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November 21, 2006
Michael Richards
My first reaction to seeing the video of Michael Richards go on a racist tirade was shock and disappointment. I was a fan of his character on Seinfeld and I just could not believe how he could act like that. It seems like he either was drunk or drugged up. When I watched it again, I found it interesting that they did not show what led to his tirade, which makes it seem even worse than it already was. As it turns out, Jerry Seinfeld was a guest on Letterman last night and Michael Richards was there, via satellite, to apologize for what had happened. It's amazing that some people (the few audience members who were laughing) have no sense of respect for a person who's obviously extremely embarrassed and trying to apologize. I still think this will make me look differently at Michael Richards as a person, but at the same time if I were to see Seinfeld re-runs on TV, I'd still like his character regardless of what happened. The guy apologized and seems sincerely distraught over what he did. It's time to move on and forgive him for being extremely stupid. No need to crucify the guy for something he's already apologized for.
Posted by kance at 04:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 20, 2006
Cars
I had high expectations of this movie which I never thought would let me down. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a big let down for me. The jokes were just not that funny and it's comedic moments mostly fell flat. I'm still really in shock that a Pixar movie could be this average. Going in, I really had no idea that it wouldn't be that good. On a positive note, it did get better in the end. I'm guessing it's because the start and middle portions of the movie were boring, the end didn't have to be all that great to impress. Sad to report, that I'd only give this effort by Pixar a 5 out 10, especially compared to their previous works. Hopefully this isn't a trend for whatever future projects they're working on.
Posted by kance at 02:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 17, 2006
Lexmark E238 and Apple Airport Express
I picked up this printer at Staples.com a while back for about $80. after a $70. Easy Rebate. I didn't really need a printer, but a laser printer at this price was too tempting. Plus the old Lexmark inkjet printer I had at home ran out of ink and I didn't want to pay $40. for new ink, when for $40. more I could get a new laser printer. My main concern with this printer is if it would work on my wireless network at home (sort of, connected via USB) via Airport Express. After having it for a few months now, I'm glad to report that it works flawlessly. I can both print to it on my wireless network at home on either a Mac or PC. So just for google search sake, I'll repeat that the Lexmark E238 works with the Apple Airport Express. My previous searches for confirmation of this never gave me any concrete answers, so you heard it here first! Oh and the printer is good too, the type isn't as smooth as the HP 4050 we have at the office, but it does the job well enough for a $80. laser printer. Though I wouldn't recommend paying more than $150. for it. (Staples currently has it for $100. after a $50. rebate) Also, kudos to Staples, their Easy Rebate is just that... easy. Probably one of the best rebate experiences I've had.
Posted by kance at 01:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 16, 2006
The Road
I picked this up mainly because of the high scores it had received from Metacritic. Going in, I had really high expectations of this book and once I finished it, I must admit I was slightly disappointed. I think my expectations of the book were different *spoiler alert* because almost nothing happens , but after a few days of thinking about it. I've changed my mind and I agree that it's actually a good read. I think I've been watching too many typical hollywood movies where there always has to be a happy/sad ending and doesn't explore deeper into the story or characters. This book is something that could never, IMO, become a major film. But having said that, I guess it's possible because "Castaway" comes to mind, which has almost the same kind of "feel" as this book. In any case, if you plan on reading it I think just don't expect it to be a typical story. Mr. McCarthy has a gift of being extremely descriptive and I'd have to agree with most of the great reviews out there. Read it, don't expect anything to happen to make it interesting. It's one of those books which gets you thinking about it afterwards. I think that's a sign of a good read. I'll give it a 9 out of 10.
Posted by kance at 01:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 14, 2006
Goodbye Netflix, hello (again) Blockbuster Online
Since Netflix has been extremely slow with shipping out movies (they're fast when you first sign up) and Blockbuster introduced a new feature where you can return online rentals at their stores and receive a free in store rental when you do, I finally had to cancel Netflix (hopefully for good). I know Blockbuster doesn't have as big a selection as Netflix, but I think I can find most of the difficult non-mainstream items online anyway. Mailing movies back on a Monday and not receiving my next movie in my que, marked as available, until Friday or Saturday was getting old (Netflix). I'm sure next year downloading movies will become more commonplace but for now this Blockbuster deal seems pretty good and at the same time I think I can cut down to just a 2 at a time rental.
Posted by kance at 11:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 13, 2006
Borat...
When I first heard about this guy and saw the first few minutes of his movie on youtube, I thought he was hilarious. A few weeks later, he's on Conan, Leno and even has a soundboard. To me, having the soundboard shows how popular this guy has gotten. Which prompted me to feel hesitant to watch his movie. He's all over the place and was getting annoying. So going in to watch the movie, I thought I'd just find him annoying. After watching it, I was annoyed the first few minutes, but I eventually found myself laughing so hard at his pranks. It's amazing how he's able to get people to say the stupidest things on camera and how he seems to get away with his character. Now after reading some of the interviews of the people he duped, reminded me how funny the movie was. In conclusion, even if you find yourself annoyed with him, I'm willing to bet you'll be laughing as hard as I was when you finally see his movie. Easily a 9 out of 10. I'm not sure how long the laughs will last in the long run, but I had a good time watching it even though I thought I'd get irritated with his character.
Posted by kance at 04:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 07, 2006
Gamespot gives Gears of War a 96
Wow. I guess I'll just have to buy this game first instead of renting it to see how it is. Gamespot is usually pretty stingy about giving games a score in the 90's so it better be good if they gave it a 96! Overall, a 93 at Metacritic so I don't think it will disappoint.
Posted by kance at 11:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 04, 2006
Review | Sennheiser PXC 300
I haven't been too interested in noise-canceling headphones until my sister showed me her Bose noise canceling headphones. I'm not a big fan of Bose to begin with (I think they're just overpriced and heavily marketed) but I was pleasantly surprised by the feature. The noise cancellation stuff actually kind of worked. So I was off to find a good set that didn't say Bose or Sony on them. So of course I looked into my favorite headphone brand Sennheiser and read some decent reviews for the Sennheiser PXC 300 models. Most places have them for about $150. but I was able to find them for just over $110. at Compuplus.com (though I just checked and they're back up to $128.) but needless to say I am very happy with the purchase. At first glance, I was worried that they wouldn't cover enough of my ear to let me hear enough my music and cancel the noise out properly. In real world use, it's actually the most comfortable phones I've worn and the only minor gripe I have about it is the battery case/control for the noise cancellation, it's a bit bulky. Other than that, I would recommend these to anyone. If you travel often, these babies are an absolute must on a plane. It's amazing how much low rumbling hum it cancels out. You won't ever want to travel without them on.
Posted by kance at 11:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 01, 2006
UPS lags...
This isn't the first time that UPS has lied about trying to drop off a package at a time when our front office was still open. Shame on you UPS. You could at least just be truthful and say that the driver couldn't make it on time.
Posted by kance at 11:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack