What you should know about Protect IP/SOPA act currently being considered in Congress.
PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.
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‘Lost Girl’ is a Canadian TV show on the Showcase Network. I got interested in it last year and have seen all 13 episodes of season one and 12 episodes of season 2, so far. Apparently it is a hit in Canada, because this year it was extended to 22 episodes, and recently was renewed for a third season. While I have told several people about the show, it has been hard to find it here in the US because it was not broadcast here. That is all changing on January 16, as Lost Girl will get its US debut on the SyFy Channel. Yes, it’s another action adventure fantasy story. But what sets this one apart from the most other fantasy dramas like ‘Vampire Diaries’, is that it does not take its self too seriously. There is plenty of humor in the series, and one gets the feeling that the characters are definitely giving a wink and tongues are firmly planted in cheeks. It seems like the actors are having fun doing this show. I always found that ‘So Serious’ tone a real turn-off on shows like ‘Vampire Diaries’ or Movies like ‘Twilight’. One of the reasons I liked the first Conan movie with Arnold, was that it did not take itself too seriously. I mean come on, that genre is called ‘Fantasy Fiction’ for a reason. Anyway, much to my delight this show does not set a serious tone. Canadian actress Anna Silk is both fierce and desirable as Bo, the succubus. I first heard about ‘Lost Girl’ from the After Ellen blog, when it was recapped on the IMDB News blog. IMDB covers entertainment themed blogs from TV Guide, to Roger Ebert, to…After Ellen. Here is the SyFy Channel promo: If you are so inclined, give it a watch. And, you really need to see the first episode, to meet the main characters and get the back story for the story arc that season one follows. You can watch all 4 previews to get an idea of what the show is like. And here is a clip from ET-Canada where the cast talks about season 2:
My favorite character on the show is Kenzi, played by Canadian actress Ksenia Solo (TV series ‘Life Unexpected’,movie ‘Black Swan’) as Bo’s roommate/BFF. Kenzi brings a lot of humor to the show: Two years ago, I wrote a couple of posts about ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’, the book and the Swedish language movie (movies, there were 3). Since I wrote my entries all three movies in the trilogy have been released in the US and on DVD. In fact a new DVD release has the trilogy plus additional footage from the Swedish series that totals over 9 hours! So, I would be remiss not to comment on the just released US version of GWTDT. I am naturally leery about US remakes of foreign films. Too often they are disasters, and at best they are adequate. For example, look at the Swedish vampire film ‘Let the Right One In‘. It was remade in the US as ‘Let Me In‘, it lacked the edge and sexual overtones of the Euro version. At best it was adequate. Another sad example was the German film ‘Mostly Martha‘. That was a slight but enjoyable film about a woman chef who has to take in her suddenly orphaned niece,and the changes that it causes in her life. Remade in the US as ‘No Reservations‘, it was a total disaster, dull, leaden, lacking the quirk and finesses of the Euro original, and weighed down by its big name stars. So, despite my reservations that US film makers can’t (or are afraid) to make a truly edgy movie, I have to admit that the marketing campaign that has been built around the film has piqued my interest. The early reviews have been generally positive, But, I must admit that I liked the Swedish version more than many critics. I liked Swedish actress Noomi Rapace‘ portrayal of Lisbeth Salander. The US actress, Rooney Mara, is an unknown quantity to me. But it appears she is not trying to be the same character that Noomi portrayed.  Rooney Mara (L) and Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander Interestingly, Noomi is in competition with the US version of the film, as she is a co-star of the newest Guy Ritchie film, ‘Sherlock Holmes,Game of Shadows‘. And she will also be seen this summer in the new Ridley Scott film ‘Prometheus, where she gets top billing along with Charlize Theron. I have liked much of director David Fincher’s previous work. So, although I haven’t seen this film yet, I am interested. One complaint I had about the Swedish version was the length of the films. All 3 of the theatrical releases clocked in at well over 2 hours. It doesn’t appear that Fincher could keep the length down either. The official run time for his version is 158 minutes. Here’s a link to the trailer for the Swedish language version. Well,Merry Christmas everyone! Yes,the snow is melting today,the temperature is in the mid-40s and the sun is out. The mountains still have plenty of snow,but around the house it is gone,except in the shady spots. The weather forecast is for increasing temperatures throughout the week,hitting the low 60′s by Friday,so the snow will all soon be gone. We are having a quiet Christmas,just the 2 of us. We’re fixing Cornish hens for dinner. I considered turkey because I love the leftovers,but,you just can’t find one small enough.
No,I don’t live in the high Sierras. In fact the highest peak in the Organs is just over 9,000 feet. But for a few days they will look high,and cold. Where is everybody…oh,wait,maybe its me. Gee,welcome back. So,what has been going on? Well,shortly after my last entry,we had to make an unplanned trip to Illinois. My older sister Pat passed away in late October. The trip coming so quickly after our vacation to California was exhausting. Frankly,I didn’t feel like updating the blog for a while. Then Irene’s sister Shirley came to visit for Thanksgiving. This was followed less than a week later by a visit from our old friend from California,Linda. While Linda was here,I had to go to Albuquerque for AARP’s Tax training for the upcoming Tax season. And,then I started back to work at CAA,preparing for the upcoming tax season. To top it all off,the weather has not been very cooperative. We have had snow on at least 3 different days,and it has been rather cold. When it snows here,the town comes to a halt. Las Cruces does not own a snow plow,and is not equipped to clear city streets. After 8+ years living here,I am convinced that New Mexicans are some of(if not the) worst drivers in the country. And,Las Cruces drivers are the worst in New Mexico. So,when it snows,one takes one’s life in their hands if they venture out. Fortunately,the snow rarely lasts longer than a day or two. Now,that I have written all of that out,it seems like a busy 2 months for a retired guy.  I wasn't dreaming of a white Christmas,but I got one anyway!
Oh,by the way,I took this photo with my HTC Droid Incredible-2. Humor for intellectuals? Well at least for Broadway fans. With apologies to Leonard Bernstein,Steven Sondheim and Jerome Robbins.  Barrel Tasting at J. Johr
Well,another road trip has concluded. Eleven days and 4 states. As usual with a California trip,we returned with much more than we took. Mainly 2 and a half cases of wine. The photo shows Irene and I with Sarah and Steve doing some barrel tasting at J Lohr’s Paso Robles winery. Notice how we coordinated our clothes? Actually the winery requires us to wear them,so we are more visible and they don’t want a tourist run over by a forklift,or truck. We drove to Paso Robles wine country and tasted at several wineries,including one of my favorites,Turley Vineyards,a couple of small wineries and J Lohr. I know that Turley Zins incite strong sentiments,but the first Turley zin I ever had was one of the most memorable wines I’ve ever tasted. usually,they are out of my price range,but on special occasions,or on vacation,I splurge. Of course the trip wasn’t only about wine tasting (and purchases). We visited with Irene’s sister in Fallon,NV. And we spent time with family and friends in California. We had some good food,ate at some excellent restaurants,and generally had a wonderful time.We even had a lovely Sunday brunch in Oakland with Diane and Homan.  Sunday Brunch in Oakland For some reason I like to keep track of my trips statistically. And,as usual,I put them in my blog. So here are the numbers:We traveled 2936 miles,and used 113.78 gallons of gas. That equates to an average MPG of 25.80. The gas cost $409.35 at an average price of $3.61. The cheapest gas was in Las Cruces,$3.139. The most expensive gas was (as usual) in Hawthorne,NV,literally the middle of nowhere. The price of gas was almost $1 more than a year ago. On our mid-west trip last September the average price of gas was $2.65. Of course in 2008,the average price was $4.22 on a similar trip. Well,we are back in the desert now. The weather has cooled and fall has clearly arrived. The cooler weather is welcome. We have promises that visitors are coming in a couple of months.
Except for the Bow Tie…  Zack Hill 09/23/2011 You start to worry about stuff like this at my age!
Eventually,one’s true nature is revealed. Although I was not an early adopter of the cell phone,I did get one,thanks to my job,relatively early in their life. I had the responsibility to procure cell phones for my company,so naturally I needed to have one for testing purposes. In those early days I tried most of the (at that time) major vendors,GTE Mobilenet,Cellular One and Nextel. Although I personally did not have one,I purchased cell phones from Cingular for use by employees. Of course,none of those names exist any more. Cingular and Cell One merged and eventually became AT&T,Nextel is now part of Sprint,and GTE was acquired by Verizon. Sometime in the late 90′s,we decided that Verizon had the best service in the Bay area,and I have been a Verizon customer for about 12 years now. Over the years,I resisted the ‘enhanced’phones. I ignored the texting phones,and the music players. When Iphone appeared I was able to resist it. (probably because of my dislike of Apple and their closed world). I ignored the early Android phones. I kept telling myself that a phone is just a phone. But…. My Verizon contract was getting close to expiration. And,I had been having some issues with Verizon’s reception in my area. So,I started looking around,at other cell carriers. I figured I would go with one of those no-contract companies. However,my Verizon plan is a family-plan,2 phones and a shared pool of minutes. I’ve had the same plan since at least 2003. It is so old that they no longer have that plan. The newer family plans have more shared minutes but at a higher cost. And,none of the no-contract guys offer anything similar. So,I would have to replace my family plan,with 2 no-contract plans. The cost of 2 plans was basically the same as my current plan. Then I started looking at getting a smart phone. I figured that a no-contract smart phone would be more cost effective. But,when I added the cost of a smart phone,with the basic phone for Irene,it wasn’t much different than keeping my existing Verizon plan and adding the required data plan. So,I started shopping for a smart phone. I was finally pushed over the edge,when I went to a meeting of our community association’s board and discovered that I was one of only 2 board members who did not have a smart phone. And,they were all retirees like me! So,without further ado,here it is:  HTC Droid Incredible 2 I know,I know. The model is a year old,and the new models will be out in time for Christmas. And,it doesn’t support 4G. But,have you looked at the 4G map for Verizon. That big blank spot on the bottom left of the map is New Mexico. And,neither El PAso,Las Cruces,or even Albuquerque is included on the ‘future’list. Maybe in 2 years when my contract expires… By the by,if you are looking for a new phone,try Costco. The price was $120 cheaper than Verizon,and even included a starter kit that had a belt case and car charger. Oh,and even though I am a Costco member,they never asked for my membership number,so it looks like you don’t need to be a Costco member to buy a cell phone online. Only drawback was that shipping took 5 days.
To be honest,I am not a big “Foo Fighters”fan. All of us tend to get stuck in our own generation’s music,and I am no exception. But the other night,Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters was on ‘Chelsey Lately‘(which is a TV show I DO watch),and he made this point about ‘Glee‘: Hey,Dave,I agree.  Isn't this the Truth? Let’s recap the news for the past few days…EARTHQUAKE IN THE EAST !!!!! Call me jaded,40 years living in California will do that,but I found the big earthquake story pretty funny. I was amazed by the hysterical coverage of this non-event by the various news outlets and politicians. Perhaps my favorite was new York Mayor Bloomberg’s press conference to announce that “Nothing had happened!!!” Then there was the the great media Moving on to pop culture,every time I think ‘Dancing With the Stars‘has reached a new level of absurdity,they manage to top themselves again. Disclaimer:I do not watch DWTS,and there is nothing about season 13 which is going entice me to start. It sure looks to me that this motley collection of has-beens,wanna-bes,and never-weres is really scraping the bottom of the barrel. How can they top this? Maybe with Casey Anthony and O J Simpson? Like Josh Wolf said on ‘Chelsea Lately‘“13 seasons,and not 1 star”. Moving on to business news,the big story last week was Hewlett Packard. Disclaimer here,I am an HP user. Both my home desktop and laptop,and Irene’s laptop are HP machines. Personally,my experience with HP has always been good. The one time I had a problem,HP customer support was helpful,and sent a replacement via FedEx 2 day service on December 22. Compared to my experiences with the other big brand,Dell,I liked HP. Well,as you may (or may not) have read,HP has made a series of strange announcements and decisions lately. Among them,they killed off their new tablet after only 48 days on the market,then sold their inventory at a ‘fire sale’price of only $99. List price for these tablet PC’s was $499! Yesterday,HP announced that they would be producing more of their tablets,and selling them for the less-than-cost price of $99. Many analysts are confused by HP’s strategy. The best article I read was this WSJ story. Today there was a little bit of possibly good news on the business front,the Justice Department announced that they opposed the AT&T / T-Mobile merger and were filing suit to stop it. In general,big corporate mergers are never good news for consumers,and this seemed to be especially the case with this merger. After all,AT&T is known as the biggest bully on the block,and consistently ranks lowest in customer satisfaction and service. But,the cynic in me believes that AT&T will just rev up their political donations and buy enough congressmen and senators to legislate their merger. | Las Cruces,NM January 27,2012,9:46 pm  Clear 54°Freal feel:50°F humidity:25% wind speed:9 mph N sunrise:7:04 sunset:17:34 Forecast January 27,2012 night Clear 37°F Forecast January 28,2012 day  Mostly sunny 55°F wind speed:7 mph ESE        | |||
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