9.29.2009

Aint It Cool News review



Wow, that turned out to be a tiny picture.
So I guess I would call myself a movie fan. If anyone follows my reviews, about 90% are film reviews. I don't want to think about it because I get sick at the life I've wasted by watching terrible movies. I kinda wish this was a paying gig so I could have an excuse (to my wife) for watching so many and I could esteem myself with the title of Professional Film Critic. So when I do have spare time from watching movies, I of course go to movie websites to find all the latest news regarding Hollywood. Don't tell anyone but my spare time just happens to be when I'm at work. The first place I go for movie news is aintitcool.com.

Aintitcool is a very popular site for film fans. I'm sure the majority of our audience (5 readers out of 7 total) have visited the site more than a few times. It is a great place to go because it is current. The moment news breaks it is displayed on the site. It is a better option to other movie sites because not only do you get the news but you also get humorous commentary by one of aintitcool's correspondents. The correspondents are pretty up-front. They let you know what movies suck and which suck worse.

The host of the site, Harry Knowles, has become a sort of pop culture guru. This is definitely his site and has his signature all over it. He contributes reviews of popcorn movies, which he usually likes, and DVD reviews. He is to be respected and feared by all because he is the King of all Dorks. His motto might just be "In the land of the geeks, the fat man with a girlfriend is King." His reviews are pretty harmless but are too often spliced with political leanings. Listen pal, I don't come to read about movies and get some right-wing bashing.

The site is the perfect meeting ground for geeks. It has movie and casting news as I've said, but also gives TV news and for the low level dweebs it discusses comic books and video games every once in a while.

If you want a great movie site, dust the cheeto dust off your fingers, put down the mountain dew and click onto aintitcool.com. Who knows, it might even become a favorite.

I give Aint It Cool News 4 stars. I ding it because my mom told me to never say aint, and secondly because politics are referenced far too much.

9.28.2009

Arrest Report Websites Review


Do you love the smell of desperation in the morning? Do you find validation through the misery of others? Looking for a troubled soul to save? If so then look no further than the Ada County Sheriff's Arrests Report website. Or as I like to call it: The Women of the Idaho Penal System. This site has a picture, name, age and a description of the offense listed for everyone incarcerated in the past five days. There's a woman (or man) to satsify any kinky desire.

(Click Images To Enlarge)

This woman was arrested for Petit Theft but the real crime is how she stole my heart.
Into the rough stuff? Look no further. These lovely ladies ran afoul of the law with charges ranging from Assault and Battery to Disturbing the Peace.Like a woman who knows how to partay? Well here's a few that will scratch your itch, but you'll have to drive as they were all arrested for DUI:Like a little girl-on-girl action with a little rough stuff thrown in? Well these two were arrested at the same time both charged with Fighting. Me-Yow. That's a cat fight I would have liked to have seen. What do you think they could have been fighting over? Who has the biggest hair?Are you one of those freaks that like MILFS or GILFS? They've got that covered here as well. Arrested for offenses like Contempt of Court, Petit Theft and DUI these mature ladies are sure to please:Not into chicks well there's plenty of dudes to meet any need you may have. So if you're tired of your ordinary porn sites, sick of the tabloid sites and bored to death with the regular news outlets, then look no further than the Ada County Sheriff's Arrest Website for the best the Gem State has to offer. I'm sure if you prefer local girls your local sheriff's department offers this same sort of things, but for me, I'm sticking with these gals. The website has a fairly good layout, with five days worth of arrests at all time. It would be better if they gave some statistics like height, weight, dimensions, turn-offs and turn ons, but hey, it's still pretty good. I give it 4-stars.

9.24.2009

Kids Karate Class Review


One of my favorite parts of the movie “Napoleon Dynamite” is when they go to the Karate Dojo and listen to the sales pitch for Drew Carey’s mentally inept friend’s “8 week program”. I found myself repressing a huge belly laugh when this memory flooded back to me during my 4 year old son’s first Karate class a few weeks ago. The instructor was way too serious about Kempo Karate….remember the Kempo part, trust me on this one. He punched and kicked at the air with a ferocity that one would only think possible in a battle for one’s life. It was impressive and ridiculous at the same time. If he would have mentioned the “buddy system” I would have lost it altogether. Needless to say, I was about to pick up my little guy and head for the door when the instructor shifted to a more kid friendly demeanor and realized that my son was more than intimidated.

From then on, the guy actually turned out to be pretty good with kids. Still, my shy son didn’t participate at all that first class. He just stood and watched the other ten or so 4-year olds run around, do snap kicks, and yell “Keeiiii!” There was also no way in the world that he was going to sing the “Little Dragon” song. So, I kind of thought he didn’t enjoy it and it would be not only our first class, but our last. Then we drove home. From the moment we hit the front door my son was asking me if I wanted him to teach me Karate…Kempo Karate, sorry. He was snap kicking and combo punching everything in the house. After a couple of ground rules about appropriate targets, the kid was, in his mind, nothing short of a Bruce Lee twin. Like any kid would know who Bruce Lee is these days.

The next class was a wholly different experience. He participated fully and really concentrated on getting the form down. He still wouldn’t sing the song, but was running with the other kids and mustering up all the Chi he could. Again, he became my instructor when we got home, plus he had the uniform this time and, as a matter of fact, I don’t think he has taken it off since. They also do homework that includes letters and shapes and colors so the kids get a little preschool as well. They sneaked the school work in like a Ninja in the night, my guy has no idea that Karate doesn’t normally include triangle matching games.

For a little guy that didn’t have much coordination and had shyness beyond normalcy, he has sure come out of his shell thanks to this Karate class. It has been a few weeks now and his interest hasn’t waned. He sings the song and is working on his yells and addressing the instructors as “Sir” and “Ma’am”. His flying kicks are pretty impressive too and now that we have a little punching pad at home, his practice has been better directed and is paying off in dividends.

I’ve got to give mad props though, to something of which I have totally mocked over the years but never actually participated. My little man seems to really enjoy it and is getting some good things out of it too. And for those of you that think I am training my child to fight, please recall the words of the master, Ralph Macchio “I train, so I don’t have to fight.” …..just break the wrist and walk away.

9.23.2009

Sony Ear buds Review MDR-EX81LP


Throughout my youth, I usually had jobs which required a decent amount of exercise. I was a lifeguard for 2 summers, worked in Alaska during the Salmon run, and was a waiter/bartender through college. (On a completely separate note---what use is a 16 year old, 105 pound lifeguard? Suppose a 300 pound dude starts sucking down water in the deep end---what would I have done? I was so skinny, I would have disappeared in his back hair and asphyxiated on his butt-hawk before we sunk to the bottom).

Once I graduated from school, I promptly got a job which required me to sit in front of a computer the entire day, and basically haven't moved for 8 and a half years. My ever increasing waistline, and a penchant to achieve rigor mortis while still alive are a testament to how much sitting I do throughout the day. I don't even like to walk down to the candy machines for a late (and early) afternoon snack of Ding Dongs as they too far away, and I'll need to climb a set of stairs on my return trip.

Alas, there are positives to constant sitting.
I now believe that I can sleep with my eyes completely open.
My peripheral vision has increased 10 fold as I don't bother turning my head to see who is walking by my cubicle.
Walking to the bathroom counts as my daily exercise.
I listen to music throughout most of the day.

I am lucky in that most of my work is done on my pc, and I can freely listen to my Ipod. (I call it an Ipod, but it is actually a Zune. Never heard of it? Yeah...that's why I call it an Ipod. I don't want to have to explain what a Zune is, and who makes it. Even better...I have the original toaster-size 30GB Zune. I'd strap it to my arm, but don't have enough bungee cords)

Unfortunately, throughout my life, I have had trouble with ear buds. I have very small ear holes. This is bad as my ear hair can easily span the ear-hole gap, block all noise and collect wax at an alarming rate. It's also nice, as I don't have to worry about insects rooting around in my ear canal searching for a place to nest.

I tried the over-the-ear headphones until my coworkers started calling me DJ Nerd and C&C loser factory.
Standard ear buds shaped liked a large Lima bean didn't fit well, and after wearing them for 30 minutes, it felt like someone was trying to squeeze a racquetball into my ear.
I really wanted the form-fitting Shure ear buds, but these COMPLETELY block out all noise. I did not want to be rocking out to Chumbawumba while the fire alarm blared at work.

I perused Amazon.com until I found the Sony MDR-EX81LP ear buds. Affordable, not completely sound-proof, and they came with multiple sizes of squishy ear buds.


I've put these things through the ringer over the past couple of years, and they are still going strong. The sound is very good, and the bass is acceptable. There is also the same model of ear bud which does not have the over-the-ear thingy. I thought I'd use these while exercising, and wanted them to stay on while qualifying for the Boston marathon.
I've found that the ear holders are unnecessary as the buds fit snugly in my ear, and don't fall out. The ear holders are also unnecessary as I have not exercised since Cheers and the Cosby show headlined the Thursday night NBC lineup.

I do have a couple complaints. There is no practical carrying case for the ear buds. There is a case, but winding the buds into the case is cumbersome. I also don't like the Y-connection to each ear-bud. It isn't a Y. You'd think that there would be equal wire to each ear bud, but not so. The right ear bud has 4x the length, and the left ear bud has just enough to reach your ear. It's fairly annoying.

All in all, for 30 bucks you can't go wrong. I would ignore many of the negative reviews on Amazon. Some complained of defective ear buds...but got an instant replacement from Amazon. Some stated that the wires don't last multiple years. I say that their sweat is acidic, and these buds weren't meant to withstand sulfuric acid deposits.

I'm a happy, fat, chair-ridden who idolizes Sparks on Sealab 2021....but one who can listen to music anytime he wishes. Harvey Danger, Neil Diamond, Phil Hendrie??? It's a surprise...I'm on shuffle baby. (Yes the Zune has shuffle)

The Sony MDR-EX81LP ear buds rock snugly to a 4 star rating.

9.18.2009

Costco Yardline Ridgefield Shed Review


My family is creating a black hole. The rate at which we accumulate "stuff" defies mathematical principles. We have found a way to pack "stuff" in every nook, cranny, orifice, and any other place we can find in our home. The density is so great, I think we're starting to absorb light.

It didn't used to be this way. Our first move over 8 years ago consisted of a sparsely packed u-haul truck.
Our most recent move involved a professional moving company, a semi tractor trailer, and something about 20 thousand pounds worth of "stuff."

Are you looking for a light fixture that was replaced by a ceiling fan, and doesn't match any others?
Do you need old paint rollers that have been cleaned over 5 times?
Perhaps you fancy a full set of radio shack speakers which haven't been used in 5 years?

If you are interested in any of these items, look no further than aisle 7, box D in our cataloging system used to fully utilized open space for storage in our home.

In our everlasting quest to park both cars in the garage, we felt an outdoor shed was a necessity. We could move a bunch of items out of the garage, and in turn, I wouldn't have to scrape my windows in the winter. Sign me up, and here's my credit card.

After looking around at home improvement stores, we found that for a cool 2 grand, we could have the shed we desired. (not including upgrades---a window is an upgrade? I'm surprised they didn't offer the door as an upgrade)
This was a little rich for my blood, so I started looking online for plans to build my own shed. I had framed my basement, so I thought I was up for the task.
I searched for the perfect shed instructions, and found that the building materials would be....2 grand, I passed.

Costco recently had an online coupon where they were offering $300 off one of their Yardline shed kits. Shipping was free, and the total was a cool grand. I slapped down the plastic, and the 1300 pound beast was on its way.

I think the reason this shed was so much cheaper was the materials. It had 2X4 floor joists, 2X3 wall studs, and 5/8" thick floorboards. I realize that I just offended a bunch of hardcore handymen, but let's be realistic....I'm not going to hold a disco dance-off, store horses, or hide stolen children in the shed. It's going to be the home for yard equipment, garage supplies, and perhaps a secret nudey magazine stash.

The shed actually has a bunch of positives. It has 7 foot high walls, which gives it room for storage overhead. (included btw...) It also includes a work bench, windows, vents, and 64" wide double doors.

It is not difficult to put together. It took me 3 or 4 days to assemble, and I didn't spend every waking hour pounding a hammer. The instructions are easy to follow, and the wood is easy to find in the kit. Be aware that you may have to replace some wood, as it might bow or twist.

Also note that shingles, drip-edge, and paint are not included in the kit. Be prepared for a few hundred dollars more for these supplies.

All in all, you will have a great 8X12 shed that looks really nice.

I give the Yardline Ridgefield shed a handy 4 stars for ease of assembly, size, features, and a good place to stash porn.

9.16.2009

Muse - The Resistance review


It's been a slow year for music releases, well good music anyways. Maybe that's because I'm an elitist and am not a fan of releases by Lil' Wayne or Jay-Z. I can't say there has ever been anything beneficial to mankind that starts with "Lil." Except for maybe Lil' Debbie. Man I love those star crunches.

Finally a CD has come out that I have been anticipating for a while. Muse releases albums consistently every 2-3 years. As a fan that is much appreciated. Their latest "The Resistance" is their 5th album and has come out at the height of their popularity. Now as an elitist rule, I pride myself in abhorring anything that the general public (i.e. dumb masses) listens to. I realize that Muse fans range from 12 year old gothic girls to hack vampire fiction novelists but I still hold them in a high regard. Now that I've given you my fanboy background let's get to the review.

The Resistance promised electric prog-rock symphonies and it delivers. It is chock full (I'd hate to be chock empty) of power rock ballads that fans have come to expect. A lot of critics (rolling stone I'm looking at you) dismiss Muse as pretentious. I'm sorry, but progressive rock is all about experimental intros and symphonic crescendos. I find it funny that professional critics are calling anything pretentious. Seems redundant.

Another criticism is that Muse sounds "too much like Radiohead." These people have no idea what they're talking about. Is the last Radiohead album they heard "OK Computer? Come on!

This album has a great balance of rock anthems and melodic compositions. The cd starts out with the single "Uprising" which borrows the theme from Dr. Who and will surely get stuck in your head, and it ends with a three part symphony called Exogenesis. Matt Bellamy, lead vocalist, has a knack for composing his mini symphonies between his songs, but has now written the three part symphony. If I have any complaints it's that it does take up three tracks. And when the cd only has eleven tracks that takes quite a chunk. I wouldn't mind if it was one 15 minute track. The standout songs are Uprising, Unnatural Selection, and Exogenesis Symphony part 2.

Would I recommend this cd to new muse listeners? Yes, but I think the best cd to start with would be Absolution. Then once you get a taste of sci-fi rock you will want to indulge in this cd. My personal favorite Muse album is Origin of Symmetry. Though their entire collection is worth some serious listening.

I give The Resistance a high 4 british rock stars because it's not a perfect album but it's definitely fantastic.

9.14.2009

Sleeping Under The Stars Review


Last night I found myself in the middle of nowhere, on a paper thin foam pad inside a sleeping bag that, although huge in size, is too small for me, and staring up at the stars wondering "What the heck am I doing here." That's right. I was taking part in the great American past time known as "Sleeping under the stars." I suppose it's a right of passage that all young men must go through at least once, but now that I'm nearly 39, I just don't have it in me anymore.

Since my mandate from the editors is to "Spice things up a bit" here at Review-spew.com I was originally going to call this review "Sleeping with the Bosses Wife Review" but that is a little too spicy, and once you read the review you would find yourself greatly disappointed. Besides, although we seek more readers, we don't want the ones that sort of title would have attracted.

My Boss, who is also a close friend of mine goes on an annual rafting trip. I've gone with him once and white-water rafting was fun once. Once. That bucket list item now firmly checked off I see no reason to risk life or limb in that endeavor ever again. However, I do enjoy long drives so I've shuttled for him on this trip a couple of times over the years. This year was the first time he took his whole family, including his wife and that was the explanation for the original title. See, I told you it would be boring. Their family was way over there while I was way over here, in incredible discomfort, staring up at the stars. Which brings me back to my review.

Here are the problems I have with sleeping under the stars.

The mosquitoes can get to you and buddy, pickings were good for them last night, what with all 300 pounds of me sprawled out like some all-you-can eat buffet. To avoid them you bury yourself in your bag which is already too small, but you manage to squeeze your melon in there anyway, and then you start sweating so you pull your head out of the bag for air. Sweat to mosquitoes is like gravy on roast for us. 2nd course same as the first.


It's also too bright. There are at least a bagillion stars out there and all shining down at you at once without the benefit of smog to protect you from their annoying glare and I was squinting like in my profile picture, but it was 2AM. So you duck into the bag to get away from the glare and then you get too hot so you come back out of the bag and...3rd course for the mosquitoes.

You feel even the slightest breeze and with that comes pollen and with that, at least for me, comes sneezing, coughing, itching eyes, etc, etc. This actually was a turn off for the mosquitoes so I guess it wasn't all bad, and I was eventually able to drift off.

This leads to the other thing I don't like about sleeping under the star. I like to call it The Horror Movie Effect. This is where you've seen so many horror movies that you just know that if you open your eyes there will be something or someone right there staring at you. This doesn't happen for me in a tent only when I'm sleeping under the stars.

I guess I'm off camping altogether. That ground gets harder and harder every year. Some would think that being as big as I am I would be okay, what with all that built in padding, but that just isn't the case. If someone were to sleep on top of me, they would be comfortable (as long as they didn't mind all the body-hair and sweat) but the padding I might provide for another just doesn't pad me.

If you've never done it, then I strongly suggest sleeping out under the stars at least once. Pick a cloudless night, because that's kind of the point, and enjoy it, cross it off your bucket list and then invest in a good tent. Tents have this stuff called mosquito netting. It is the single greatest invention ever, except maybe camp-trailers and motels. As for sleeping under the stars more than once, I can only give it, well 1 star, because it sucks big time.

9.11.2009

Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Shine-Free Cleanser Review


The summer I turned 18, my late-blooming body decided to exact revenge for the extended lack of female companionship. It turned it's terror alert to red---as in acne red. My (sorta) beautiful baby face suddenly turned into a wasteland of exploding nuclear waste piles.
For the next 3 years, my life was full of facial scrubs, cotton balls, loofah scraping, facial masks, and other ridiculous skin treatments to rid myself of acne. My success ratio was exactly 0%, and I think I may have just exacerbated the problem.

3 years later, my body decided to withdraw the troops and go into remission from the daily fight. Oh sure I sometimes had the random zit or two, but nothing like the cacophony of pimple-ness I had earlier exhibited.
Luckily, I did not incur any serious acne scarring, and came out of the experience relatively unscathed. (although my female companionship issue was still....an issue. On a completely separate note, I have a friend who said his brother completely rid his face of acne without any prescriptions. He said his brother would use the FIRST urine of the day on a rag, and then wipe his face. Completely cleared up, although it had to be the FIRST pee of the day. I NEVER tried this....and I would NEVER admit it if I did)

So now I'm a fat ugly 34 year old man, but I do have a fairly clear complexion.....except on my nose. If you know me, my nose is not to be trifled with. My Jewish ancestry assured me of prominence in this area.

For many years, I have suffered from what I'd call "black-heads" on my nose, except that they really aren't zits as much as pockets of dirts forever clinging for dear life on my skin. I've tried just about everything to clear up the dirty skin. Oddly enough, I've used the same treatment from when I was 18 years old...with roughly the same results. Unfortunately, I've seemed to upset the PH balance of my face as it randomly puts out more oil or completely no oil to compensate for whatever treatment I'm using.
I'll truly try anything...nobody wants their nose at 6 feet to look like the the La Brea tar pits from an airplane.

My wife gave me a bottle of Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Shine-Free Cleanser to combat the problem. If Neutrogena is trying to impress the consumer on name length of the product...mission complete. If they would have added a few more words in the title, I would have paid double for the bottle.
This is a bluish cream with a little "sand" in the cream. I say "sand" as I'm not sure of what scratchy crap is in the bottle. It could be crushed bone of dead kittens...I'm not sure.
This is like any other facial cream you can use in the shower or sink. Apply, rinse, and don't use on your nether regions. (listen up 14 year old boys)

This did clear up any oily skin problem I had. I no longer have to carry mini squeegies to clear off my face. I can attest that it also promotes "shine-free" skin.
Did it clear up my black-heads? Not completely, but they are much better. My skin now has the sheen of at least a healthy 40 year old. I suppose I can add the tagline--It took 10 years off my face...and I still look old.

On (another) separate note, this shower cleansing business is completely out of hand. Shampoo, Conditioner, Soap, Axe (for scenty goodness), Facial cleanser...and then add shaving!!!?? I'll be in the shower for 30 minutes to complete all these tasks. Perhaps I should pee in the toilet before I get in to cut down at least 30 seconds.

All in all, this is a decent product, and I give it a squeaky clean 3-star rating.

9.09.2009

Freebies for Hot Chicks Review


My wife is an attractive woman, which I have always claimed offered her and other attractive females little bonuses in life that the rest of us homely people never enjoy. She always dismissed my claims but a few examples of late have pretty much confirmed my suspicions.

My wife heads into Kohl’s with me and, as usual, we head to the bargain racks. Routinely you can get most of your Kohl’s fodder at 80% off if you don’t mind wearing a 5X version of the classic wife-beater tank. 5X is my natural size, so this is my kind of store. After loading the cart we head to the check-out and then something remarkable happened. My wife smiles at the man behind the counter and says “I must have forgotten my coupon at home, but I really did have one.” He says “how much was the discount?” “30%, I think”. He says “No problem” and then takes an additional 30% off of our ENTIRE bill! Are you kidding me? Really? What world am I in? This has never happened to a guy. As we walk out to the car I ask my wife how in the hell that happened and she just smiled and said she really did have a coupon and she was pretty sure it was 30% off so, she wasn’t being dishonest.

Case in point number two, my wife headed into the Eye Dr. to get some new contacts. While she is there, she decides she wants to maybe try some colored ones. She asks the Dr. about them, in her wile way, and he says “Wait a minute”. He comes back in with an armful of every single color of contact lens available and drops them into a huge bag. Then, handing her the Hefty bag he wishes her a Merry Christmas…in the middle of frickin’ July. She only asked about blue. Ridiculous.

I’m a fan of the big sandwich, so the other day my wife heads to the deli to grab some lunch meat. She comes back with well over a pound of turkey, roast beef, and ham. I open the bag and say “how in the world are we going to heat all of this meat?” She says, “Something weird happened. I went in an asked the guy for a half pound of each but he sliced a bunch. Then he dumped it all on the scale, lifted off most of it until the scale said half pound, then hit the print key. Then, he put the rest of the meat on the pile and put it all in the bag. He gave me twice what I paid for.” Huh? What? Free beef…in this economy?

Personally, I rarely get the clerks to even accept coupons that I have in hand. There is always some fine print about not valid on Tuesdays or something stupid and the clerks never have a problem pointing out the fact that I will be paying roughly 3x what I thought the price was. I certainly have never gotten anything extra just for funzies. This is an injustice to the homely, fat, and pan-faced everywhere and while I actually receive the fruits of this crime 2nd hand, it has got to stop. If you break it down, this is a matter of sex. There is some deep recess in those male clerk’s minds that hold onto the hope that they are really exchanging cold cuts for coitus, contacts for carnal knowledge, and coupons for copulation.

Knock it off guys. Either become an equal opportunity discounter or stop it altogether. Pretty people already get enough free passes in this world, let’s at least make them pay for their own pastrami.






9.07.2009

LG enV3 Review

Editors note---We have added a new writer to the staff. He has been vetted at least as well as Van Jones, and we all heartily approve of his review spewing talent.
Say hello to Just Jim...we hope he's here for a while....



I spent the better half of the past 4 years screaming at the top of my lungs like a lunatic at "those darn kids with their cell phones and their texting." It was just a phenomenon I couldn't wrap my mind around. To my way of thinking, if you wanted to communicate with someone and you have a perfectly good phone in your hand, then just call them. How hard can that be?

Recently the opportunity for me to get a cell phone arrived and I decided that I might as well see what all the hub-bub was all about with texting. With that in mind I went ahead and got what I would consider the ultimate texting device; the enV3 by LG. My wife has had the enV2 for almost 2 years now and her and the teenagers love it. The enV3 is everything good about the enV2 just better.

The buttons are big enough and spaced just right for anyone, including a sausage-fingered fat guy like myself, to text with the greatest of ease. It has an improved screen inside and outside, a vastly improved camera (now 3 Megapixal instead of 2 Megapixal), and the addition of a flash. There is increased battery life, but if you're using that flash to take pictures of your junk all day long, you better just leave it plugged in. Not that I do that with my enV3, I mean, that's gross. Yuck.

The best improvement unfortunately leads to the one downside to this phone. With the enV2 the SPACE bar was way over on the bottom-right of the phone. With the enV3 they moved it to the bottom-center. Absolutely inspired, but they put the "B" button on the right of the SPACE bar. What is the point of having a QWERTY keyboard on a phone when you force people to type the letter "B" with their right hand instead of their left? Sorry LG, this case of utter stupidity on your part cost you a perfect 5-star rating.


Bottom line, if you liked the enV1 or the enV2 and want to upgrade, the enV3 is a complete no-brainer, just go for it. If you're considering switching from a different type of phone, this is a great phone with good sound quality, it weighs enough so you know you're handling a thing of quality, but light enough to talk on all day long, and the easiest keyboard to text with (except for that mocking "B" button - it just has it in for me).

One other thing. When I got this phone I was warned by both Matt and Meatwad that I should be prepared for the onslaught of texts coming from both of them. I have been neither shocked nor awed. There has been no onslaught. I have found that Meatwad is a complete texting slacker; only responding once to ever 10 or 12 of my texts, but at the same time he gets all ticked that Matt doesn't seem to text him anymore now that I have a phone. Strange. Matt texts me several times a day. Something must be wrong with Meatwads phone. Maybe he should finally upgrade to the enV3.

I give the enV3 4 stars, and if they will just move the "B" button over to the left on the enV4 it will get a perfect 5 stars.

9.02.2009

Dollhouse Season 1 review



I love TV. I hate to say it but many of my childhood memories come from watching the old boob tube. I'll never forget the classic days of TGIF and seeing Uncle Jessie come out with his first single on Full House, or the time when Zach kissed Lisa on Saved By the Bell. I still remember the lyrics from Golden Girls and Punky Brewster for pete's sake! (Who is this Pete?) Hey check that out, two Punky Brewster references in a week on Review Spew. Not too shabby.

Can I tell you how glad I am that DVD's now offer countless hours of television I missed the first time. There is nothing better than watching shows without commercials. I'm a little behind the times (i.e. cheap) of DVR or Tivo so DVD's are the best way to go.

And when it comes to watching TV, nothing beats writer/director Joss Whedon for me. Yeah, I'm a bonafide geek. His shows have all been fantastic: Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and the digital hit Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. So I was excited when he announced he was working on a new show with Eliza "Faith" Dushku. But for some reason he works with Fox which is a big mistake because they have a habit of killing shows off on Friday nights. (see also: Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronological Chronicles and Firefly.)

Dollhouse is a show about a secret compound run by a mysterious corporation who brain-swipes the "dolls" and can program them into whatever a high paying client wants them to be. The show centers around Eliza Dushku's character Echo. As she assumes personalities ranging from a hostage negotiator, jewel thief, etc she starts to remember her erased life and the purpose of the Dollhouse. Also, for sci-fi fans, Helo from Battlestar Galactica plays a detective trying to find out if the Dollhouse even exists.

I watched the first two episodes on TV but because it's on Friday and because I have a life/wife I missed the rest of the episodes. So I waited patiently for the show to release on DVD. I hated to say it at the time but the first 2 episodes left me wanting. I don't mind confusing shows as long as they keep me interested. The typical Whedon clever dialogue was gone. The likeable characters were not there. I was let down to say the least. When watching the show on DVD I was still bored for the first 4 episodes but then the show really picked up and by the end of the season I wanted more. The show got much deeper near the end. No one thought Fox would bring the show back for this next season but strangely they are. It's on Fridays again so guaranteed it will be cancelled at the end of Season 2 but I'm glad I get to enjoy another season.

Dollhouse deserves a four but because of the slow start I'm giving it a high 3 midseason replacement stars.

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