2009
Casablanca
Oh Rick!
Casablanca is one of my favorite films. I’ve seen it on VHS, laser disc, and DVD. I anxiously wanted to see this on Blu-ray. I wasn’t disappointed with this rental. The film looks crisp and clean, and it sounds amazing. The amount of extras on this small blu-ray disc is astounding. There is deleted scenes, commentary by Roger Ebert, and documentaries galore about the making of the film.
Rating: Full Admission
Filipino Food
I follow people on Twitter for specific reasons. I try not to follow people just to gain followers in kind. This sounds like the subject of a future blog post.
One of the Twitter feeds I’ve been following is @FilipinoFood. The feed is interesting to follow, especially for me, because I don’t eat much Filipino cuisine. My wife partakes in a broad variety of Filipino dishes, most of which I shy away from. I’m not sure why I haven’t acquired a taste for this cuisine. I’m a standards eater: pancit, lumpia, and adobo.
The subject of adobo was on FilipinoFood a while back. A few years ago my mother finally showed me how to make her version. I have, for the most part, been able to recreate it successfully. But as with any recipe, there are variations. One of those variations offered via FilipinoFood was cited here. I’m anxious to try it because it calls for coconut milk, something my mom’s recipe doesn’t use. I am interested in how coconut milk will change its flavor.
Memories of Philippine Kitchens
The blog entry about chicken adobo also made me seek out the book, Memories of Philippine Kitchens. I found the book, written by Amy Besa and Roma Dorotan, at my local library. I want to try a few recipes from this book.
Visible Tweets
Another way to enjoy Twitter
Visible Tweets - Beautiful visualizer thingy, nicely done in Flash. (via and kangster)
Flickr Hit Hard By Yahoo Layoffs
It’s always difficult to hear about layoffs, especially in times like these. Flickr has always been a great site to look at, and be involved in. I hope it continues to be so.
The Third Man
Orson Wells!
I was able to watch a few movies over the last several weeks. A few were classics reworked on Blu-ray. The first film was The Third Man. I’ve watched it a few times before and each time I’m reminded that Orson Wells, who plays Harry Lime, portrays an ultimate scumbag very convincingly.
Rating: Matinee
Backblaze
I tried the beat. Simple, straight-forward setup. Not much needed to do afterward. The problem is I have a lot of data already on Mozy, so no compelling reason to switch.
Blockbuster–R.I.P.?
I went into a Blockbuster a couple of weeks ago in the hopes of a blu-ray disc. Wow, the prices for renting two discs pretty much equaled my monthly Netflix rental fee.
Netflix FTW!
Gottschalks is Gone
We’ve been to a Gottschalks - the one in Santa Cruz - but have never bought anything from them. Nonetheless it is sad to hear of places closing.
Windows Viruses
I dealt with two different Windows viruses this week. The solutions were radically different.
- With one, I spent 6+ hours backing up data, reformatting and reinstalling Windows XP Media Edition on a Dell machine. Most of the time spent was with lousy Dell support.
- The second one was simpler: I ordered an iMac for a friend
Both problems solved.
Warehouse Deals by Amazon?
Anyone ever buy anything from Warehouse Deals by Amazon? I just purchased a sound bar for our TV, hoping it gives it a little more umph! The best deal was through Warehouse Deals, and since I could use my Amazon gift cards and purchases are backed by the 30-day return policy, I thought why not.
A New Profile Photo?
[Reposted because the ‘Let people answer this’ wasn’t enabled]
I need to create a new profile photo. You can see my current profile photo on Facebook, as the favicon on this website, or on my old Vox account. I don’t want to fall into any of these traps, something I feel my current profile photo doesn’t fall into.
For a new profile photo should I do a simple headshot or does anyone have any other ideas?
Watchmen
Hey, it’s the Watchmen!
The graphic novel finally comes to the big screen. It translates fine and looks great on a big screen. There was a lot of information to digest in the 2-hour 40-minute movie, but some of it not working for me. See it on the big screen if you can - or get it on blu-ray (when it comes out) and see it on a nice HDTV.
Rating: Matinee
Eagle Eye
It started out as a promising thriller but devolved into a forgettable action film. The leads are both likable, but they cannot save this movie from its flawed rehashed storyline.
Rating: Cable TV