LincolnBlogs
From the twisted mind of me!

Long have I wanted to have a device that would easily tie my Netflix subscription and other streaming internet media to my tv. I have tried lots of nice things, but they all left me wanting something more, that is, until I got a Roku.

I picked up a Roku 2 XD at BestBuy for $79 and figured I would try it out and return it if it wasn’t what I really wanted. To my surprise I really like it!

My first impressions are that it is REALLY small. It literally fits, in its entirety, into the palm of my hand. It’s pretty slick looking for a little black box with a fabric tag sticking out the side. It has the normal input/output ports that you would expect for a device that connects to your tv to have, and, really, nothing else but the remote, which is also quite small.

Once you hook it all up and plug it in, you are greeted by the Roku logo while the system loads, and then you are taken through a series of steps to register your box and your account (free). After that you can start adding channels and enjoying your streaming web content on your tv!

Now the channels on Roku are different than I expected. Each channel is a service. For example, Netflix is a channel and Hulu is a channel and Crackle and Pandora, etc. and the list goes on. I am sure there is something in there for almost everybody. The ones I really enjoy, outside of Netflix, are Crackle, which somehow provides FREE streaming (recent) movies and tv content, Pandora, and Pub-D-Hub, which has all kinds of old movies, shows and cartoons (and even commercials).

The only thing I really do not like is it’s difficult to actually locate the kind of content you are looking for. This is primarily because there is so much available, and, I will have to admit that sometimes it’s fun just searching around.

What’s Good:
Small, Good looking, Quick, Inexpensive, easy to set up and easy to use.

What’s Bad:
Hard to sort through all the content to find exactly what you want.

I just got back from a special premier showing of the new Star Trek movie, due in theaters early next month. What can I tell you about it that won’t spoil it? Well, the audience cheered in unison at the end of the show. I really enjoyed it, and if you like Star Trek, and who doesn’t, you’ll enjoy it too. More movies like this will truly make sure that Star Trek lives long, and prospers.

I know, I just couldn’t help myself

A couple weeks ago, Dann was saying how he was reading the Watchmen, and remarking on how good it was. Well, I hadn’t EVER read a graphic novel, or even touched a comic since I was maybe 10, so I decided to pick it up to see what I was missing.

Well, I am finished with it now and my opinion is that is really was very good! The story line was sufficiently adult enough to hold my attention. There was a lot of action going on. The character development was done well. The artwork was absolutely fantastic!

This brings me to the second portion of my post. Since I was so enamored with the Watchmen (hey it was a great read while on the train all week), I wanted to see if I could find another graphic novel to read during my transport. I stopped by Barnes and Knoble and looked around a bit but didn’t initially see anything that really caught my eye. There are a lot of graphic novels there, but the artwork in most is really bad (imho) and in still others, the subject matter is a tad juvinile. Then, just as I was about to leave, I spied a large cardboard end-display with copies of DanielX Alien Hunter on it. A quick peek inside revealed really nice drawings, so off I went with it. I hope to get a chance to start reading it soon.

In other news:

I had the opportunity this weekend to watch both “Wanted” and “Meet Dave”. Wanted was a really good action flick (I thought anyway) and Meet Dave was a really funny alien comedy with Eddie Murphy. Both were good enough that I would watch them again, so if you are looking for some way to kill a couple hours this week while you are off, pick one or both of them up. Just be warned that Wanted contains inappropriate subject material for young people.

Lastly, I found out that, although it isn’t too terrible, my ferrets do not necessarily enjoy taking a bath. I decided that they were getting pretty dirty so it was bath time. With tear-free shampoo in hand I proceeded to dip them one by one into the sink. Puff, slightly distracted enough to dig at the water while he was in there, did the best, although he was not into staying very long. Stinkerbell literally had the crap scared out of her. Teddy was big enough to be able to reach to edge of the sink, where he held on for dear life almost long enough to get wet. He’s quite a handfull when he is focused on getting away from the evil water stuff! In retrospect, I should have taken pictures, however, my hands were quite busy Perhaps next time.

Ok, so I am a little behind the times. I *FINALLY*, just yesterday had the opportunity to watch the new Willy Wonka movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Wow!

They took a wonderfully eccentric, yet warm Willy Wonka character, best played by the brilliant Gene Wilder and made him into a somewhat creepy, dysfunctional psychopath with some OCD tendencies, played by the equally creepy Johnny Depp and his annoying fake teeth.

They also butchered the really cool Ooompa Loompas and turned them into some really ugly middle aged Indian guys with bad hair who can’t sing (*OR DANCE*). If that wasn’t bad enough, the same 4 Indian guys were reused over and over again in the movie and, since the OL’s are supposed to be short, they resorted to camera trickery to give that illusion. The problem with that is poor camera work which portrays them in several different perspectives and sizes that are inconsistent throughout the film.

The worst part of all this is I just learned that the film received an academy award nomination, although not for the story or the acting thankfully. What were they thinking!

At any rate, obviously, do not bother with this movie if you haven’t yet seen it. I actually feel dumber for having watched it. Go and watch the one with Gene Wilder in it. It’s what the movie should be.

I went with my daughter to see Expelled tonight. I have to say that I think it was fantastic. Now, it’s no secret that I am a Christian, so I don’t want this to sound biased in that matter. This movie is not about any sort of religious debate. The basis of this movie is the case of information suppression. Challenge yourself to go and see this movie no matter what your personal beliefs are. You may be surprised with what Ben has to say here.

When was the last time you were in a movie theater and the audience actually applauded at the end of the film? This was really that good!

I decided to take my wife out to the movies this weekend. We went out to see the movie “The Mist”. I have to say, it’s about time. The movie has been billed as “old school horror” and, perhaps, that’s exactly what I have been waiting for for so long. A really good old school horror movie.

I have always enjoyed monster movies, and this one has it in spades. I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but, you get good monsters, a good plot and great characters in this movie. There is even a creepy twist at the end. If you like horror movies, make sure and go see this one. You won’t regret it.

Yes, I was part of the unwashed masses that went out on opening night to see the Transformers. All I have to say is “wow”. Fantastic movie. Superb special effects. This was even great for the younger audience that hasn’t seen the original stuff. In fact, I took my daughter, who is 13. 3/4 through the movie she told me I was going to have to get her some transformers toys, and after the movie she told me she completely trusts me now with taking her to geek movies

Go and see it.

I took my wife and daughter out to the movies for a treat tonight and we saw 1408. The movie was really very good and John Cusack was excellent. Of course Samuel Jackson was great as usual The special effects were fairly low budget, but they looked great and were pulled off with finesse and perfect timing. The film scared the hell out of my 2 girls – I heard them catching their breath quit a few times (and neither one is rushing to go to sleep tonight either). I don’t want to spoil this film too much other than to say that if you enjoy a good horror movie, than this one is definitely worth the trip to the theater.