Thursday, October 9, 2008

NBC's Thursday Night

There is no better night of television than NBC's Thursday night line-up. Shows such as My Name is Earl, The Office, and 30 Rock is a refreshing evening of smart and very funny comedies. The shows are now going to be joined (albeit temporarily) by the Saturday Night Live "news update" a short version of the show that will cover all the election and other news that is produced as the next president is getting closer to being decided. The "Weekend Update" segment has always been one of SNL's finest and the insertion of it into the already great line-up is bound to be a winner.
also making it's Thursday debut will be Kath and Kim, another single-camera comedy starring Selma Blair and Molly Shannon. From what I've seen, the show may be too smarky for it's own good. It's a concept that puts two dim-bulb females into odd situations, involving their inability to function in society. its got a good supporting cast, but may not be accessible enough for most people. However, I though the same thing before NBC's version of The Office premiered, so I may be surprised again.

Friday, October 3, 2008

There is very little time left to pre-register for an amazing auction. Charter High-Speed Internet is going to blow your mind. Before registering make sure you live within an area that will have Charter High-Speed Internet. What you will be bidding on is how much you are willing to pay for internet service for life. I think that a simple math equation may help you put into perspective how valuable this offer is. If you currently pay $50 a month(which is what I pay) and you have the internet for another 50 years (which is how long I hope to have it) you are talking about spending around $30,000 and that doesn't even leave room for inflation. So go ahead, bid high and if you win not only will you have amazing internet service for the rest of your life but you also will have the opportunity for something more you will also have a chance to win a Nintendo Wii.
Don't wait any longer, bid today!

I already spoke a little about PokerDIY but shortly after I wrote my last article one of my readers wrote me and told me that he was a member of PokerDIY. Apparently in college Mike, my reader, and his roommate along with a few other guys from his dorm would play poker on Monday nights. When the graduated the moved to different parts of country and could no longer have poker nights under recently when they found PokerDIY. They all joined PokerDIY and now play together every Monday night. Apparently my suggestion was more then a suggestion, it was already a part of my readers life.
There are a few online free Poker sites out there but none like PokerDIY. PokerDIY has a great features including starting your own poker league. You really should give it a try. Dedicate one night a week to playing poker and start a league, or start a league that is already started. It is also a great way to play Poker without going broke(especially is your luck isn't the best). Learn tips, share secrets, and most of all, enjoy playing the game.


I found it on Spock!!

I know, you have already read many of my previous articles about Spock and how great it is, but I continue to be amazed by who and what you can search for on Spock. I have been trying different people, both famous and not, and I found that Spock is really a great place to find anyone!
I typed in the word "engineering" and what I found was amazing. First, I noticed, like Google, there are sponsored ads at the top and on the side, which I always found helpful since the companies who make money spend money to continue to promote themselves. I then found a list of engineers from across the country. It seemed to start with professors and academic deans of engineering programs at universities and colleges in the U.S. which leads me to wonder what the sorting order of these results are.
I found a neat link to a 95 year old engineer names Andrew Kantrowitz who taught at Cornell University and was a physicist for NACA. There is a large article on Mr. Kantrowitz on Spock which leads to Wikipedia.
I am predicting that within 2 years school districts will be using Spock as one of the main search engines for biographies for its students. Spock has everything that students would need to complete a school project. Spock has pictures, links to articles across the world wide web and even related people to the subject. The more time I spend playing around with Spock the amazing I find it.

Give Spock a Shot

As a blogger I am constantly working with and for web designers. Before I begin a project I like to know what kind of person I'm working for. Since e-mails can be so misleading and most of my work is done via e-mail, it is nice to know what the people who actually interact with the web designers I work with them about them. There is this site called Spock which is absolutely amazing! Spock is a place where you can search for anyone. Use the site to find friends from high school or college. Use Spock to do a background check before a blind date, or use Spock to find out the truth about the people you work with or for.
Don't waste anymore time, check it out today!


Find your dentist on Spock

Looking for a health care professional? Why not check out Spock? If you are looking for a Dentist go to Spock and search for dentists around your area. After you pick the dentist you think you like search that dentist's name in Spock and see what people have to say about him or her. No more professionals giving you referrals of 5 patients when he or she has dozens of patients who wouldn't recommend that doctor or dentist to their worst enemy.
Spock is a great site for finding a Dentist and a great site for finding anyone; and I mean ANYONE!

Better then Google? Yes and No!

I recently came across an article about the site Spock, which I have already reviewed as a personal interest piece. In this article the writer states that Spock is better than Google. I was surprised by how adamant she was that I had to comment.
I agree with her that on Spock you can find almost anybody in the world, which is crazy when you think about how many millions of people there are. Now let me stop you and tell you that I don't mean that you can find almost any celebrity on there, I mean anyone. Go ahead and type in your name. Does anything come up? I was surprised when mine did.
As for if it better then Google or not, I would say yes when it comes to finding people, but Spock doesn't really have any of the other features that Google does. Spock is definitely a good site. Check it out.





The Wikipedia for People Pages and Faces

There is a new social network, not quite like Facebook or MySpace, but definitely on it's way up. This site is much more like Wikipedia meets Facebook meets Google. Spock, a free people search, is neat in its own right, but where I see it going is as a high school essential. Every high school that I know of has cliques, popular contests and general issues with fitting in. At Spock high school students could post pictures, information, and articles about themselves and their classmates. The only concern that I see with this is that there is the possibility for feelings being hurt, yet, it seems that in this technological age, spreading rumors and viciously attacking one-another is easier then ever.
On the positive side, I see how Spock is almost a Wikipedia for people search only and we all see how popular Wikipedia is. Only time can tell what the potential popularity for Spock will be, but I believe with popular marketing Spock could be the next Wikipedia.




Comparision site that saves you money

I love sites where real people tell you what they think about similar products and services. For example, speaking in terms of cost and service, which at home dvd rental service is better, Blockbuster or Netflix? At Best Buys customers review products and services to help you make the best decision for your wallet and patience.
At Best Buys you can also purchase products. If you shop online you probably have, atleast once, viewed multiple online stores looking for the best deal on a particular product. Best Buys does that for you. No more spending 30 minutes to save yourself $5. Go to Best Buys and search for the product you are looking for. Best Buys will bring up that product and show you where you can purchase it for the least amount of money.
A tip for the upcoming holiday season(and all year round). If you can't figure out what to get someone as a gift consider purchasing a gift card through Best Buys. You can use the Best Buys gift card at U.S. stores and online. The possibilities are endless with a Best Buys giftcard.





Review of Adults only forum

Escort Forum is an active bulletin board. This bulletin board is adults only material and should only be viewed by adults 18 and older. At this escort forum you can share advice, get advice and meet with other escorts. Again this is an adult site.

The Best Place to Play Poker!

If you like to play Poker but always play with a computer program stop letting the computer cheat. Start playing with real people. At PokerDIY you can start a free account and play with players from around the world. My favorite feature is that you can manage your own poker leagues. Get together to friends from home or across the country and have your poker night in your underwear. Host local games(with your clothes on) and much more. Can you just imagine, you and a few of your friends sitting around the dining room table on a Saturday night, all with your laptops playing poker? Sounds like fun doesn't it? I think so!
Check it out. It's free, it's fun, and it is the best poker site I've ever come across!



Make Some Money or Atleast Look at the News

As a blogger I spend much of my day either writing blogs or reading blogs. I have recently read an interesting blog at a site called Urbanread. At Urbanread you can make money by displaying articles from Urbanread. When your readers (hopefully you have hundreds of them) go to your blog to read your latest articles and then they can click on the latests news articles from Urbanread and you get paid. It looks like a really great site and I hear that it can be really profitable. I also have to admit that for the last few days I have visited Urbanread to take a look at the news. There is some really great stuff there, like there is this article on youtube comments and it is hysterical. So if you have a blog, sign up for Urbanread. Best case scenrio you can make some money. Worst case scenario, you have a great place to take a look at the news. It doesn't hurt to add it!



Even better deals at Hotel Reservations!!!!!

With less then 90 days until the end of the year most Americans are already began to think about New Years Resolutions and what they want to accomplish in 2009. I suggest, along with the many traditional New Years Resolutions you may be thinking of, treat yourself to a winter's vacation. You can now book that vacation and save even more money at Hotel Reservations. Hotel Reservations is not only giving a $100 rebate on hotel bookings, they are also giving up to 70% off all reservations.
The options you have to choose from at Hotel Reservations is absolutely outstanding. I suggest, when planning your next vacation, you take advantage of Hotel Reservations wide variety of travel options, and book a vacation at a place you've never been before.
If for some reason you are either overwhelmed or having problems with the Hotel Reservations website(which, by the way, is extremely easy to use), use your phone at call Hotel Reservations travel agents at 1-800-447-4136(USA & Canada).
Don't worry about looking at the clock before you call, at Hotel Reservations they are always awake. This make late night snack time followed by the desire to visit some random city, only a phone call away.
Don't waste time. Visit Hotel Reservations and start planning.

If it's getting cold, go somewhere hot!

For the millions of people who are dreading the cold soon to come, start thinking about the escape you could take to a place where it's warm. If you are starting to get stressed about the decision of where to go and how many online sites you are going to have to visit in order to reserve all of the necessary elements of your trip then I understand, I've been there.
Now, stop stressing and take a breath. I have a site that will really take away those headaches you get when planning a trip. That site is Hotel Reservations.
At Hotel Reservations you can plan your entire trip from your flight, rooms, car reservations and more. You can even plan a trip for the whole family with group reservations.
Worried about the budget? At Hotel Reservations you get great deals on all of the necessities to your travel including the option to choose from a hotel or motel, non-stop flights or multiple-stop flights, and save more by qualifying for one of Hotel Reservations many rebate offers.
If you are still too stressed, use one of Hotel Reservations many online travel agents, great for helping you make all of the tough decisions.
The only decision you will still have to make on your own is where you want to go!


At 36, McDonalds still makes me feel like a kid!


As a 36 year old male, I like to think that I have grown past the days of happy meals, clowns, and play places, but McDonalds always seems to take me back. Most recently, I found myself visiting my local McDonalds(in Cranberry Twp, Pa) almost everyday(sometimes multiple times a day) to get myself a hamburger happy meal because of the best toy McDonalds has ever made, Star Wars toys! Not only did the toys take me back to when I was a kid and saw Star Wars in the movie theater with my dad but also took me back to after the movie when my dad would take me to McDonalds.
http://www.creamaid.com/widget.html?id=10000000221000001381

What the Heck is our Government doing?

Ok, I typically do share my opinion on the government, and if I do, it usually isn't as heated as this blog is going to be. What is our government doing? I have to comment on these corporations who may be bailed out by the government. I'm ok with a bailout if there are certain requirements to the bailout. First, if a company's executive(s) has made, in bonuses, in the last 5 years combined more then or the same amount that the company is in the hole for, then that company should not be given the opportunity at a bailout. These companies where the CEO is making a $5,000,000 bonus at the end of the 1st quarter and then at the end of the 2nd quarter the company is claiming bankruptcy because they are $5,000,000 in debt makes no sense. If company executives have been giving up their bonuses and, in some cases, have been giving up portions of their salary in order to try to get the company back to where it needs to be, I am all for them getting help from the government, but those companies who act like everything is fine and dandy and then one day they are suddenly $10 or $20 million in debt. Forget them.

Pandora, a little gift from heaven

If you listen to music on the radio or through any other online live feed, STOP! Pandora, a free online music radio station, is absolutely the best option for listening to the radio.
Start by creating an account where you can save unlimited stations for each of your music listening moods. On each station you can tell Pandora which songs you like and dislike by giving a played song an up-thumb or a down-thumb. You now have the option to tell Pandora not to play a particular song or songs for a month. This is a great feature for those songs you really like but are tired of hearing.
Pandora also allows you to play a mix of the stations you have picking and choosing what mix you would prefer.
To make Pandora even better, you can find information on the artist(s), album, and even purchase songs right from Pandora. Let's say that you hear a song that you love and want to purchase. You don't need to go and open a separate window and search to purchase the song, you can purchase right from Pandora.
Don't waste your time with other websites and radio stations. Everything you need is at Pandora.
Check out Pandora at http://www.pandora.com

Healthy breakfast can be found at McDonalds


If I told you that making McDonalds a part of your daily routine would help you get thin, would you believe me? Surprisingly it can be. As I'm sure you have heard before, eating a healthy breakfast can speed up your metabolism and help with weight loss. There are many items at McDonalds which are actually not too bad for you as a morning meal, however, there is one item that is perfect as a mid-day snack or even better as a morning meal. This item of perfection is the fruit and yogurt parfait. Usually sold as a dessert item, the fruit and yogurt parfait is only 130 calories(without the granola, which, for an extra 20 calories, is fine to add in) and is filled with all the health benefits a low-fat yogurt,fresh strawberries and blueberries hold.
So after your fresh cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal, stop at McDonalds on your way to work and pick up a fruit and yogurt parfait. It takes like a dessert, and is beneficial to staying or getting thin.
Check out more information on McDonalds and all of their nutrition information at www.McDonalds.com

Review of PTC Site

BooBearClix is a new ptc(paid to click) website with the possibility to make members a lot of money. As many well versed paid to click members know, without referrals, it will take anywhere from 30-90 days to make enough money to reach payout and when payouts are made it takes around 20 days to receive your $10 or $20. At BooBearClix not only do you have the opportunity to reach payout each and every day, BooBearClix also pays out every 10 days. To make BooBearClix even better, members get paid for clicking on links at other PTC sites. One member has made over $1,000 in one month between BooBearClix and the other sites that he clicks.
The concept is simple, not only does the administration have advertisers pay to have their links clicked on, but the administration also has members sign-up for PTC sites under the site and the administration receives a commission for those sites that members click on enabling them to pay members a portion of that commission to thank them for signing up.
Overall I think that BooBearClix is a great opportunity for paid to clickers especially new paid to clickers. Take a minute and visit the site. You can become a member too and make over a $1,000 a month.
http://www.BooBearClix.com

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Rock and Roll?

Why does every pre-teen have to 'rock?
from High School Musical to Hannah Montana, evry Disney Channel moppet now is either declaring that they rock or are indeed so focused on their own superstardom that they have tragically lost touch with their audience.
Rock music was at one point scandalous, but not any more, years or commercialism and corporate control ahve diluted the pool so much that theres not much happening on the surface.
Becoming a superstar has become the defacto career choice for every child. its a little depressing, and irritating too. I love rock and roll music in all its formats yet i am insulted by the factory produced songs that miley cyrus sings and the almost casual labelling of anyting with the stereotypical uniform on as a "rockstar."
Perhaps it's my love of what i would call 'real' rock music, and music done with passion that makes these 10 year olds proclamations of "rock and roll" so insulting.
Real music is done with passion, and becasue the world has moved you, or you wish to move the world, not because Disney wants you to have a CD to sell in addition to your work on "Wizards of Waverly Place."
Thank God that real music still happens, it's just harder to find in the world. The crap has a higher marketing budget.
And THAT does not rock.
It sucks.

How can 'bad' TV be so good?

I love great TV. Shows like "the Shield," "The Wire," "30 Rock," and "Dexter" make it easy to appreciate why several critics have declared this to be a 'golden age: of television. I would find it hard to disagree. There are some great shows on TV.
However for every shining front, there is tarnished underside. the underside that I refer to is the VH1 show "I Love money," a pig pile of contestants who at one point sought a loving mature relationship with either Flavor Flav, Bret Michaels, or New York (herself a former suitor to Flav)
these contestants now have embraced their emotional vacancy and dedicated themselves towards winning $250,000. In fact knowing that these 'celebrities' have realized that they must have the fuel for fame, money itself, before the can truly achieve the fame they so desire has made them comically desperate. The 'game show' (now rechristened a "reality competition") that "I Love Money" becomes tragically embraces a contest more concerned with cameras and hot lights than actual competition.
The show has weeded out some entertaining characters, such as the dim bulb buffoonery of "Mr. Boston" and the middle-aged desperation of "Rodeo." However the competitor that seems to be the most fascinating is "The Entertainer," a New Jersey resident who at 29 still lives at home in a small basement room. He openly admits he's needing the money to escape his parents oppressive thumb, and yet he seems to struggle with his own motives throughout the show, hooking up with fellow contestants, playing the game with passion but yet still honest about the money as prime mover in his desire for victory.
The show is a mess, and the contestants have very little to endear themselves to anyone. However if you can make the bargain with your soul to sit back and watch them turn on each other like rats in a coffee can, its a brilliant way to spend 60 minutes on a Sunday night.

Fruit Round-Up

When I was a kid we would play a game in wednesday night clubs at church called "fruit basket upset." In the spirit of that game, I will provide a candid and hard-hitting examination of all fruit and rate its overall quality.

Apple: very versatile. good in pie. many choices of flavors and styles (my favorite is Gala, although the tartness of Granny Smith is quite good( on a side note, WHO was Granny Smith, and what about her personality made her tha name given to an overly tart and crisp apple? was she a legitamate 'tart', a woman who is slutty and brash? or was she a strong assertive senior who's quick (tart) wit made her endearing?) )
Rating: 8

Banana: as far a fruit goes, it's easily portable and not too tough, peeling and enjoying it is much neater than the orange, yet lacks the scurvy fighting power and the flavor of its rotund counterpart. However, as a sexual metaphor, its as strong as you can get, easily surpassing the biblical "lost innocence" connotation of the apple.
Rating : 7.5

Orange: i think the juice of this fruit is more popular than the fruit itself. wedges are great for re-charging small soccer players, and entertaining others with the "orange mouthpiece" trick. Its kind of messy to peel and eat, being too sticky to be self contained. However It's unmatched in Vitamin C.
Rating: 6.4

Pineapple: exotic, and at times inaccessible due to an outer skin that's downright scary. once you CAN get past the prickles, the fruit is AWESOME. perhaps it knew that if it was easy to get to such good taste, it would be all over for the pineapple. So it developed the most ugly and fearsome exterior to scare away the wimps. bring a knife, and fight for it....its worth it. Heck, even if it had Scorpions* growing on the outside of it, it would be worth it.
*(Not the German Heavy Metal band)
Rating: 9

Grapefruit: like a big fat orange, it's messy, but much more delicious than the small guy. most people eat it with sugar, so it loses some points there. you should be able to eat it plain without making a sour face.
Rating: 7.6

Grapes: portable and easy to steal at the grocery store. (pop several dozen into your mouth while shopping!) if you are buying them thinking you can make raisins forget it. it takes WAY too long.
rating: 5.8

we will examine vegetables at a later date. Bon appetit!

The Shield: Bad Choices, Good People, Great TV.

The fall television season is now in full swing, as many of the shows that I enjoy have returned for the new (TV) year. Shows like The Office and Heroes I am excited about, they are great shows that I always enjoy, and when they are over, i want more. Hiowever, the best show currently on air (since David Simon's The Wire ended months ago on HBO) is FX's The Shield. Now three episodes into it's final season, Shawn Ryan's sometimes brutal, always compelling, look at corruption in the Los Angeles police department is scary good. When it debuted with much fanfare in 2002, it was compared to The Sopranos. However, on most every account, The Shield trumps David Chase's mega-popular crime drama. Both shows deal with an anti-hero who makes bad decisions as often as good ones. Both have stellar casts, and deal with gritty subject manner in adult terms. Both feature excellent, almost cinematic, uses of music in the telling of the story. However the tale of The Strike Team and it's leader Vic Mackey (played by Michael Chiklis) on The Shield, go above the somewhat conventional, albeit masterfully done, story of that NJ crime boss. Perhaps the most striking example of this is that whereas Tony Soprano is a mafia boss, Vic Mackey is a cop. Tony's actions are violent and law-breaking, they are supposed to be for someone in organized crime. The nature of these actions, and who they are perpetrated upon may surprise us, but hey should never shock us. Vic, on the other hand is a corrupt cop (or is he?) and watching him commit acts that (hopefully) most cops wouldn't commit is jarring and more brutal, if only because of the person who is committing those acts. But Vic isn't a villain, he's a loving father who is struggling to make sense of his now two autistic children, and an ex-wife who requires the same amount of care that his tightrope walk over the void on the streets demands. Vic is sympathetic, not because he's a 'cool' bad guy that we all secretly want to be like Tony Soprano, but because Vic isn't as clearly defined and he may have a heart of gold. His actions all seem to serve the good, even if those actions are bad themselves. The hard choices he makes produce some of the most stressful moments on television, As it is easy to root for Vic to win. The choices he makes are very grey, and he's strong enough and compelling enough to be a character that's not yet destined to one outcome.
The Shield is a story of a man weighing his own soul, and deciding his destiny with every choice. As a cop who walks a razor-sharp line, we can only hope Vic finds finds his life before he loses it.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The quicker-picker upper

I Love coffee. I think it may be my favorite drink...ever. I'm kinda hedging my bets because i may have another drink that i am forgetting that I love more. Let me think about this.
...Okay, Coffee has been the most consistent think i have drank (other than water and milk) for the whole of my life. I have been on stretches where i drink a lot of soda, juice or tea (hot and iced both) but i think Coffee has been the anchor. Is it odd that i get excited that there's a fresh pot of coffee waiting for me in the morning? even during the evening, when i find myself waiting something after supper, coffee is usually my first choice. I love that it's easy to make, and yet so delightful. I love that since I don't drink it with sugar of cream (usually), I can drink many cups with only paying a few calories. I love that i can sit with the cup and nurse it, til it gets to be that perfect temperature then I slug it down like a shot. I love that it smells wonderful. I love that its not sweet. Its a little like life: constant, warm, perpetual. It also can be missed if you don't spend the time to appreciate it. so go pour yourself a cup, and enjoy it.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I can't believe it, but Christmas is coming soon.
It seems like just yesterday i was packing the car full of presents to deliver to the many stops my wife and I must make during the 36 hour stretch of late December 24th through December 25th. It seems like time has moved so fast in the days, weeks, and moths following the last time i sang "Frosty the Snowman" or "Angels we have heard on high."
But it's already September and i have begun to get emails that are all about the holiday plans my family have. My family is unique that we try to cram in at least six-to-eight days worth of Christmas fun into the six-to eight hours that we all spend together on our traditional "family Christmas. I don't hate it, in fact I love it but It's very overwhelming. Before my wife and I were married i even made her sit and watch a DVD my sister had put together of previous Christmas spectaculars. By the end she was shell-shocked. I kind of was too, it was overwhelming watching all the Christmas's in one concentrated package. It was sort of like drinking Chocolate syrup instead of pouring it into milk and having chocolate milk.
Even though i was overwhelmed, I also realized how much i love the holiday. All my family is together and we are all happy, bad things are forgotten and we all focus on giving each other happy memories in those brightly wrapped gifts. As time goes on and family members pass away, I realize that we must all enjoy what we have when its there, because things change and people who you expect to always be around aren't.
Last year my Dad was in the hospital and missed Christmas. This year he'll be home and I am not going to take it for granted. i am going to enjoy every second of the day, every overwhelming, shell-shocking, crazy second.
I know that I don't want it any other way.
Happy Christmas to you and all your family.

Chad Ocho-Cinco: Hello Money! Goodbye Soul

I am all for drawing attention to yourself. I have spent a good part of my 36 years on this earth acting like a goofball, and some of these times I was actually intending it. However for all the self promotion and craziness that I aspire to reach, I draw the line at changing who I am for money. This is perhaps why I am more than irritated by NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson's recent attempt to make himself bigger than the game he claims to play for the love of it by legally changing his name to "Chad Ocho-Cinco."
Let's examine the facts:
1) His jersey number is 85 and in Spanish that is "ocho-cinco" (at least i think it is, i don't remember much of the Spanish classes i took so long ago)
2) Chad Johnson is not (to the best of my knowledge) Spanish, Mexican or any other group that speaks Spanish as it's primary language. Nor does it seem to be a tribute to his heritage.

Apparently, the only reasons he would have changed his name are
1) He wants to be more 'worldly' by reaching out to Spanish speakers.
2)He forgets his number a lot and "chad eighty-five" was taken,
3) some company who he endorses paid him A LOT of money to eliminate his family name to make money by being a news story for a few days. After all if Prince and Puff Daddy can make news by changing their names, why cant overrated football players from sub-par teams?

Based on these conclusions, the former "Chad Johnson" is either a huge idiot or a huge sellout. I would tend to believe it's the later, although Id rather be the idiot. After all, Ive been doing that for years, and I didn't have to buy all my old jerseys either.

Old Games new ways

I have a Nintendo DS videogame system. It was a gift from my wife a few Christmases ago and I love it. I am a self-confessed videogame nerd so I love the idea of having a portable videogame system that plays some really great games, and and also looks cool. Recently I purchased a game for my DS called "Clubhouse Games." This is a game that is a compilation of 42 card, board, and standard traditional games such as bowling or darts. Its a simple game compared with the high intensity of a shooting game, or a multi-leveled 3-d platformer like super mario 64. despite its simplistic nature, i find myself playing it a lot. Its simplicity is really what makes it so fun. I can relax for ten minutes and play a game of hearts, or Chinese checkers, or I can play a version of Blackjack or Texas hold-em when i feel the need to remind myself how unlucky I am at cards. Either way, the game is a winner, I enjoy it and although I will go back to the crazy advanced games, I will always love playing that same game of solitare that my mother taught me years ago. Thankfully I am able to play it while laying back in my easy chair.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Re-thinking the Oreo.

The Oreo cookie from Nabisco is the number one cookie in the world in popularity. This is according to the countless boasts about how popular the chocolate sandwich cookie is in advertisement's and the number of people who claim it as their favorite. Now chocolate-chip cookies are just as popular with people, but they are as diverse as can be and they are also easily made at home. chocolate chip cookie recipes are like house rules in Monopoly, they are too numerous to mention and as individual as the family who use them.
But when it comes to cookies that you can only buy at the store and cannot replicate accurately at home, the Oreo is the top dog. They have their imitators in the "Hydrox" cookie, and their look is aped in the "duplex" cookies you see on every store shelf, only feet from the Nabisco original. When it comes to taste, every copycat might as well be miles away, over on the shelf for household cleaners or in the row where the new brooms are kept. Oreo stands alone.
In recent years i have noticed the many attempts by Nabisco to expand the base of the Oreo. There have been more spin-offs of the Oreo in recent years than I can imagine. You can only walk done the row in the grocery store and find the Oreo stands alone on a shelf, not because it has no competition, but because it has invited its brothers, sisters, half-brothers, cousins, and all related cookies to the party. There is quite simply, no room on the shelf for the others.
Maybe this is Nabisco's plan, to eliminate competition by taking them out of your line of sight. after all, when you have to choose one cookie bag to buy, Nabisco would prefer that your choice be between the original Oreo, Double-stuf Oreo, Chocolate-dipped Oreo, reverse Oreo, Vanilla Oreo, Oreo Cakesters, Oreo double stuf: mint, Oreo double stuf: Peanut butter, and oh yeah, chips ahoy.
Maybe we really need this many options when it comes to the Oreo, but I don't think we do. The release of the "double stuf" variation years ago was perhaps a good choice, after all what do fat Americans love more than 'stuf'? But the dozen or so variations on the theme seem to have diluted the market. Its like The original Oreo isn't good enough anymore, if we end up with original, we some how feel bad because we have missed out on some of the good stuff (or "stuf".) Oreo's are delicious cookies, and have been a treat for many years, we don't need to have a thousand sub-par copies to remind of this.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

1st offical blog

Movie reviews for summer 2008. I was married this summer and spent 18 glorious days in Orlando Florida. While I was in Orlando I saw 5 movies, and have seen many since. Here are my movie reviews for the movies of Summer 2008.
Sex and the City: I went to see this movie with my now wife, and I didn't hate it as much as I thought. It was a good romance movie with a great ending. I would give this movie an 8 out of 10.
Indiana Jones: This was the movie that I was very excited to see. FANTASTIC movie with great graphics. A must see. I would give this movie a 10 out of 10.
Get Smart: Good movie. I was surprised how good it actually was. Anne Hathaway is a great actress and I love Steve Carell. I would give this movie a 8 out of 10.
Wanted: Fantastic movie, one of the best of the summer(not better then Indiana Jones). Many twists and great storyline. I would give this movie a 10 out of 10.
Wall-E: I wasn't so convienced that this was going to be a good movie prior to seeing Wall-E, but after seeing this movie, I was convienced. Great movie, especially for the family. I would give this movie a 9 out of 10.
Journey to the Center of the Earth: I saw this movie in 3-D and I would recommend this movie to most. I felt like the movie didn't have enough obstacles, meaning, there was only one small problem the characters had to overcome and this made the movie less interesting then I would hope. I would give this movie an 8 out of 10.
Hancock: I saw this movie because my wife wanted to. I'm glad that I did though. Good movie, Will Smith doesn't disapoint. Good concept, I hope for a sequel. I would give this movie a 9 out of 10.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2: Better then the 1st. Good love story for anyone over 13. I sat behind a woman with her children and was crying and talking throughout the movie. Her children seemed to be around 10 and didn't understand a lot of the sexual references and this made it even more enjoyable. I gave this movie a 9 out of 10 and the woman in front of me a 10 out of 10!!
Pineapple Express: AWESOME movie. If you liked June or Superbad, this is right up your alley!
I gave this movie a 9 out of 10!

That's my first post, tell me what you think!
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