• GENRE: Zombie Horror
• ACTORS: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, Judith Ridley, Adam Knox
• DIRECTOR: George A. Romero
• RATING: Unrated
• PARENTAL NOTE: Not intended for children. Extreme violence. Zombie mayhem and gore.
• INTENDED AUDIENCE: This movie is intended for fans of the genre, and may not be appreciated by others.
• GENERAL PLOT: (No spoilers) A group of dissimilar people end up in a remote farmhouse fighting the zombie horde. Can they survive the zombie onslaught–and themselves?
• REVIEW: Some people[1. Tom Truex] will tell you that Night of the Living Dead is the most important movie in the most impotant sub-genre (zombie) of the most important movie genre (horror). This film would be laughable if released today. But in 1968, it was completely groundbreaking. It has really defined the genre for the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of zombie movies which followed. This film defined the zombie as we know it–a slow, lumbering[2. Recent films, such as the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead show us fast moving zombies–an abomination to the “zombie purist.” Frankly, I welcome the fast moving zombie, which in my view is more lethal, and hence more scary] killing machine. Move too slow, get bit, and you too can join the zombie way of life (or death, or undead). Anyway, back to this movie: if you can get past it being in black and white, and the overacting, it remains a pretty scary movie. I’ve seen Night of the Living Dead so many times that I don’t jump any more. But for the first time viewer, the suspense, the horror, and the over the top gore are sure to thrill.
• RECOMMENDATION:[2. If you wonder why zombie themes and horror films have space on a Christian website like K_Line Christian Online, please see my blog post on point] This is a zombie horror movie–though admittedly somewhat tame by comparison to current zombie movies. Many people will be highly offended by every movie in this genre because of the graphic violence, gore, language and other questionable elements. However, if you are a fan of this genre–you have to respect this groundbreaking work of art for the great movie that it is.
• RATING (out of 5 stars): ★★★★★★

NAME OF POEM: The Deacon’s Masterpiece Or, The Wonderful “One-Hoss Shay”: A Logical Story
AUTHOR: Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809 – 1894)
DATE: 1885
THEME: There is always a “weak spot” in any piece of equipment or technology–something that breaks first. This poem is about a wonderful piece of machinery (the one horse shay) which is designed and built so well that there are no weak spots. The result is (sort of) a “logical story.”
REQUIRED READING? YES

POEM:

Have you heard of the wonderful one-hoss shay,
That was built in such a logical way
It ran a hundred years to a day,
And then, of a sudden, it — ah, but stay,
I’ll tell you what happened without delay,
Scaring the parson into fits,
Frightening people out of their wits, —
Have you ever heard of that, I say?

Seventeen hundred and fifty-five.
Georgius Secundus was then alive, —
Snuffy old drone from the German hive.
That was the year when Lisbon-town
Saw the earth open and gulp her down,
And Braddock’s army was done so brown,
Left without a scalp to its crown.
It was on the terrible Earthquake-day
That the Deacon finished the one-hoss shay.

Now in building of chaises, I tell you what,
There is always somewhere a weakest spot, —
In hub, tire, felloe, in spring or thill,
In panel, or crossbar, or floor, or sill,
In screw, bolt, thoroughbrace, — lurking still,
Find it somewhere you must and will, —
Above or below, or within or without, —
And that’s the reason, beyond a doubt,
A chaise breaks down, but does n’t wear out.

But the Deacon swore (as Deacons do,
With an “I dew vum,” or an “I tell yeou”)
He would build one shay to beat the taown
‘N’ the keounty ‘n’ all the kentry raoun’;
It should be so built that it could n’ break daown:
“Fur,” said the Deacon, “‘t ‘s mighty plain
Thut the weakes’ place mus’ stan’ the strain;
‘N’ the way t’ fix it, uz I maintain,
Is only jest
T’ make that place uz strong uz the rest.”

So the Deacon inquired of the village folk
Where he could find the strongest oak,
That could n’t be split nor bent nor broke, —
That was for spokes and floor and sills;
He sent for lancewood to make the thills;
The crossbars were ash, from the straightest trees,
The panels of white-wood, that cuts like cheese,
But lasts like iron for things like these;
The hubs of logs from the “Settler’s ellum,” —
Last of its timber, — they could n’t sell ’em,
Never an axe had seen their chips,
And the wedges flew from between their lips,
Their blunt ends frizzled like celery-tips;
Step and prop-iron, bolt and screw,
Spring, tire, axle, and linchpin too,
Steel of the finest, bright and blue;
Thoroughbrace bison-skin, thick and wide;
Boot, top, dasher, from tough old hide
Found in the pit when the tanner died.
That was the way he “put her through.”
“There!” said the Deacon, “naow she’ll dew!”

Do! I tell you, I rather guess
She was a wonder, and nothing less!
Colts grew horses, beards turned gray,
Deacon and deaconess dropped away,
Children and grandchildren — where were they?
But there stood the stout old one-hoss shay
As fresh as on Lisbon-earthquake-day!

EIGHTEEN HUNDRED; — it came and found
The Deacon’s masterpiece strong and sound.
Eighteen hundred increased by ten; —
“Hahnsum kerridge” they called it then.
Eighteen hundred and twenty came; —
Running as usual; much the same.
Thirty and forty at last arrive,
And then come fifty, and FIFTY-FIVE.

Little of all we value here
Wakes on the morn of its hundreth year
Without both feeling and looking queer.
In fact, there’s nothing that keeps its youth,
So far as I know, but a tree and truth.
(This is a moral that runs at large;
Take it. — You’re welcome. — No extra charge.)

FIRST OF NOVEMBER, — the Earthquake-day, —
There are traces of age in the one-hoss shay,
A general flavor of mild decay,
But nothing local, as one may say.
There could n’t be, — for the Deacon’s art
Had made it so like in every part
That there was n’t a chance for one to start.
For the wheels were just as strong as the thills,
And the floor was just as strong as the sills,
And the panels just as strong as the floor,
And the whipple-tree neither less nor more,
And the back crossbar as strong as the fore,
And spring and axle and hub encore.
And yet, as a whole, it is past a doubt
In another hour it will be worn out!

First of November, ‘Fifty-five!
This morning the parson takes a drive.
Now, small boys, get out of the way!
Here comes the wonderful one-horse shay,
Drawn by a rat-tailed, ewe-necked bay.
“Huddup!” said the parson. — Off went they.
The parson was working his Sunday’s text, —
Had got to fifthly, and stopped perplexed
At what the — Moses — was coming next.
All at once the horse stood still,
Close by the meet’n’-house on the hill.
First a shiver, and then a thrill,
Then something decidedly like a spill, —
And the parson was sitting upon a rock,
At half past nine by the meet’n-house clock, —
Just the hour of the Earthquake shock!
What do you think the parson found,
When he got up and stared around?
The poor old chaise in a heap or mound,
As if it had been to the mill and ground!
You see, of course, if you’re not a dunce,
How it went to pieces all at once, —
All at once, and nothing first, —
Just as bubbles do when they burst.

End of the wonderful one-hoss shay.
Logic is logic. That’s all I say.

REVIEW: This was apparently an immensely popular bit of poetry in it’s day. My father and grandfather were familiar with it. Is this a blueprint for mechanical/industrial design? What engineer wouldn’t be happy with a product that lasted a hundred years? Or maybe it’s a commentary on human life. Everyone wants to live a long life, but no one wants to suffer the consequences of old age. It’s an entertaining bit of history and poetry stirred together. Enjoyable and well worth the time it takes to read it.

RATING (out of 5 stars): ★★★★★

WordPress is blogging[1. “Blog” is short for “Web Log” — a sort of public diary or journal maintained by the blogger online] software designed to be flexible and expandable. K_Line Christian Online is an example of a WordPress blog.

Background

Ad hoc and hack: Before blogging software, I designed my websites the old fashioned way. Each page was created by hand, using various programs to assist in writing the HTML code. The result was crude. Adequate in it’s day, but laughable by today’s standards. Occasionally you still run across a web site of this ilk. Not pretty! The problem with adding content in this kind of system, is that there is no system. Each change to the website necessitates jamming something new in the mix. It’s not easy to sort or organize. The more content you have, the messier the whole site tends to get.

pMachine: I used pMachine for a few years. PMachine is now obsolete and replaced by ExpressionEngine blogging software. I haven’t used ExpressionEngine, so I can’t comment on it. My old blog, back when I was Mayor of Davie, Florida was Davie.TV. That website was built on pMachine. It is still online, but no longer active. PMachine was a good program, and worked well for me. In order to change the look and feel, I experimented and hacked. I was was happy with the result. I could easily write content and post it online. At one time I was adding about 4 or 5 entries a week.[3. On my “to do” list is to migrate all of that old content from my old pMachine blog to this website.] Actually, I loved this blogging system. I probably would still be using it, but since it was discontinued, I had to try alternatives to set up my more recent sites. In retrospect, I liked pMachine so much, because I didn’t realize what other programs, such as WordPress, were capable of.

b2evolution. I briefly used b2evolution blogging software when I created my website for my last reelection campaign. That campaign site, is still online, and is also inactive. Frankly, I never had the time to get to know this software. I built and used the website as a mostly static site. It was easy to upgrade and add new content, though I did not really use it as a blog.

Drupal: I also briefly experimented with Drupal. Though not exclusively blogging software, it does have that capability. I found it pretty complex, with an apparent steep leaning curve. I understand it is an outstanding system to use if you have the ability and time to learn it. If I’d had more free time, I probably would have put more time into the system. Plus, no matter what you think of the software, you have to like that logo. However, I was looking for something with power, but not so difficult to use, so I kept looking.

Other blogging software

Blogger: billed as a simple, easy to set up, one stop blogging solution. It is owned and operated by Google at blogger.com. I never used it and don’t know much about it. In general, Google products are free, easy to use, and work well for the intended task. I suspect blogger is no exception. It’s my understanding that if you want to get online in a hurry, and have absolutely no budget at all (not even for domain hosting), blogger is an easy way to go.

WordPress Reviewed (finally)

Two things that distinguish WordPress are the many themes and plugins available to bloggers. The themes control the appearance–look and feel–of the website. The plugins expand the functions of the website. First, lets talk about the themes. There are thousands of them. Most of them for free. Without much effort, you will probably identify a few dozen that have the look you want. If you are a programmer, or proficient hacker you write your own or modify one that you almost like. I have several WordPress sites, each with a generally different look and feel. My business website, www.TruexLaw.COM, is a mostly static site which is intended as an online brochure. This site (K_Line Christian Online) is my most active current site. I post a lot of material, including weekly discussion notes for the Christian men’s group I attend; as well as reviews, recipes, etc. I like the fact that there are so many choices of themes. You can easily pick a look that suits your subject and then tweak it a bit. Likewise there are thousands of plugins from which to choose. The plugins expand the already ample feature set of WordPress. A list of plugins used on K_Line Christian Online is available in my Tech Section.

With both themes and plugins, the challenge is not so much to find what you want, as it is to avoid the temptation to try out everything. The themes and plugins are for the most part written by volunteers who just enjoy contributing to the community. As you might expect, the quality varies. However, if you obtain themes and plugins through the official website, WordPress.ORG, contributions have to conform to submission standards. Also, plugins are rated by users, so you have an idea of the quality you are getting. Finally, since plugins are general free and as easy to remove as they are to install, using a standard interface, it’s hard to go wrong. If you try a plugin and it’s not what you wanted, or doesn’t work, just remove it. The only cost is a few minutes of your time.

Overall, I can’t say enough nice things about WordPress. It is a fantastic program with lots of expandable features and many different possible looks. If you really need more than what is offered for free, there are companies that can design exactly what you do want, for a fee. I have used a lot of computer software products since the mid 1980’s. WordPress is one of the very best of those products. And it’s free! Can’t beat that combination.

My rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★★

NOTES: