Random Things That I Like and Regularly Use

Random things that I like and regularly use.

1. Keurig with Dark Magic Extra Bold coffee. Allows me to have a couple of good fresh cups of coffee on the weekend.
2. iPhone - use it every day for phone, reminders, maps, reading, music remote control, grocery list, calendar, contacts.
3. Buy Me A Pie is a great app that allows everyone in the family to contribute and maintain the same grocery list.
4. iPad - movie watching on airplanes, web browsing, email, books, Word with Friends, Facebook and Twitter.
5. PC Blue Menu Twice The Fruit Spread - Strawberry. A jam that's not too sweet, tastes great and has less calories.
6. Songza a free music streaming service available for mobile devices and computers. It's concierge option recognizes the time of day and what day it is and suggest playlists for what you might be doing. Couple this with remote Airplay speakers and I get to hear a variety of new artists in the living room. I normally end up buying something that I hear on it.
7. Mumford & Sons - folk music group. Reminds me a little of Great Big Sea who I also like.
8. Withings Scale and Blood Pressure monitor - these devices allow me to monitor my weight and BP. They automatically post to a personal web account via wifi that I can view in chart form on a mobile device or computer.
9. Netflix - recently watch the first four seasons of Breaking Bad an excellent series. Sherlock was another good one.
10. Farmer's markets in Caledonia and Brantford - locally grown food always seems to taste better.
11. Facebook Groups - we have a family Facebook group where we post works schedules, events, and questions.

I know i should probably post these on Pinterest but got frustrated by the app quite awhile ago and stopped using it.

You've Got Tweet

This article (http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/112952/family-that-tweets-wsj?mod=family-kids_parents) from the Wall Street Journal talks about a family that has taken tech to the extreme. They have multiple blogs and tweet all day long. Our family has not taken tech to the same extreme but they do their part to contribute to the collective social publication of thoughts, ideas and images. Chris has two blogs http://stinger503.blogspot.com/ and http://geocachetribune.blogspot.com/. Sarah has a youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/sarahsilver2. Jen posts her artwork on her facebook page. There are the requisite levels of activity on facebook and twitter.

You've Got Mail
Predates the social networking explosion by a few years but displays the intriguing aspect of it that makes it enticing to many people ... as anonymous and safe as you want it to be.  I have admired Tom Hanks' work since Big. He followed that with Apollo 13, The Green Mile and many others. It is one thing to be prolific but to be prolific with a high degree of quality is much more rare.  It is a romantic comedy so there are no revelations here, no plot twists, no academy awards but the performances are warm and endearing. Not a bad way to spend a lazy afternoon with someone close to you. My rating B.

I Never Had A Super 8

The movie Super 8 (see below for my review) gave me some insight into why I am a gadget guy. My fascination with them started when I was young and received my first transistor radio. An enthralling device that was personal, portable and as radio has always been entertaining and educational. These devices continued to evolve in complexity: pong, walkie talkies, Mattel handheld football, Sony Walkman, IPod touch, IPhone. Throw in a variety of computers and the birth of the Internet into the mix and you have a technological and gadget revolution. I can't wait for the next big thing. By the way I am still waiting for that personal jet pack that we were suppose to get a couple of decades ago.

Super 8

Some of the gadgets I mentioned above serve the movie well by drawing a personal connection to us older people in the crowd. The recipe for this movie is one part E.T., one part Goonies, one part Stand By Me. Throw in a dash of fifties style monster movie and you have an entertaining film. Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning (Dakota's sister) are both quite good in the movie. J.J. Abrams continues to build a successful directing and producing track record. It's worth the effort to see it on the big screen. My rating B+.

Why Blog With No Strings Attached

My first blog entry. The primary purpose for setting this up was to create a space where I could blog about our Netherlands-Germany-France trip later this summer. I may use it to blog about other significant events and observations. I am a gadget guy as well as a music and movie "fan". Buff just wasn't the right word since there are many more people that know the minutiae of those subjects. My musical tastes tend towards the rock and classic rock genres but my musical tastes spread across all genres with exception being opera. It's a shame when a movie with a decent story is let down by poor dialogue or overacting.

No Strings Attached is a romantic comedy with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. Fairly straight forward plot. Dialogue was above average. There is something likable about Ashton Kutcher. He seems like a guy you would want to hang around with. Should be interesting to see if he can bring anything new to the Two and a Half Men show. My rating is a C+.