August 2007 Archives

Sunday, August 26, 2007
Overall: An excellent widescreen monitor for gaming or general use: 9 out of 10

The Sceptre 22WG Widescreen LCD is a flat-panel LCD monitor that I've been using for some time now, and I'm very happy with it. I use it for gaming and all of my Web and software development work under Linux.

Specifications

• A 22" TFT LCD panel (473.76 mm x 296.1 mm)
• 1680 x 1050 resolution
• 5ms response time
• HDMI, DVI-D and VGA ports
• Comes with a stand, and is VESA 100mm mount compliant
• Built-in speakers

Monday, August 20, 2007
Overall: An excellent amateur camera that's both easy to use and featureful: 9 out of 10

The Canon PowerShot line has been my favorite non-SLR digital camera for several generations now. I think my first was the S200, way back in the day. This camera gives me everything I need for taking pictures for the Web, and compared to my Digital Rebel SLR, it's both easier to get started with, and much more convenient to carry around. You will want to pick up a 2GB SD memory card or something like it, since it comes with a tiny 32MB card

Some basic specs:

• 7.1 megapixel picture resolution (JPEG only, no RAW mode)
• Basic movie features including VGA, QVGA, QQVGA and time-lapse modes
• Retractable lens
• 2.5-inch color LCD
• ISO 50-1600 modes

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

The Apple 30 GB iPod probably needs no introduction. You know iPods. You know about iTunes. These things are fairly easy to assume. Well, I just broke down and bought one, since the iPhone is out, which means that this is now fairly stable, old technology. It is not the largest size Apple makes. That would be the 80GB version. So why did I buy the 30GB model? Frankly, I don't need something larger. I haven't quite used half of the storage yet, and I have all of the episodes of Tiki Bar TV, nearly 3000 songs from my extensive CD collection, dozens of podcasts (some video, like Tiki Bar) and a small collection of trailers. I just don't need 80GB of storage on one device.

Monday, August 6, 2007

The Film Crew: Hollywood After Dark is the first of a new direct-to-DVD series by the same team that did Mystery Science Theater 3000. The idea is similar. Three people provide a sort of "commentary track" for an otherwise unwatchably bad movie. That's about as far as the comparison goes. Had this been an episode of MST3k, it would have been one of the worst.

Hollywood After Dark was a crime thriller front for a soft-core porno (no naked body parts, but only thanks to pasties and tiny bikini-bottoms) from the 1960s starring Golden Girl, Rue McClanahan as a stripper in the seedy world of Hollywood nightclubs. There's really not much there to work with, and even the otherwise ribald Film Crew can't come up with enough jokes to last through the tortuously long exotic dance sequences. I watched this with some co-workers, and we did laugh at times. Mike Nelson's timing is still excellent, and the two "robots" from the series are just as funny as real people. The sketches were dull and lifeless, but mercifully short.

If I had to identify one thing that this movie suffered from most, I'd say that its the genre. Erotic crime thrillers just aren't as good when they're bad, and you can't fall back on making fun of the silly rubber suits or laughable tech.

Sunday, August 5, 2007
Overall: An uneven, but promising start: 5 out of 10

Babylon 5: The Lost Tales - Voices In the Dark is the first installment of the Lost Tales, direct-to-DVD series, a spin-off and continuation of Babylon 5. It is written and directed by series creator, J. Michael Straczynski. My first impression of the two stories (loosely gathered together as Voices In the Dark) is that Straczynski suffers from being too aware of his story, while directing it. There are no frills in these episodes. No prop that wasn't absolutely needed for the shot. No extras that aren't required (a lone Minbari wandering the halls in the background of one shot is almost a shock). Straczynski hits all the beats of his story with the precision of a long-range artillery gunner, but we're left without any sense that the story is connected to the larger concerns of the station and the Alliance.

But, this isn't a negative review. Overall, I'm glad to see B5 back on the screen, and even the characters that I didn't like from the series are a welcome sight. The station is newly overhauled for high-res CG rendering, and it shows. The graphics are all stunning. The virtual sets are masterful. There are hints at what has happened to our favorite characters who don't appear (including knowing nods to those whose actors have passed away). This is Babylon 5 of the quality that we came to expect from the TV show, but updated chronologically and technologically for the modern TV audience.