What I do on quiet nights

Some people like to crawl up with a book on their quiet nights, I enjoy movies. These are the events that took place the other day...

I decided to watch a double feature. Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers.



While I was getting these movies ready, I decided to put some sake on ice.



At the end of the movie, no more sake.



And ends a perfect evening of movie watching.


Who do I have to thank for the wonderful evening:
Erin for buying me the sake
My mom for letting me borrow her DVDs

Screen shot of my Amazon orders page showing TNK was sold by them

Some people were shocked when I told them that Amazon.com sells counterfeit products and thought it was just a 3rd-party merchant, so I took a screen shot of my orders page showing that it was indeed sold by Amazon.com

Back in November the company sold me a counterfeit copy of "The Naked Kiss" on DVD. Though I returned the product and received my money back, they still did something wrong in selling it to me in the first place. Hopefully these reports to my blog helps others from making the same mistake. The company has counterfeit products in their midst.

Two planets and the moon

Last night I recorded a video of the moon with Venus and Jupiter all visible, this is the video:



Information about this event can be found here.

Time to digitize VHS!

For a while now I have been looking for a way to convert my VHS tapes to DVDs and other digital formats. Some digital camcorders have transcoders built into them for this process, mind doesn't have I didn't feel like buying a new one that did.

Recently I saw in a Bed, Bath, and Beyond ad, a device to transfer VHS tapes to a computer. It is called "VCR2PC" and works pretty well. One of the down sides is the transfer is done in real time, so if the video you're transferring is 2 hours long, it will take 2 hours to transfer it. The other down side is that it only works with Windows XP/Vista, but through the use of VMWare Fusion and a copy of XP, I was able to use my Macbook Pro to do the transfer.

Amazon sells counterfeit products

Recently I bought the classic 1964 film The Naked Kiss off amazon.com, this film was sold by Amazon. The so-called company labeled on the DVD is "Reel Classic Films." There is also a website printed on the DVD case, which when I tried to go to, turned out to be non-existent.

Amazon never once says in the product description that this DVD was not pressed like all standard DVDs are. It's burned on a DVD-R format disc. Not only does this mean the DVD will not play in ALL standard DVD players, but it also means the film was copied to the disc illegally. No company would burn a legal copy of a DVD, they are all pressed.

The picture quality is horrible, the picture is so over-exposed that you can't make out faces or text. Everything looks like a white blur, which can sometimes happen when you counterfeit a movie.

Is this what Amazon has become, a bootlegger?

I have already sent the movie back through the mail, so I couldn't take a picture of it. But this is the image of the cover on Amazon's website, which is slightly different from the actual box cover (there is no visible website, nor is there the little sticker saying it's a DVD-R format disc, these were both visible on the boxcover I received in the mail)

The "I'm a PC" commercials are stupid

It was bad enough when Apple was making the "Mac vs. PC" commercials, but now Microsoft is joining the stupidity with their "I'm a PC" commercials.

As I mentioned in a previous post, to qualify as a PC the following three conditions must be met:

1, small enough to fit inside your home.
2, affordable enough for the general public to buy.
3, easy enough for the average population to use.

Apple and Microsoft, you are both MORONS! 100% of all home computers ARE PC's. Weather the computer is made by Apple, Dell, Gateway, Sony, or any other, it is STILL a PC.

PC just stands for Personal Computer, that is all. It does NOT define a brand of computer, it does NOT define a company.

Besides the fact that Microsoft is a SOFTWARE COMPANY, not a hardware company, why do they give a shit what hardware you use? All they care about is that you use their operating system. A better title for their commercials would be "I'm Windows". The title "I'm a PC" is retarded on so many levels!

Obama pin finally came!!

I ordered an Obama pin from MoveOn.org about a month or two ago, and it finally came in the mail today.

my lavenders are getting big!

I bought these lavender plants last summer, they were very tiny. Now look how big they've grown!

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

My review of Crossover

CodeWeavers makes a product called Crossover for both Mac and Linux. The idea is to be able to use Windows applications on those two operating systems. They also have a trial version, so you can try before you buy.

Crossover is built using the source code for the open-source product WINE. WINE is designed to allow Windows applications to run on Linux.

I have tested the trial version of Crossover, and I can sum it up in just one word: horrible.

Unless you want to run one of the applications on the pre-approved list of applications, good luck trying to get it to work. Every single Windows application I tried to run using Crossover, failed miserably. I had more success using WINE than I did Crossover.

If there are Windows application that you really need to run, and you can't find a Linux/Mac substitute. I recommend dual-booting your computer so it can run Windows and Linux (or Windows and Mac). Then just boot into the Windows partition when you want to use the Windows-only application.

If you want to be able to run both operating systems at the same time, I suggest using a virtual machine. One good application for this is VirtualBox

VirtualBox was originally maintained by the German company, innotek. Now it is maintained by Sun Microsystems.

I finally got my hands on a zelda collectors disc

Because of bad information I received from Nintendo toward the end of 2003, I was "cheated" (for lack of a better word) out of a Zelda Collector's Edition promotional disc. (a spokesman from Nintendo asked me to stop saying they cheated me, but that is exactly what they did)

I found a guy on craigslist.org selling the game for a mere $25 and I bought it. A bargain considering how much Amazon.com was selling them for. The cheapest used on Amazon is more than what I paid.

Although I already own the four Zelda titles on the disc in their original cartridges, it's worth it not to have to deal with different game systems, and to have the convenience of having all four games on a single game disc.

cNet, you were caught in a lie!

They made a video which can be seen below, in the video Tom Merritt is viewed with a black MacBook. Toward the end of the video, he turns toward the computer, as if to work on it, but this is a lie! A pre-taped video is used instead, you can tell because the Operating System shown in the video is Windows XP Professional. It seems a little strange that he would use Windows XP Professional on his MacBook, which can only conclude that he lied when he turned to his computer. He wasn't showing you anything live as he was doing it.

cNet, you lie to your viewers!





Now I know some may be saying "But Windows can run on a Mac", this is true, however look at the keyboard when he shows you how to open up the downloads window. It is clearly not a Mac!

You can see the video from its original source cNet.com by clicking this link

Linux Firefox doesn't look as good as Windows or Mac

Windows XP MCE


Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard


Linux - Ubuntu 8.04 LTS


As you can see, both Windows and Mac versions of Firefox 3 look great. However, the Linux version is lacking in "sex appeal". These are the default themes, you can install new themes via mozilla.com

For Mac and Windows, Firefox 3's default theme is improved over Firefox 2. However on Linux, Firefox 3 and Firefox 2 look exactly the same.

Encore, bad for Hoyle

To continue from This post about Hoyle I'd like to give two examples of why letting Encore take control was a mistake.

First let's take a look at the list of games on Hoyle Puzzle & Board Games



Notice a difference?

On the left side is the Windows version, on the right is the Mac, and as you can see the Mac version doesn't have "Maximum Pool" like the Windows version has. Also, Windows has "Crazy Contraptions" and Mac doesn't. Windows as 27 games listed on the main screen, Mac only has 25.




As you can see in these pictures, the Windows version of the "Hoyle Bucks" catalog is missing quite a few items (those blank spaces continue for a few pages). The Mac version however, has all the items in the catalog.

Encore you should be be ashamed with yourself. How could you put out such a faulty product? It's a broken piece of software, neither the Mac nor Windows version is complete. The only way to get the full experience out of this piece of garbage is to install on both the Mac OS X and Windows partitions of a Mac computer, and switch between both of them. This is a problem for those that don't own a Mac computer. Encore you let everyone down, you have no right to slap the "Hoyle" label on your products!

RapidShare sucks!

I had the same file downloading using both rapidshare.com and easy-share.com, rapidshare topped at only 88 KB, easy-share was 1.2 MB. The file on easy-share download in less than a minute, I'm still waiting for the file on rapidshare to finish downloading; it's been 25 minutes so far and the download is only 45% complete. The file is 98.5 MB, and it downloaded much faster on easy-share.

RapidShare, you aren't very "rapid". You have failed in the speed test. You should change your name to SlowShare!

Commercials I worked on

Over the summer, I took a production class at Queens College.
One of the assignments was to make commercials.

This first commercial, I produced and directed: Aquafina

This second one, I acted in: MADD

Both commercials were produced last week.

Stupid employee at the Nintendo World Store

Earlier in the week, I went to the Nintendo World Store in NYC. The man behind the counter told me they were sold out of WiiFit for the day, but they always get new stock in and sell them from 9am until 11am. He said I could come back any time between those hours and buy one.

Today, I went to the Nintendo World Store, and a female employee that worked there, told me they were all sold out. Even though I was waiting for the store to open, and was one of the first five people into the store. She said because people reserve them, so they aren't selling their new shipments to people without reservations. I explained I live an hour away, and could I reserve a copy, she said you could only reserve before the game is released.

So either she is the moron for not selling me WiiFit, or the male employee I spoke to last week that said I could buy one is the moron. Either way, one of their employees is a moron. This kind of treatment to their consumers will one day result in no consumers at all...

Apple keeps screwing iPod Touch owners!

If you remember my oher post about Apple screwing iPod Touch owners - they're at it again!

Apple is releasing the new 2.0 software update for iPhone and iPod Touch in July. iPhone users will get this update for FREE. iPod Touch users will have to PAY $9.95 for this update. If you wish to use the new "App Store" - 3rd party software from the SDK - the 2.0 update is required.

iPod Touch owners will have to pay $9.95 just for the ability to buy and download apps from the App Store. This is outrageous!

What this just means is: iPod Touch is not worth buying! As soon as you buy one, they screw you over and over again by charging you for updates that are free on iPhone.

Hoyle's biggest mistake

There is a series of computer games with the "Hoyle" logo on them, these games used to be produced by the company Sierra. Under the guidance of Sierra, these games were great. The games I am referring to are "Hoyle Board Games" and "Hoyle Card Games". Then comes Hoyle's biggest mistake, they let the company Encore make the sequels. Encore butchered these games! My recent purchase of "Hoyle Puzzle & Board 2008" was a big disappointment. The old Hoyle games, made by Sierra, were much much better in both visual stimulation and overall enjoyment of the games. Both game discs were programmed beautifully under Sierra, but Encore screwed up this perfect formula.

Now, I'm not saying that the games are bad, I'm just saying that in my opinion they aren't as good as they were when programmed by Sierra. In my opinion, Encore screwed up pretty bad on the games. I put "in my opinion" in bold so you know that I am just stating my opinion, and I am not trying to make any of this seem like a fact. These are solely my opinions... if you never played the older versions of Hoyle, then you'll enjoy 2008. There is nothing wrong with them by themselves, but in my opinion, compared to the older versions, they suck.

My New Niece!

Today my sister-in-law gave birth to a 6 pound, 6 ounce girl.

This is my first time being an uncle, picture of her below.

All my swords and knives online

People kept asking me to show them pictures of my swords and knives/daggers, so I decided to put them all online. Every time I get a new item, I'll update the site with new pictures.

Here is the link to the site: http://dig.knight47.com/weapons/

How stupid is Newsday... very!

Today in the Newsday newspaper, I noticed that they used a photo of an iPod Touch and called it an iPhone. The picture was taken by the Associated Press, apparently when Newsday found this picture, they assumed it was a picture of an iPhone. When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me (ass-u-me); apparently Newsday is a huge ass for making this purely stupid error.

The stupidity of this is on par with posting a picture of George W. Bush, and saying it's his dad, George H. Bush. It's the same thing, Newsday just proves how stupid it is. This isn't the first time I've noticed errors with Newsday. Their editors must not be doing their job, they are supposed to catch errors like this in their paper. That's why they're called "editors", they "edit" out the stupid content and fix it to make sense; or has the term "editor" changed its meaning over the years?

Is Newsday stupid, YOU be the judge!

Here is a picture in question:



Take a good look at it. You can clearly see they call the iPod Touch an iPhone. You can clearly see it says "iPod" on the device itself. And you can clearly see on the side of the newspaper that it says "newsday" which proves that this article is indeed from Newsday.

3 different looks

I get bored with the same look for too long, so these are the facial changes I went through within the last 6 months.

new sword in rack

Recently I obtained a new sword for my collection. It's the middle sword in this three-sword rack.

ClearAV tries to bribe me

I recently ordered an item on January 13, 2008 from Amazon.com. The shipper was ClearAV.
The Shipping estimate was: January 14, 2008 - January 15, 2008
The Delivery estimate was:January 17, 2008 - January 22, 2008

On January 23, 2008 I wrote the following as feedback on Amazon.com

The estimated delivery date was "January 17, 2008 - January 22, 2008". It's currently the 23rd. According to the tracking info, the item didn't leave the factory until yesterday, the 22nd. I'm growing inpatient, if you want speedy service, go somewhere else. Usually I get packages ahead of time, not with this shipper though, with them I have to wait overtime!

ClearAV then emailed me, offering me a bribe. I was to delete my feedback and they would refund my SHIPPING cost. Obviously I'm not the kind of person that can be bought, plus I don't believe in this kind of under-handed scheme by companies to try to get only positive feedback.

In my opinion, this bribe makes ClearAV an unethical company. They shouldn't be trusted, and I don't think anyone should order anything from them.

Thank you 20th Century Fox

20th Century Fox is now offering their DVDs in an "easy to put on the computer" digital format.

The first of these new DVDs is the Family Guy movie Blue Harvest, which is a Star Wars parody.

I just bought this movie today on DVD, and here are some pictures:
And here is what pops up on the screen when you put the disc into your computer.

How could you Apple?

Apple, Inc. released 5 new applications for the iPod Touch. Now here's the low part, they are charging $20 for existing iPod Touch owners! People that buy an iPod Touch now, get it for the same price it was at launch, and they get the new applications for free.

It would be one thing if the new iPod Touch was $20 more expensive, but they aren't. Which can only conclude that Apple doesn't care about their existing customers. They only want new customers. What they don't understand is that these devious under-handed tactics will cause their current customers to go away and stop buying Apple products. Those that paid the $20 for these extra applications are stupid and are only helping to feed into Apple's greedy selfishness.

I think everyone should give Apple feedback and tell those "fatcats" just how you feel about this evil corporate scheme they're doing.

Punishing early adopters by making them pay for something new customers get for free just isn't right! It isn't about the money, it's about the principal of it. I'd have no problem paying $20 for this update IF it was reflected in the price of the new iPod Touch (meaning everyone pays). But since it isn't, and since owners of the iPhone get basically the same update for free, I think Apple is being very underhanded to demand that early adopters of the iPod Touch pay $20 for this update.

Bill Gates is a cool guy

Yes I know how weird that sounds, but Bill Gates is actually pretty cool. Even if you think Windows is a bad product, don't label the guy as bad too.

Gates likes to make fun of himself, and that's pretty cool. Has anyone seen the video of the most recent keynote he did? (you can find the video on their website, Microsoft.com) He put together a little video he showed during his keynote speech, the little video was intended to be a joke. What he would be like once he relieves himself of most of his responsibilities as Chairman later this year.

Now you may say "but he's a dork", well I know some pretty cool dorks in real life! And I think Bill Gates is a cool guy. Though I've never met him in person, I think it would be awesome too someday.

The Daily Show

I attended a taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart today.
It was the first show of 2008.  And also the first show since the strike.
The writers from the writers strike were outside the studio handing out leaflets and walking around with their picket signs.
The signs all basically said the same thing, considering they were writers you'd think they could have come up with more clever signs.

Jon Stewart expressed his heartfelt thoughts about the writers strike before the show started, so it will probably not air.  Apparently he talked Comedy Central into making an agreement with the writers, but the writers rejected the agreement.  So they went ahead and made a new episode of The Daily Show anyway, without the aid of writers.  Jon did a good job even though he had no writers to write his material.

The episode will air tonight at 11pm, then again at 1am and 8am, on Comedy Central.

VirtualBox is horrible

Recently I had the chance to use VirtualBox on my Linux computer. I installed version 1.5.0_OSE and this is what I have to say:

VirtualBox randomly crashes my virtual machines.  I tried both Windows XP and Windows 98 SE on VirtualBox, and it crashed both!  It crashes more often than if I just booted the two versions of Windows normally.

If you want visualization on your computer, I'd stay away from this product.  The only good benefit of VirtualBox is that it's free, so I didn't have to waste my money to find out it's garbage.  Also, their support forums aren't very supportive.  They are empty most of the time, and the few rare times that there is someone there, they aren't very helpful.

Why does Microsoft make things complicated?

Windows Vista comes with FIVE VERSIONS for you to choose from (wow).

Vista Home Basic (ugly cream colored box)
Vista Home Premium (green box)
Vista Business (blue box)
Vista Ultimate (black box)
Vista Enterprise (I've never seen it sold in stores)

Vista Enterprise isn't for the general public, making the choices down to four, but that's still a lot!

XP only had two [main] versions, and Media Center Edition (MCE) which was just a re-package of Professional. Making a total of three versions.
The two main versions of XP were: XP Home and XP Professional.