hirolash's blog

Netflix and HD-DVDs

Netflix

We're Going Blu-ray   
    Dear Shawn,
You're receiving this email because you have asked to receive high-definition movies in the HD DVD format. As you may have heard, most of the major movie studios have recently decided to release their high-definition movies exclusively in the Blu-ray format. In order to provide the best selection of high-definition titles for our members, we have decided to go exclusively with Blu-ray as well.
While we will continue to make our current selection of HD DVD titles available to you for the next several months, we will not be adding additional HD DVD titles or reordering replacements.
Toward the end of February, HD DVDs in your Saved Queue will automatically be changed to standard definition DVDs. Then toward the end of this year, all HD DVDs in your Queue will be changed to standard definition DVDs. Don't worry, we will contact you before this happens.
You can click here to change your format preferences.
We're sorry for any inconvenience. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call us at 1 (888) 638-3549.

-The Netflix Team

Mobile Choice

When my contract ran out on my old Razr (poor thing had a cracked front screen held together with scotch tape).
In my mind their are only two phones to consider, I had to think hard about what phone I would really like to have and which one offers the tech I need and want for work.

Blackberry - Proven technology that works, at my office I am the IT guy. So when two of our agents got Blackberry's it was my job to get them up and running, for the most part it was easy. The e-mail was tricky (at that time) to setup because the agents tried to do it themselves and really messed up the setting and didn't know what they did to their Blackberry e-mail accounts. I had to spend some time with tech support to figure it out.
iPhone - Cutting edge interface, absolutely beautiful. But most everything you read is that you have to Jailbreak it to get the really cool functionality out of it, plus I really hate the fact that it is chained to AT&T. Well, my feeling on that is, this will be my primary phone and I don't need for it to go out because of an update that breaks it or for some other Jailbreak reason. Maybe if it was just a toy and not my work's best way to contact me in an emergency I would play but as it stands, no jailbreak for me. I think the best thing the iPhone has going for it is it's community, they are loud and vocal. Apps are starting to show up and an SDK for developers. More and more this phone is becoming a mobile destination than just a phone.
After debating the pluses and minuses for a few days I finally stopped and thought which one do I really want, for me not for work and one stood out the iPhone. After having it for a week I'll just say I freaking love it.

Half-Life 2 episode 2

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Half-Life 2 is the First Person Shoot that all others are compared to. I believe it is the mother of all FPS games, hands down the best of the best. I was pleasantly surprised how well the graphics have held up compared to such new games as Halo 3 and Bioshock, having been release 3 years ago.
I played episode 2 straight through, barely coming up for air or food. I almost hate that I finished it so fast, I want more, where is episode 3, give it to me now!
The ending was just shocking, I want a recount of what just happened. Did what I've just seen really happen?
I can't wait for episode 3.

Movie Monsters, Good, Bad and Ugly.

Throughout the movie industry's history their have been some good monsters, a lot of bad monsters and some ugly ones too. But first lets look at two classic monsters and break it down. Dracula and Frankenstein's monster, these two monsters have been made in to countless movies. But are they truly monsters.
Dracula was a man with all the wants and desires of anyone of us, which means he also knows fear. He was fearful of what humans would do to him if they ever found out about him and above that he was trying to reclaim a lost love. which allows everyone to relate to the character but just not that scary of a monster. Plus we have a sub-culture made up of people that want to be vampires. You tell me, is that a scary monster? not really.
Frankenstein's Monster was a child, mostly scared by groups of people and fire. You pitied the monster when the villagers burned him down, he was just misunderstood not really a monster at all, just looked like one.

The Good
Alien and John Carpenter's The Thing
These two movie monsters share something that is absolutely terrifying to me. what they do is instinctive and for survival. Humans are not their enemy or its not about revenge or for some lost love. They don't care how intelligent we are or what we can do to hurt them, its just that you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Thing could be impersonating your best friend or your best friend could be infected and not even know it until its to late. Aliens are fearless, fast, agile and if they don't eat you on the spot they will take you back to the hive to have a face hugger love on you for a while. Does it add to the terror that neither of these two Monsters have a name? One more thing if you drop either of these two into a room full of people they are the only thing coming out alive afterwards.

The Bad
Jason Voorhees and Micheal Myers
Humans are not monsters period, Jason, Michael Myers and your scare uncle does not count. To be human is to be mortal and can be fought or even killed. The act of having an unstoppable killer like the J man and Mikey doesn't scare just because of them looking like everyone else. A monster is something unknown to us. whats worse, if you are on the street and a guy jumped out at you or an alien or thing jumped out at you. With the guy you can relate to him, why are you doing this, do you need money or is it out of anger or revenge.

The Ugly
I've always seen it as a cop-out to not show the monster. Its a movie not an audio program. The line that no matter what we show it wont be as good as someone's imagination. Please, that's a load of bull, just look at Aliens and The Thing. Never in my wildest dreams would I of come up with those. The point is have a special effects budget and don't skimp on the nasty. Also, spirits, ghost and poltergeist of any kind are not scary.

Lost Flash Drive

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Simply amazing, I lost this flash drive about 3 years ago. This was my first flash drive and I loved it, 256mb and made by Fujifilm, not a popular name brand in flash drives neither now or then but what an amazing story.
I just started at a new job and this drive allowed me to carry documents in my pocket and move them from here to there like magic, no one else had one or even knew what it was. After Several months I must of got complacent and just lost track of it. I remember looking every where for this thing, my old truck, my house, the office and anywhere I remembered using it, I even suspected the people I work with of stealing it, and then eventually realizing that I must of just lost it. I started kicking myself for not keeping a better eye on it. I found my precious drive outside in the yard by the side of my house under my saw horses that had leftover plywood on it from remodeling my house (yes, three years, after all I am a man and don't clean up after myself). It was out of the direct sunlight, covered in dirt and even had dirt in its case. After a good cleaning I plugged it in my laptop and it worked perfectly, even the old files and documents are usable. This Drive has served the washer (several times), being lost for 3 years outside and it still works, wow. But the reality of it is its just a flash drive, everyone has one and its only a 256mb drive, not even worth putting my resume on and giving it away to someone to try an market myself with, got to love technology.

QotD: Hottest Local Restaurant

What's the current hottest restaurant in your city?  Have you tried it out yet?

At the moment it is a restaurant called The Hut. It sat right on the edge of Apalachicola Bay, they had big picture windows so you could lookout at the bay while you dine. There was always something wonderful to watch from those windows, from sunsets to wildlife on the shores and the food was good too. Two years ago it was destroyed by a Hurricane and they couldn't rebuild the structure properly due to environment laws against new construction on the bay. They would have to either build it back the way it was and risk yet again a hurricane blowing it apart for the third time (it's been demolished once before). I actually helped with the clean-up and restoration the first time. Even worked there after the re-opening as a busboy / dishwasher, I was fourteen at the time and it was one of my first real jobs.
OK enough with the past, God am I starting to feel old :-)
So anyways, The owners didn't want to build The Hut back in the same spot with those restrictions. But this week The Hut has re-opened once again in a new location. The owners bought out another restaurant in the next town and re-modeled the place. It's not on the water anymore and it's not as big as before but still very nice. Yesterday a couple of friends and I went out to lunch at The Hut. I'm happy to say the food is great, if not better then before and it was packed out, there wasn't a vacant seat anywhere and the people were lined up to get in. I'm sure it will slow down after a few weeks but I just hope its wasn't just the view that kept people coming back.

QotD: Today's Mix

You're the DJ: what are the next five songs coming up after the break?

Welcome back to W-O-R-K the working man's station! We got a great list of songs for your weekday Live Drive at 5!

1. Starting us off is a little classic rock from a great band Faith No More, singing Epic! From their album The Real Thing.
2. Moving on to something that will bring out the road rage in us all Metallica! as they sing a song of pure adrenalin from the 90's Enter Sandman.
3. Todays midway curve ball is Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz! If you made the connection from yesterdays show call the phones now for your prize.
4. Number 4 is for all you Jesus lovers out there that didn't believe me when I said God is the way! Here is Creed with One!
5. Finishing out todays Live Drive at 5 is Filter singing none other that the road rage favorite Hey Man Nice Shot!

Don't forget to tip your DJs and see you tomorrow on the road rage Live Drive at 5 with DJ workforce Freddy.

QotD: Total Trust

Who would you trust with your life?

This question needs to be flushed out a bit more.
If I needed someone to say "take me, not him." that's fine and dandy its over in a flash. Most of my family and friends without a second thought would do this for me. But if it meant pushing a button every 30 minutes for the rest of your life to keep me alive, now that's a little harder to commit to. I love my little sister but come the weekend she is a party animal and I would be dead for sure or she would find someone off the street that didn't even know me to push the button for her while she was out partying.
At a drop of a hat I would throw myself in front of a car to save a friend or family. But to commit to waste the rest of my live pushing a button to keep someone else alive, now that's sacrificing not just your live but the rest of your life, no matter how long it maybe.
What about regret and what if you decide after a few months, "Hey, this person is really a dick, I don't want to do this for them anymore." Then where would you be? Sorry about this but I can't push this button anymore, you are on your own. It's all about the moment, who is important in your life at that time. A married couple that is in love would give their life for one another without question. But after they have kids now the moment, the prospective has changed to not each other but for the child or children or maybe even the family pet (it could happen). The point is live and love in the moment, trust the ones around you that you love and that love you. The rest will sort itself out in time.

QotD: The Fall TV Season

What shows are you looking forward to in the new fall TV season?

The IT Crowd (British comedy worth it's weight in gold).
The Bionic Woman (I might not get BSG this fall but I will get Katee Sackhoff).
House M.D. (The acting and interaction between the characters is amazing).

BIOSHOCK

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My Xbox 360 has been neglected for the past month. The only time I've powered it up was to watch an HD DVD that I've rented from Netflix.
Then along came Bioshock, this game has shown me the way a First Person Shooter should be done. I hope this game has raised the bar for all other game developers out there. My favorite part is the relationship between the little sisters and the big daddies. I knew right from the start I could not harvest them. A friend of mine told me he had to stop harvesting because it was getting to him so much. The photo to the left is my desktop background on 4 out of 5 computers. To me this photo reminds me of the best and worse of the game. The character's emotional attachment to each other is powerful. Even though I'm freeing the little sisters from this almost zombie like state I really hate killing her protector and friend. I know, I know, it's just a bloody game and it really doesn't make a difference if they live or die but its my choice and that makes it so compelling. In the end, we all are only the choices we have made in our lives, be it for good or evil.