Well, one of my 2 TiVos died between this morning and when I got home. Looks like the hard drive either became corrupted or failed entirely. Ugh…end to a rather perfectly painful day. I have more work than I would care to contemplate right now and I come home to find all of my favorite shows tossed to the bit bucket.
Don’t get me wrong. My life is going pretty well and I am thankful for all that I have, but still, not the day I would have hoped for. The only positive regarding the timing is that I was already planning on switching my service away from DirecTV to either Dish Network or Time Warner Cable to better take advantage of our new HDTV. Oh wait, I haven’t talked about the new TV yet… 
Well, I guess that will be a post coming in the next day or so…
Published on
January 29, 2007 in
Movies.
Awww…this is horrible 
Claiming “scheduling conflicts,” the 28-year-old actress has confirmed she will not reprise her “Batman Begins” role in the upcoming sequel “The Dark Knight”, despite the fact that her character, Rachel Dawes, remains in the script. Holmes pulled out of the project earlier this month, turning down a salary estimated at between $1 and $2 million
Honestly, she was the only one in the film who was miscast IMHO. She wasn’t horrible, just not real good…
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4 out of 5 stars
I planned to go see a film this past Saturday night and was debating between Children of Men and Pan’s Labyrinth. Ultimately, I went with Children of Men due to not being in the mood for subtitles. Luckily, I believe either option would have been great and I plan on making it to Pan’s Labyrinth as well, but Children of Men was outstanding.
The story focuses around a dystopian England a couple of decades into the future. At the time, mankind has lost the ability to reproduce and society has essentially gone far down hill. Many peoples from around the world have attempted to migrate to Britain, but the government declares all immigrates as illegal refugees or ‘fugees’. As the film’s news stations tell us,
The world has collapsed. Only Britain soldiers on.
Clive Owen is the main character and he is an ex-activist who is disgusted with the world and is simply looking to get by and maintain some degree of comfort, however, when reintroduced to his ex-wife, his life takes an abrupt turn…
The story is rather enthralling and is reminiscent enough of today’s world with organizations like Homeland Security to be unsettling. There is obviously a strong political tone to the film. However, the photography is what I found to be the most interesting. The shots are long and drawn out rather than being tightly edited as so many films are today. In many cases, the cinematography work acts to reinforce the feeling of hopelessness and bleak options that the story provides. It is both painful and beautiful at the same time. The story stays strong throughout. There is a scene towards the end that really got me choked up, but I’m unsure if that is what it was meant to do or whether it just heavily impacted me.
I definitely recommend this film for anyone who “enjoys” dystopian stories or simply to reinforce the message that our national choices have global consequences…
MercuryNews.com | 01/20/2007 | Google wins subsidies to build N.C. server farm
This company will provide hundreds of good-paying, knowledge-based jobs that North Carolina’s citizens want,” North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley said in a statement. The governor said jobs at Google are expected to pay $48,300, much more than the county’s average yearly wage of $27,300.
This is exciting news. I live about 3.5 hours away from Lenoir, NC. This should be really good news for that local community, county, and our state. Plus, I just love having Google a bit more local
According to the the Mercury News, this should open up about 210 jobs, but when you consider all the extra work that is created from those jobs (construction, real estate, shopping, dining, etc.) the tax incentives are likely a no brainer.
Well, I enjoyed the Wireless Mighty Mouse so much, I decided to run back by the Apple Store and pick up an Apple Wireless Keyboard. So far, just as good as the Wireless Mighty Mouse, but obviously not much different than a normal Apple keyboard sans cord. It is a bit heavier than your typical keyboard due to the added electronics.
I also decided to grab an iSkin Protouch XT Keyboard Protector. Not to be crude, but think of a condom for your keyboard. This way you can keep your beautiful Apple product free from dust, dirt, hair, etc.
What do I think of the cover? Well, I am honestly not sure yet. It is nice, but it does feel a bit weird to type on. I am concerned that it can get stuck between the bottom row of keys and the edge of the keyboard’s case. Will this happen often and disrupt typing? Not sure yet. The jury is definitely still out on this one, but I am approaching it in somewhat the same way as when I decided to get a permanent case for my beautiful 5G iPod Video.
UPDATE:
So, I decided to return the iSkin keyboard cover. The bottom row of keys did get the cover stuck between the key and the edge of the case from time to time. It wouldn’t stick for long, but it did occasionally disrupt my typing. I also just couldn’t get used to the feel of it So, I am going to stick to the naked Apple Wireless Keyboard and just regularly clean it to keep it from getting gunky…
Published on
January 16, 2007 in
Hardware.
Well, I am sick. I have been for 4-5 days now and I finally broke down and went to the doctor who said I might have the early, early stages of pneumonia, so he put me on some antibiotics and other meds. It really is teh suck
Now, on the opposite end of the suck spectrum, I am now the proud owner of a new Wireless Mighty Mouse. It is so nice to be wireless with bluetooth rather than one of those annoying RF dongles (which I dislike so much, I would rather be wired). My laptop has perfectly good wireless abilities; there is no need for an ugly appendage to be sticking out the side.
Click here to view Apple’s Quicktime VR of the little mouse…
Published on
January 7, 2007 in
Hardware.
Sony Vaio VGX-TP1 announced, loaded up with HDMI out, DVD burner – Engadget
I think that this Vaio actually looks good. I wouldn’t hesitate to have it in my Home Theater. Now, can we just get ride of the OS on it?
Published on
January 7, 2007 in
Hardware.
Ahh, it’s CES time again…
Samsung unveils SyncMaster 245T, 275T, 906BW, announces US release of 932B, 206BW, and 226BW – Engadget
First up is the 24-inch SyncMaster 245T (pictured), which will be available in March priced at $799.99, and comes with a 3000:1 contrast ratio, 1920 x 1200 resolution, and an 80mm stand with tilt and swivel. If you prefer a few more inches of viewable screen and don’t mind sticking with the same resolution, go for the 27-inch 275T, which will be available in February at a price point of $999.99.
Ooohhh…27 inches of LCD for ~$1000? I may be in for that at some point this year… 
Published on
January 7, 2007 in
Hardware.
The PC2TV EchoView FM … think iTV but not by Apple – Engadget
I would just about guarantee this will require Windows, but it looks pretty interesting just the same. I hope we see what Apple’s offering looks like soon. HD resolutions? CPU utilization on host Mac? TiVo like functionality?
IMG_2802_1.jpg
Originally uploaded by Bill Vinson.
This is one of my favorite recent pictures of Ben. He just looks hilarious.