Review: My Bloody Valentine 3D
As a tech geek and a horror buff, I have two separate interest in My Bloody Valentine 3D (MBV3D).
First, it supposedly features a (relatively) new, ultra-advanced 3D technology that works better than the old red/blue glasses kind. Second, it is the first slasher film to make it into the theaters in some time (even if it is a remake).
Sure, we’ve had our dose of thrillers, chillers and torture porn, but we’ve lacked a good old fashioned slasher and the latest releases of the major slasher franchises have only reminded us how low the genre can go.
So how was the movie? Well, I’m going to break it apart into its two elements and discuss them individually before I try and bring it all together. Hopefully, by the end of it all, we’ll have some idea where the movie stands and whether anyone else should bother seeing it. Read more
The Death of Honest Review Scores
My parents need a new security suite for their computer. They’re reasonably computer savvy but still asked for my help in picking one. Since I’m a Linux/Mac kind of guy, I decided to do a few searches to see what was new and ran across PC World’s chart of Internet security suites.
PC World is a magazine I have a lot of respect for. They do a lot of great work in the field of reviewing computer products. But I noticed something when I looked at the bottom of the chart. Trend Micro got the lowest score on the list and their “Bottom Line” review reads as follows:
“Trend Micro’s latest suite fails at the most basic task of detecting and blocking malicious software. Not recommended.”
Ouch, seems pretty scathing to me. But then look at the score. It’s a 74/100. On a regular grading scale that would be a middle “C”. On a 1-10 system it would be a 7.5, well above an “average” of 5.
How the Hell do you say something “fails at the most basic task” and then give it an average or even good score? That makes no sense. The full review isn’t much more kind saying that:
“Trend Micro’s suite has some good points, but there’s no getting around the fact that Internet Security Pro 2009 fails at detecting malicious software, and therefore fails as a security program. We cannot recommend buying it.”
Clearly something is wrong with review scores when a 74 is a total failure of a program. It’s time we woke up a little bit and realized that review scores on the Web are garbage and reliance on them is dangerous, especially when dealing with security software.
However, this isn’t a new problem, it’s been going on for quite some time. Read more
Mardi Gras Monday: Food
  photo credit: Photo Mojo |
This is part of an ongoing series of Mardi Gras-related posts. You can follow the rest of the posts here.
Granted, food is not the most common thing that people associate with Mardi Gras, but New Orleans truly is a city that cherishes its cuisine and, as a result, there is a great deal of food that goes with the holiday.
However, the food of Mardi Gras, and of New Orleans in general, can seem a bit odd to people not from the region. Though those from Louisiana, especially the southern part of the state, make this kind of cooking a part of their daily lives, it’s going to seem a bit odd to those who are just visiting.
So what kind of food should you been on the lookout for or try when you’re in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Here are some of my picks. Read more
Google: Stop Acquiring Companies I Like
Dear Google,
I love you guys, I really do. Your search is top notch, your Gmail/Google Apps is a killer product and even you Google Reader is the best RSS reader I’ve found, online or off. You guys have a knack for producing exciting, reliable products that change the way we use information.
However, I do have one tiny favor to ask you. One small, minuscule request. Can you please stop buying up companies of products that I use? If so, that would be great. Because I’m really getting tired of you screwing up the things that were going along great without you.
If you have any questions about this request, I politely direct you to the article below. It will answer many of your queries and give my reasons for thinking that the Web would be better off if you kept your pocketbook a little closer to your chest. Read more
Dominos Fail
Last month I wrote about a pretty bad screw up by Pizza Hut by which a coupon on their site disappeared. To summarize, I saw a good deal on the home page (and then again inside the site), went to take advantage of it only to be unable to actually find the coupon.
It was a pretty good disappearing act, I grant Houdini nor even Chris Angel would be impressed, but it certainly was better than any of my attempts at magic.
However, I really have to tip my hat at Dominos, not only did they manage to make a coupon disappear, but a whole dammed pizza. By that I don’t just mean that they made MY pizza disappear, but an entire menu item and not just any menu item, but the menu item they had been pushing down my throat for the past week month.
How did they do it? I’m not exactly sure. But I’ll gladly tell you how the trick went down. Read more
Mardi Gras Monday: Parades
 photo credit: Toast to Life |
This is part of an ongoing series of Mardi Gras-related posts. You can follow the rest of the posts here.
Parades are one of the most overlooked parts of Mardi Gras. Since they don’t (for the most part) take place in the French Quarter these days (due to the combination of large floats and narrow streets) many outside of the region even forget that they are a big part of the festivities.
However, locals and die-hard Mardi Gras fans never forget it. Every Mardi Gras comes with over 50 parades in the region, most of them in the immediate greater New Orleans (GNO) area. They range in size and include such famous Krewes as Rex, Zulu, Morpheus, Orpheus and Endymnion.
With the parade schedule about to start in earnest for the 2009 year, I felt it worthwhile to go over some general tips and tricks beyond the ones you find in most parade maps and calendars.
If you want to enjoy parades like a local, here is what you need to know. Read more
Nine Reasons Every Eee PC User Should Get Easy Peasy
In my previous write-up about my six-month journey with the Eee PC, I spent a fair amount of time griping about the default install OS. Though a few of my complaints, such as battery life and keyboard, were primarily related to the laptop itself, most were more software-oriented.
Shortly after penning that review and opening up my Eee PC to use the version 2.0.0.20 Firefox that was inside (there was no means to update to 3.x) I realized I had to change something. With all of the system software hopelessly out of date, the OS wasn’t merely annoying, but dangerous.
So, I did a little bit of research, learned how to install Linux distros using UNetbootin and raced to download an ISO of the latest Ubuntu version.
The experience, however, was less than rewarding. Though the install worked perfectly, requiring only a free 1 GB pen drive, which they now give out in cereal boxes, Ubuntu was a poor fit for the Eee.
The wifi didn’t work properly, the OS gladly ate up much of my precious screen real estate and it required some brutal hacking to get everything running.
Then I read about Easy Peasy, formerly known as Ubuntu Eee (I’m forced to assume the name was dropped fr trademark reasons). I gave it a whirl and it was a like a breath of fresh air. Not only did everything work out of the box, but the system was up to date, shiny and new.
It was what my computer should have been when I first plucked it from the box.
Need more reasons to try Easy Peasy on your Eee? I’ll give you nine, especially if you’re stuck with their version of Xandros. If you want to make it ten, leave a comment and make a suggestion. Read more
Some Advice for Saturn
When I purchased my car, I was in a pretty bad situation. The vehicle I had been driving was involved in a very serious accident that was going to be the subject of an ongoing lawsuit and I had only a limited amount of cash with which to buy a new vehicle.
I did the best that I could with limited time and budget. I acquired a 1998 Saturn SL2 with a cash payment and have been driving it for the past two years. The car, however, has had a lot of trouble. Since I’ve bought it, I’ve had two engine sensors go out, the driver’s window crank break, the fan motor go out and, worst of all, the engine mount bolts snap in two.
Though the engine itself has been reliable (even running perfectly when the bolts broke), the car has spent more time in the repair shop than I’d like to admit. However, it seems that most of it is behind it now (knock on wood) and I’ve had no issues at all for nearly six months.
So, I decided to take this period of quiet not only to pay off all the repair debts, but to see about fixing the only problem I was aware of when I purchased it. You see, for whatever reason, the car did not have a dome light when I bought it, instead opting for a hole and some bare wire where the light should go. But I knew dome lights were cheap and unimportant so I let it go.
Little did I know exactly how difficult Saturn would make this. Read more
Mardi Gras Monday: Bourbon Balconies
 photo credit: Lyndi&Jason |
Note: This is the first in a series of weekly columns about Mardi Gras. Between now and Lundi Gras, we’ll be covering some of the basics of Mardi Gras, including tips, tricks and suggestions from a local on how to survive Carnival in New Orleans. I’m trying to keep this series as family friendly and as broad as possible, since many people come to Mardi Gras for many different reasons, I want this to serve everyone’s needs.
There are a lot of “B” words that come to mind when one things of Bourbon St. Beads, beer, breasts, bars and booze name just a few. However, “balcony” is the only one that is part of the Bourbon St. architecture.
As you walk up and down the street, balconies literally line the road on both sides, as they do with much of the French Quarter. Apartments have them, bars have them, stores have them, hotels have them and nearly every establishment on the street has at least one.
During Mardi Gras time, these balconies become centers of activity. Revelers, not wanting to be in the crowd below, fill them to capacity. They participate by throwing beads and watching the party below. It comes with an air of exclusivity and it’s a chance to drink and have fun without being jostled by the crowd below.
But is it worth it and how does one get the most out of their balcony experience? The answers are below. Read more
The Mac (Un)Mighty Mouse
Usually I can justify the “Mac Tax“. Sure, I pay a premium for Macintosh products, but nine times out of ten I find the difference to be justified. I get more work done on my Mac, so the fact it cost hundreds more doesn’t bother me. I type faster on my Apple keyboard, so the fact that it cost twice as much as a reasonable replacement is acceptable.
Though I seem to rag on them a pretty good deal, Apple actually has a strong history of releasing good products that justify at least some premium.
However, this makes me wonder what they were thinking when they released the Mighty Mouse. Though it was a Christmas gift from an absolutely wonderful pair of in-laws, it seems to come pre-packaged with a set of headaches and problems that have me wondering if this is really an Apple product I’m using.
It sure looks like one, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t act anything like one. Read more
