The IAmRobNotBob Blog

Free Print & Play Games

2010-04-04T23:00:00.002-05:00

* Historical Game: http://www.archsoc.com/games/index.html
* Ghoulash: http://www.ghoulash.com/
* Bulls & Cows: http://boardgames.about.com/od/paperpencil/a/bulls_and_cows.htm
* Pocket Civ: http://www.backglass.org/scotts/games/PocketCiv/html/index.htm

Trip to Memphis

2010-01-23T21:36:00.003-06:00

Here are some comments on my recent trip to Memphis.

GRACELAND

I made my first visit to Graceland today. I must say it was a lot more interesting and better than I was expecting. For $30 you can take a tour of just the mansion or for $4 you can also add a bunch of small exhibits to your tour. Fortunately, I found this coupon for $4 off the Platinum package, so you essentially can get those extra exhibits free!

The mansion tour itself is self-guided tour using an MP3-like device and headphones. The audio was very well done, sometimes pausing automatically as you move to different parts of the property and then giving you options for listen to small snippets of things like one of his award acceptance speeches. One thing to note is that the mansion is actually across the street from the Graceland complex where you buy tickets. Fortunately, there are plenty of shuttles to get you there and back.

The tour content is very interesting, which is saying something since I am really not a big Elvis fan. The tour ends at his grave site and it was surrounded by flowers and other memorials from people around the world.

The other exhibits are not nearly as good. Here is a quick summary of them:

Airplanes - This is the best secondary exhibit. You walk through the length of the Lisa Marie and see his custom designed aircraft he used when going on tour. There is also the smaller jet Hound Dog II which is of only passing interest.
Automobile Museum - This was my number three favorite. There is a significant number of cars, motorcycles, and even snowmobiles re-equipped with tires so Elvis could drive them around Graceland!
Elvis in Hollywood - This is a small exhibit that features costumes and original scripts used by Elvis during his Hollywood years. It is worth a look.
Elvis Lives - This is a free exhibit with a short video showing many Elvis references in movies and commercials. There is also a spot where you can sing with Elvis.
Private Presley - This is another small exhibit in the separate strip mall called Graceland Crossing.
'68 Special - This is the lamest exhibit of them all. It is simply a gift shop with a few of the clothes he wore for the 1968 television special that marked his comeback to performing after many years in Hollywood.

MEMPHIS ZOO

On our second day, we went to the Memphis Zoo. I had thought it was in a bad part of town, but it is actually inside the beautiful Overton Park. The entrance way and courtyard is themed as an ancient egyptian city. The animals themselves were very active. I'm not sure if it was because there was low attendance, cool weather, or good animal care, but it was fun. We had warthogs, wombats, and monkeys coming up to us (and no we did not offer them food!).

The highlights of our visit was seeing the pandas and watching the polar bears play with each other in the water tank. We saw the polar bears right after they had been fed, so that might have been great timing. The sea lion show was also very good. It of course isn't like Sea World, but it was very entertaining. We also got to see a hippo regurgitate his lunch - something I could have done without!

PEABODY DUCKS

One of the best free things you can do is watch the Peabody Duck March that is held at 11 am and 5 pm everyday. There is a parking garage at the opposite corner of the Peabody hotel, if you aren't going to be downtown otherwise.

CENTRAL BBQ

There are plenty of places that people claim have the best Memphis barbeque, but one name I heard consistently was Central Barbeque. We stopped by there on our way back home and were very glad we did! It is in an old building on Central Avenue. We got the pulled pork plate and thought it was excellent! They also make their own BBQ-flavored potato chips were are also great. Judging by the license plates in the parking lot, from states all over the country, they definitely have a national reputation.

I'm Back!

2009-09-06T07:41:00.002-05:00

Wow. I just checked my own blog and can't believe I haven't updated this since before the Music City Bowl. I was there with my whole family, including my parents (Dad is a Vandy alum too). It was an incredible experience and was amazed we actually won the game. I was happy about just going to a bowl.

Well, after a long summer, Commodore football is back! We beat Western Carolina at home to the tune of 45-0. It was our first shut-out in ten years. It was great to see freshman QB Smith have a decent game and that our defense was such a force. I'm a little nervous about our new kicker, freshman Fowler, since he missed two make-able field goals. We can't afford that against SEC teams!

Still, it was a great way to start the season. It is going to be a grueling one since we are the only SEC team, and one of only 15 teams in 1-A football, to not have a bye week. At first I thought this was part of the SEC old-boy network, but having read this article, I see that it was just a poor job by our athletic department. C'mon guys!!!

It's Official - Vandy v. Boston College in Music City Bowl

2008-12-07T17:53:00.001-06:00

Hot off the presses!

Did I say Liberty? I mean't Music City!

2008-12-06T08:06:00.008-06:00

Okay, mark me down for one mistake at least. I forgot about Kentucky!

With only eight SEC teams qualified for the post season and one SEC practically assured of playing for the national title (I still think there is a risk Florida won't make it with a victory over Alabama but I hope I'm wrong), the Memphis Liberty Bowl and the Nashville Music Bowl will be select from the last two SEC teams.

Each of these two bowls submit their list of preferences and the SEC decides who will go where. If The principal motivating factor for a bowl is to make money, which means selling tickets and hotel rooms. Kentucky has a large and proven fan base and has played in the Music City Bowl for the last two years in a row. Vanderbilt is the smallest school in the SEC and hasn't been to a bowl in 26 years. In other words, smaller fan base and unknown post-season turnout.

I would expect the Liberty folks and the SEC to want Kentucky to go Memphis. It would be a new venue for Kentucky fans to visit while still close to its home state (important in these tough economic times!).

The Nashville media's take is that a Music City bowl bid is a bad thing for Vanderbilt and Nashville. I completely disagree for the following reasons:

It's a Vanderbilt bowl - The old adage of beggars can't be choosers applies here. I'd be happy with the Joe the Plumber Bowl. I think most Vandy fans are just excited its happening at all.
Vandy alumni are nationwide & global - I don't have the statistics handy, but its safe to say that Vanderbilt has the lowest percentage of local state residents of any SEC school. This means more hotel rooms sold to visiting Vandy fans.
Tough economic times - With the financial markets in turmoil, home foreclosures, and massive layoffs, people don't have as much (if any) disposable income, especially this time of year of gift giving. So the college bowls are also facing the same beggars can't be choosers adage. One has to ask the question if a more distant school is selected that enough people would travel to make a difference for hotel rooms.
Grow the local fan base - If Vanderbilt is going to grow its fan base, it will have to win over Middle Tennessee. Many UT fans are also part-time Vandy fans. But the last twenty years has produced little on the field for these fans to get excited about. With UT down and changing coaches, Vandy has a great opportunity to enthuse these part-time fans over the coming seasons. A local bowl game will help that.
Other bowls are doing it - Even with only a few bowl announcements prior to this final weekend of games, we already know that Rice will be at home in Houston for the Texas Bowl and Georgia Tech will be playing in the Chick-Fil-A bowl which is less than three miles from their own campus!

Vandy Likely for Liberty Bowl

2008-11-30T10:58:00.005-06:00

When the season began, my expectations were not very high:

I would expect wins against Rice and Duke, and possible victories against Miami(OH) and maybe Ole Miss. After that things get more dicey with Mississippi State (who went to a bowl last season) and perhaps Kentucky or Wake Forest. I'll be happy with a four win season or a signature upset win, such as against Auburn (we haven't beaten them since 1955) or Florida (last win 1988) or Tennessee (how sweet that victory would be).

Who would have predicted a 5-0 start, another victory over South Carolina, a first win over Auburn in over half a century, and a visit to College Gameday to Vanderbilt campus. There was the inevitable tailspin of four straight losses including the weaker teams of Mississippi State and Duke. There were also the disappointing losses against Tennessee and Wake Forest. However, the glory of victory against Kentucky clinched our first bowl eligible season in a quarter-century.

Here are my prediction on bowl games if Bama wins the SEC Championship:

National - Alabama
Sugar - Florida
Capital One - Ole Miss
Cotton - LSU
Outback - Georgia
Chick-Fil-A - South Carolina
Liberty - Vandy

If Florida wins the SEC Championship, I'm afraid there is a good chance they won't play for the national title thanks to the BCS B.S. In this case, I see the bowls shaking out this way:

Sugar - Florida
Capital One - Alabama
Cotton - Ole Miss
Outback - Georgia
Chick-Fil-A - LSU
Liberty - Vandy
Music City - South Carolina

In either case, it looks like the Liberty Bowl will go for Vanderbilt. The Chick-Fil-A bowl people said they would only consider the 'Dores if they could beat both Tennessee and Wake Forest, which obviously did not happen. Considering this, it is doubtful would get any better consideration with the higher ranked bowls.

While it would be convenient to play in the Music City bowl, there is a concern that not as many hotel rooms would be sold by selecting a local team. It may not be up them anyway since the Liberty Bowl selects first and there are a shortage of bowl eligible SEC teams this year.

Holy Schniky! Vandy is Bowl Eligible!

2008-11-15T23:23:00.003-06:00

Vandy beats Kentucky with a big help from D.J. Moore - his first two receptions were both touchdowns plus an interception. We are now bowl eligible for the first time in 26 years. This will be the first time that both Kentucky and Vandy are bowl eligible in the same season. UK has played in the Music City bowl for the past two years.

A Truly Historic Win

2008-10-05T08:27:00.005-05:00

With ESPN College Gameday on campus, on national television, the Commodores continued their amazing season with a victory over the Auburn Tigers. Here is why this win is such an incredible accomplishment:

The first 5-0 start since 1943 (the season was only five games long due to WWII)
The first victory over Auburn since 1955
The win keeps Vandy in sole possession of the SEC East lead
This is the first time of having three straight SEC victories since 1982
The first game against a ranked opponent when Vanderbilt was also ranked since 1947
Despite losing 13 games in a row against Auburn, the series is now tied 20-20-1
Representatives from the Capital One bowl (Orlando, the top non-BCS bowl for the SEC), Liberty Bowl (Memphis), and the PapaJohns.Com Bowl (Birmingham) were in attendance last night.

Here are my favorite signs from Gameday:

Please move you are blocking the library
The geeks shall inherit the turf
The three-finger VU sign done by the entire Gameday crew

If you want to read more about it, try these links:

http://www.insidevandy.com/drupal/node/8187

http://www.conquerandprevail.com/

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recap?gid=200810040072

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=859023

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081005/SPORTS0602/810050409/1002/SPORTS

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/sec?tag=nashville%200806

13 Auburn vs. 19 Vanderbilt

2008-10-04T20:49:00.001-05:00

Merciful Father in heaven. We won. We won...

ESPN Gameday Coming to Vandy campus!

2008-10-01T06:28:00.008-05:00

Thanks to Vanderbilt's onfield performance and a series of upsets last weekend, ESPN announced Sunday that their signature television show, College Gameday, will be broadcast from Vanderbilt campus for the first time ever!

With USC, Florida, Georgia, and Wisconsin all losing and idle Vanderbilt moving up two spots in the rankings thanks to attrition, the 'Dores upcoming contest has suddenly become one of the most interesting match-ups in the country for this weekend.

The game will be No. 19 Vanderbilt taking on No. 13 Auburn. This will be the first game for Vanderbilt to be playing as a ranked team in over twenty years! The game will be broadcast on ESPN at 6pm Eastern this Saturday. Auburn is currently favored by 3.5 despite its anemic offensive production so far this season. They beat Mississippi State by a score of 3-2. Yes, 3-2! They are facing a must-win situation with the emergence of Alabama as a sudden national power and LSU continues to dominate the SEC.

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt has another opportunity to prove on national television that this is not the "Same Ole Vandy" - snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. The pundits dubbed the 2008 season for the Commodores as a rebuilding year due to the losses of all-time SEC receiver Earl Bennett and defensive stars Goff and Williams. Yet here Vandy stands in October with a 2-0 SEC record and leading the SEC East all by itself.

As for this Vandy fan, I'm trying to just enjoy the moment and hope the national spotlight helps Coach Johnson's recruiting efforts for years to come. Like I said before the South Carolina game on ESPN last month, I just hope they keep it close and make a good game of it. You have to do that when your team has had so many heartbreaking losses. But I do believe we can win!

Here are some other facts: Vanderbilt has not been ranked for three consecutive weeks since 1956. We haven't beaten Auburn since 1955.

UPDATE: ESPN will be broadcasting from the new Commons on Peabody campus. Watch them set-up live with Vanderbilt's web cam!

Vandy Ranked In Top 25!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-21T12:20:00.005-05:00

Vanderbilt is now ranked for the first time since 1984!

They are 24th in USA Today coaches' poll and an amazing 21st in the AP poll!

According to the AP, we are ranked higher than Illinois, East Carolina, TCU and Fresno State.
According to the coaches poll, we are higher than East Carolina, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State.

There are now six SEC teams ranked in the top 25: Georgia, Florida, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, and now ole Vandy.

This was after a big victory over Ole Miss at Oxford last night.

Way to go 'Dores! Woo Hoo!

Why USC Doesn't Deserve the Praise

2008-09-20T23:00:00.002-05:00

I am sick and tired of all these sports commentators saying that USC has an incredible football team that is hands-down the best in the nation. Here are reasons why they don't deserve that level of praise:

They have only played two games
Here we are in mid-September with most other teams having logged twice that many games. They had two weeks to prepare for their allegedly biggest challenge - Ohio State. Too bad the Buckeyes didn't have that chance.
Their victories are less impressive
Now that the pre-season is over (no more cupcake opponents), we are starting to see how good or bad these football teams *really* are. USC blew out a mediocre Virgina team from the mediocre ACC. They blew out an Ohio State team that led Troy by a measely field goal until the fourth quarter. A Sunbelt conference team! Wake me up when they have a real opponent. That will be sometime next year, unless USC is pampered with another less-than-challenging schedule...
Their schedule is a cakewalk
There is only one other ranked team in the PAC-10, being Oregon. This team just lost to Boise State of the WACC. This is their only ranked opponent on USC's schedule. If they can't run the table, they don't deserve to be ranked at all, let alone number one.

So while USC is surfing the waves of mediocre opponents in the California sun, the SEC powerhouses are beating each other up. Half of the top ten are SEC teams. HALF! It's too bad that LSU and Auburn had to play each other and force one out of the top ten (sorry Auburn). Whoever survives the SEC season deserves a shot at the national title against the annointed USC. I hope whoever it is kicks their tail.

This is what stinks about not have a championship playoff system. It favors the teams that can dominate their own conference while avoiding any real challeneges outside. Margin-of-victory can help offset a lower strength of schedule.

Vandy #26!

2008-09-15T21:27:00.004-05:00

The 'Dores received 63 votes last week in the Associated Press poll, which is the most for any team outside of the top 25. This was thanks to a 3-0 start after beating Rice this past weekend. We haven't been ranked since 1984 when we reached 19th place.

If we can get a victory over Ole Miss this coming weekend, we should hopefully make the top 25. Of course, nothing should ever be taken for granted as a Vanderbilt fan. But all we need is a chance...

Oh, and how about Jay Cutler throwing a TD and making the 2-point conversion to beat San Diego and take the Broncos to 2-0 yesterday?!

Woooooooo Hoooooooo !!!!!!!

2008-09-04T23:07:00.002-05:00

Vandy Beats South Carolina!

...on national TV - ESPN

...first win in Nashville over ranked opponent since 1992.

Go 'Dores!!!!!!!!!

Also, please note the grammatical error on the Yahoo homepage picture above. What is it about adverbs and the sports media?

Random Thought of the Day

2008-08-31T14:42:00.002-05:00

If you are ever bored waiting in a line, here is something you can do to pass the time:

Another Vandy Football Season

2008-08-19T20:30:00.002-05:00

It is not easy being a Vanderbilt football fan. While my wife prepares to see her Georgia Bulldogs defend their number one preseason ranking and some of my in-laws wonder if their Florida Gators can get another championship and it Tebow can repeat as the Heisman trophy, I wonder if this will finally be the season where we get to a bowl game.

It has now been over a quarter of a century since the 1982 Hall of Fame bowl. The good news is that we've been closer than ever under Coach Bobby Johnson. In 2007 we were only one play away from beating both Georgia and Tennessee. I'd say that is pretty darn impressive for a small private school going up against tax-payer funded powerhouses of the SEC. Each of the past three season have had a signature upset win: at South Carolina in 2007, at Georgia in 2006, and at Tennessee in 2005.

Unfortunately, 2008 will be a rebuilding year for my Commodores. We lost SEC star WR Earl Bennett to the NFL draft (selected in the third round by Chicago) along with other defensive players. We also don't have a definitive starting quarterback since neither Nickson nor Adams won the job permanently last season.

Also, the schedule will be tougher this year. I would expect wins against Rice and Duke, and possible victories against Miami (OH) and maybe Ole Miss. After that things get more dicey with Mississippi State (who went to a bowl last season) and perhaps Kentucky or Wake Forest. I'll be happy with a four win season or a signature upset win, such as against Auburn (we haven't beaten them since 1955) or Florida (last win 1988) or Tennessee (how sweet that victory would be).

I also hope that DB D.J. Moore, first team all-SEC, will have an outstanding season. The experts say we have one of the best secondaries in the country (our defense was ranked 16th nationally last year). It would be nice of that could continue. The key to our future is to continue having Vandy players drafted in early rounds of the NFL. Cutler and Williams going in the first round over past three seasons has certainly helped our visibility!

I Have To Laugh!

2008-07-29T19:14:00.004-05:00

Last weekend NASCAR ran its race at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, dubbed the Brickyard. In case you missed it, the Goodyear tires couldn't handle the race. Teams were forced to change their tires every ten laps. Yes, you read it right, TEN LAPS! I'm glad I didn't bother watching that race.

Also consider that a couple of years ago, the Formula One series ran at the same racetrack with another tire problem. Apparrently the Michelin tires were not capable of running safe only the track. The teams with Michelin tires demanded that a chicane (modification of the track course) be put in. Of course all the teams with Bridgestone tires ran just fine. In a huff, all the Michelin teams pulled out of the race when they couldn't get their way.

So, what are the only tires to run without problems at Indy? Bridgestone (F1) and Firestone (IRL). I rest my case!

Tire Problems Dredge Up Bad Memories for Indy Fans
NASCAR Apologizes for Indianapolis Tire Fiasco
Michelin blames tire design flaw

Clone Wars & IndyCar

2008-07-26T15:29:00.005-05:00

How could I not be a Marco Andretti fan now? During the Indy 500, Marco had his race car all decked out in Indiana Jones ads to promote Indy IV. He even wore a fedora hat when they had the driver introductions prior to the race. Now he will do it again with another Lucas film franchise: Star Wars!

He will run this car at the Infinion Raceway in California over the weekend of August 22-24. Considering that he has crashed in about as many races as he has finished, let's hope he can keep from messing up this car!

I really like the Asajj Ventress (a new villian in the Clone Wars movie) placement at the nose of the IndyCar:

Clone Wars Launch

2008-07-26T02:58:00.007-05:00

Well, I finally got my computer to reboot and get onto my blog. I just got back from the midnight madness sale to celebrate the product launch of all the new Star Wars toys, books, etc. The special midnight sale was available only at Toys'R'Us.

I've never been to a midnight product launch (such as Harry Potter or any of the previous Star Wars launches) and I figured this may be my last chance, and my son's only chance, to be at a pre-movie Star Wars midnight sale. So we headed down with my sister to the local (and only) TRU.

It was our first time seeing the 501st in person. They are an organization dedicated to homemade but highly detailed costuming of Star Wars characters. They are also a charity group that supports causes like the Make A Wish Foundation and also do activities like visit sick children (fully costumed) in the hospital. There were 15 members in all for the late night event: six clone troopers, Jango & Boba Fett, Padme, Chewbacca ("life-sized", which was amazing to see!), ROTS Anakin, TPM Anakin, plus a Jawa and an Ewok. My son was both nervous and excited about seeing these people up close. I had to hold him for a little while as he got used to them.

When the doors opened, people were assertive but also respectful. There were about 30 or more people at the event and the racks were cleared out in fairly short order. However, I think everyone had a fair shot at getting everything they wanted. The 501st were inside as well, taking time to chat and have pictures taken. Considering how late it was, how long they had already been in costume, and that a rain earlier tonight raised the humidity in the night time heat to a saturation point, they were practically saints!

We had so much fun that I will definitely do this again if another major Star Wars event like this comes along in the future!

Cool Site: Graph Jam

2008-06-27T23:50:00.004-05:00

It has been awhile since I've come across a Web site that offered something truely unique. The one I found tonight is Graph Jam. I won't describe what it is here; it's better that you see it for yourself. Scroll down on my blog to the "Important Graphs" section to see what I mean.

Here is the link to the Web site:
http://www.graphjam.com/

Top 20 Geek Novels

2008-06-17T22:47:00.009-05:00

I came across this list of the Top 20 Geek Novels of all time. I've actually read most of them, so I thought I'd offer up my own comments:

1. The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Douglas Adams
No surprise why this is number one. I saw the TV show version as a kid and loved it. The novels are obviously even better. It is very British humor and great fun. The movie that came out a few years ago is a faithful representation of the late Adams work. Even my sci-fi-hating wife enjoyed it!

2. Nineteen Eighty-Four -- George Orwell
A fascinating yet depressing view of the future. I started my leanings to the political right after reading this book.

3. Brave New World -- Aldous Huxley
Yet another classic of a dystopian future. I read this many years ago, when cloning really was just science fiction. It is sadly even more relevant today.

4. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? -- Philip Dick
I was a huge PKD fan growing up. I've read pretty much all of his novels and short stories. I think the only reason people pick this as a top novel is that it is the basis (loosely) of the movie, Blade Runner. I actually think it is one of his weaker books. My top pick is also the first one I ever read by him - Eye in the Sky.

5. Neuromancer -- William Gibson
This is a fantastic book. It introduced me to the whole cyberpunk culture and provides a glimpse of what the Internet might be some years from now.

6. Dune -- Frank Herbert
I developed my passion for reading after this novel. It is the Lord of the Rings of science fiction. It touches on so many themes ranging from science, politics, religion, ethics, and military. The movie from the 1980s did spoil it somewhat for me. The books are so much better. I've heard that SciFi Channel's mini-series treats this book better. I'll have to check it out sometime.

11. Snow Crash -- Neal Stephenson
Another of the cyberpunk books. I remember really enjoying it but can't think of the details. Corporate sponsorship and control was an overarching theme here.

13. Cryptonomicon -- Neal Stephenson
This is an amazing sci-fi / historical novel about the code-breakers of WWII combined with a present day storyline. These two story arcs intertwine despite the fifty plus years separating the events. It's a long book but worth savoring every page.

16. The Man in the High Castle -- Philip K Dick
Here is another PKD novel (not like I am complaining!). This one is popular because its plot line starts with the question, what if the Allies had lost WWII? The U.S. is split between Japan and Germany. Not my favorite, but I did like it better than Androids.

19. The Illuminatus! Trilogy -- Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
This is a very strange book, steeped in multi-layered conspiracy theories and sci-fi themes. Not something I'd be interested in reading again.

7. I, Robot -- Isaac Asimov
8. Foundation -- Isaac Asimov
I love Asmiov's writing, but am ashamed to say I only started Foundation and have never read I, Robot. I do want to someday. Foundation was going great when I started it many years ago, but I think I got burned out on sci-fi at the time and have yet to return to it.

15. Stranger in a Strange Land -- Robert Heinlein
This seems to be Heinlein's most popular work. I started reading it but could not get into it. Many have recommended The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. The only book I've read of his is Starship Troopers, which was much better than the movie.

9. The Colour of Magic -- Terry Pratchett
This is next on my reading list. I've heard the name, but have never read any of his stuff.

10. Microserfs -- Douglas Coupland
12. Watchmen -- Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
14. Consider Phlebas -- Iain M Banks
17. American Gods -- Neil Gaiman
18. The Diamond Age -- Neal Stephenson
20. Trouble with Lichen - John Wyndham
Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
The Shockwave Rider - John Brunner
I haven't read these other books. I'll have to learn more about them sometime...

Speaking of geek - If you are a child of the 1980s, be sure to take this quiz:
http://mentalfloss.com/quiz/quiz.php?q=335

June 21st Update
Some very astute readers of my blog pointed out the glaring absence of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. This is a book that would definitely be in the Top Five of my own list. It is so good that even my anti-sci-fi wife read it and loved it! Unfortunately, I couldn't get into the sequel and never finished it. I would like to say I hope they make a movie of it, but I'm afraid we'd get another "Starship Troopers".

Kung Fu Panda Kicks Tail!

2008-06-14T14:53:00.004-05:00

We saw Kung Fu Panda last weekend and loved it. I am a Pixar partisan when it comes to animation, but I must admit this film is the closest yet to reaching the standards of the Disney animation unit. It is the story of a clumsy and food-loving panda who works in his father's noodle shop but dreams of being a Kung Fu warrior. One day he is "accidentally" chosen as the Dragon Warrior; the only one who can defeat the evil Tai Lung.

I am a sucker for Kung Fu movies, so when I saw the trailer and learned that it was a family friendly PG rating, I knew I'd see it, along with my wife and young son. There are so many great things about this movie. I'll try to summarize quickly.

First, I like how it paid homage to the genre. It had all your classic elements of Kung Fu (the neophyte training with an old master, legendary weapons and stories, ancient locations, etc.) but also some interesting twists to keep it from being predictable. When Master Shifu says he doesn't know how to train Po (the panda) to be a Kung Fu fighter, let alone the dragon warrior, I felt the same way! The dumpling duel was the highlight of the movie for me. I also love how all the characters are animals with matching Kung Fu styles (Tigress's aggressiveness, Crane's fluid and graceful movements, Tai Lung (Leopard)'s power from massive upper body strength, etc).

The movie was also happily free of pop culture references. That is my biggest pet peeve with animated movies that one commonly finds with non-Pixar animation studios. I guess these companies think they need to put in such references for fear that kids won't get into the story. That is why I am not a fan of the Shrek movies. If the story is good, like this one, you don't need such devices.

Lastly, the movie has a good message while not being preachy. While it obviously hints at Eastern religion, it is dealt more as a mythical story than one of pushing a certain world view or agenda. Teachers will see this as a treatise on differentiated learning (I learned that term from my wife, who has a master's degree in education). Go see this movie (and the website). You won't be disappointed!

My rankings of CGI movies from Dreamworks Animation:

Kung Fu Panda

Flushed Away

Over the Hedge

Madagascar

Shrek 2

Shrek the Third

The following ones I don't want to ever see again

Shrek

Bee Movie

Shark Tale

Who Is Abraham Baldwin?

2008-06-01T23:51:00.008-05:00

He is a person that arguably played one of the most meaningful roles in the history of our country and yet is practically unknown. He was a Yale College tutor who had recently moved to Georgia, which was still in its infancy as a state. He was selected as one of the two delegates sent to Philadelphia in 1787 to discuss revisions to the Articles of Confederation. This convention moved far beyond that pre-text to become the genesis of the Constitution.

One of the first major disagreements among the state delegates at the convention was the power of larger states over smaller states. James Madison and his Virginia Plan favored the larger states by giving them more votes that the smaller ones. The New Jersey Plan was proposed and supported by the smaller states to have the same number of votes for each state. The debate lasted almost the entire month of June and became so contentious that the convention was close to being disbanded.

Roger Sherman, one of the delegates from Connecticut, proposed a compromise (now called the Connecticut Compromise) wherein the national government would consist of two houses, one with representation based on state size and one with representation of two people for every state. This was a reasonable compromise, but it had to be voted upon by the convention. Five voted in favor of the compromise (CT, NJ, DE, MD, and NY) while five voted against it (VA, PA, MA, NC, SC). It was down to Georgia to provide the tie-breaker since neither New Hampshire or Rhode Island chose to send delegates to the convention.

One Georgia delegate voted against the measure and so it was down to Abraham Baldwin to make the final decision. If he voted against the measure, it was likely the convention would end (and with no Constitution ever created!). If he voted for the measure, the vote would be deadlocked and a method to resolve the issue would have to be decided. But he would face the possible stigma of having negated the voice of the state he was representing. Baldwin voted in favor of the measure. The committee later appointed (of which he was a member) determined to pass the measure by reasoning that the two small non-attending states would have voted for the measure.

So why should you care about this little moment in history? Well, I'm sure this will interest some of my blog readers because Abraham Baldwin, the man who arguably saved the Constitution, was also the founder of the first state-chartered school of higher learning - the University of Georgia.

Check Out Mental Floss

2008-05-16T20:08:00.004-05:00

If you are a knowledge junkie like me, you need to check out the magazine (and Web site) called Mental Floss. It has a great collection of assorted trivia, from country profiles to history lessons to top 10 lists. You can even take various quizzes on the Web site like the one below.

Check out the site and subscribe to the magazine like I do!

The '80s Music Video Quiz

Score: 80% (8 out of 10)

Skin Disease or Dungeons and Dragons Character?

Score: 88% (14 out of 16)

Happy Birthday, George!

2008-05-14T06:55:00.003-05:00

Today, May 14th is the birthday of "the Maker" as Star Wars fans refer to him - George Lucas. To celebrate, you should watch a Star Wars or Indiana Jones movie (a die-hard fan can watch Howard the Duck...).

http://www.rebelscum.com/toys2008/hayford_LucasBday.jpg

No Easy Answers

2008-05-10T06:15:00.006-05:00

I'm currently on an American history kick right now. I guess it is due to the historic primary race between Clinton and Obama and also that it is an election year. I'm reading three different books simultaneously: 1776 by David McCullough, Young Patriots by Charles Cerami, and now a book I got for my birthday - Andrew Jackson by Sean Wilentz. I need to discipline myself and focus on one and get it finished! I'm also listening to a great series of lectures available free as a podcast ("Teaching American History"). The sound quality is bad, but the content is superb.

Anyway, here are some various thoughts that I've had recently:

Who is the first president of the United States?
You'd think that would be an easy one - George Washington, right? Well, actually you would be wrong. Our first president was actually John Hanson. You see, when our nation made its Declaration of Independence and launched into a war with Britain, we needed a national government to coordinate our actions. This national entity was not the constitutional republic we know so well. It was a confederation of the states created by the Articles of Confederation in 1777. John Hanson was unanimously elected to serve as the newborn nation's first president. His actions set precedents for the future presidents as did the other men who served after him. It wasn't until 1789 that the Constitution officially replaced the Articles of Confederation and George Washington, our eighth president but first under the Constitution, began his first term.

How many US presidents have their been (under the US Constitution)?
Okay, here is another trick question. After a little thinking (or research) you would know that George W. Bush is our 43rd president. But if you counted up the list of names of US Presidents, you would only get 42. This is because of Grover Cleveland. He was our 22nd and our 24th president - the only one to serve two non-consecutive terms in office.

Why do I like the Electoral College?
For the past two presidential elections, much has been made about the popular vote versus the electoral college vote. The current thinking among many Americans is that the popular vote is the supposedly true will of the people and that we should do away with the "confusing" and "archaic" system created by the founders of our country. In my view, just because something is simpler does not mean that it is better. The reason why we have the Electoral College is to avoid the tyranny of the majority. To become president, one must win a majority of majorities. I'll write more on this some other time.

"Every nation has the government it deserves"
I just found this quote from the French political philosopher, Joseph de Maistre, and I love it! I am concerned with how our Constitution is being abused and how populism continues to overtake reasoned thought. If we continue to abdicate our sovereignty to foreign entities and allow an activist Supreme Court to twist or disregard the Constitution for sectarian political agendas, we truly will get what we deserve.

My Phenomenon Song

2008-05-07T21:58:00.002-05:00

I blame it all on one of the shows I watched as a child. For now and for ever, whenever I read or hear the word phenomenon I can't help but think of this song.

Follow the link to this You Tube video to see what I am talking about...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YevYBsShxNs

Disney's Strategy

2008-04-27T19:44:00.006-05:00

I read an interesting interview in Fortune magazine with Disney's CEO, Bob Iger. I like what he had to say and has made me enthusiastic about the future of the Mouse House. Here are my thoughts on the article:

One of my biggest complaints against Disney in the waning months of former CEO Michael Eisner's tenure was the legion of direct to video/DVD sequels. It all started with Return of Jafar and devolved into Cinderella II and III, Pocahontas II, Lion King 1.5, and even the Fox and the Hound II. Not only was the quality a mere shadow of its respective progenitor, but it also tarnished the original by association and cluttered retail shelves with a bunch of filler.

Unfortunately for me, it made a lot of money for Disney and Eisner clearly was not concerned with the impact on the Disney brand and what it represents. When Walt's brother and financial leader Roy decided to re-release Snow White in theaters to make money on the demand to see the movie again, Walt criticized him for getting into the sequel business. Walt was always looking to the future.

In the Fortune article, Iger echoed my own belief by saying that low quality and too much product is a deadly combination. Last year he pulled the plug on the sequel machine, so Cinderella III thankfully marked the end of that!

However, I do think that an occasional sequel is not a bad thing. I think that Toy Story 2 was superior to the original. It should be noted that Toy Story 2 was originally intended to be a direct to video release but after test screenings and positive response, they decided to release it in theaters instead. The domestic box office for Toy Story 2 was $246 million, 28% more than the original. Toy Story 3 is planned for a 2010 release and I can't wait to see it!

Iger's approach is to treat franchises like Toy Story and Cars as their own brands. Cars 2 is also being planned. It was interesting to note that not every animated film is considered a franchise by Iger. He explicitly named Ratatouille as one such film. It is a great movie, but we won't see Remy-themed attractions at the parks or sequels.

I think one of the biggest challenges is how to manage the Mickey Mouse brand. It is obviously nostalgic for the baby boomer generation, but the younger generations don't have much of a connection to Mickey unless you count the toddlers who love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The other challenge is reviving Disney's own animation unit. In my opinion, the last decent hit was 2002's Lilo & Stitch. Hopefully the fact that a traditionally animated short now precedes major Disney movie releases, such as Ratatouille and National Treasure 2, they can rediscover the magic.

Watch This Sugarland Video

2008-01-10T22:47:00.000-06:00

This is such a simple yet powerful music video by the band Sugarland. I challenge anyone to not be moved by this. Is there any doubt that Jennifer Nettles is one of the best country singers?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIyxkZod2cM

National Treasure 2 is a Gem

2008-01-06T18:47:00.000-06:00

Who knows who you should believe? The critics loved Ratatouille but the box office didn't live up to the high standards of a Pixar release. Then along comes National Treasure 2 that was
panned by most critics, and yet it still holds the number one spot in the box office for the third weekend in a row.

Fortunately, I loved both of them. I really liked the original National Treasure too. Think of it as Indiana Jones in America. The movie takes historical facts, mixes them with a few conspiracy theories and a pinch of wishful thinking to make a highly entertaining film. After seeing the sequel (twice in the theaters so far), I hit the Internet when I got home to learn more about particular Confederate generals, the Statue of Liberty, and more. The casting is excellent and you get the feeling they are having as much fun as you are.

Best of all, it is family friendly (at least compared to what else is out there). Although be warned that the beginning shows the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the murder of another character. Fortunately, both scenes are brief and not graphic at all. If you are looking for an adventure flick with plenty of humor thrown in, be sure to check out National Treasure 2!

Oh and be sure to not be late to the show. Just like the old days, there is a cartoon short before the feature. It is a brand new Goofy cartoon about installing a home theater system. The style is the same as those old How To Ride a Horse, and Hot to Play Football cartoons from the 1950s and 1960s. This is a fantastic idea!

The Lost Art of the Pun

2007-12-26T22:11:00.000-06:00

Due to the execrable state of English language usage, one of the dying arts is that of the pun. This use of word play has been relegated to eye-rolling attempts at humor. Here is one by the great Groucho Marx that I came across recently. It is very good!

Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

Happy New Year!

Has Happy Holidays Gone Too Far?

2007-12-26T22:01:00.001-06:00

This is the time of year (well, it was until December25th) when many in our politically correct society painstakingly avoids saying, "Merry Christmas" and instead use the generic, "Happy Holidays." Now I can understand the thinking that December is a month filled with many holidays including, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years', Festivus, and who knows what else.

However, I must take exception when someone dressed up as Santa Claus says, "Happy Holidays." I mean he is Santa for crying out loud! If you see a picture of a menorah or dreidel, you would expect to see the phrase Happy Hanukkah. Why should one of the principle representations of Christmas have to deny, or at best water down, the specific holiday he represents?!

Okay, my rant is done. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Star Wars Cross-Promotion

2007-12-13T18:47:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to let you know that I've made a new blog entry over on the official Star Wars Web site. You can check it out with this link: http://blogs.starwars.com/JediRob7/8

The BCS Farce

2007-11-28T06:28:00.000-06:00

I love it. Number one Missouri and number two West Virgina lost yesterday and has sent the country into a tizzy. No one know who will be playing in the national title game, even after all the regular season has ended. The obvious conclusion for any sane person is that the BCS is a bunch of BS.

Let's look at the three arguments that the SEC commissioner, overseer of the BCSBS, raised prior to this weekend:

1. Preserve the regular season - The most common argument is that the regular season of college football is the best of any American sports and that a playoff system will make the regular season less important. However, since only the top two teams are in the "playoff" usually a single loss will forfeit a team's chance for the postseason. Thus, teams will schedule cupcake out-of-conference games to improve the chances of an undefeated season. Michigan has already said they would never schedule a game against a 1-AA team ever again after losing to Appalachian State. You won't see an exciting game like that ever again thanks to the BCSBS. Maybe Michigan will schedule a contest against a high school team. Won't that be riveting football?

2. Protect the bowl system - The second argument is that the existing bowl system must be preserved. To translate that into English, the huge profits made by companies off the effort of college athletes must be protected. In other words, protect the big money, the corrupt system. They can try to trot out the legacy and heritage of the system, but lets look at reality. The Rose Bowl began in 1902, five major bowls in 1940, eight major bowls in 1960, and eleven in 1970. The system has now inflated to a ridiculous thirty-two bowls. Aside from the vacation for the teams and their fans, the bowl game has no real importance. Does it really matter if you lose a bowl game? The importance is making it to a bowl game. What exactly is so great about this system, aside for those who profit from them?

3. The Student Athlete. This is probably the most laughable argument that is practically undeserving of a response. In major football programs, the players are there to play football, not to get an education. Every one knows this. This is not debatable. The reason they go to class, declare a major, keep decent grades, is because the NCAA forces them to. To play football you have to go to class. The current system disgusts me because of all the people who make money off of college athletes while they receive little compensation. Some may argue they get a free education, but the football powerhouse schools are not the best academic schools. Furthermore, the coursework students take must be light so they can focus on football.

4. No Perfect System. The final argument, which shows just how indefensible the BCSBS really is, is that a playoff system (or other proposal) will still have schools complaining about not being in the postseason. What the argument fails to recognize is that there is a big difference between school number three versus school number nine or seventeen.

College 1-A football is one of the only sports in America without a playoff system. Beauty pageants have better methods of determining its winner. This is a travesty because college football is also one of the most competitive sports. If you ask me, there are only three choices:

1. Have a playoff with more than just two teams. This is the right choice. The only one that makes sense. Read this article for a great idea on how this could work: The Wetzel Plan.

2. Replace the BCSBS with a lottery. Rather than try to pretend that some combination of polls and calculations can determine the best teams (need I refer to the last two presidential elections on the accuracy of such methods?), let's just do a pure lottery. The teams with the best records get more chances to win. If you want to "keep the regular season exciting" and still generate all the talk about the post season, do a lottery. Many sports fans are gamblers anyway (more profiteers from college athletes).

3. Go back to the way things were. If you can't or won't have a playoff, lets just do away with the farce of the BCSBS. It's obvious under the current system that we still don't know who the top two teams are in college football.

For a laugh: How the BCS Works

For more laughs: SEC Commish on College Playoff

Pixar's New Projects

2007-11-17T07:56:00.000-06:00

We are finally getting some clues about Pixar's releases after next summer's Wall-E. In 2009 we will see Up, which is an action adventure story starring an 80-year old man. It will be directed by Pete Doctor, who also did my personal favorite Pixar movie, Monsters, Inc.

In 2010 (are you ready for this?), Toy Story 3 will premier. You may have heard that Disney was in pre-production for this second sequel back when they were negotiating a contract with then-independent Pixar. When Lasseter and company merged with the Mouse, they quickly pulled the plug on the "Buzz is recalled" storyline. Lee Unkrich, who co-directed Toy Story 2 with Lasseter, will be the solo director on this project. I'm usually not a fan of sequels, but considering how much better number two was over the original, I expect Toy Story 3 will not disappoint!

Oh, and we also have a release date for Wall-E: June 27, 2008. That will be one weekend before the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Bee Movie Is a C

2007-11-13T19:15:00.000-06:00

My wife, son, and I saw Dreamworks' latest animated movie, Bee Movie, staring Jerry Sienfeld. It was an entertaining film and definitely toddler friendly, so I appreciate that aspect. However, the premise of a bee suing mankind for stealing honey is funny but so ridiculous that you never really end up believing in the film. On more than one occasion I had to roll my eyes and wonder what the heck the filmmakers were thinking with some of the scenes.

Perhaps not coincidentally, we recently bought and have watched a number of times Pixar's Ratatouille. Comparing the two films is like comparing a nice steak to a Quarter Pounder with cheese - there really isn't any comparison. Pixar makes films that will endure for generations to come whereas most of Dreamworks works will fade from memory.

I can't wait for Pixar's next release, WallE, that comes out next summer.

Vandy Beats #6 South Carolina!

2007-10-20T17:35:00.000-05:00

These are the days for which Vandy fans live. Many of us have learned to live with victories like this for an entire season, or sometimes much longer. For the first time in seventy years, Vandy has beaten a sixth ranked team. That previous victory was a 7-6 win against LSU in 1937. This is also Vanderbilt's first victory against coach Steve Spurrier, who began his fourteen game streak as the Duke coach in 1987. Not enough sevens for you? Well how about the final score today: 17-6.

It is the first victory against the Gamecocks since 1999 when Widenhofer was the head coach. South Carolina is now out of contention for the national title since they now have two losses. It is the second upset of the week with number two South Florida falling to Rutgers on Thursday night.

Coach Bobby Johnson has put together a great football team. It is hard not to be excited as a Vandy time. We beat Tennessee in 2005, Georgia in 2006, and now #6 South Carolina with still plenty of games left in the season. This is even more impressive considering all of Vandy's opponents in the SEC East division are in the top 25 this week.

The 'Dores need two more wins to be bowl-eligible, which is something they haven't been since 1982. The path won't be easy. The remaining conference games are against Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Out of conference games are against Miami of Ohio and Wake Forest. Still there is a chance and a hope and that is all a Vandy fan needs.

Read more at my Vandy Football site.

Thoughts on the Vandy-Georgia Game

2007-10-19T16:13:00.000-05:00

It was another heartbreaking loss for yours truly and the fellow Vanderbilt fans (the few but faithful). Vandy was leading 17-10 at the half, just like South Florida was against Rutgers last night. Unfortunately, both Vandy and South Florida suffered defeat when the game was over.

In hindsight, I am still proud of how the Commodores played during this nationally televised game. Unlike Vandy teams from a few years ago, we did not seem like an inferior team. There weren't many boneheaded calls or head shaking blunders in play execution. Granted the two fumbles we had, especially the one by Jackson-Garrison in the UGA red zone late in the fourth quarter, were very costly. But even the best of teams can fumble the ball a couple of times. Match that with only four penalties for 16 yards and you have a pretty good game.

QB Chris Nickson continues to have a disappointing year, going only two-of-five for a paltry six yards. The good news is that sophomore Mackenzie Adams had a strong showing with seven completions on ten throws for 125 yards and 46 yards rushing including a 21 yard run. I strongly disagree with Coach Johnson's decision to swap quarterbacks throughout the game. Adams was clearly having the better game and putting in Nickson just disrupted the flow and caused many three-and-outs.

D.J. Moore was very impressive with his kickoff returns and the double-reverse touchdown with Walker in the first half. On defense, senior middle linebacker Jonathan Goff continued to show why he is considered one of the top five linebackers in the upcoming NFL draft. He racked up 14 tackles, including 12 solos.

There was some confusion in the press following the game. Initial reports had that UGA coach Mark Richt and Coach Johnson were yelling at each other during the post-game handshake. In reality, it was Richt yelling at his players to stop dancing on the Vanderbilt star logo at mid-field as it was unacceptable and disrespectful behavior. I have a lot of respect for Richt and I suppose I should be upset at this incident. But the way I see it, for the Bulldogs to do that means we had them worried about losing this game. They didn't see us as the doormat of the SEC. I like that.

Fun & Free Halloween Games

2007-10-18T23:09:00.000-05:00

Looking to get into the mood for Halloween? This fun, free, and family-friendly game is worth checking out: http://www.ytv.com/gamepad/play/games/jinx/episode1/play.asp

Here is one imitating the 1980's cartoon arcade game, Dragon's Lair - but in stick figure form. A lot of fun: http://www.studiohunty.com/dungeon/

A Billion Dollar Redo

2007-10-18T22:15:00.001-05:00

In case you missed it, Disney announced that they will be spending around $1.1 billion to remake Disney's California Adventure. This is the theme park they built right next to the original Disneyland in the hopes of making the area a mini Walt Disney World (WDW).

This new park was originally intended to be the Epcot of the West Coast (dubbed Westcot). However, when then CEO Michael Eisner met with his senior executives together in Aspen, Colorado, they decided to change course. What resulted was a theme park concept utterly devoid of anything related to Walt Disney or the company he founded. When it opened in 2001, it's headlining attractions were a vegetable garden, a tortilla factory, and carnival rides including a roller coaster.

This last element particularly disgusted me when I learned of it. Those who have read any of the many Walt Disney biographies know that it was the insipid and nasty carnival rides that provided the creative spark that eventually resulted in Disneyland. Even the concept itself was prima facie a failure. Disneyland draws primarily from its local region of California and the West Coast (as opposed to WDW, which is truly global). Why in the world would people living in or near California want to pay $66 for a synthetic California experience when the real one is right there? It is almost as if these executives intentionally decided to do everything the opposite of what Walt did half a century ago. Why are they surprised it has been such a spectacular failure?

Now their $1.1 billion dollar investment needs another $1.1 billion dollars in renovations. This time the renovations will focus on infusing Walt and Pixar themes all over the place. While I think this is a step in the right direction, do we really need Cars land? It's a great movie and all, but I don't think its smart to dedicate an entire land to just one film.

Time will tell if they can turn things around. I think their best move is to convert it over to something like the Disney-MGM studios in Orlando, but focus it more heavily on Walt Disney.

You can read the news article here.

A New Blog: Biztory

2007-10-15T20:51:00.001-05:00

I've started a new blog today. This one, called Biztory, looks to draw analogies from history on how to survive and succeed in the business world.

Take a look and leave a comment on what you think!

http://biztory.blogspot.com/

My Haunted Yard

2007-10-14T19:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, so apparently I have an audience for my blog and have been fussed at for going too long without a posting. So I will fix the situation now! It's not like I haven't been busy. In fact one project I recently finished is the subject of this post.

I love decorating the house and yard for Halloween. It's the one "holiday" where I can really get creative. One dream job I've always had was being an Imagineer for Disney. So, I use this opportunity to try my own hand at creating an entertaining environment. My challenge is coming up with ideas that aren't gory. I want my work to be family and kid-friendly, but still spooky, like Disney's Haunted Mansion.

You can find plenty of Web sites of people with similar Halloween decorating interests. You should see this huge list of projects! It can be a little overwhelming, so I just pick one or two projects to try out each year. This year's project is a graveyard fence.

You can see all my work on my Web site: The Haunted Yard.

Nickelback Kicks Major Tail!

2007-08-31T06:45:00.001-05:00

My wife and I saw Nickelback in concert last night and we both agree that was one of the best concerts we've ever seen! If you don't know who they are, go ahead and Google them or search for them on YouTube or iTunes. They've had a bunch of hits and get regular rotation on the radio.

The show itself was fantastic - very good use of lighting, projection screens, and pyrotechnics (though my wife can't stand the sudden explosions). One video they had playing on screen while they performed live was Savin' Me. If you've never seen this video, it is worth watching. One of the most powerful music videos I've ever seen!

They did all their big hits: Far Away, If Everyone Cared, How You Remind Me, Animals, Too Bad. They did a cover of Elton John's classic Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting and a cool tribute to the late Dimebag Darrell (guitarist of Pantera). The drum solo by Daniel Adair was incredible (reminded me of Lars Ulrich from Metallica).

As a side note, lead singer Chad Kroeger said he was out until 8am that morning with John Rich from the great band, Big and Rich. I swear that John must be on the hospitality committee for the rock stars that come to town, because this isn't the first time his name has come up during a concert!

Anyway, if you like Nickelback's music and your town is on the tour list, they are definitely worth seeing live!

Thotmarket - Pop Culture Stock Market

2007-08-27T23:31:00.001-05:00

I learned of this web site from the forums of The Force-Cast Star Wars podcast. It is a site where you can buy and sell imaginary shares in various entities, such as Taco Bell, Star Wars, and the FBI. I just learned about it a little while ago and have bought shares in a number of things. I'll have to watch it and see how it goes!

http://www.thotmarket.com/

Star Wars Blog

2007-08-01T17:50:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I have been going a little crazy on the Star Wars stuff here (and i guess in general too!). So to keep this blog from becoming exclusively a Star Wars blog, I had created a new blog over on the official Star Wars web site. Check it out at http://blogs.starwars.com/JediRob7!

IndyCar Rules!

2007-07-12T22:33:00.000-05:00

Forget NASCAR. The IndyCar series is the best motorsport out there, in my opinion at least. Tempers flared last week at Watkins Glen between my favorite driver Tony Kanaan and Sam Hornish, Jr. Check out the video.

It should be a good race at the Nashville Superspeedway for the Firestone Indy 200 on Saturday. Be sure to watch on ESPN Saturday night!

Fireworks!

2007-06-22T22:30:00.000-05:00

One of the great things about living in the South is being able to legally buy and use fireworks! Last year was the first time I bought anything more than sparklers for my own use. However, after watching some spectacular shows from around the neighborhood from last Independence Day, I resolved to educate myself more about this fun activity for next year.

Well, we are less than two weeks away from the Fourth of July and I am pretty well stocked! I hit a couple of discount firework stores and a bunch of seasonal roadside shops for some great buys. Read on to see some of the big items I will be trying this year!

The one I am most excited about is the Star Spangled Cannon by Black Cat. It is my first reloadable shell firework. This means that instead of having the firework, housing, and fuse all bundled into one package, you have a single mortar and a bunch of individual firework shells. You put one shell into the mortar, light the fuse, and then stand back! After the explosion, you load the next shell and repeat. The shells are 4mm in diameter, which should produce a 55 foot diameter burst at a height of around 125 feet. Not bad for consumer-sized fireworks!

The second biggie that I have is simply called Attack by Brothers Pyrotechnics. You have to love the cheesy pictures on some of these fireworks! It produces crackling flowers after the initial burst which I looks really great. The store I bought this from had a DVD with tracks for each of the fireworks, which definitely helped to pick the one I really wanted!

On a somewhat smaller scale, I have a bunch of multi-shot aerials (their bigger brothers are called cakes since they look like a box a cake would come in). Black Cat's Willows should hopefully be a good one. Like the name says, it rains down sparks like a willow tree. Another Black Cat I have is Blue Star. There are other ones that don't have a brand name, like Magic Crackles and Wild N' Crazy. We'll have to see which ones are the best.

Aside from the artillery shells and multi-shot aerials, I also bought some fountains. These are fireworks that don't launch into the air but just spit out pyrotechnics from the top of its container (like a sparkler on steroids). I had a bunch of small fountains last year, which were okay but nothing too spectacular. This year I bought some good sized 9" ones - a four pack by Black Cat called the Great Barrier Reef (a little Australian flavor for the Fourth). Each fountain lasts 90 seconds, which seems pretty good to me!

Some of the more bizarre fireworks I picked up include a spinner called Moonshine (great for a Southern theme!). Another is the Brothers Magic Crystal. I was told by a store employee that these little guys are very popular. They spin on the ground and then shoot up with a whistle. Some other no-name brand fireworks under my "bizarre" category are Star Ball Contribution and Cute Little Ship. They were only a couple of bucks each so I figured what the heck.

Rounding out the arsenal for the holiday are your typical firecrackers (which I got for free, I wouldn't pay for the noisy things), glow sticks, and sparklers.

If you are going to do some fireworks yourself, enjoy but be safe! Remember to never use or even attempt homemade fireworks. Keep water or a fire extinguisher nearby. Make sure everyone stays a safe distance from the firework and don't ever hold a lit one in your hand or throw it. Let's all be responsible so that fireworks aren't banned from more states!!!

I'll report back after the Fourth and let you know how the fireworks turned out.

PoTC: At World's End Review

2007-06-02T00:12:00.001-05:00

I just got back from seeing the third installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and have to say that I really liked it. In a nutshell, it was better than Dead Man's Chest, but can't hold a candle to the original Curse of the Black Pearl.

I'll try to be spoiler-free in my comments here. Of course we know that Barbossa is back in this movie. I think his absence in the second movie was a big problem with that movie. Geoffrey Rush's portrayal is quintessentially piratical. Johnny Depp is superb, as always. Orlando Bloom is less obnoxious than usual. Keira Knightley is passable.

Some reviews complained that the story was too complicated. I don't think so at all. The movie takes it time as it moves the plot forward. Sometimes a little too slowly, which is another complaint some people have. The flip-flop of allegiances, now a standard plot device in these pirate films, were more methodical and gave the viewer time to think out the implications of the latest bargain.

My favorite scene was also the most surprising to me. Our heroes encounter the body of an enemy and, while some rejoice, Sparrow looks saddened. Barbossa says the world is getting smaller. Sparrow replies that no the world is the same size, there is just less in it. That has really stuck with me. These pirate movies offer adventure of almost mythic proportions. Following the tales of Sparrow and his compatriots is like watching the fantastic intermingled with the mundane. The death of an enemy removes some of the fantasy (read imagination) from our lives. The world is indeed the same size, but it is a little dimmer.

Anyway, it is hard to say much more without giving away the movie. There are some pretty gruesome and macabre scenes, so this is one movie definitely not for children. I especially disliked the opening scene. There are ways to make the same point without having to be as graphic as that. (As an aside, Lord Beckett says "finally" after one of his lackeys makes a report. The movie never explains why he was waiting for that sign...)

Still, all in all, it is a very good movie and worth shelling out the money to see it on the big screen. Oh, and stay past the closing credits - there is a little surprise that I unfortunately missed...

Star Wars on Jeopardy

2007-05-30T20:41:00.000-05:00

Last night on Jeopardy, there was a Star Wars category. The questions are shown below with the answers in white text next to the question. Use your mouse and highlight the blank space to see the answer. This may be a little tough since they showed video as part of the clue during the show...

There's a vast array of props and costumes at this 2,300 acre facility named for a hero of the Star Wars saga. [QUESTION: What is Skywalker Ranch?]

This is a less terrifying Lucite version of this weapon, whose second version is being built during Return of the Jedi. [QUESTION: What is the Death Star?]

When George Lucas saw a preliminary version of what would become this Star Wars ship, he said, "Make it look like a hamburger". [QUESTION: What is the Millennium Falcon?]

Though he didn't look like this in the film, you don't need to use the force to know that these are early models of this good-natured Gungan. [QUESTION: Who is Jar Jar Binks?]

I don't know what the $1,000 question was. It was not on the Web site I found...
Grr.

New Star Wars Videos

2007-05-28T23:14:00.001-05:00

Star Wars . Com has undergone an overhaul over the weekend. I like the new interface, plus the new videos that have shown up there recently.

I am really looking forward to the Star Wars special on Cartoon Network's Robot Chicken show. There are a few trailers that you can see. My favorite moment is Admiral Ackbar's cereal:

Their tongues can't repel flavor of this magnitude!

Another great Robot Chicken clip features the one and only George Lucas

The Kessel Run: Time & Distance

2007-05-27T19:53:00.000-05:00

HAN: Han Solo. I'm captain of the Millennium Falcon. Chewie here tells me
you're looking for passage to the Alderaan system.
BEN: Yes, indeed. If it's a fast ship.
HAN: Fast ship? You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?
BEN: Should I have?
HAN: It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs!
Ben reacts to Solo's stupid attempt to impress them with obvious
misinformation.

Ben Kenobi may have the right idea. You see, a parsec is a unit of distance defined as the distance from the Earth to a star that has moved one arc-second (a certain distance as observed while our planet orbits the sun). It is the unit of measure for one of the oldest methods of determining astronomical distances.

Some Star Wars apologists have argued that a parsec has a different definition in this far, far away galaxy from a long time ago. Unfortunately, Dexter Jettster of the diner on Coruscant, shot down that theory when he talked to Obi-Wan in Attack of the Clones:

OBI-WAN: Well, Dex, if droids could think, we wouldn't behere, would we?
(laughing) Kamino... doesn't sound familiar. Is it part of the Republic?
DEXTER JETTSTER: No, it's beyond the Outer Rim. I'd say about twelve
parsecs outside the Rishi Maze, toward the south. It should be easy to find,
even for those droids in your archive. These Kaminoans keep to themselves.
They're cloners. Damned good ones, too.

If you want to get really scientific, one could argue that time and distance are interchangeable when dealing with astronomical scales. According to Einstein's special relativity, twelve parsecs is equivalent to about forty Earth years. Of course that assumes you are traveling close to, yet definitely slower than, the speed of light. All bets are off when you assume the fanciful hyper-luminal speeds of Star Wars space vehicles.

The best explanation to me comes from the creator himself, George Lucas. On the audio commentary track of A New Hope DVD, Lucas explains that traveling through hyperspace requires precise calculations to avoid smashing into a star, planet, black hole, or any other large object. The Millennium Falcon is able to plot some of the shortest distances possible. Thus, the ship can arrive at its destination faster than vehicles traveling longer distances.

So what the heck is the Kessel Run?

There are some variations on this story, depending on which source of the Expanded Universe you reference. The Kessel Run is a dangerous path from the planet Kessel past the Maw Black Hole Cluster. It is a space lane frequented by smugglers transporting the illegal narcotic Glitterstim spice (fictitious of course!) from Kessel.

By the way, Threepio mentioned Kessel's spice mines earlier in A New Hope while still aboard the Tantive IV blockade runner: "They're heading in this direction. What are we going to do? We'll be sent to the spice mine of Kessel or smashed into who-knows-what!"

Dovetailing Live Action Series with A New Hope

2007-05-27T18:58:00.000-05:00

This is pure speculation on my part, but I think it would be an excellent way to end the live-action television series that is set to debut in 2009. Hopefully, the series end will be many years past 2009! In the opening crawl of A New Hope, the second sentence hints at a victorious battle:

It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have
won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet.

However, despite all the movies, books, comics, and video games that have been released over the past thirty years, there has been no word what this first victory was. What better way is there to end the television series than to show the Rebels victorious and the Tantive IV rushing out to Tatooine to recruit the old general Obi-Wan Kenobi?

The Wilhelm Scream

2007-05-27T09:10:00.000-05:00

We can thank the genius of Ben Burt for the original and iconic sound effects of the Star Wars saga. Even the most casual fan can recognize the buzz of a lightsaber, the blast of a laser rifle, or the roar of the Tie Fighter flying by.

However, there is another sound effect in the films that Ben Burt did not create himself, but rather inserted as an homage to his childhood love of sound effects. As a kid he listened to and studied the audio of countless movies, many of them Westerns. He noticed that the same sound effects, including a particular scream, was used many different movies.

As a young sound editor, he inserted the scream into A New Hope (a stormtrooper falls off a ledge just before Luke and Leia swing across the chasm in the Death Star). The scream makes an appearance in every Star Wars film, as well as every Indiana Jones film, and a bunch of other places. You will never forget this scream after watching this compilation of Wilhelm Screams in movies on You Tube!

You can learn more about the history of the scream and Ben Burt's involvement in its use by following these links.

Never too old for Star Wars toys, right?

2007-05-26T10:25:00.000-05:00

My own way of celebrating the 30th anniversary of A New Hope was to buy some Star Wars toys - err - I mean "collectibles."

I bought a Stormtrooper Combat Engineer action figure a month ago. I think this is my first Star Wars action figure purchase since the 1980s. My young son found it and carried it around with him everywhere. The helmet is actually removable (how cool is that!) and since then he loves to walk around wearing the stormtrooper helmet like a thimble. I love it!

Speaking of my son, I am glad to see the Galactic Heroes action figures, I started stocking up on this line of toys when my wife was pregnant and he his just now at the age of playing with toys like these. His first favorite character is also my favorite figure as a kid - Boba Fett. A few days ago, he lost the figure. My little boy was going around the house calling, "Boooh-bah! Boooh-bah!" I am so proud! (He did find him in the end)

A couple of days ago, I bought the Tie Fighter vehicle. This brought back a lot of memories. I had a Tie Fighter as a kid and loved the spring action wings that would pop-off. That toy is now long gone, lost or thrown away with countless other toys. So, I thought I'd get the latest and greatest version, for old time's sake.

Of course, I had to get something related to the more recent trilogy, so I picked up Darth Vader's Sith Starfighter. This vehicle wasn't in the movies, but it is obviously the vehicle he used immediately after Revenge of the Sith. The style is very similar to the Jedi Starfighter but is taking on more of a Tie Fighter look. 'Course I had to buy a Darth Vader figure to go with the fighter.

Oh and how friggin' cool is this?! I wish they had a toy like this when I was a kid and buying all the Return of the Jedi stuff. Kids these days are so spoiled! I had to use a broomstick and my imagination.

Happy Birthday, Star Wars!

2007-05-26T09:49:00.000-05:00

On May 25, 1977, the first Star Wars movie - later to be renamed Episode IV: A New Hope - debuted in a mere 32 theaters. The movie became a cultural phenomenon that continues to propagate into the 21st Century.

Fans from all over the world have converged in Los Angeles for the ultimate Star Wars convention - Celebration IV. Sadly, for a variety of reasons, I couldn't go to CIV. But, thanks to the guys at The Forcecast, I can at least get a taste of what it must be like. There was also a two-hour special on the G4 channel covering the event. Maybe I can go to Celebration V, but who knows when or where that will be!

I expect there will be some major announcements made at CIV, so I will be watching The Force . Net and Rebelscum . Com for the latest updates. Star Wars . Com is also planning a major announcement this Memorial Day weekend, so stay tuned to that site too!

Be sure to head over to your local post office and buy the new Star Wars stamps! Later this weekend they will be announcing the Star Wars stamp that received the most votes during the month of May. The two finalists were Yoda and Darth Vader. You've gotta love that! The winner is YODA! Way to go light side!

I've Met The Robinsons

2007-04-26T21:20:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I was Disney's latest movie, Meet the Robinsons. I thought it was a good, but not great movie. With so many horror movies showing up in theaters, with each one trying to be more evil and more gory than the last, it is nice to be able to see movie that I, my wife and young son can all enjoy together. Looking at it from that perspective, it was a great movie!

A real treat and surprise for me is that there was an actual classic Disney short that preceded the movie. Apparently the short you see depends on where you see it. The one we had was the 1938 classic, Boat Builders. The cartoon is about Mickey, Donald, and Goofy assembling a boat from a kit that is so easy, "even a child can do it!" Mishaps ensure, of course...

The feature presentation was also very entertaining. I won't rehash the storyline since you can learn about that at many many other Web sites. My own perspective is that is the best non-Pixar Disney animated movie since Lilo & Stitch. This isn't exactly the strongest compliment, but it is a huge step in the right direction after the horrific Chicken Little, Treasure Planet, and Atlantis.

The film has heart warming and heart-breaking segments that work very well. The biggest problem I had was the segment where Lewis (the main protagonist) meets the futuristic family. The pace is so frenetic that only people with severe attention-deficit disorder could follow it. I don't understand why Disney feels its necessary to have such a chaotic and breakneck pace. It really took me out of the movie!

Also, a word of warning if you are bringing a little one with you to this movie. The attack of the Tyrannosaurus Rex is very intense. Also, an alternate future filled with zombies and dark industrialized cities can be very scary.

The movie does provide some good moral messages of caring for others, not letting the fear of failure overpower you, and forgiveness. The movie has a surprising but low key ending that will tug at the heartstrings of any die-hard Disney fan.

All in all, it is a fine family film that is worth seeing, but not necessarily owning on DVD.

Star Wars Fun

2007-04-24T16:25:00.000-05:00

I've had a bunch of Star Wars-related links to the left of my blog for awhile now. But, I thought I'd highlight them, as well as some new ones, in a new blog entry. If you know me at all, you know that I am a Star Wars geek. Granted my fandom had been latent until rumors surfaced that the prequels were going to made! Now with the last of the movies finished and the two new television series on the horizon, I have rekindled my interest in all things Star Wars.

2007 is an especially significant year since it marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Episode IV: A New Hope in theaters. There will be plenty of events to celebrate this anniversary. It started with two Star Wars floats in the Rose Bowl Parade in early January this year (including the appearance of many members of the 501st Legion). On May 25th, the Post Office will release a sheet of Star Wars stamps. You can even go to their Web site and vote for your favorite Star Wars stamp. The winner will get his/her/their own sheet!

One thing that I really hate missing is Celebration IV. It is the mother of all Star Wars conventions that is being held in Los Angeles. There will be over 30 Star Wars actors present, including Anthony Daniels and Carrie Fisher, tons of booths, activities, shows, and event exclusives like action figures based on Ralph McQuarrie's original designs.

There are sure to be many more events before this year is out. I will keep you posted...

If you want to listen to a fantastic podcast on all things related to Star Wars, you have to check out The Forcecast. This is the official podcast of two major (but unofficial) Web sites: The Force.Net and Rebelscum.Com. Jason and Pete really work well together and their love of Star Wars really shines through. Plus, they both have a great sense of humor, which makes it even better! They even have their own channel over at You Tube. Take a look at Lando Endorses the Forcecast!

Speaking of You Tube, there are some hilarious Star Wars-related videos over there:

Simpsons Duel - This is a parody of lightsaber duel between those ancient enemies of Bart Simpson and Principal Skinner. They even have the soundtrack of Duel of the Fates!

Star Wars Ragtime Piano - I am also a big Disney fan, so I was happy to discover this video of a ragtime piano player on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom doing Star Wars tunes.

Vader Being Wise Guy - Who ever did this video is either a film editor or should be given a job as one. The comedic timing is perfect and, unless you know the movies by heart like I do, you can't tell that the scene wasn't real!

Vader Calls Palpatine - This is a great what-if parody. What if we saw the scene of Vader telling Emperor Palpatine that the first Death Star was blown up. Hilarious!

Nashville Predators at a Crossroads

2007-04-23T19:48:00.000-05:00

The sting of yet another first round playoff exit is still being felt by many NHL Nashville Predator fans and players. A season that had so much promise, a team with superstar and youthful talent, with the third best regular season record in the league, ended in disaster with a five game elimination at the hand the San Jose Sharks. Now with Forsberg possibly retiring from the NHL for good, many high profile players becoming free agents, and the coaching staff with expiring contracts, everyone is wondering what to do next.

Rumors of the team re-locating to another city have been consistently squelched by the front office and team owner Craig Leipold. Yet, we all know that it is hard to sell-out a game in the Music City due to the lack of support from the business sector. The arena no longer has a name since Gaylord Entertainment failed to live up to its contract. Leipold has been looking for someone to take a minority ownership in the club. A strong playoff run would have been a huge boost in support as has been demonstrated in other Southern cities like Carolina and Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Another question is who is to blame for this third lousy outing into the post-season. Can Trotz and his staff coach an NHL-playoff contending team? Or is it general manager David Poile's player choices for small and fast players ill-suited for the post-season. Clearly there is plenty of blame to go around.

The summer of 2007 will be a season of soul-searching as the team tries to find an identity that can compete in the post-season, fill seats in the Nashville Arena, and contend for Lord Stanley's cup.

Double-Translation Fun

2007-03-27T05:25:00.000-05:00

I was inspired by my friend's blog to try double translation. This is where you take some text, convert it to another language using Babelfish and then convert it back again to English. Here is the preamble to the Declaration of Independence translated from English to Japanese and then back to English:

We that all person do these truths because it is self-explanatory with their originators, it was drawn up the life of of happiness among these of that the same, they are contributed, a certain transfer impossible right to be freedom, and pursuit you keep.

When with any form of government these edges become harmful, there is a right of the thing people who are provided with the human where in order to guarantee these rights with anytime, government is controlled and, it changes that that whether, or abolishes obtains fair power from acceptance builds the basis in that kind of principle, organizes the power of that kind of form, the fact that new government is provided perhaps seems that brings safety and happiness and in regard to those.

Prudence, it decides that, the government which completely, is long established should not change because of the light/write and transient cause,; And with the abolition of the form which has been accustomed as for badness it is sufferable with right itself but, in consequence of that as for shewn everything of hath of experience, that mankind by in order to suffer to a feeling. But as for the train whose abuse and usurpations are long in order without fail to decrease those under Despotism which pursues the same purpose by all means when showing the design clearly, the right separated, to throw from that kind of government to offer the new guard to their future guarantees, the obligation which that is, is.

Here is the original English:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

The Force Unleashed

2007-02-28T22:19:00.000-06:00

In case you didn't know, 2007 is the thirtieth anniversary of the A New Hope (the first Star Wars movie). While I am sure there will be many events this year to celebrate this historic event, such as the 501st Legion and two floats in the Rose Bowl Parade in January, it seems we have a whole lot more to look forward to.

The Force Unleashed is a new multimedia event in the Star Wars universe. You may remember the Shadows of the Empire multimedia effort from a decade ago. It was a concept of offering all the movie accouterments you usually find, such as video games, comic books, a novel, a soundtrack, action figures, but without an actual movie! It was a big success for Lucasfilm. They hope to repeat their success with The Force Unleashed.

The centerpiece is The Force Unleashed video game for the "next-gen" console systems - Xbox 360 and PlayStation3. You will notice the obvious omission of Nintendo's Wii (as well as a PC version!). Considering how well the Wii is doing against its other two rivals, Lucasfilm obviously bet on the wrong horse when developing the game. At least there will be a portable version for the Nintendo DS (and PlayStation Portable), so Nintendo owners won't be left completely out in the cold - just stuck inside a smelly tauntaun...

There will be some groundbreaking technology built into this game - hence its focus on the next-gen consoles. The following are You Tube links that you must see:

Other rumored media for this campaign include a novel, graphic novel, and action figures. There is also speculation that the storyline established here could carry forward into the Star Wars television series scheduled for 2009.

The release date of TFU video game is November 2007, so we will have a long time to wait and anticipate! To keep up to date on the progress, check out the official Web site and also the excellent unofficial sites of The Force.Net and Rebel Scum.com.

March 5th Update - The Star Wars: The Force Unleashed novel will be written by Sean Williams (writer of three New Jedi Order books). It will be one of the few sources of the official canonical story of events (the video game offers multiple endings).

Can Lost Survive Long Enough?

2007-02-17T08:23:00.000-06:00

After a three month hiatus, Lost is back on the tube and is suffering badly. This latest article shows how low the ratings have dropped for the first two episodes of 2007. The most recent one, on Valentine's Day, was a series low of 12.8 million viewers.

I guess this is to be expected after a long delay. To draw a sports parallel, the NHL had a lockout that cancelled an entire season of hockey. With the second post-lockout season coming to a close, the league is still struggling to stay relevant. The problem they created for themselves is the same as Lost team now - people have learned to live without them.

I was a die-hard hockey fan and season ticket holder for an NHL club. However, with the lock-out, I realized I could get by just fine without hockey. There are so many things with which we Americans can occupy our time. Think about all the things we don't really need, but think we need - iPods, the Internet, video game consoles, sports teams, music, etc. If you take one of those things away, we will easily switch to something else.

This is not to say that the three month break is the only cause for the drop. The drawn out storytelling approach of answering a question with a question with a question is starting to fatigue even the most die-hard fan. I am willing to be patient and have faith that they will eventually provide answers to the sixty or so mysteries they have created. But, like I said above, many people have other competitors for their Wednesday nights.

Producers Lindeloff and Cuse have said repeatedly that they didn't want this show to drag on past the story it wanted to tell, like Twin Peaks and the X-Files did. However, based on the ratings in this hyper-competitive world, they may not have enough time now. It would be a shame if the show is cancelled before the story is finished. It is even more of a shame that cerebral shows such as this don't appeal to Americans. How is that for an indictment on the state of our schools and culture!

I don't want to see Lost become another Push, Nevada.

The Nintendo DS Revolution

2007-02-05T21:25:00.000-06:00

Well, I've made the plunge once again into the world of video games. My last two systems were the original Nintendo Entertainment System (how is that for dating myself!) and the original Sony Playstation. Since buying the PS1, games and consoles have gotten too expensive and I've had too little time to make it worth it.

This changed when my wife was introduced to Big Brain Academy by a friend. Subsequently, she was on a mission to buy a pink DS Lite in early January. Of course with the Christmas season supply shortage still going strong, she had to resort to eBay to get her DS. I was lucky enough to find a white one at Wal-Mart.

What makes the DS so great is the reason why I hadn't been part of all the console wars over the past few years. The games are reasonably-priced, well designed, and just fun to play. It seems most video these days are geared toward hard-core gamers who buy every possible peripheral, including wireless headseats, and are somehow able to use three different controls and nine different buttons simultaneously. The DS reminds me of the old days when you had a D-pad and two buttons. Sure they threw in another four buttons, but the design is far less overwhelming!

The touch screen is really a great innovation. It allows for completely different game experience than has ever been offered before. Then you add in the free Wi-Fi ability! You can search for DS-compatible Wi-Fi spots in your area at this Nintendo site. Let's hope that plenty of game developers continue to take advantage of this technology.

I am a big fan of podcasts and have found two DS-related ones that are really good. The first, Dual Screen Radio, is a bit rambling and low on the production values but their Web site is fantastic. If you want an easy interface to keep track of the games you own and games you want to own, this is the place to use. The other show I like is the DS Life Podcast. It is more concise and just sounds better.

I'm looking for some good screen protectors. I got some that came with a DS kit (carrying case, extra stylii, headphones, etc.) but they aren't working too well. I've heard some mixed reviews about Pelican's screen protectors. This review at Four Color Rebellion looks interesting. I may try those out. Despite the name, Decal Girl has a great selection of skins for both guys and gals. They have skins for all your major electronic devices such as the iPod, Xbox, and of course the DS.

Well, that's it for now. I'm sure I will have more to say about the DS soon. But right now I need to get back to Metroid Pinball. It is a lot of fun!

Welcome to my Blog!

2007-02-05T21:15:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my blog. I'm honestly not sure what this might become. It will probably be a collection of my thoughts since I have such a bad memory. I hope you find something that will interest you.

Please post comments. I would like to know what you think!