROM mechanism as a mass storage device.
Question: If there is no hard disk, how is the system software distributed?
Answer: The system software will be incorporated into the hardware separate from the CD-ROM player. Different Pippin system software releases will be available from which the developer to choose. Each will support a different functionality set. The end customer will not know or care which version of the operating system is bundled with their CD-ROM title. The Pippin title will support successive generations of titles always improving in performance and functionality.
Question: Why is Apple doing this?
Answer: This is a logical extension of our existing technology. It capitalizes on AppleÑs expertise in multimedia, RISC and ease-of-use....using resources and technology that are already in place today, not an entirely new product or market concept. The architecture and business model for Pippin are designed to provide this wealth of content with a means for reaching an audience substantially larger than that which exists today. For Apple this is a strategic thrust to expand its business beyond the sales of personal computers and at the same time put the multimedia industry, currently in its infancy, into high gear. This is part of Apple's on-going strategy to expand the reach of Macintosh technology into new markets.
Question: Why now?
Answer: There were two key elements missing that prevented Apple from launching Pippin earlier. The first is technology. QuickTime has progressed as an industry standard and has developed increasingly in sophistication to the point now that it is an extremely compelling technology. In addition, Apple had to make the transition to RISC microprocessor technology. To reach the performance necessary for game and multimedia playback RISC technology is a must. Apple has successfully made the transition to RISC.
The second major reason why Apple has waited until now is market maturity. The year 1994 will be known within the industry as the year in which Multimedia became mainstream. CD-ROM titles are being reviewed in the New York Times Book Review section. Hit titles such as Myst, Rebel Assault, Star Trek Interactive Manual, Doom, etc. are hitting distribution volumes ranging between 200,000 and 1,000,000 units. The momentum for creating the content is now in place. Pippin is designed to take this momentum of content on the personal computer and distribute in much greater volumes throughout the world.
Question: How did Apple choose the name Pippin?
Answer: Pippin is a type of apple. It is smaller than a mcintosh apple. Apple chose this name because it would be easily associated with Apple, Computer Inc. Moreover, Apple believes that over time Pippin will take many forms including home telecommunication devices, game players and much more. Hence, Apple did not want to choose a name that would be specific for a certain market space as it will certainly appeal to many types of consumers and be shipped in a variety of forms from many manufacturers.
Question: What type of CD-ROM titles will work on Pippin?
Answer: Apple is integrating hardware technologies which improve the "on-screen" appearance of text on a TV screen. While the text will never be as clear as that on a computer monitor it is substantially better than anything in the video game industry today. This was done because Apple intends to encourage a wide diversity of titles to be available on Pippin, including reference titles which contain a great deal of textual information. We expect action games, adventure games, simulation, role-playing games, puzzles, reference, education, learning, interactive music and more.
Pippin is not expected to be strong in document creation or modification. Computer applications are not well suited to systems without a lot of memory. Simple word processors, simple spread sheets, tax preparation programs, financial management tools, and childrenÑs authoring tools should work well on a Pippin as long as there is a rewritable mass storage device that can store data files.
Question: What is in this for the customer?
Answer: For the first time, the customer will be able to "buy-in" to the era of multimedia and cyberspace at a low entry ticket price. The customer will be able to expand the entry system through aftermarket add-ons, accessing some personal computing capabilities if they choose. They will be able to buy the unit from a variety of companies in different configurations in a multitude of distribution channels. Their Pippins will integrate within their audio-visual consumer electronics world. In addition, it will be able to communicate and transfer files with their personal computers should they have them in their home. Finally, the Pippins with the addition of a GeoPort adapter or external modem will permit the customers to communicate over cyberspace.
Question: Will Pippin reduce the system configuration problems faced in the personal computer market?
Answer: Pippin is designed to behave like an audio CD Player. The customer inserts the CD-ROM into the player and it automatically boots off the CD. There are no files to configure and no drivers to conflict over system resources.
Question: Can customers upgrade their Pippins?
Answer: Pippin is the most expandable device in its category. The consumer can add system memory easily using plastic DRAM memory cards. In addition, through the PCI-like expansion, manufacturers will be able to add other devices, including mass storage devices, graphics accelerators, compression decoders and more. Thus, by purchasing easy to add/configure add-ons, the customers will be able to retain their investment into the future.
Question: Will customers upgrade Pippin to a Macintosh?
Answer: Pippin cannot be made into a Macintosh. Without the availability of a high speed read/write mass storage device customers will find it difficult (at best) to utilize current "standard" personal computer applications. It would not be unfair to say, however, that Apple would like Pippin customers to also be Macintosh customers. The advantage for the customer is that their investment in titles can be played on both machines.
Question: WouldnÑt customers rather view their titles on a computer screen?
Answer: This actually depends upon the customer and the title. The vast majority of the worldwide market doesnÑt own a computer monitor and is unlikely to own one any time soon. This permits a larger number of people to interact with the screen simultaneously. This also enables customers to integrate their Pippin with their home entertainment environment.
If customers prefer, they will be able to attach a 640x480 VGA monitor to Pippin.
For additional information on the Pippin, see "Pippin: Questions and Answers (Part 2 of 2)" and "Pippin: Technical Specifications."
Published Date: Feb 19, 2012
Copyright © Apple Inc. All rights reserved.


Description: Olvera Welding Specialist is a business categorized under welding repair, which is part of the larger category welding repair. Olvera Welding Specialist is located at the address 3518 Hartwick Road in Houston, Texas 77093-1310. The Principal is Isidro Olvera who can be contacted at (281)987-2467.
Location & access map for "Olvera Welding Specialist"


Commissioned by the family of a keen bird watcher as a mark of their appreciation for the excellent care she had received in her nursing home during her last few years. The feeder was large because it had to be situated on some low ground in the homes' garden and the aim was for it to be observable from the residents' dayroom. The feeder was therefore forged out of tube, in order to keep the weight down; the 'dragons' back' on the top loop was to enable the hooks to be positioned, rather than just sliding around. The first image is a general view; the second shows some of the tailed hooks on which the bird food was to be hung; the third shows how the tool worked for getting the hooks on and off the 'dragons' back'; the fourth image shows how the tool was to be stowed, spiralling around the bottom of the pole, when not in use.


← Knicks To Consider Trading Pick?
Do you expect Rajon Rondo to ever wear a Mavericks uniform again? "No, I don't," Rick Carlisle said.
Not that this should necessarily come as a surprise to anyone at this point, but Rajon Rondo's Game 2 last night in Houston was the proverbial nail-in-the-coffin for his tenure in a Mavericks uniform.
Rondo was completely disengaged in the game. Made awful passes, received an eight-second back-court violation with absolutely no pressure on him whatsoever and picked up a foul and technical just 30 seconds into the second half. From that point forward Rondo was basically benched for J.J. Barea and Raymond Felton the rest of the way.
Reports surfaced today that if Carlisle returns to Dallas, Rondo will not.
Parting ways with Rondo may be somewhat hard to swallow for the simple fact of trading away their depth and a 2015 first-round pick for an awful rental player, but you can't get rid of one of the best coaches in the league for someone that's clearly a malcontent and could be a headache no matter what coach you bring in.
I don't know how much money Rondo has cost himself in the off-season. You would have to imagine it's a lot. He went from once being a sure max player to now a price tag unknown. But whatever that number is, seeing what has transpired these last few months, the amount is too much to pay regardless.
Let someone else overpay for his services and deal with that headache.


HS-induced PPARalpha-mediated downregulation of PHD1 is a novel pathway for PHD/HIF-1alpha transcriptional regulation.
EglN2 might act as an FBW7 ubiquitin ligase substrate contributing to the progression of triple negative breast cancer.
Selective reduction of PHD1 protein using CRISPR/Cas9 technology reduced both lipid peroxidation and mitochondrial impairment, and attenuated glutamate toxicity in the cultured neurons.
Phd1 deficiency in dendritic cells significantly reduced interleukin-1beta production in response to lipopolysaccharide. Taken together, our results further support the development of selective PHD1 inhibitors for ulcerative colitis, and identify haematopoietic cells as their primary target.
This study provides new information relating to the possible mechanism of therapeutic action of hydroxylase inhibitors that has been reported in pre-clinical models of intestinal and hepatic disease.
PHD1 deficiency promotes hepatic steatosis and liver-specific insulin resistance but does not worsen the deleterious effects of HFD on metabolic homeostasis.
deleting Phd1-3 genes in osteoblasts increased osteoclast formation in vitro and in bone.
These data identify PHD1 as a regulator of neuronal metabolism and a potential therapeutic target in ischemic stroke.
PHD1 and PHD3 deletions promote angiogenesis in ischemia-injured tissue by increasing HIF1-alpha stability.
Rosiglitazone increases PHD expression in a PPARgamma-dependent manner and that this leads to the commitment of anti-adipogenic proteins to the ubiquitination-proteasomal pathway and to the subsequent induction of adipocyte differentiation.
Alterations in the function of all 3 isoforms of prolyl-4-hydroxylase enzymes (PHD1-3) in the first 24 h following transient focal cerebral ischaemia are reported.
Data show it is feasible to reactivate hepatic erythropoietin production using systemically delivered siRNAs targeting the EglN1, EglN2 and EglN3 prolyl hydroxylase mRNA specifically in the liver.
Prolyl hydroxylase enzyme (PHD) is the key enzyme responsible for degrading HIF-1. HIF activation is an approach to increase vascularity and bone formation following skeletal trauma.
Loss of PHD1 provided tolerance of hepatocytes to acute hypoxia and protected them against ischemia/reperfusion damage.
Egln1/2/3 play dual roles in chondrocyte growth, acting as oxygen sensors and mediators of late stage events in the cell cycle.
Deficiency or antagonism of oxygen sensor Phd1 induces hypoxia by reprogramming basal metabolism.
4-bp Insertion/deletion Polymorphism within the Promoter of EGLN2 is associated with breast cancer.
In advanced-stage Hodgkin's Lymphoma patients strong cytoplasmic PHD1 expression in Reed-Sternberg cells was associated with poor relapse-free survival among patients treated with involved-field radiotherapy and advanced-stage patients treated with doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and darcabazine and involved-field radiotherapy.
PHD1 is phosphorylated by CDK2, CDK4 and CDK6 at Serine 130.
siRNA-mediated knockdown of PHD1 inhibited glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic Beta cells.
rs3733829 in the EGLN2 gene is significantly associated with the risk of COPD in Chinese populations of Hainan province.
Data indicate that the prolyl hydrolase 1 (PHD1) rs10680577 polymorphism is associated with the risk of non-small cell lung cancer in a Chinese population.
PHD-1 played an important role in hypoxic response pathway of trophoblast through modulating the level of HIF-2alpha.
PHD1 could induce cell cycle arrest in lung cancer cells, resulting in the suppression of cell proliferation.
Results show that variants in two adjacent genes, EGLN2 and CYP2A6, influence smoking behavior related to disease risk.
The diminished expression of PHD1 and PHD2 and elevated level of FIH protein in cancerous tissue compared to histopathologically unchanged colonic mucosa was not associated with DNA methylation within the CpG islands of the PHD1, PHD2 and FIH genes.
By modulating Cep192 levels, PHD1 thereby affects the processes of centriole duplication and centrosome maturation and contributes to the regulation of cell-cycle progression.
Onconeuronal antigen Cdr2 correlates with HIF prolyl-4-hydroxylase PHD1 and worse prognosis in renal cell carcinoma.
Findings provided strong evidence for the hypothesis that rs10680577 contributes to hepatocarcinogenesis, possibly by affecting RERT-lncRNA structure and subsequently EGLN2 expression.
The hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) is a transcriptional complex that is involved in oxygen homeostasis. At normal oxygen levels, the alpha subunit of HIF is targeted for degration by prolyl hydroxylation. This gene encodes an enzyme responsible for this post-translational modification. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. Read-through transcription also exists between this gene and the upstream RAB4B (RAB4B, member RAS oncogene family) gene.


text:
namespace {

const char kHighContrastExtensionUrl[] = "https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/djcfdncoelnlbldjfhinnjlhdjlikmph";
const char kDarkThemeSearchUrl[] = "https://chrome.google.com/webstore/search-themes/dark";
const char kLearnMoreUrl[] = "https://groups.google.com/a/googleproductforums.com/d/topic/chrome/Xrco2HsXS-8/discussion";
const int kBubbleWidth = 500;

class InvertBubbleView : public views::BubbleDelegateView,
                         public views::LinkListener {
 public:
  InvertBubbleView(Browser* browser, views::View* anchor_view);
  virtual ~InvertBubbleView();

 private:
  // Overridden from views::BubbleDelegateView:
  virtual void Init() OVERRIDE;
  virtual gfx::Rect GetAnchorRect() OVERRIDE;

  // Overridden from views::LinkListener:
  virtual void LinkClicked(views::Link* source, int event_flags) OVERRIDE;

  void OpenLink(const std::string& url, int event_flags);

  Browser* browser_;
  views::Link* high_contrast_;
  views::Link* dark_theme_;
  views::Link* learn_more_;
  views::Link* close_;

  DISALLOW_COPY_AND_ASSIGN(InvertBubbleView);
};

InvertBubbleView::InvertBubbleView(Browser* browser, views::View* anchor_view)
    : views::BubbleDelegateView(anchor_view, views::BubbleBorder::TOP_LEFT),
      browser_(browser),
      high_contrast_(NULL),
      dark_theme_(NULL),
      learn_more_(NULL),
      close_(NULL) {
}

InvertBubbleView::~InvertBubbleView() {
}

void InvertBubbleView::Init() {
  ui::ResourceBundle& rb = ui::ResourceBundle::GetSharedInstance();
  const gfx::Font& original_font = rb.GetFont(ui::ResourceBundle::MediumFont);

  views::Label* title = new views::Label(
      l10n_util::GetStringUTF16(IDS_HIGH_CONTRAST_NOTIFICATION));
  title->SetFont(original_font.DeriveFont(2, gfx::Font::BOLD));
  title->SetMultiLine(true);
  title->SizeToFit(kBubbleWidth);

  learn_more_ = new views::Link(l10n_util::GetStringUTF16(IDS_LEARN_MORE));
  learn_more_->SetFont(original_font);
  learn_more_->set_listener(this);

  high_contrast_ =
      new views::Link(l10n_util::GetStringUTF16(IDS_HIGH_CONTRAST_EXT));
  high_contrast_->SetFont(original_font);
  high_contrast_->set_listener(this);

  dark_theme_ =
      new views::Link(l10n_util::GetStringUTF16(IDS_DARK_THEME));
  dark_theme_->SetFont(original_font);
  dark_theme_->set_listener(this);

  close_ = new views::Link(l10n_util::GetStringUTF16(IDS_CLOSE));
  close_->SetFont(original_font);
  close_->set_listener(this);

  views::GridLayout* layout = views::GridLayout::CreatePanel(this);
  SetLayoutManager(layout);

  views::ColumnSet* columns = layout->AddColumnSet(0);
  for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
    columns->AddColumn(views::GridLayout::LEADING,
                       views::GridLayout::LEADING, 0,
                       views::GridLayout::USE_PREF, 0, 0);
  }

  layout->StartRow(0, 0);
  layout->AddView(title, 4, 1);
  layout->StartRowWithPadding(0, 0, 0,
                              views::kRelatedControlSmallVerticalSpacing);
  layout->AddView(high_contrast_);
  layout->AddView(dark_theme_);
  layout->AddView(learn_more_);
  layout->AddView(close_);

  // Switching to high-contrast mode has a nasty habit of causing Chrome
  // top-level windows to lose focus, so closing the bubble on deactivate
  // makes it disappear before the user has even seen it. This forces the
  // user to close it explicitly, which should be okay because it affects
  // a small minority of users, and only once.
  set_close_on_deactivate(false);
  set_move_with_anchor(true);
}

gfx::Rect InvertBubbleView::GetAnchorRect() {
  // Set the height to 0 so we display the bubble at the top of the
  // anchor rect.
  gfx::Rect rect(BubbleDelegateView::GetAnchorRect());
  rect.set_height(0);
  return rect;
}

void InvertBubbleView::LinkClicked(views::Link* source, int event_flags) {
  if (source == high_contrast_)
    OpenLink(kHighContrastExtensionUrl, event_flags);
  else if (source == dark_theme_)
    OpenLink(kDarkThemeSearchUrl, event_flags);
  else if (source == learn_more_)
    OpenLink(kLearnMoreUrl, event_flags);
  else if (source == close_)
    GetWidget()->Close();
  else
    NOTREACHED();
}

void InvertBubbleView::OpenLink(const std::string& url, int event_flags) {
  WindowOpenDisposition disposition =
      chrome::DispositionFromEventFlags(event_flags);
  content::OpenURLParams params(
      GURL(url), content::Referrer(),
      disposition == CURRENT_TAB ? NEW_FOREGROUND_TAB : disposition,
      content::PAGE_TRANSITION_LINK, false);
  browser_->OpenURL(params);
}

}  // namespace

namespace chrome {

void MaybeShowInvertBubbleView(Browser* browser, views::View* anchor_view) {
  PrefService* pref_service = browser->profile()->GetPrefs();
  if (gfx::IsInvertedColorScheme() &&
      !pref_service->GetBoolean(prefs::kInvertNotificationShown)) {
    pref_service->SetBoolean(prefs::kInvertNotificationShown, true);
    InvertBubbleView* delegate = new InvertBubbleView(browser, anchor_view);
    views::BubbleDelegateView::CreateBubble(delegate);
    delegate->StartFade(true);
  }
}

}  // namespace chrome

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Staphylococcus aureus disease is the leading cause of surgical site infections and infections that arise within hospital Intensive Care Units. Despite a clear and growing medical need, the pipeline for new antibiotics is drying up. Many pharmaceutical companies have abandoned antimicrobial research. In the meantime, bacteria are becoming more resistant to current antibiotics, with fewer new drugs being approved.
The present Competitive Intelligence Report about prophylaxis and therapy of S. aureus infections provides a competitor evaluation in the field of new molecules for prevention or treatment of Staphylococcus aureus infections as of October 2013. Purchase of the downloadable pdf report includes a 6-month online access to the data of the report and any updates since the publication date. Credentials to access the database will be sent by e-mail and allow online work with the project data to print or export an individual report.
Staphylococcal aureus infections represent an enormous burden to public health systems. Traditionally restricted to the hospital setting as nosocomial infections, highly virulent strains have recently emerged in outside healthcare settings. Together with the increasing resistance to many antibacterials in a wide variety of staphylococcal strains, development of vaccines or specific and potent therapies for staphylococcal diseases raised increasing interest . Finding a vaccine for staphylococci is not trivial, as protective immunity to staphylococcal infections does not appear to exist at a significant degree. Promising results from novel approaches based on the combination of systematically selected antigens have been reported.
Passive immunotherapy with monoclonal therapeutic antibodies against S.aureus is another means to approach specific therapy of staphylococcal. While anti-staphylococcal purified polyclonal immunoglobulins are not recommended for prevention of staphylococcal infections in preterm or VLBW neonates, monoclonal antibodies are currently emerging and are in early development. Although not specific, bactericidal proteins and peptides with activity against S. aureus are in preclinical and clinical development. More targeted and improved antibiotics are also in development.


Team Group Announces White Xtreem Series DDR3 Modules | Future 2 tech.
Team Group's Xtreem White-series memory modules have white heatsinks.
You can grab this android console for $249.99.
Google is now selling a Google Play Edition model of LG's G Pad 8.3 tablet.
Dreaming of a white Nexus?
Microsoft celebrates as Xbox One claims crown for console launches in Australia.
Looks like Dell is trying to free up some cash.
eBay is going to stick with current delivery methods for eBay Now.
Lian-Li has released its PC-Q35 enclosure, which is ideal for use as an NAS chassis.
The Galaxy Grand Lite would fill an international spot between the older Grand and the pending Grand 2.
Qualcomm expects its new 64-bit chip to appear in devices in the second half of 2014.
Facebook is considering a "sympathize" button for sad updates.


Discover a unique coop program in which students from Mozambique are taught dentistry techniques in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in this short film from 1987. For many of us, dental health programs are something we take for granted, but in some regions of the world, they're considered a luxury. With this program, the Mozambique students are taught the skills they need to take back to their communities.


One of my favorite footnotes in basketball history comes from the 1990-91 NBA season. Not Michael Jordan finally winning a championship. Rather, one team, the Denver Nuggets.
See, the 1990 Nuggets applied the Loyola Run and Gun offense under former university coach Paul Westhead. They scored 119 points per game on average. The Bulls scored 110, and even this regular season's Bucks and Warriors, in an era of fast paced high scoring basketball only managed around 118.
The closest baseball equivalent would be the 1930 Phillies, taking place in a monster hitters year. The Phillies that year finished last in the hit-crazy NL, scoring six runs per game on average-and giving up around eight.
Who remembers SSX and 1080? The waves of Tony Hawk games that were all the rage in the 2000s? I do. I vaguely played a few of them, and watched my friends and classmates play a lot more of them.
I guess it was the "EXTREME SPORTS" trend of that period extending to video gaming. I don't really miss it, but I can see the appeal. And I can also see how that influence extended into non-extreme sports games starring a certain Sega mascot.
In my latest Sea Lion Press column, I finally have the opportunity to talk about one of my favorite technothriller pet peeves-"Plotnukes".
Plotnukes are a kind of "I know it when I see it" term for the use of nuclear weapons in a highly contrived way. The Birmingham-for-Minsk "trade" in Hackett's The Third World War and similar events in imitators is what I consider the poster child of such a thing.


What precisely is contained in the service uptime guarantee and why is it so essential when you pick your hosting service supplier?
Usually clients check the features they will get with a given shared hosting plan and end up forgetting something just as important - the service uptime. As efficient as a plan might be, frequent downtimes could lead to lower search engine rank and lost clients regardless of what the explanation for them might be. Not surprisingly, very few people would come back to a site that is inaccessible 1 / 2 of the time, not mentioning the lost capital if you've invested in an advertising campaign. For this reason, whenever you buy a new web hosting plan, you should make sure that the service is going to be stable and your websites will be online 24/7. This means a boost in traffic, or in case you have an online store, for example, better uptime means happier customers.
If you purchase a shared hosting plan from our company, we ensure that your Internet sites are going to be operational at least 99.9% of the time. We've virtually got rid of the web server downtime by using a sophisticated cloud hosting platform where separate groups of web servers deal with each individual part of the overall service - files, databases, email messages, and so on. In that way, if there is an issue with a web server, the other web servers within the cluster will simply take over and your internet sites will not be affected in the slightest. To avoid any infrastructure issues, we additionally have diesel backup generators and several independent Internet providers. Experienced admins keep track of the web servers 24/7 to correct any software problems that may appear while hardware and software firewalls shall prevent DDoS attacks against the servers.
If you get a semi-dedicated server plan through us, you'll enjoy a guaranteed 99.9% uptime. Your account will be created on a cutting-edge cloud web hosting platform with a load-balancing system that virtually gets rid of any kind of downtime. The files, e-mails, statistics and databases are all managed by their own clusters of servers, so even if there's a problem with one server, your web sites will not be affected whatsoever. This allows us to offer you a far more stable hosting service in comparison with providers that run everything on a single web server where a problem with a single service can take the entire server down. To avoid infrastructure complications, our data centers use several Internet providers and powerful diesel generators, so no matter what happens, the web servers will keep working with no disruptions and your websites will remain working. Any software difficulties are going to be handled without delay by our proficient team of professionals which check all web servers 24/7.
When you acquire a dedicated server from us, we guarantee that it will be functioning a minimum of 99.9% of the time. To begin with, your hosting server will be built with new and carefully tested hardware components and we'll not make any compromises about that. Our data center in the central district of Chicago provides powerful diesel backup generators, so even in the case of a power outage your server will still be working and with a number of redundant Internet service providers, your websites will be accessible if there's any connectivity issue. In case of any unanticipated conditions, we've got skilled system administrators which keep track of all machines all the time and they can respond instantly to eliminate the issue in a very timely manner. Last in sequence, but not last in importance, our servers have hardware and software firewalls to prevent the unwelcome traffic when it comes to a DDoS attack.