Thanksgiving Holidazed
It’s that time of year again. Basically you get jammed into a confined space with people you don’t see too often and eat 7 times the amount of food you’d eat on a normal day. Only joy could possibly ensue from here.
But don’t fret, here are a couple of random Thanksgiving themed clips and articles to give you the last smile of the week. Before you sleep on the couch for three straight nights and one of your little cousins smacks you between the legs with a football. Twice.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Tips
Our family has went from traditional baked Turkey, to Deep-Fried Turkey, to Rotisserie..and now to one of each. By far my favorite (and least healthy) is the 45 minute Deep Fried Turkey. Aside from the massive grease fire one year and the ultra-crispy bird another. Find out how to do it right with this great step-by-step guide.
Need to convince mom that wine may be traditional Thanksgiving drink, but since it sucks, perhaps try a lineup of Sam Adams? Here comes the history to win the argument.
Thanksgiving Funnies
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Thanksgiving | ||||
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And for those that know my brother Eddie, this could very well be a conversation that we have over the holiday verbatim. It’s something that I’m thankful for each year, and since you don’t do this, you too can be thankful.
Black Friday Returns
UPDATES 11/24
What ISN’T a Good Deal on Black Friday. Gizmodo runs down what things aren’t a good deal that are being advertised…veers towards techy stuff from Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Sears, etc. View Article
The Gadget guru’s Black Friday dream list. Pretty much covers everything, and everywhere. Over at Gizmodo, The Only List You Need to Know
Black Friday returns…and I probably will be sound asleep. Getting punched by a woman you’re sure you’ve seen on peopleofwalmart.com isn’t my idea of recovery after eating an entire turkey. However, for many (including in my family) it is a time honored tradition. I and those family members have a different understanding of the word “vacation.”
Assuming you head out right now, that’s you in the jean shirt and beard.
To rev myself up for something that I’m not even doing, here are some interesting deals I’ve come across thus far that have been leaked and are of interest…these may or may not be accurate, but as I stated above, it won’t really matter to me. I don’t know why I wasted time on this but it fascinates me and now I can go to sleep.
Open at 5 AM. Juust about the time I’ll be heading to bed.
PS3 Slim 120 GB Bundle – with Little Big Planet and a Ratchet and Clank game.
Garmin Nuvi 205W GPS – $99 Reg. $199 (good luck on that one)
$9.99 BluRays – Fast & Furious, Wolverine, more.. reg. $25 to like $45 bucks.
40″ Samsung HDTV LCD 1080p $597. 99 (that one’s probably already gone.)
32″ Samsung HDTV LCD 720P 397.99 / 1080p $497
Macbook 13.3″ screen – $999 with $150 Gift Card. (Cool I can get Windows 7 with it!)
500 GB Western Digital Hard Drive – $79 (that’s $55 dollars off. You could buy the insurance if you wanted?)
Nikon CoolPix S60 – $179.99 ($120 off)
TomTom 540S Portable GPS $149.99 (half off, traffic feature will be handy on your way out)
Sony Intel Dual Core Laptop 320 GB hard drive, 4 GB memory, Windows 7 – $399
http://downloads.bfads.net/BFAds-Best-Buy-2009.pdf – The whole thing
$10 gift card with 100 purchase.
TomTom XL340s GPS $97 w/case – Reg. $150 dollars more that that. I don’t do math.
Nikon CoolPix s203 – $88 (reg $139)
8GB Ipod Nano – $145 w/ $15 gift card (new Nora Jones anyone?)
32GB 3rd Gen Ipod Touch – $295 w/ $30 gift card (Rebuy Nora Jones since your Hard Drive on that $399 Sony Laptop crashed anyone?)
$3.99 select DVDs (they’ve got Christmas Vacation, so….maybe I will get up. Can always use two copies just in case).
Some towels and a big Tonka Truck are on sale too, just saying.
Dyson Absolute Animal – I think it’s a vacuum cleaner, but it may be a carpet remover – $349 save $200
$10 Lexar 4GB (variety of media, flash SDHC, etc.)
Composite Footballs and Basketballs on sale $15. Can help subsidize replacing my dad’s back window.
Lots of Target clothes on sale, but I didn’t like the way the guy was standing so I didn’t look at the price.
http://downloads.bfads.net/BFAds-Target-2009.pdf - Complete Ad
They’re still in business? I did not know this. This is an actual photo of the line you will encounter.
Pros: Open at 5:30. Sleep in, or catch it on the way back from Best Buy. Cons: They don’t carry anything you want.
Couldn’t find much – visit if you like. http://downloads.bfads.net/BFAds-RadioShack-2009.pdf
Early Bird Specials at other places:
Apparently there is some law I haven’t seen that doesn’t allow the stores to open in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner, but if you want to head out after you clear the dishes, a few places are ready to accept you…I guess early is the word? Late?
Kohl’s and Sears have a 4AM opening this year
Old Navy is currently winning with a start-time of 3AM. They also have first place in my short list of reasons to disavow capitalism.
Have a Happy Holidays waiting in those lines (line type blobs) in the cool air everyone! Be sure to keep the brass knuckles hidden but do a quick run through on how to put them on rapidly, may want to pre-spray some WD40 on your middle finger.
Review: Star Trek
Star Trek (PG-13) 2009
Run time: 2 hours 3 minutes
Since I missed most of them this summer, I’ve been catching up on the big moneymakers on Blu-Ray the past few weeks. So far with Transformers 2 and G.I. Joe, I’ve been questioning that decision.
Fortunately, Star Trek was next on the list and I was very satisfied with the film. In fact, though it’s been a weak year, I’d say it was one of my favorites I’ve seen.
Important to note that I’m more of a Star Wars guy, and I’ve never seen any Star Trek shows or movies and don’t know a thing about the series. So I’m not sure how it plays out for purists. I do know the casting was pretty good and everyone looks similar to their TV series counterparts. For purists, there is definitely plenty of references to the old Star Trek series that I will never get, and most importantly, teleportation.
The movie is relatively confusing at first, with time travel stuff and little explanation of the Star Trek world.. and a lot of characters thrown in quickly. It rapidly rebounds and ends up having solid special effects, great action, and a pretty good story for a sci-fi epic (thanks to the reliable work of J.J. Abrams), fortunately. They even feature the original Spock..and didn’t just throw in a useless cameo. He is central to the storyline.
On the negative front, for some reason these movies always throw in a few goofy monster sequences and one or two coincidences that endanger the believability of the plot. Star Trek does this as well (perhaps it is a requirement to sell toys or make video games, who knows) but it recovers fine.
In the end, I really liked the characters who played Spock and Kirk, and the supporting cast is quite strong. The special effects were top notch as well..I was impressed how true to the old school Star Trek look they kept while blending it with a modern feel seamlessly. There aren’t really any strong female characters, which was sort of odd, but other than that it’s a fast moving plot with good dialogue. Actually, the original Spock ends up being the worst actor. The villain Captain Nero also is a bit weak and sort of wasted, but he’s passable.
Much better than Star Wars in reviving an old space series, and I look forward to the sequels. Check it out of you’re one of the 15 people who haven’t seen it like me. This series will live long and prosper (I can say that since I have no idea what it means).
* * * 1/2 out of Five Stars
Trivia
Check out what might have been, but wasn’t. William Shatner was originally written to cameo in the script….but was axed.
Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, who play the odd couple Kirk and Spock, were previously acquainted with each other as they work out at the same gym.
Motorola Droid Review and iPhone Multitasking?
Got to test out the Droid this weekend, and wanted to give my thoughts on it….plus a story out today saying that the iPhone can do multitasking??
Update – Check out the Best Smartphones on any network post at Gizmodo. Has the iPhone as the tops of all, and Droid comes in second of any smartphone on any network.
Only got to test for about half an hour, but there were a few key functions I was curious about:
1) Hardware – the Droid hardware is pretty solid, and sized well. The slide out keyboard (a big benefit for me) seemed a little hard to use, though. Also, it was noted that there are some quirks with using the screen keyboard vs. the physical keyboard that were aggravating. At the end of the day, it’s Motorola quality (a bit better though than usual) and the iPhone is Apple quality and precision.
2) Touchscreen – The Touchscreen wasn’t as smooth as the iPhone, but it generally did the trick. It didn’t feature multi-touch, though it did have a way around that. Overall the iPhone 3GS runs a lot smoother navigating.
3) OS – the interface on the Droid is much rougher than the iPhones. This means a lot more options (like your own backgrounds and settings), but also a more rough user experience. The icons don’t look good, and the responsiveness is a little slower. The iPhone is much sleeker, but in options the Android OS wins out. A draw here.
4) Browser – the Droid browser in some quick tests was much slower and didn’t render pages as well. Much prefer Safari.
5) Music – Not wanting to give up iTunes, I checked out the Droid music player. Overall not as smooth as iTunes, but passable. Also, Amazon Mp3 buying is pretty good, though not the experience of the mobile iTunes store.
6) Other – The cell service was clearly better on the Droid, the battery seemed pretty good, and multitasking was very cool. The App store left a lot to be desired, but it is young and will probably improve. Google Navigation for the Droid is a major feature, and gives awesome turn-by-turn direction, even using voice, and puts to shame the Google Maps for the iPhone. Android Apps are open and will become awesome (pick your own touch keyboard style)…though currently iPhone is the leader here.
Multitasking is the main feature that would turn me to the Droid side, but today I read that the iPhone does it just fine, they just don’t let you. Like MMS was.
So my verdict – the Droid is no iPhone killer, but Verizon is an AT&T killer, and surprisingly, Apple holds back the iPhone almost as much as AT&T with their restrictive app features and restricted use of the phone hardware. If you have the iPhone, don’t switch yet, if you are in the middle of choosing, take a long hard look at Droid.
This video demonstrates a Jailbroken iPhone app that backgrounds apps. First is the iPhone 3G, then the 3GS. He backgrounds like 10 apps without noticeable slowdown.
The Apple, AT&T, Verizon, Droid Wars
For those interested in business, marketing, and ad strategy, there’s no better lesson than following cell phone campaigns and their outcomes. As the holidays approach, the AT&T and Verizon wars just had another missile fired as Apple throws a punch in favor of AT&T in a war that started with the iDon’t and There’s a Map for That ads of Verizon.
Check out the interactive history of this war below.
Latest – Apple Defends AT&T
Verdict – If you don’t know, AT&T’s only advantage over Verizon is that their data connection can maintain a call and surf the internet/apps while maintaining the call. Verizon you can only do one or the other. A good point to bring up, unfortunately it could do a call, surf the web, and make you dinner at the same time, but if you don’t have cell service, you’re going to end up hungry.
Apple iPhone Ad – What Time’s The Movie? from Arik Hesseldahl on Vimeo.
Earlier: AT&T Defends Itself
The Verdict – AT&T was pretty miffed to have its 3G network coverage slapped on, so they came out with an ad reminding everyone of the nationwide coverage their cellular network has. The only problem is that Verizon’s ads were about Smartphone coverage (where 3G is a must). Also, this ad shows major cities they have coverage in, which I imagine even T-Mobile has fine cell service there.
Oh, and this ad is just really dumb. Luke Wilson?
Verizon Ads AT&T is Defending Itself Against
Verdict: These ads must’ve been so effective, AT&T sued over them, giving them even more coverage. Worse, they are currently losing (meaning they are accurate). The seasonal ads showing “There’s a Map for That” are relatively effective, but the points that arise and AT&T’s reaction to them (rather than having a plan to improve their network) will go a lot further than the ads themselves.
In summary, it looks as though Verizon has the upper hand and the network. It will remain to be seen how the Droid does, and how the new Smartphones on Verizon’s network affect it. AT&T needs to improve their network this year or its going to be over…that is, improve their network instead of spending money on ads complaining about Verizon.
Let’s hope today’s rumors of the iPhone exclusivity ending are just that or time may be running out.
Today’s Cool iPhone Stuff
Yes, the Droid has me a bit bummed I left Verizon. I was about 2 months too late waiting around for a decent smartphone, and voila. Now I have to be punished with AT&T for another year or so.
However, 3G has been expanded in my area, and the iPhone once again seems to be coming back to life. Don’t count it out just yet. To demonstrate, here are a couple of interesting things that popped up this week in iPhone news.
Access Your Computer from your iPhone.
57% of LogMeIn Ignition for iPhone users surveyed report leaving their laptops at home at least half of the time, and accessing work computers using iPhones. Link to complete article.
Sign Documents on Your iPhone with the Zosh App. Handier than you might think
Zosh iPhone application video demo from Joshua Kerr on Vimeo.
Enough said here. Can’t believe it took them so long to come up with it. These are the cases you were looking for.
For some reason, we now have an internet-fueled fascination with making fun of cats. The iPhone gets in on this game, and apparently the app is awesome. Gizmodo thinks it by itself justifies the app store’s existance.
And to wrap up, a neat overview of the history of Apple in Two minutes.
Dude, What Happened on Halloween?
Thought this newspaper clipping was rather humorous. You know your Halloween party was one for the books when the tally looks like this. I would hate to be on the receiving end of those assaults, but mace and The Force are always good defenses against a Chewbacca attack.
Spotted in the Washington State school paper. Who knew in Washington State they knew how to party.
The Greatest Thanksgiving Movie of All Time
This is a repost from last year, as it is one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions aside from shooting potato guns at the cats with my family, and our newest tradition – cajun fried turkey. More timely this year as John Hughes, and his many wonderful films about the uniqueness and insecurity of all of us, has passed away.
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A favorite tradition of mine is to watch the masterpiece Planes, Trains, and Automobiles every Thanksgiving holiday. It’s as much of a comedy as it is a dramatic piece of film, and it may be Steve Martin and John Candy’s finest film. There are so many terrific scenes it’s impossible where to begin.
A guy posted his thoughts on the film, and a time capsule of what else was going on in 1987 the weekend it was released (hint, stock market was crashing then too). It’s quite interesting and he feels the same way I do.
PT&A was something of a triumph for everyone involved: a smart, funny, exceedingly well crafted film that, unlike many comedies, achieves timelessness. You could make the exact same film today and the only detail you’d have to alter would be to have the characters use cell phones rather than pay phones.
http://www.film.com/dvds/story/erics-time-capsule-planes-trains/24597651
John Candy has been missed since then, and they don’t make these John Hughes movies like they used to. Predictable? Yeah. Overly optimistic? For sure. That’s what makes it worth revisiting every year.
And remember, “those aren’t pillows.”
Those aren’t pillows, indeed.
A list of 4 others in the top 5 Thanksgiving films. Unfortunately its slim pickens for this particular holiday. I’d recommend just watching Planes Trains and Automobiles twice. Link Top 5 Thanksgiving Movies of All Time.
Avatar Feature Trailer
Still can’t decide if I want to see this movie, even after watching this very in-depth trailer. James Cameron’s 500 million dollar gamble of CGI wizardry is the type of movie I don’t normally like. Cameron has always pushed the technology envelope but normally it hasn’t ruled his movies, which were ultimately character driven (Terminator 2, Titanic).
Check it out though, definitely watch this trailer if you’re interested in the movie, it makes the plot a lot more clear than the others I’ve seen. For this movie to make a profit, you’ll need to see it about 18 times, so enjoy.
