Back from Springfield
The Simpsons Movie was great! Really entertaining and funny. I tried to start this post with some witty or comical line, but with all due respect to Matt Groening and company, I have to give credit where credit is due.
Instead of “trying too hard” or “going too big” the movie feels right at home as the longest single episode of The Simpsons to date. For 90 minutes, the lovable characters of Springfield, ? carry a simple and familiar plot-line: Homer jeopardizes the town, his marriage, and his family.
For the first time, fans are able to enjoy the Simpsons’ universe as it has always deserved to be seen, in glorious 16:9 cinematic widescreen. The animation is crisp and vibrant; the characters’ mannerisms and voices are spot on. Luckily, all of the original cast participated in the movie bringing both the authenticity and legitimacy that is often missing in television-to-movie adaptations.
Like any good episode, I look forward to seeing this one syndicated over and over again for years to come…
rating: 4 | 5
To infinity and beyond!
The future is here! Apparently we are on the verge of being able to buy “cars” like the Jetsons. Check out this story over at Engadget. For more fun, click here.
(yes, I know the title of this post refers to Toy Story’s Buzz Lightyear and not the Jetsons…so sue me)
Ooma Gawd!
What would you say if I told you that you could pay a one time fee of $399 and never have to pay for domestic phone service (from your home) again? You might respond, (in true Chris Farley fashion) Oh my god!
Well friends, it looks like that day is upon us. A “new” Silicon Valley startup, Ooma, is set to shake up the telecomm. world when it releases its “white machine smaller than a macaroni-and-cheese box” to the world. Backed by over $27 million in funding, and Ashton Kutcher, Ooma is set to challenge both the Ma Bell system and more recent VoIP solutions, such as Skype.
(sources: Google News, Washington Post, News.com)
Firefox 3-D: no glasses required
Microsoft’s latest OS, Windows Vista, sports a new 3-D user-interface, Aero.
Ubuntu Linux trumps MS with its more sophisticated 3-D interface, Beryl.
Now Firefox is joining in the fun via Tab Effect.
This add-on does not offer much in the way of improved functionality, but rather adds a fun 3-D rotation when switching between tabs. Although still in the early stages of development, Tab Effect is a great example of what is yet to come.
Help us 700MHz, you’re our only hope
In the same way that Princess Leia pleaded with Obi-Wan Kenobi to help her and the rebels in their fight against the evil Empire, a “new” battle is brewing around the cell phone industry.The FCC is set to auction off the 700MHz spectrum (currently the analog TV frequency) to the highest bidder sometime in early 2008. The rules surrounding this sale can be written in such a way as to support “open access.” This could potentially lead the way to cellular networks in which consumers could effectively use any handset on any carrier of their choice.
The battle lines are being drawn with the huge, controlling cellular companies on one side and consumers on the other. Luckily, “[t]he chairman of the FCC, Kevin Martin, is already advocating for open access when it comes to devices. Earlier this week, he circulated a proposal of rules for the auction that would require winners of some 700MHz spectrum licenses to let any device connect to their networks so long as they are safe and do no harm to the network.”
Definitely something to keep your eye on in the up coming months…
(source: News.com)
Blogspective
According to the Wall Street Journal, weblogs (a.k.a. “blogs”) are approaching their 10 year anniversary.
As an amateur/personal blogger, I am obviously interested in what blogs represent. Freedom of speech, thought, and opinion; blogs provide netizens around the world a platform to discuss anything and everything.
I know many people who think blogs are worthless…more power to them. For everyone else, blogs offer unique perspectives, entertaining insights, non-traditional news sources, and more. In the same way that no one predicted the dramatic impact of the world wide web 10 years ago, the most exciting aspect of blogging and Web 2.0 is the fact that the web is still in its infancy and nobody really knows how or where things will be 10 years from now.
The last of the Ocean[']s?
Ocean’s 11 was a fun and entertaining remake of the original Rat-pack movie. Ocean’s 12 took the gang over seas for another, somewhat recycled, but still enjoyable movie about a bunch of quirky criminal associates succeeding in a seemingly impossible heist.
Luckily, Ocean’s 13 was no Matrix Revolutions. Being the 3rd movie, I was a little worried that the characters and jokes might be too played out. In reality, this movie still works. The cast is still fun to watch and the movie benefits greatly from it’s stylized cinematography. I give Steven Soderbergh credit for directing 3 very similar, but still entertaining, exciting, and enjoyable to watch “Ocean’s” movies.
rating: 3.75 | 5
Radiohead is making progress
The highly anticipated new album from Radiohead (LP7) appears to be on its way to completion. As reported on At Ease (a fantastic RH blog), the band is in NYC mastering their new record.
The band featured a number of the tracks that are guesstimated to appear on LP7 during their last 2006 tour. You can find some pretty high quality bootlegs here.
I am definitely looking forward to the new album, but even more so for them to get back on the road (and hopefully out to Cali). Oh, and I wouldn’t mind them releasing the HD footage they are sitting on from Bonnaroo 2006…
Time to move to Sweden
A 75 year old woman in Sweden is the proud new record holder for the fastest residential internet connection in the world.
“[She] will now be able to enjoy 1,500 high definition HDTV channels simultaneously. Or, if there is nothing worth watching there, she will be able to download a full high definition DVD in just two seconds.”
YES, PLEASE! The fastest residential service in the U.S. is not even available in most places.
Now if I could only convince Comcast to hook up my 80+ year old apartment building with fiber optics…
(source: The Local)
Lets get this (solar) party started!
California is one of, if not the most, environmentally progressive states in the Union. This is not about politics (well, at least this post isn’t), but more about being realistic and taking steps to help slow down (and eventually eliminate) the global warming problem.
A privately held, SF-based company, Cleantech America, is funding a new project to create the “world’s largest” solar farm outside of Fresno. This enormous solar field will produce energy for nearly 21,000 homes in the area. Upon its scheduled completion in 2011, this solar farm will be 17 times the size of the next largest U.S. solar farm. (CNN).
Solar energy is definitely key to a cleaner, greener future. This massive project comes on the heals of another recently announced solar initiative from Spain. The “solar tower” is Europe’s first commercially operating solar power station. “It works by focusing the reflected rays on one location, turning water into steam and then blasting it into turbines to generate power.” (BBC). It will produce enough energy to power 600 homes initially, with a plan to eventually generate enough energy for 600,000. (Read more: Wired).
“The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.”
- Galileo Galilei
