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I hate to say it, but this is not as good as MS. It is a good basic word processor and spreadsheet program, but then again, so is Libre Office (which is free). I actually find WordPerfect Office very similar to the Libre Office product. In general there seems to be more features and functionality in the MS Office suite than Corel's Office Suite. Although this may be because I am not used to the product, having used MS Office for the past 20 years.
I used MS Office at work and thought Corel would be a less expensive alternative when I had to bring some work home. It has not worked out that way. You lose much of the formatting when you convert from MS to Corel and visa-versa.
If you plan to use this product as a stand-alone program, then it should work fine for you. But if you plan to share files with others running MS Office, it will be a problem. Overall, I brought this when it was a gold box special for $20, so I did not lose much.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I hate to say it, but this is not as good as MS.",
"It is a good basic word processor and spreadsheet program, but then again, so is Libre Office (which is free).",
"I actually find WordPerfect Office very similar to the Libre Office product.",
"In general there seems to be more features and functionality in the MS Office suite than Corel's Office Suite.",
"Although this may be because I am not used to the product, having used MS Office for the past 20 years.",
"I used MS Office at work and thought Corel would be a less expensive alternative when I had to bring some work home.",
"It has not worked out that way.",
"You lose much of the formatting when you convert from MS to Corel and visa-versa.",
"If you plan to use this product as a stand-alone program, then it should work fine for you.",
"But if you plan to share files with others running MS Office, it will be a problem.",
"Overall, I brought this when it was a gold box special for $20, so I did not lose much."
] |
I am fair and have fluffy thighs. If neither of these descriptions is you, then ignore this post. The suntan color is the lightest color in this style, but is very dark on me. I understand that they can't match every color of skin tone. I'm just saying, if you're fair, the color is not going to match the rest of your body. The top of the thigh highs has an elastic band, and is quite tight. This makes me look like a stuffed sausage link, because I'm not very tone down there. It's not just this brand, but others do this to me as well. I would suggest seam-ripping the elastic band off and hold them up with a garter belt if you're fluffy like me. For me, this was a 3 star item, but I'm sure for some others it would be more.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I am fair and have fluffy thighs.",
"If neither of these descriptions is you, then ignore this post.",
"The suntan color is the lightest color in this style, but is very dark on me.",
"I understand that they can't match every color of skin tone.",
"I'm just saying, if you're fair, the color is not going to match the rest of your body.",
"The top of the thigh highs has an elastic band, and is quite tight.",
"This makes me look like a stuffed sausage link, because I'm not very tone down there.",
"It's not just this brand, but others do this to me as well.",
"I would suggest seam-ripping the elastic band off and hold them up with a garter belt if you're fluffy like me.",
"For me, this was a 3 star item, but I'm sure for some others it would be more."
] |
This is a decent kit with one simple flaw that would be so easy for the manufacturer to fix, if they used two brain cells. But Chinese manufacturers are not known for their thoughtfulness...
The threaded rods are not threaded all the way through. If fact, they have overly long unthreaded sections in the middle. This means you often end up in a situation where you can't tighten something down (especially short stuff) because the nut wants to be where there are no threads.
One fix I did was run a die through the unthreaded section. This gives the nut more freedom, but of course the threads from the two ends can't merge into one another, so it's still not full freedom for the nut. Also, the threads over the unthreaded part end up quite low, since the original threads are rolled, which makes you worry about stripping if you ever had to tighten a nut over that region of the rod.
Another thing I did was buy some black oxide 1/2 13 bolts from the hardware store. I cut the heads off some of them to make my own "threaded rods". I also bought a longer section of zinc coated threaded rod that I can make various length rods out of.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"This is a decent kit with one simple flaw that would be so easy for the manufacturer to fix, if they used two brain cells.",
"But Chinese manufacturers are not known for their thoughtfulness...",
"The threaded rods are not threaded all the way through.",
"If fact, they have overly long unthreaded sections in the middle.",
"This means you often end up in a situation where you can't tighten something down (especially short stuff) because the nut wants to be where there are no threads.",
"One fix I did was run a die through the unthreaded section.",
"This gives the nut more freedom, but of course the threads from the two ends can't merge into one another, so it's still not full freedom for the nut.",
"Also, the threads over the unthreaded part end up quite low, since the original threads are rolled, which makes you worry about stripping if you ever had to tighten a nut over that region of the rod.",
"Another thing I did was buy some black oxide 1/2 13 bolts from the hardware store.",
"I cut the heads off some of them to make my own \"threaded rods\".",
"I also bought a longer section of zinc coated threaded rod that I can make various length rods out of."
] |
Hitman Contracts follows the same line of play as Hitman 2. Your mission, each level, essentially is to assassinate a character.
The game follows essentially a linear path: begin at a start point, and work your way though to the objective. There is usually more than one way to kill, and you can complete your objectives in any order.
You have to pay close attention to what you're doing in this game. You can change clothes and disguise yourself, for example, as a waiter, but if you get frisked, the guards will be alerted if you're carrying weapons or if you're in a place where waiters usually don't tred. You can also drag and hide bodies. At the end of each level, you're receive a rating for your stealth.
The graphics in this game are par: it's obvious it was made for several platforms, and it doesn't have great graphics like an x-box game really should. The cutscenes, however, are quite nice.
Overall, this game should hold your interest for a while. It's challenging, but often monotonous.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Hitman Contracts follows the same line of play as Hitman 2.",
"Your mission, each level, essentially is to assassinate a character.",
"The game follows essentially a linear path: begin at a start point, and work your way though to the objective.",
"There is usually more than one way to kill, and you can complete your objectives in any order.",
"You have to pay close attention to what you're doing in this game.",
"You can change clothes and disguise yourself, for example, as a waiter, but if you get frisked, the guards will be alerted if you're carrying weapons or if you're in a place where waiters usually don't tred.",
"You can also drag and hide bodies.",
"At the end of each level, you're receive a rating for your stealth.",
"The graphics in this game are par: it's obvious it was made for several platforms, and it doesn't have great graphics like an x-box game really should.",
"The cutscenes, however, are quite nice.",
"Overall, this game should hold your interest for a while.",
"It's challenging, but often monotonous."
] |
Bought for my wife who constantly drops her phone. So far so good and it looks smart. She cracked the hard plastic portion at the bottom of the case but, despite this, the cover has not lost its integrity. I thought it was a perfect balance between the really heavy protective cases and the ones that offer little to no protection.
My wife, on the other hand, feels that it is still too bulky for her small hands. I say you need a little bulk to offer the protection level needed when you drop your phone often. She also feels that the more slippery hard plastic is in the wrong places, where you typically hold the phone, and the rubber, which offers a more secure grip, is at the corners. I have to agree with her on that.
So conclusion is a mixed bag. It offers good protection with only moderate bulk and ...... it is moderately bulky for small hands. It would be better if they could move the more slippery plastic (which is the outer cover) to the corners rather than at the center where you hold the phone.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Bought for my wife who constantly drops her phone.",
"So far so good and it looks smart.",
"She cracked the hard plastic portion at the bottom of the case but, despite this, the cover has not lost its integrity.",
"I thought it was a perfect balance between the really heavy protective cases and the ones that offer little to no protection.",
"My wife, on the other hand, feels that it is still too bulky for her small hands.",
"I say you need a little bulk to offer the protection level needed when you drop your phone often.",
"She also feels that the more slippery hard plastic is in the wrong places, where you typically hold the phone, and the rubber, which offers a more secure grip, is at the corners.",
"I have to agree with her on that.",
"So conclusion is a mixed bag.",
"It offers good protection with only moderate bulk and....",
"..",
"it is moderately bulky for small hands.",
"It would be better if they could move the more slippery plastic (which is the outer cover) to the corners rather than at the center where you hold the phone."
] |
It is so much more than a media player, and the player part comes unlocked. Can VLC render straight into a podcast format? Can it create .MOV and .m4v? Mixed with flip4mac can it render .WMV? Can Windows movie player do any of the above?<br><br> Actually can the rather otherwise awesome Widows Media tool you can download for free convert into .mov or .m4v? I think not, wether you pay extra or not.<br><br>I paid for it, and have used it's features to make money since. Can't remember last time i used it to watch a video, and their lies the reasoning i'm sure.<br><br> IF it's unlocked, i wuld have thought watching video through iTunes on a mac is making quicktime irrelevant EXCEPT for rendering video or watching .WMV (A format that is quickly being made pointless). Quicktime Pro mixed with flip4mac studio is an incredibly powerful and inexpensive tool for a video maker.<br><br> Frankly, people moaning about quicktime are not using it to full potential... or are Mac haters jumping on their silly bandwagon. <br><br> No idea what you are talking about people.<br><br>
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"It is so much more than a media player, and the player part comes unlocked.",
"Can VLC render straight into a podcast format?",
"Can it create.",
"MOV and.",
"m4v?",
"Mixed with flip4mac can it render.",
"WMV?",
"Can Windows movie player do any of the above?",
"<br><br> Actually can the rather otherwise awesome Widows Media tool you can download for free convert into.",
"mov or.",
"m4v?",
"I think not, wether you pay extra or not.",
"<br><br>I paid for it, and have used it's features to make money since.",
"Can't remember last time i used it to watch a video, and their lies the reasoning i'm sure.",
"<br><br> IF it's unlocked, i wuld have thought watching video through iTunes on a mac is making quicktime irrelevant EXCEPT for rendering video or watching.",
"WMV (A format that is quickly being made pointless).",
"Quicktime Pro mixed with flip4mac studio is an incredibly powerful and inexpensive tool for a video maker.",
"<br><br> Frankly, people moaning about quicktime are not using it to full potential...",
"or are Mac haters jumping on their silly bandwagon.",
"<br><br> No idea what you are talking about people.",
"<br><br>"
] |
'Black Panther' Costume Designer Draws On 'The Sacred Geometry Of Africa'
Designer Ruth Carter â whose previous films include Selma Malcolm X and Roots â pulled colors shapes jewelry and textures from tribes all over Africa. She says she wanted to tell a story "of brilliance royalty intrigue â you name it. I feel that you can tell a story through clothing."
One detail Carter particularly likes is in the Black Panther suit worn by Chadwick Boseman who plays T'Challa. The suit was created by Marvel character designer Ryan Meinerding but the fabric has a triangular surface pattern that's all Carter.
"That triangle is the sacred geometry of Africa " Carter says. "I call that pattern the 'Okavango' pattern. I felt that it made his suit have this character that would in the wide shots make him this superhero but in the close-up you see this beautiful pattern that is consistent with a lot of the art of Africa and would turn him into this African king."
Carter 's costumes needed to evoke an African country that had never been colonized one that looked toward the future but was based on a real past. So she found inspiration from African art and craft and indigenous tribal wear from all over the continent. Then she and her team worked to create group drawings of the various groups in Wakanda.
"And we did them as they were centuries ago " she says. "Then it was a process of deciding how we go from there in the past to where Wakanda would be in the future." For Carter and her team that meant using the same color palette the same headdresses or beadwork but with more modern sillhouettes. The Dora Milaje for example are Wakanda's elite team of female warriors and they wear bright red military uniforms a leather harness and beaded tabard and metal neck rings and armor. It's a striking look that Carter created "based on some of the beloved practices of many indiginous tribes" like the Maasai of Kenya the Ndebele of South Africa the Himba people of Namibia.
But where Carter stayed closer to traditional tribal wear for the Dora Milaje an institution in Wakanda Carter looked further into the future with another character Shuri. She 's T'Challa's younger sister and the resident tech genius â her lab is a science fiction dream and she creates and builds all of Wakanda's technology including the Black Panther suit. For Shuri Carter was guided by one scene in the film: Representatives from each tribe have gathered for the King's Challenge â anyone wishing to take the throne must challenge T'Challa to a fight. Shuri wears a traditional costume including a corset inspired by the Dinka people and she shouts at one point "Can we get a move on? This corset is uncomfortable.
"So she told us right away that that's not where she comes from that's not where she wants to be mentally " Carter says. From there on out Shuri dresses in clothes with modern sillhouettes and fabrics â Carter chose youthful vibrant colors overlaid with mesh fabrics or bold outlines. But Carter says the shape of her clothing still holds meaning.
" Her first dress is a white dress and we created the front of it to be this cylindrical round shape â and I was trying to connect shapes within Wakanda so you see them repeat. It's the language of Wakanda."
Carter knows a lot about the world of Wakanda now but when she was first asked to interview for Black Panther she thought it was a simple superhero film. "I knew about him as a superhero but I didn't know that he lived in a secret place called Wakanda â I knew he was from Africa but I didn't know that they weren't colonized and they had all different types of tribes within their little hidden country."
Carter says the more she understood about Black Panther and the people of Wakanda she began to get scared. "This is [a character] that's gone back fifty years and I'm going to be given the task to create this world on camera for the fans!"
MCEVERS: The concept for the suit came from Marvel's character designer Ryan Meinerding. The details are all Ruth Carter and her team.
MCEVERS: And then there are costumes that Ruth Carter and her team created to define a character like Shuri tech genius and T'Challa's younger sister.
CARTER : Shuri is this Tony Stark of Wakanda. She designs the suit.
CARTER : I learned from my experience on the "Black Panther" more than ever that costume design is art. I could communicate and tell stories through this wonderful medium of adornment. The adornment of Africa has always been a part of their beauty from scarification to bead work to woodwork. You know I fell in love with it even more.
MCEVERS: That was Ruth Carter costume designer for "Black Panther." If you want to see what some of those costumes look like head over to npr.org/allthingsconsidered.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"'Black Panther' Costume Designer Draws On 'The Sacred Geometry Of Africa'\nDesigner Ruth Carter â whose previous films include Selma Malcolm X and Roots â pulled colors shapes jewelry and textures from tribes all over Africa.",
"She says she wanted to tell a story \"of brilliance royalty intrigue â you name it.",
"I feel that you can tell a story through clothing.",
"\"\nOne detail Carter particularly likes is in the Black Panther suit worn by Chadwick Boseman who plays T'Challa.",
"The suit was created by Marvel character designer Ryan Meinerding but the fabric has a triangular surface pattern that's all Carter.",
"\"That triangle is the sacred geometry of Africa \" Carter says.",
"\"I call that pattern the 'Okavango' pattern.",
"I felt that it made his suit have this character that would in the wide shots make him this superhero but in the close-up you see this beautiful pattern that is consistent with a lot of the art of Africa and would turn him into this African king.",
"\"\n Carter 's costumes needed to evoke an African country that had never been colonized one that looked toward the future but was based on a real past.",
"So she found inspiration from African art and craft and indigenous tribal wear from all over the continent.",
"Then she and her team worked to create group drawings of the various groups in Wakanda.",
"\"And we did them as they were centuries ago \" she says.",
"\"Then it was a process of deciding how we go from there in the past to where Wakanda would be in the future.",
"\" For Carter and her team that meant using the same color palette the same headdresses or beadwork but with more modern sillhouettes.",
"The Dora Milaje for example are Wakanda's elite team of female warriors and they wear bright red military uniforms a leather harness and beaded tabard and metal neck rings and armor.",
"It's a striking look that Carter created \"based on some of the beloved practices of many indiginous tribes\" like the Maasai of Kenya the Ndebele of South Africa the Himba people of Namibia.",
"But where Carter stayed closer to traditional tribal wear for the Dora Milaje an institution in Wakanda Carter looked further into the future with another character Shuri.",
"She 's T'Challa's younger sister and the resident tech genius â her lab is a science fiction dream and she creates and builds all of Wakanda's technology including the Black Panther suit.",
"For Shuri Carter was guided by one scene in the film: Representatives from each tribe have gathered for the King's Challenge â anyone wishing to take the throne must challenge T'Challa to a fight.",
"Shuri wears a traditional costume including a corset inspired by the Dinka people and she shouts at one point \"Can we get a move on?",
"This corset is uncomfortable.",
"\"So she told us right away that that's not where she comes from that's not where she wants to be mentally \" Carter says.",
"From there on out Shuri dresses in clothes with modern sillhouettes and fabrics â Carter chose youthful vibrant colors overlaid with mesh fabrics or bold outlines.",
"But Carter says the shape of her clothing still holds meaning.",
"\" Her first dress is a white dress and we created the front of it to be this cylindrical round shape â and I was trying to connect shapes within Wakanda so you see them repeat.",
"It's the language of Wakanda.",
"\"\n Carter knows a lot about the world of Wakanda now but when she was first asked to interview for Black Panther she thought it was a simple superhero film.",
"\"I knew about him as a superhero but I didn't know that he lived in a secret place called Wakanda â I knew he was from Africa but I didn't know that they weren't colonized and they had all different types of tribes within their little hidden country.",
"\"\n Carter says the more she understood about Black Panther and the people of Wakanda she began to get scared.",
"\"This is [a character] that's gone back fifty years and I'm going to be given the task to create this world on camera for the fans!",
"\"\nMCEVERS: The concept for the suit came from Marvel's character designer Ryan Meinerding.",
"The details are all Ruth Carter and her team.",
"MCEVERS: And then there are costumes that Ruth Carter and her team created to define a character like Shuri tech genius and T'Challa's younger sister.",
"CARTER : Shuri is this Tony Stark of Wakanda.",
"She designs the suit.",
"CARTER : I learned from my experience on the \"Black Panther\" more than ever that costume design is art.",
"I could communicate and tell stories through this wonderful medium of adornment.",
"The adornment of Africa has always been a part of their beauty from scarification to bead work to woodwork.",
"You know I fell in love with it even more.",
"MCEVERS: That was Ruth Carter costume designer for \"Black Panther.",
"\" If you want to see what some of those costumes look like head over to npr.",
"org/allthingsconsidered."
] |
The sauce is hoisin sauce. The taste is fine. There are no complaints on that. The bottle, however, could've been packed better AND could've been delivered undamaged. Not only is the bottle dented, which isn't a bit deal, but part of the top is missing. The flip part broke off at some point in time. Now, if I'd found it in the box, I would've given this 4-5 stars and pouted for second. But the top wasn't in the box, at all, which means it was damaged in the warehouse and sent to me anyway. That's unacceptable. Plus, the place where it snapped off is now jagged and dangerous. Unfortunately I don't have a top to replace it with.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"The sauce is hoisin sauce.",
"The taste is fine.",
"There are no complaints on that.",
"The bottle, however, could've been packed better AND could've been delivered undamaged.",
"Not only is the bottle dented, which isn't a bit deal, but part of the top is missing.",
"The flip part broke off at some point in time.",
"Now, if I'd found it in the box, I would've given this 4-5 stars and pouted for second.",
"But the top wasn't in the box, at all, which means it was damaged in the warehouse and sent to me anyway.",
"That's unacceptable.",
"Plus, the place where it snapped off is now jagged and dangerous.",
"Unfortunately I don't have a top to replace it with."
] |
This software has SO much going on. Theres a plethora of things you can do with it. . . which is GREAT. .. but. . . if you're a beginner, then you're probably going to be VERY overwhelmed. Pinnacle offers tutorials. .. but for a fee. Fortunately, there are several very good tutorials to be found online for free. But I have to say. . . This is not the easiest software to use for a novice. You have to be willing to put in the time-and-effort. Ive used it for quite simple things, and it works, but its time-consuming. Make sure you look at the differences between the three different software options. The Plus software (this listing) has just about everything one could need. . . but. . . . if you need 360 video, then youll need to check-out the Ultimate software.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"This software has SO much going on.",
"Theres a plethora of things you can do with it.",
".",
".",
"which is GREAT.",
"..",
"but.",
".",
".",
"if you're a beginner, then you're probably going to be VERY overwhelmed.",
"Pinnacle offers tutorials.",
"..",
"but for a fee.",
"Fortunately, there are several very good tutorials to be found online for free.",
"But I have to say.",
".",
".",
"This is not the easiest software to use for a novice.",
"You have to be willing to put in the time-and-effort.",
"Ive used it for quite simple things, and it works, but its time-consuming.",
"Make sure you look at the differences between the three different software options.",
"The Plus software (this listing) has just about everything one could need.",
".",
".",
"but.",
".",
".",
".",
"if you need 360 video, then youll need to check-out the Ultimate software."
] |
Since our dog is black, this camera works best for us on night mode. Otherwise she can be difficult to see with our dark furniture or her black crate. The color image just doesn’t provide enough contrast and can be distorted by natural light. The laser play is kind of neat but there’s only so much you can do with it. The audio is AWFUL. Easily the most disappointing feature of this camera. Garbled and distorted on the pet’s end and there has been a lot of issues with feedback on the watching device’s end. They are trying to fix it but seem to be having a hard time with it. The news feed feature is a bit superfluous. Who needs more social media these days? The recording is a helpful feature, although the auto recording is very limited unless you pay them for a subscription. (More money, guys? Really?) You can do photo capture or record manually from your device which saves to your device. You won’t hear the sound for your recording until playback, just FYI. Short version: -Pros- Good night vision Decent laser play Auto record option -Cons- Really poor audio Not the best light interaction on color camera They want you to buy a subscription All-in-all, I think a baby monitor or camera would have sufficed for our purposes, but the price is ok for a decent night-time camera.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Since our dog is black, this camera works best for us on night mode.",
"Otherwise she can be difficult to see with our dark furniture or her black crate.",
"The color image just doesn’t provide enough contrast and can be distorted by natural light.",
"The laser play is kind of neat but there’s only so much you can do with it.",
"The audio is AWFUL.",
"Easily the most disappointing feature of this camera.",
"Garbled and distorted on the pet’s end and there has been a lot of issues with feedback on the watching device’s end.",
"They are trying to fix it but seem to be having a hard time with it.",
"The news feed feature is a bit superfluous.",
"Who needs more social media these days?",
"The recording is a helpful feature, although the auto recording is very limited unless you pay them for a subscription.",
"(More money, guys?",
"Really?",
") You can do photo capture or record manually from your device which saves to your device.",
"You won’t hear the sound for your recording until playback, just FYI.",
"Short version: -Pros- Good night vision Decent laser play Auto record option -Cons- Really poor audio Not the best light interaction on color camera They want you to buy a subscription All-in-all, I think a baby monitor or camera would have sufficed for our purposes, but the price is ok for a decent night-time camera."
] |
Based loosely on the fairytales of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" and "The Frog Prince" (but adding plenty of her own ideas), Juliet Marillier crafts an entertaining story of magic and faerie, set in the wild-lands of Transylvania. Jena is one of five sisters (Tatiana, Iulia, Paula and Stela) who have long-since kept a secret in their bedroom: a magical portal into the Other Kingdom, through which they can pass through every full moon to cavort with faerie-creatures in the Dancing Glade of the Faerie Queen.
The girls love their monthly excursions into the Dancing Glade and all the friends they've made there, but lately a shadow has been cast upon their lives: their father has grown sickly and must leave their estate of Piscul Dracului for the winter. Tatiana and Jena consider themselves perfectly capable of handling the estate in their father's absence, but their controlling and possessive cousin Cezar believes it is his duty to take over the household till his uncle's return. With a hatred of the Other Kingdom ever since the drowning of his brother in the faerie-haunted waters of Taul Ielelor, Cezar's grip over the household and the girls' lives quickly intensifies when he begins to suspect them of trafficking with faeries.
But Jena finds herself with further trouble: her elder sister Tatiana has fallen in love with a creature of Faerie, someone Jena believes is one of the dreaded Night People. With only her trusted friend and companion Gogu for a confidant, Jena delves further into the Other Kingdom to find answers; gambling with Night People, entering the Other Kingdom under the dark of the mind, searching for the witch Draguta, unraveling the events that took place the day her cousin Costi died...
Marillier creates a story in which the final result is better than the sum of its parts. Take any element of the story; whether it be Tatiana's love story, Cezar's takeover of the house, Marillier's portrayal of Faerie or Jena's friendship with Gogu and it is rather weak; however, because there is always so much going on throughout the story, the book ultimately fits together quite satisfactorily. Jena is a great protagonist; feisty and strong-willed, kind and courageous, without being too good to be true and she forms the backbone of the book. Her desire to protect what she loves, whether it be her sisters, her friends, her secrets or her household is the driving force of the story and she is entirely convincing in this capacity.
Unfortunately, what she is fighting for never comes across quite as strongly, and we are *told*, rather than *shown* what it is that Jena holds dear, such as her friendship with Gogu, her love of the Other Kingdom and her relationship with her sisters. We know that she holds them dear, but never really see *why* to any satisfactory degree. The same thing is true of Tatiana's romance with a Night Person; we are told they've fallen in love without getting the chance to place any sort of investment into why we should want them to be together. All we have is Jena's conviction, and though it is strong enough to convince us, I couldn't help but wish there was a little more depth in some of the bonds that Marillier forms.
Because K. Y. Craft lends her skills to create breathtaking cover-art (the saying "never judge a book by its cover" is always made null and void when it is Craft doing such artwork), one cannot help but be reminded of Patricia McKillip, another author that Craft often illustrates for. At the conclusion, I couldn't help but feel that though Marillier's story was enjoyable, in McKillip's hands it would have been unforgettable, especially in the portrayal of the Other Kingdom, which ultimately came across a little too structured and sentimental and not at all like the "wildwood" that the title suggests.
It's so easy to speak of faults rather than virtues, and looking over the review I feel I've been a little hard on "Wildwood Dancing". It is a sweet and mysterious book, with a bittersweet (and therefore satisfying) ending. It is an above-average fantasy novel - it's always refreshing to read a fantasy that doesn't involve magic swords, noble quests and loin-cloth-wearing heroes - with a couple of great twists and a quick-paced plot. I give it a solid three stars.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Based loosely on the fairytales of \"The Twelve Dancing Princesses\" and \"The Frog Prince\" (but adding plenty of her own ideas), Juliet Marillier crafts an entertaining story of magic and faerie, set in the wild-lands of Transylvania.",
"Jena is one of five sisters (Tatiana, Iulia, Paula and Stela) who have long-since kept a secret in their bedroom: a magical portal into the Other Kingdom, through which they can pass through every full moon to cavort with faerie-creatures in the Dancing Glade of the Faerie Queen.",
"The girls love their monthly excursions into the Dancing Glade and all the friends they've made there, but lately a shadow has been cast upon their lives: their father has grown sickly and must leave their estate of Piscul Dracului for the winter.",
"Tatiana and Jena consider themselves perfectly capable of handling the estate in their father's absence, but their controlling and possessive cousin Cezar believes it is his duty to take over the household till his uncle's return.",
"With a hatred of the Other Kingdom ever since the drowning of his brother in the faerie-haunted waters of Taul Ielelor, Cezar's grip over the household and the girls' lives quickly intensifies when he begins to suspect them of trafficking with faeries.",
"But Jena finds herself with further trouble: her elder sister Tatiana has fallen in love with a creature of Faerie, someone Jena believes is one of the dreaded Night People.",
"With only her trusted friend and companion Gogu for a confidant, Jena delves further into the Other Kingdom to find answers; gambling with Night People, entering the Other Kingdom under the dark of the mind, searching for the witch Draguta, unraveling the events that took place the day her cousin Costi died...",
"Marillier creates a story in which the final result is better than the sum of its parts.",
"Take any element of the story; whether it be Tatiana's love story, Cezar's takeover of the house, Marillier's portrayal of Faerie or Jena's friendship with Gogu and it is rather weak; however, because there is always so much going on throughout the story, the book ultimately fits together quite satisfactorily.",
"Jena is a great protagonist; feisty and strong-willed, kind and courageous, without being too good to be true and she forms the backbone of the book.",
"Her desire to protect what she loves, whether it be her sisters, her friends, her secrets or her household is the driving force of the story and she is entirely convincing in this capacity.",
"Unfortunately, what she is fighting for never comes across quite as strongly, and we are *told*, rather than *shown* what it is that Jena holds dear, such as her friendship with Gogu, her love of the Other Kingdom and her relationship with her sisters.",
"We know that she holds them dear, but never really see *why* to any satisfactory degree.",
"The same thing is true of Tatiana's romance with a Night Person; we are told they've fallen in love without getting the chance to place any sort of investment into why we should want them to be together.",
"All we have is Jena's conviction, and though it is strong enough to convince us, I couldn't help but wish there was a little more depth in some of the bonds that Marillier forms.",
"Because K.",
"Y.",
"Craft lends her skills to create breathtaking cover-art (the saying \"never judge a book by its cover\" is always made null and void when it is Craft doing such artwork), one cannot help but be reminded of Patricia McKillip, another author that Craft often illustrates for.",
"At the conclusion, I couldn't help but feel that though Marillier's story was enjoyable, in McKillip's hands it would have been unforgettable, especially in the portrayal of the Other Kingdom, which ultimately came across a little too structured and sentimental and not at all like the \"wildwood\" that the title suggests.",
"It's so easy to speak of faults rather than virtues, and looking over the review I feel I've been a little hard on \"Wildwood Dancing\".",
"It is a sweet and mysterious book, with a bittersweet (and therefore satisfying) ending.",
"It is an above-average fantasy novel - it's always refreshing to read a fantasy that doesn't involve magic swords, noble quests and loin-cloth-wearing heroes - with a couple of great twists and a quick-paced plot.",
"I give it a solid three stars."
] |
Bought this directly from Amazon retailer. Got it in like 4 days. Great service.
The case itself looks and fits great. It's a great value when you consider that for the price you also get two screen covers. One regular and one anti-glare.
The problem is the rubbery material starts to come off specially from the areas of the bumps. So you have a nice matte black looking cover with shiny areas where the rubbery material has come off.
Another problem I found, I actually downloaded the SpeedTest.net application from the App Store and ran it without touching the iPhone 4 at all with the case on. I got 2017 down and 675 up. I then placed my thumb in the sensitive antenna area on the bottom left of the iPhone and guess what? Nothing. No Latency result, no down, no up.
I didn't test the sturdiness of this case by dropping it with my iPhone. I paid too much for my iPhone to do that test.
So, my conclussion: Good value and nice looking case, until it starts losing the rubbery material. I don't believe the claims anyone might make about this fixing the Antenna issue. Sorry but that doesn't work. Caveat emptor!
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Bought this directly from Amazon retailer.",
"Got it in like 4 days.",
"Great service.",
"The case itself looks and fits great.",
"It's a great value when you consider that for the price you also get two screen covers.",
"One regular and one anti-glare.",
"The problem is the rubbery material starts to come off specially from the areas of the bumps.",
"So you have a nice matte black looking cover with shiny areas where the rubbery material has come off.",
"Another problem I found, I actually downloaded the SpeedTest.",
"net application from the App Store and ran it without touching the iPhone 4 at all with the case on.",
"I got 2017 down and 675 up.",
"I then placed my thumb in the sensitive antenna area on the bottom left of the iPhone and guess what?",
"Nothing.",
"No Latency result, no down, no up.",
"I didn't test the sturdiness of this case by dropping it with my iPhone.",
"I paid too much for my iPhone to do that test.",
"So, my conclussion: Good value and nice looking case, until it starts losing the rubbery material.",
"I don't believe the claims anyone might make about this fixing the Antenna issue.",
"Sorry but that doesn't work.",
"Caveat emptor!"
] |
I had originally thought of getting this product for our son who is off to college in the fall. Right now all of our household computers are hooked into <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Microsoft-Windows-Home-Server-OEM/dp/B000VWW8QQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Microsoft Windows Home Server OEM</a> so our anti-virus and backups are centrally managed. However, when he leaves for college that won't be an option for him. I wanted something that was easy to use and didn't bog his laptop down. Unfortunately, although OneCare is a good product, it just didn't fit the bill.
First off, let me say the product has a lot of nice features -- including automated backups, firewall, anti-virus and more rolled into one thing. However, as I've learned in the past, sometimes rolling too many features into a product can give you a less than stellar offering. It's hard to be the "best" in every category -- and I think this is where OneCare suffers.
I found the Firewall to be terribly annoying. I prefer to leave software-based firewalls turned OFF because hardware-based firewalls are much more reliable. When I did this I got not one, but two red icons in my task area on Windows XP that would not go away. Unlike the built-in firewall with Windows XP/Vista, turning OneCare's firewall off does not give you the option to ignore the condition and remove the red icons. In this way I felt the program was way too demanding to be wanting to do everything when all I wanted was a subset of its features.
Next, I noticed that the backup feature of OneCare and the backup feature of Windows Home Server was not integrating correctly. The product states that it "recognizes" the backup feature of WHS, but I found out that two backups were trying to occur every night. I searched around some and couldn't find any real documentation or options for fixing the problem.
The anti-virus feature worked well, and in fact seemed to run just a bit faster than my current anti-virus program, Avast. Updates happened automatically and it was pretty much non-intrusive. No complaints there.
There were other features that would be handy for novice users, such as cleaning up the temporary files that Windows and IE seem to leave around as well as a feature to scan your system for missed updates, etc. Again, these are features a novice user might enjoy so they don't have to manage their computer as much.
However, my overall impression was that OneCare is "good" but just doesn't make it into the "great" category. I'd say if you have one or two PC's without a home network then this program will work for you just fine. If you are a more tech-savy computer user then you'll probably find yourself fighting the program more than getting a lot of value out of it.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I had originally thought of getting this product for our son who is off to college in the fall.",
"Right now all of our household computers are hooked into <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Microsoft-Windows-Home-Server-OEM/dp/B000VWW8QQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Microsoft Windows Home Server OEM</a> so our anti-virus and backups are centrally managed.",
"However, when he leaves for college that won't be an option for him.",
"I wanted something that was easy to use and didn't bog his laptop down.",
"Unfortunately, although OneCare is a good product, it just didn't fit the bill.",
"First off, let me say the product has a lot of nice features -- including automated backups, firewall, anti-virus and more rolled into one thing.",
"However, as I've learned in the past, sometimes rolling too many features into a product can give you a less than stellar offering.",
"It's hard to be the \"best\" in every category -- and I think this is where OneCare suffers.",
"I found the Firewall to be terribly annoying.",
"I prefer to leave software-based firewalls turned OFF because hardware-based firewalls are much more reliable.",
"When I did this I got not one, but two red icons in my task area on Windows XP that would not go away.",
"Unlike the built-in firewall with Windows XP/Vista, turning OneCare's firewall off does not give you the option to ignore the condition and remove the red icons.",
"In this way I felt the program was way too demanding to be wanting to do everything when all I wanted was a subset of its features.",
"Next, I noticed that the backup feature of OneCare and the backup feature of Windows Home Server was not integrating correctly.",
"The product states that it \"recognizes\" the backup feature of WHS, but I found out that two backups were trying to occur every night.",
"I searched around some and couldn't find any real documentation or options for fixing the problem.",
"The anti-virus feature worked well, and in fact seemed to run just a bit faster than my current anti-virus program, Avast.",
"Updates happened automatically and it was pretty much non-intrusive.",
"No complaints there.",
"There were other features that would be handy for novice users, such as cleaning up the temporary files that Windows and IE seem to leave around as well as a feature to scan your system for missed updates, etc.",
"Again, these are features a novice user might enjoy so they don't have to manage their computer as much.",
"However, my overall impression was that OneCare is \"good\" but just doesn't make it into the \"great\" category.",
"I'd say if you have one or two PC's without a home network then this program will work for you just fine.",
"If you are a more tech-savy computer user then you'll probably find yourself fighting the program more than getting a lot of value out of it."
] |
Clive Barker, Coldheart Canyon (Harper Collins, 2001)
One of the most disappointing things one can come upon is a weak book by one of one's favorite authors. Especially if the book isn't weak by dint of the story, or the writing, or anything else that ordinarily allows for a good slagging. Coldheart Canyon is 98% vintage Clive Barker; weird, quasi-Biblical stuff, compelling characters, the kind of sex that wakes Jesse helms up at 3AM in sweat-soaked sheets. And the 2% that makes the book painful is editorial mistakes. Someone wasn't firing on all cylinders here, though who it was will probably remain a subject of debate among nitpickers until the end of time.
Most readers may not even notice the slight logical slips. But we're not getting paid to. The editors at Harper, on the other hand, are, and so is Barker. It was said in a book for kids about monster movies that I read way back when that it's impossible to be scared by King Kong when his rampages are interrupted every fifteen minutes by a deodorant commercial. In the same vein, when the attentive reader finds protagonist Todd Pickett asking an acquaintance of his for the number of a doctor whom he's already called three chapters before-as if he's never had it-the atmosphere drains from the book as if someone had pulled the stopper out of the tub. (And this after one of the book's most emotional scenes.)
More galling--and this heresy can be laid squarely at the feet of Messrs. Harper, Collins--the book jacket synopsis contains a major spoiler regarding the fate of one of the other main characters. This is stuff that any entry-level proofreader should be capable of catching.
Those things aside, if you can put them aside, Barker has turned out another page-turner. It is unfair to compare any of Barker's other novels to Sacrament, one of the finest novels of the twentieth century; but this compares quite nicely to Galilee or Weaveworld for readability. And while the world Barker spins here is much more contained than the ambitious alternate reality of Weaveworld, it can be just as easy to get lost in...if you're not thrown by the devil who lives in those details. ***
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Clive Barker, Coldheart Canyon (Harper Collins, 2001)\nOne of the most disappointing things one can come upon is a weak book by one of one's favorite authors.",
"Especially if the book isn't weak by dint of the story, or the writing, or anything else that ordinarily allows for a good slagging.",
"Coldheart Canyon is 98% vintage Clive Barker; weird, quasi-Biblical stuff, compelling characters, the kind of sex that wakes Jesse helms up at 3AM in sweat-soaked sheets.",
"And the 2% that makes the book painful is editorial mistakes.",
"Someone wasn't firing on all cylinders here, though who it was will probably remain a subject of debate among nitpickers until the end of time.",
"Most readers may not even notice the slight logical slips.",
"But we're not getting paid to.",
"The editors at Harper, on the other hand, are, and so is Barker.",
"It was said in a book for kids about monster movies that I read way back when that it's impossible to be scared by King Kong when his rampages are interrupted every fifteen minutes by a deodorant commercial.",
"In the same vein, when the attentive reader finds protagonist Todd Pickett asking an acquaintance of his for the number of a doctor whom he's already called three chapters before-as if he's never had it-the atmosphere drains from the book as if someone had pulled the stopper out of the tub.",
"(And this after one of the book's most emotional scenes.",
")\nMore galling--and this heresy can be laid squarely at the feet of Messrs.",
"Harper, Collins--the book jacket synopsis contains a major spoiler regarding the fate of one of the other main characters.",
"This is stuff that any entry-level proofreader should be capable of catching.",
"Those things aside, if you can put them aside, Barker has turned out another page-turner.",
"It is unfair to compare any of Barker's other novels to Sacrament, one of the finest novels of the twentieth century; but this compares quite nicely to Galilee or Weaveworld for readability.",
"And while the world Barker spins here is much more contained than the ambitious alternate reality of Weaveworld, it can be just as easy to get lost in...",
"if you're not thrown by the devil who lives in those details.",
"***"
] |
I wear a 10.5M for most shoes. I ordered a 10M based on advice from other reviews but they were still way too large. I might even need to go down to a 9M. For some reason, the 9M and 9.5M are about $20 more (different seller) so I'll likely get them from a local store for the same amount and ensure a proper fit.
I didn't get to walk around in them so I can't speak for their comfort, but they seemed to look okay. I didn't see any obvious manufacturing defects. On another note, the product image shows a shoe with 5 eyelets but my size 10 shoe had 7 eyelets which I don't like as much. I'm guessing it's as simple as larger size = more eyelets.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I wear a 10.",
"5M for most shoes.",
"I ordered a 10M based on advice from other reviews but they were still way too large.",
"I might even need to go down to a 9M.",
"For some reason, the 9M and 9.",
"5M are about $20 more (different seller) so I'll likely get them from a local store for the same amount and ensure a proper fit.",
"I didn't get to walk around in them so I can't speak for their comfort, but they seemed to look okay.",
"I didn't see any obvious manufacturing defects.",
"On another note, the product image shows a shoe with 5 eyelets but my size 10 shoe had 7 eyelets which I don't like as much.",
"I'm guessing it's as simple as larger size = more eyelets."
] |
I wanted to like the "X-Acto 1645 Deluxe Heavy-Duty Electric Pencil Sharpener" more than I did.
To be sure, it does what it needs to do - puts a fine point on a pencil, a third quicker than most. Plus it's hefty, weighing in at 2 pounds 5 ounces on my kitchen scale; and at only 4" wide by 4" high by 6" deep it feels dense and sturdy. But as I sharpen only a few times a day "heavy duty" isn't something I can attest to, so I'll fall back on the wisdom of Jurassic Park... Gennaro: "Is it heavy?" Tim: "Yeah." Gennaro: "Then it's expensive, put it back." Not to put too fine a point on it (ahem), it certainly feels heavy duty, but this reviewer can't prove it. Now for the shortcomings...
WASTEFUL. With the X-Acto you'll be using five pencils for every four of some others, a 20% waste. Let me explain (warning, math alert): the blades are set too far back from the front, so the shortest pencil that can be sharpened is 3". This may not seem like a problem but consider that a pencil has only 7" of lead. My electric Panasonic and my manual Boston sharpeners can both sharpen an inch further, down to a 2" stub. The difference means getting 4" of usable pencil with the X-Acto versus 5" with the others. You may argue that no one can use such a small stub anyway, but being a conservationist minded guy (and a cheapskate), I like to use a <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Pencil-Lengthener-Regular-Beechwood-Finetec/dp/B006XY72VM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Pencil Lengthener, Regular Beechwood. Finetec</a> to get every last inch out of my expensive <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Palomino-Graphite-Pencils-HB-Eraser-Tipped-Orange-12-Count/dp/B007P50SH8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Palomino Graphite Pencils - HB Eraser Tipped Orange - 12 Count</a>. To top it off, there is no "pencil saver technology" on this model - no automatic shutoff when the pencil is sharp, so every now and then a fellow pointlessly (ahem, ahem) grinds away half an inch excess pencil, from sheer absentmindedness.
ERGONOMICALLY CHALLENGED. Heavy as it is, and so-called non-skid feet notwithstanding, the X-acto slides backwards on my granite desktop. This means I have to use two hands to sharpen: one to hold the pencil and the other to hold the sharpener. This is a failing common to all front-holed electric pencil sharpeners in my experience (because their operating vibration loosens all friction) and the only solution is to put the pencil-hole on top. My rickety old <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Panasonic-KP150BK-Vertical-Electric-Pencil-Sharpener-Black-One-Unit/dp/B00006IEE3/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Panasonic KP150BK Vertical Electric Pencil Sharpener, Black, One Unit</a> (rickety because I kept kicking the power cord and pulling it to the floor) sets the standard, but, alas, Panasonic inexplicably stopped production. I keep the Panasonic and the X-Acto side by side on my desk, but 95% of the time I reach for the Panasonic - simply because I'm too lazy to lift two arms over to the X-Acto when I can lift just one to the Panasonic. It sounds stupid, but on a day-to-day basis this ergonomic factor outweighed speed and smooth operation. Suggestion: if I had to use only the X-Acto I would try <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/3M-Scotch-Heavy-Duty-Mounting-Tape-1-Inch-by-50-Inch-114-DC/dp/B00004Z4A8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">3M Scotch Heavy Duty Mounting Tape, 1-Inch by 50-Inch (114/DC)</a> to hold it in place.
Now, these criticisms may seem finicky, but this is an expensive sharpener ($50 in August, 2012) so I think the criterion should be tough.
BOTTOM LINE. It's quite sturdy and quickly puts a good point on a pencil. But at this price I knocked off two stars for being wasteful on pencils and ergonomically difficult.
.
.
. . SIX MONTH UPDATE . .
I took my own advice and used some mounting tape to permanently fix the sharpener to my desk. Voila! Now I can use the X-Acto one-handed. And because it's less rickety than the Panasonic, it has become my sharpener of choice - several times a day.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I wanted to like the \"X-Acto 1645 Deluxe Heavy-Duty Electric Pencil Sharpener\" more than I did.",
"To be sure, it does what it needs to do - puts a fine point on a pencil, a third quicker than most.",
"Plus it's hefty, weighing in at 2 pounds 5 ounces on my kitchen scale; and at only 4\" wide by 4\" high by 6\" deep it feels dense and sturdy.",
"But as I sharpen only a few times a day \"heavy duty\" isn't something I can attest to, so I'll fall back on the wisdom of Jurassic Park...",
"Gennaro: \"Is it heavy?",
"\" Tim: \"Yeah.",
"\" Gennaro: \"Then it's expensive, put it back.",
"\" Not to put too fine a point on it (ahem), it certainly feels heavy duty, but this reviewer can't prove it.",
"Now for the shortcomings...",
"WASTEFUL.",
"With the X-Acto you'll be using five pencils for every four of some others, a 20% waste.",
"Let me explain (warning, math alert): the blades are set too far back from the front, so the shortest pencil that can be sharpened is 3\".",
"This may not seem like a problem but consider that a pencil has only 7\" of lead.",
"My electric Panasonic and my manual Boston sharpeners can both sharpen an inch further, down to a 2\" stub.",
"The difference means getting 4\" of usable pencil with the X-Acto versus 5\" with the others.",
"You may argue that no one can use such a small stub anyway, but being a conservationist minded guy (and a cheapskate), I like to use a <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Pencil-Lengthener-Regular-Beechwood-Finetec/dp/B006XY72VM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Pencil Lengthener, Regular Beechwood.",
"Finetec</a> to get every last inch out of my expensive <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Palomino-Graphite-Pencils-HB-Eraser-Tipped-Orange-12-Count/dp/B007P50SH8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Palomino Graphite Pencils - HB Eraser Tipped Orange - 12 Count</a>.",
"To top it off, there is no \"pencil saver technology\" on this model - no automatic shutoff when the pencil is sharp, so every now and then a fellow pointlessly (ahem, ahem) grinds away half an inch excess pencil, from sheer absentmindedness.",
"ERGONOMICALLY CHALLENGED.",
"Heavy as it is, and so-called non-skid feet notwithstanding, the X-acto slides backwards on my granite desktop.",
"This means I have to use two hands to sharpen: one to hold the pencil and the other to hold the sharpener.",
"This is a failing common to all front-holed electric pencil sharpeners in my experience (because their operating vibration loosens all friction) and the only solution is to put the pencil-hole on top.",
"My rickety old <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/Panasonic-KP150BK-Vertical-Electric-Pencil-Sharpener-Black-One-Unit/dp/B00006IEE3/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">Panasonic KP150BK Vertical Electric Pencil Sharpener, Black, One Unit</a> (rickety because I kept kicking the power cord and pulling it to the floor) sets the standard, but, alas, Panasonic inexplicably stopped production.",
"I keep the Panasonic and the X-Acto side by side on my desk, but 95% of the time I reach for the Panasonic - simply because I'm too lazy to lift two arms over to the X-Acto when I can lift just one to the Panasonic.",
"It sounds stupid, but on a day-to-day basis this ergonomic factor outweighed speed and smooth operation.",
"Suggestion: if I had to use only the X-Acto I would try <a data-hook=\"product-link-linked\" class=\"a-link-normal\" href=\"/3M-Scotch-Heavy-Duty-Mounting-Tape-1-Inch-by-50-Inch-114-DC/dp/B00004Z4A8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?",
"ie=UTF8\">3M Scotch Heavy Duty Mounting Tape, 1-Inch by 50-Inch (114/DC)</a> to hold it in place.",
"Now, these criticisms may seem finicky, but this is an expensive sharpener ($50 in August, 2012) so I think the criterion should be tough.",
"BOTTOM LINE.",
"It's quite sturdy and quickly puts a good point on a pencil.",
"But at this price I knocked off two stars for being wasteful on pencils and ergonomically difficult.",
".",
".",
".",
".",
"SIX MONTH UPDATE.",
".",
"I took my own advice and used some mounting tape to permanently fix the sharpener to my desk.",
"Voila!",
"Now I can use the X-Acto one-handed.",
"And because it's less rickety than the Panasonic, it has become my sharpener of choice - several times a day."
] |
I purchased the aged white kit. I bought this for my arctic white strat. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the colors matched the body exactly, even though I was just going for a vintage look and I thought it would be more yellow.
The reason I'm giving this a 3 star review is because of the very cheap back plate. The back plate is actually the only part of the kit I didn't need, since I bought one that matched my pick guard. However it's a big part of the kit and I want to make sure others know about it. It's a very flimsy, cheap plastic. The stock one on my MIM strat is much better quality. I also purchased an aged white pearl one (official Fender as well) and it's very sturdy and good quality. I paid $20 for it which is more than this kit, so if you're looking for a better quality plate you'll have to do the same as well. But even so, the stock plate on my MIM strat is better quality than this. Also make sure to look at the pictures, you'll see that it's more of a mint green than an aged white like the other parts.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I purchased the aged white kit.",
"I bought this for my arctic white strat.",
"I was pleasantly surprised to see that the colors matched the body exactly, even though I was just going for a vintage look and I thought it would be more yellow.",
"The reason I'm giving this a 3 star review is because of the very cheap back plate.",
"The back plate is actually the only part of the kit I didn't need, since I bought one that matched my pick guard.",
"However it's a big part of the kit and I want to make sure others know about it.",
"It's a very flimsy, cheap plastic.",
"The stock one on my MIM strat is much better quality.",
"I also purchased an aged white pearl one (official Fender as well) and it's very sturdy and good quality.",
"I paid $20 for it which is more than this kit, so if you're looking for a better quality plate you'll have to do the same as well.",
"But even so, the stock plate on my MIM strat is better quality than this.",
"Also make sure to look at the pictures, you'll see that it's more of a mint green than an aged white like the other parts."
] |
It lacks the campiness of the original. Instead, there's the angry chimp Thade, played by Tim Roth, evidently with a Napoleon complex -- he's a lot shorter than the gorillas, so he gets to be constantly angry, and not very interesting. Mark Wahlberg doesn't have enough depth as a leading man to carry a film by himself, his lines are simplified for his character, but a better actor who could handle more complexity would have been a better choice. He's cute, tho, and one of the lady chimps seems to have a crush on him. The big revelation at the end is not much of a revelation -- are we on earth or are we on another planet? It's not clear. If it's not earth, where did the humans come from? "C-mos" supposedly killed the ones from the ship. If it is earth, why are there other planets around it? Does the ending mean to suggest that Leo Davidson should have stayed? This movie would have been better with more imagination and less loud music, and if Kris Kristofferson got to have a better role. The sex scene was hilarious, tho.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"It lacks the campiness of the original.",
"Instead, there's the angry chimp Thade, played by Tim Roth, evidently with a Napoleon complex -- he's a lot shorter than the gorillas, so he gets to be constantly angry, and not very interesting.",
"Mark Wahlberg doesn't have enough depth as a leading man to carry a film by himself, his lines are simplified for his character, but a better actor who could handle more complexity would have been a better choice.",
"He's cute, tho, and one of the lady chimps seems to have a crush on him.",
"The big revelation at the end is not much of a revelation -- are we on earth or are we on another planet?",
"It's not clear.",
"If it's not earth, where did the humans come from?",
"\"C-mos\" supposedly killed the ones from the ship.",
"If it is earth, why are there other planets around it?",
"Does the ending mean to suggest that Leo Davidson should have stayed?",
"This movie would have been better with more imagination and less loud music, and if Kris Kristofferson got to have a better role.",
"The sex scene was hilarious, tho."
] |
Prof. Kagan, a very respected professor at Yale, has endeavored to write a history of the Peloponnesian War for the the unwashed masses - sort of a "Peloponnesian War for Dummies." However, he leaves out much needed background material for us real dummies. There is no glossary, no description of a trireme, no explanation of where the name "Peloponnesian" came from, no description of how people really lived in 450 B.C., and no explanatory footnotes. Keep your dictionary handy!
On the other hand, "The Landmark Thucydides," a 19th century translation of the 2500-year-old history of the war - including a modern introduction, appendices, glossary, footnotes, photos, and better maps - is actually much more interesting.
The introduction to the "Landmark" appologizes for Thucydides' convoluted and "difficult" verbage which springs from the original Greek. I'm sorry, but Prof. Kagan's writing is even more difficult to follow. He uses obscure words and for some reason refuses to use commas to set off the clauses in complex sentences.
Incidentally, Thucydides explains very early in his book that the southern part of Greece was named after some guy named Pelops, a rich Turk who settled there and whose descendents ran the place for a time. Prof. Kagan either assumes that we dummies already know this or that we're too dumb to care.
I think Prof. Kagan has been a professor too long. His writing lacks spunk.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Prof.",
"Kagan, a very respected professor at Yale, has endeavored to write a history of the Peloponnesian War for the the unwashed masses - sort of a \"Peloponnesian War for Dummies.",
"\" However, he leaves out much needed background material for us real dummies.",
"There is no glossary, no description of a trireme, no explanation of where the name \"Peloponnesian\" came from, no description of how people really lived in 450 B.",
"C., and no explanatory footnotes.",
"Keep your dictionary handy!",
"On the other hand, \"The Landmark Thucydides,\" a 19th century translation of the 2500-year-old history of the war - including a modern introduction, appendices, glossary, footnotes, photos, and better maps - is actually much more interesting.",
"The introduction to the \"Landmark\" appologizes for Thucydides' convoluted and \"difficult\" verbage which springs from the original Greek.",
"I'm sorry, but Prof.",
"Kagan's writing is even more difficult to follow.",
"He uses obscure words and for some reason refuses to use commas to set off the clauses in complex sentences.",
"Incidentally, Thucydides explains very early in his book that the southern part of Greece was named after some guy named Pelops, a rich Turk who settled there and whose descendents ran the place for a time.",
"Prof.",
"Kagan either assumes that we dummies already know this or that we're too dumb to care.",
"I think Prof.",
"Kagan has been a professor too long.",
"His writing lacks spunk."
] |
The original Xenosaga was a massive epic set in the universe of Xenogears (though not directly related.) The anime art style was innovative, and fun, and the story well thought out, deep, and engaging. Early on it was made clear that Xenosaga was meant to be a trilogy, so naturally Episode II was inevitable, and I was looking very forward to the new entry as many plot threads were left untied at the end of the original.
This installment disappoints in a number of ways. First, the art style has gone from being an anime, to being an attempt at more realism, which isn't easy to pull off on PS2. I normally do prefer realism, but I loved the art style of the original here, and felt that there was no need to change it. Many of the game play mechanics were confusing, I never got a double attack going, it seemed overly complex compared to the original. The game suffered from severe frame rate drops frequently, and worst of all the story was convoluted, and about half way into the game completely looses track of its own plot, either that or it feels that way because rather than focusing on the story and primary quest the game drowns the player in too many nonsense side quests, many of them taking far too long, and many of them having a hook that they cannot be completed until playing through the game a 2nd time. Namco really made me mad because I normally like to get absolutely everything in an RPG, but this game you have to literally play through the game 20 times just to complete one of the side quests, and frankly, I have too many other games to play, I'm sure that other people would feel the same way.
On the plus side, there were a handful of interesting revelations in the story. I am eager to see the third game, but I certainly hope that Namco shifts its focus back to the story and the main quest. Side quests are good, but there should only be a small handful of them. The average player will spend about 25 hours out of the 40 it takes to complete this game (as complete as possible for 1 time through) on side quests and that's just far too many.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"The original Xenosaga was a massive epic set in the universe of Xenogears (though not directly related.",
") The anime art style was innovative, and fun, and the story well thought out, deep, and engaging.",
"Early on it was made clear that Xenosaga was meant to be a trilogy, so naturally Episode II was inevitable, and I was looking very forward to the new entry as many plot threads were left untied at the end of the original.",
"This installment disappoints in a number of ways.",
"First, the art style has gone from being an anime, to being an attempt at more realism, which isn't easy to pull off on PS2.",
"I normally do prefer realism, but I loved the art style of the original here, and felt that there was no need to change it.",
"Many of the game play mechanics were confusing, I never got a double attack going, it seemed overly complex compared to the original.",
"The game suffered from severe frame rate drops frequently, and worst of all the story was convoluted, and about half way into the game completely looses track of its own plot, either that or it feels that way because rather than focusing on the story and primary quest the game drowns the player in too many nonsense side quests, many of them taking far too long, and many of them having a hook that they cannot be completed until playing through the game a 2nd time.",
"Namco really made me mad because I normally like to get absolutely everything in an RPG, but this game you have to literally play through the game 20 times just to complete one of the side quests, and frankly, I have too many other games to play, I'm sure that other people would feel the same way.",
"On the plus side, there were a handful of interesting revelations in the story.",
"I am eager to see the third game, but I certainly hope that Namco shifts its focus back to the story and the main quest.",
"Side quests are good, but there should only be a small handful of them.",
"The average player will spend about 25 hours out of the 40 it takes to complete this game (as complete as possible for 1 time through) on side quests and that's just far too many."
] |
'It's Only Rock n'Roll' released in late 1974 would see the Stones fully enter their autopilot stage. Mick Jagger was the dominant one in the band as Keith Richards was in the depths of his narcotics addiction. A good but not great album. Am I missing something here because it seems that most reviewers damn 'Goats Head Soup' and praise this barely above average record. Hell I once rated this four stars myself but if 'Soup' is a comedown from 'Exile', the 'IORR' is a comedown from 'Soup'. Classic cuts such as the legendary title cut (forever immortalized by the sailors bubble video), "If You Can't Rock Me" and "Dance Little Sister" sit beside filler like "Short and Curlies" (man what a lousy song), the ponderous "If Really Want to Be My Friend" and the lame "Til the Next Goodbye". Other decent songs include Mick Taylor's last guitar masterpiece featured in "Time Waits for No One". Most Stones fans will note that this was Mick's last lp with the band, fed up with the dominence and monopolizing of the song writing credits of the Glimmer Twins (who's first production chore this was). Not a bad album and much better than 'Dirty Work' but I'm sorry not as good as 'Soup', not possible. Love the cover art though, conquering heros! "Working so hard, working for the company". Yeah right!
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"'It's Only Rock n'Roll' released in late 1974 would see the Stones fully enter their autopilot stage.",
"Mick Jagger was the dominant one in the band as Keith Richards was in the depths of his narcotics addiction.",
"A good but not great album.",
"Am I missing something here because it seems that most reviewers damn 'Goats Head Soup' and praise this barely above average record.",
"Hell I once rated this four stars myself but if 'Soup' is a comedown from 'Exile', the 'IORR' is a comedown from 'Soup'.",
"Classic cuts such as the legendary title cut (forever immortalized by the sailors bubble video), \"If You Can't Rock Me\" and \"Dance Little Sister\" sit beside filler like \"Short and Curlies\" (man what a lousy song), the ponderous \"If Really Want to Be My Friend\" and the lame \"Til the Next Goodbye\".",
"Other decent songs include Mick Taylor's last guitar masterpiece featured in \"Time Waits for No One\".",
"Most Stones fans will note that this was Mick's last lp with the band, fed up with the dominence and monopolizing of the song writing credits of the Glimmer Twins (who's first production chore this was).",
"Not a bad album and much better than 'Dirty Work' but I'm sorry not as good as 'Soup', not possible.",
"Love the cover art though, conquering heros!",
"\"Working so hard, working for the company\".",
"Yeah right!"
] |
We got this for my son at about 10 months since he wasn't crawling. We thought he would enjoy moving around. At first he could only push backwards from sitting, but he caught on. His favorite part was the trunk. Every mornig we would hide something new in it an encourage him to look. Eventually, he would head straight for the car when he got out of bed! :-) I think the seat is too wide, and my son was tall, so he had to lean over in walker-mode. Overall, it's not very interesting or "educational". I'd probably get one that is more of an activity walker since that's really what he would use: a walker and table-like activities... the "car" is just for Mom and Dad's enjoyment.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"We got this for my son at about 10 months since he wasn't crawling.",
"We thought he would enjoy moving around.",
"At first he could only push backwards from sitting, but he caught on.",
"His favorite part was the trunk.",
"Every mornig we would hide something new in it an encourage him to look.",
"Eventually, he would head straight for the car when he got out of bed!",
":-) I think the seat is too wide, and my son was tall, so he had to lean over in walker-mode.",
"Overall, it's not very interesting or \"educational\".",
"I'd probably get one that is more of an activity walker since that's really what he would use: a walker and table-like activities...",
"the \"car\" is just for Mom and Dad's enjoyment."
] |
(3.5 stars)
Okay, I must admit, I wasn't really anticipating this thing that much. I loved/still love STP, and would much rather be reviewing their sixth album, but hey..this is better than nothing. As for Guns n Roses, I was never a huge fan (I did enjoy most of their radio singles, if nothing else), but Slash, Duff, and the rest of the gang are all great respective musicians.
1. Sucker Train Blues
Fast paced, heavy opener built around a heavy bass line. The chorus has a good hook, and I love the guitar solo towards the end. Overall, a good song, no complaints.
2. Do It For the Kids
A heavy arena rocker. Again, nice guitar work, and a pretty catchy chorus due to Scott's vocal delivery.
3. Big Machine
Starts off a hypnotic drum/bass combo..then the guitars really kick in for the chorus as Scott sings, "It's a big machine, it's a big machine, we're all slaves to the big machine". There's a nice little bridge too. Sleazy and fun. A standout.
4. Illegal I Song
Another heavy song. The verses are loud and angry, but again, the chorus has a good hook ("Just look and you'll see me..lyyyyyyin there...lyyyyyyin there..). Scott has become a pro with his vocal delivery. The bridge is an instrumental/spoken word-ish thing, then back into the chorus. Scott screams "Just look at you!" repeatedly as the song comes to a halt.
5. Spectacle
Yet another really heavy song. The main guitar riff is pretty killer, nice drum work, really cool guitar solo, decent chorus. Pretty much like all the previous songs. But at this point, you're kinda aching for them to slow things down a bit.
6. Fall To Pieces
Sure enough, here comes the power ballad. And it's *excellent*..a total standout, and my favorite song on the album. There's a definite GnR feel to it. Very memorable vocal performance from Scott, and I love Slash's guitar arpeggios in the chorus. It'll probably be a single.
7. Headspace
Another "good but not particularily" memorable hard rocker. Not much else to say!
8. Superhuman
A Flaming Lips cover? Oh wait, that was "Superhumans". Starts off with a cool little electronic sounding guitar riff. The verses are bass heavy, pre-chorus has a neat vocal melody, chorus is kinda generic. Decent, nothing special.
9. Set Me Free
This was on the Hulk soundtrack last year. I only heard it a couple times last summer, but I was never crazy about it. Now that I hear it again, it's actually pretty decent. The main guitar riff is cool, and that so is the "My Freedom" part at the end.
10. You Got No Right
Doesn't that sound like a GnR song title? Accoustic guitar at the beginning..it's another ballad, which is fine, because it's nice to hear Scott actually sing (the guy does have a great voice) once and awhile. It gets heavier towards the end, with an anthematic bridge, and Slash guitar solo. A really good song with an STP feel to it.
11. Slither
The first single, I'm sure everyone has heard it. I gotta say, I like how they put it towards the end of the album..I hate how some bands put all the singles right at the beginning (sometimes right in a row). It's annoying..like, "Here's our singles, and a bunch of crappy songs after it". Anyway, I didn't like it the first couple times I heard it on the radio/MTV, but it grew on me in a major way. Great song, very catchy chorus. It also has an STP feel to it, but that guitar solo at the end is pure Slash.
12. Dirty Little Thing
Another GnR sounding title. Musically, it's heavy, raucous..doesn't cover any new ground, but it's not bad. The guitar solo towards the end rules.
13. Loving the Alien
Loving the Alien? Um, kay. Primarily an accoustic ballad. Has a nice, laid back, bluesey feel to it. Scott sings falsetto during the [excellent] bridge, and Slash gives another great guitar solo. Really good closer.
Okay..so I like this album. Do I love it? No, not yet at least (I've only listened to it a couple times, so it may grow on me). But it's pretty much what I expected. Most "supergroups", unfortunately, never really cover a whole lot of new ground, and make you long for the respective bands that they formed from. I must say though, this is much better than another supergroup's recent debut album - that being Audioslave. The two albums are pretty similar too, in the sense that they're comprised primarily of hard rockers with a few ballads thrown in. But whereas Audioslave's ballads were either boring ("I Am the Highway"), plodding ("I Am the Highway"), or a god awful combination of both ("Like a Stone"), the ones on "Contraband" really shine, especially "Fall to Pieces". As for the hard rockers, "Sucker Train Blues", "Big Machine", and "Slither" stand out the most after the first listen. The others are also good, balls out songs to crank up and play air guitar to, but nothing that really makes you go "WOW".
So in conclusion, I paid $9.99 for this album, and I definetly feel like I got my money's worth. By no means a terrific album, but it's a solid, above average one. Now excuse me while I listen to "Liars" by Todd Rundgren again.
Best Songs: Fall To Pieces, Big Machine, Loving the Alien, You Got No Right, Slither.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"(3.",
"5 stars)\nOkay, I must admit, I wasn't really anticipating this thing that much.",
"I loved/still love STP, and would much rather be reviewing their sixth album, but hey..",
"this is better than nothing.",
"As for Guns n Roses, I was never a huge fan (I did enjoy most of their radio singles, if nothing else), but Slash, Duff, and the rest of the gang are all great respective musicians.",
"1.",
"Sucker Train Blues\nFast paced, heavy opener built around a heavy bass line.",
"The chorus has a good hook, and I love the guitar solo towards the end.",
"Overall, a good song, no complaints.",
"2.",
"Do It For the Kids\n\nA heavy arena rocker.",
"Again, nice guitar work, and a pretty catchy chorus due to Scott's vocal delivery.",
"3.",
"Big Machine\nStarts off a hypnotic drum/bass combo..",
"then the guitars really kick in for the chorus as Scott sings, \"It's a big machine, it's a big machine, we're all slaves to the big machine\".",
"There's a nice little bridge too.",
"Sleazy and fun.",
"A standout.",
"4.",
"Illegal I Song\nAnother heavy song.",
"The verses are loud and angry, but again, the chorus has a good hook (\"Just look and you'll see me..",
"lyyyyyyin there...",
"lyyyyyyin there..",
").",
"Scott has become a pro with his vocal delivery.",
"The bridge is an instrumental/spoken word-ish thing, then back into the chorus.",
"Scott screams \"Just look at you!",
"\" repeatedly as the song comes to a halt.",
"5.",
"Spectacle\nYet another really heavy song.",
"The main guitar riff is pretty killer, nice drum work, really cool guitar solo, decent chorus.",
"Pretty much like all the previous songs.",
"But at this point, you're kinda aching for them to slow things down a bit.",
"6.",
"Fall To Pieces\nSure enough, here comes the power ballad.",
"And it's *excellent*..",
"a total standout, and my favorite song on the album.",
"There's a definite GnR feel to it.",
"Very memorable vocal performance from Scott, and I love Slash's guitar arpeggios in the chorus.",
"It'll probably be a single.",
"7.",
"Headspace\nAnother \"good but not particularily\" memorable hard rocker.",
"Not much else to say!",
"8.",
"Superhuman\nA Flaming Lips cover?",
"Oh wait, that was \"Superhumans\".",
"Starts off with a cool little electronic sounding guitar riff.",
"The verses are bass heavy, pre-chorus has a neat vocal melody, chorus is kinda generic.",
"Decent, nothing special.",
"9.",
"Set Me Free\nThis was on the Hulk soundtrack last year.",
"I only heard it a couple times last summer, but I was never crazy about it.",
"Now that I hear it again, it's actually pretty decent.",
"The main guitar riff is cool, and that so is the \"My Freedom\" part at the end.",
"10.",
"You Got No Right\nDoesn't that sound like a GnR song title?",
"Accoustic guitar at the beginning..",
"it's another ballad, which is fine, because it's nice to hear Scott actually sing (the guy does have a great voice) once and awhile.",
"It gets heavier towards the end, with an anthematic bridge, and Slash guitar solo.",
"A really good song with an STP feel to it.",
"11.",
"Slither\nThe first single, I'm sure everyone has heard it.",
"I gotta say, I like how they put it towards the end of the album..",
"I hate how some bands put all the singles right at the beginning (sometimes right in a row).",
"It's annoying..",
"like, \"Here's our singles, and a bunch of crappy songs after it\".",
"Anyway, I didn't like it the first couple times I heard it on the radio/MTV, but it grew on me in a major way.",
"Great song, very catchy chorus.",
"It also has an STP feel to it, but that guitar solo at the end is pure Slash.",
"12.",
"Dirty Little Thing\nAnother GnR sounding title.",
"Musically, it's heavy, raucous..",
"doesn't cover any new ground, but it's not bad.",
"The guitar solo towards the end rules.",
"13.",
"Loving the Alien\nLoving the Alien?",
"Um, kay.",
"Primarily an accoustic ballad.",
"Has a nice, laid back, bluesey feel to it.",
"Scott sings falsetto during the [excellent] bridge, and Slash gives another great guitar solo.",
"Really good closer.",
"Okay..",
"so I like this album.",
"Do I love it?",
"No, not yet at least (I've only listened to it a couple times, so it may grow on me).",
"But it's pretty much what I expected.",
"Most \"supergroups\", unfortunately, never really cover a whole lot of new ground, and make you long for the respective bands that they formed from.",
"I must say though, this is much better than another supergroup's recent debut album - that being Audioslave.",
"The two albums are pretty similar too, in the sense that they're comprised primarily of hard rockers with a few ballads thrown in.",
"But whereas Audioslave's ballads were either boring (\"I Am the Highway\"), plodding (\"I Am the Highway\"), or a god awful combination of both (\"Like a Stone\"), the ones on \"Contraband\" really shine, especially \"Fall to Pieces\".",
"As for the hard rockers, \"Sucker Train Blues\", \"Big Machine\", and \"Slither\" stand out the most after the first listen.",
"The others are also good, balls out songs to crank up and play air guitar to, but nothing that really makes you go \"WOW\".",
"So in conclusion, I paid $9.",
"99 for this album, and I definetly feel like I got my money's worth.",
"By no means a terrific album, but it's a solid, above average one.",
"Now excuse me while I listen to \"Liars\" by Todd Rundgren again.",
"Best Songs: Fall To Pieces, Big Machine, Loving the Alien, You Got No Right, Slither."
] |
We've all seen this scenario a million times, and we'll see it again another million; famous, successful rock band begins having difficulties and before it splits, various members release "solo project" albums. In some instances, factions within the mother band will develop, so Members A and B may record together, while Member C has B and D on his solo outing, but not A. And, invariably, the solo outings are far weaker than the original band with A,B,C, and D together.
This album, 1978's "David Gilmour", is not that scenario. It very well could have been, but it is not, for a few reasons.
First of all, this is not a "Pink Floyd album masquerading as a solo project". To begin with, the personnel besides Gilmour are non-PF. Second of all, Gilmour's contributions to the PF songbook were starting to decline (as Roger Waters tightened his dominance over Floyd, starting with "Wish", and culminating in "Animals," "The Final Cut," and "The Wall").
That is not to say that it sounds nothing like a Pink Floyd album -- you will recognize Gilmour's light, but pleasing, voice, and you will (for the most part) recognize his guitar tone.
The songwriting however, is entirely Gilmour's own, and represents a stylistic break with contemporaneous Floyd product (specifically, "Animals"). In place of the uncomfortable, bitter-sounding chord progressions of something like "Dogs" or "Pigs", this album commences with the sunny, major-key instrumental, "Mihalis." The soloing is loose, relaxed Gilmour -- his guitar reverbed to about middle-distance in the mix, slowly receding through the extended fade.
The album's highlight, "There's No Way Out of Here", follows. This is an example of making much out of nothing -- the entire song springs from the simple, not very promising, chordal riff that opens it. This is also the clearest demonstration of why Gilmour chose the sidemen he did here (and not members of the Floyd). Take, for instance, the drummer's repeated fill that ends with cymbal crashes on 'four' (short of the expected cymbal hit on 'one' of the following measure). Notice, too, how the drummer, at the climactic point of the final solo (when the female chorus has re-entered) extends this same phrase to play the fill across the bar line, and finish with a cymbal crash on 'two.' This is masterful stuff, the sort of thing Nick Mason was probably not capable of. Furthermore, the bassist plays triplets through this same section, enhancing the staggered, loping feel of the song. Gilmour's soloing is as tasteful and soaring as ever, but one has the distinct feeling that it is further enhanced by the playing and singing of the entire band.
As a bit of a side note, given how strong "No Way Out of Here" is - stronger, in my opinion, than "Comfortably Numb" or "Run Like Hell", or any of his other concert warhorses -- it's strange that Gilmour has not seen fit to resurrect it for any of his more recent tours. I think he would be surprised by how well it has aged with his fans.
The rest of the album has strengths, particularly the closer, "There's No Way," which may be taken as his meditation on the tense Floyd situation of the time ("There's no way/'Cause it's my show"). Also of note are the washing-machine-on-crack sound effects he utilizes for "It's Deafinitely."
This is one of those "sleeper" albums, whose merit has only continued to appreciate. It is also the best of the three solo albums by Gilmour.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"We've all seen this scenario a million times, and we'll see it again another million; famous, successful rock band begins having difficulties and before it splits, various members release \"solo project\" albums.",
"In some instances, factions within the mother band will develop, so Members A and B may record together, while Member C has B and D on his solo outing, but not A.",
"And, invariably, the solo outings are far weaker than the original band with A,B,C, and D together.",
"This album, 1978's \"David Gilmour\", is not that scenario.",
"It very well could have been, but it is not, for a few reasons.",
"First of all, this is not a \"Pink Floyd album masquerading as a solo project\".",
"To begin with, the personnel besides Gilmour are non-PF.",
"Second of all, Gilmour's contributions to the PF songbook were starting to decline (as Roger Waters tightened his dominance over Floyd, starting with \"Wish\", and culminating in \"Animals,\" \"The Final Cut,\" and \"The Wall\").",
"That is not to say that it sounds nothing like a Pink Floyd album -- you will recognize Gilmour's light, but pleasing, voice, and you will (for the most part) recognize his guitar tone.",
"The songwriting however, is entirely Gilmour's own, and represents a stylistic break with contemporaneous Floyd product (specifically, \"Animals\").",
"In place of the uncomfortable, bitter-sounding chord progressions of something like \"Dogs\" or \"Pigs\", this album commences with the sunny, major-key instrumental, \"Mihalis.",
"\" The soloing is loose, relaxed Gilmour -- his guitar reverbed to about middle-distance in the mix, slowly receding through the extended fade.",
"The album's highlight, \"There's No Way Out of Here\", follows.",
"This is an example of making much out of nothing -- the entire song springs from the simple, not very promising, chordal riff that opens it.",
"This is also the clearest demonstration of why Gilmour chose the sidemen he did here (and not members of the Floyd).",
"Take, for instance, the drummer's repeated fill that ends with cymbal crashes on 'four' (short of the expected cymbal hit on 'one' of the following measure).",
"Notice, too, how the drummer, at the climactic point of the final solo (when the female chorus has re-entered) extends this same phrase to play the fill across the bar line, and finish with a cymbal crash on 'two.",
"' This is masterful stuff, the sort of thing Nick Mason was probably not capable of.",
"Furthermore, the bassist plays triplets through this same section, enhancing the staggered, loping feel of the song.",
"Gilmour's soloing is as tasteful and soaring as ever, but one has the distinct feeling that it is further enhanced by the playing and singing of the entire band.",
"As a bit of a side note, given how strong \"No Way Out of Here\" is - stronger, in my opinion, than \"Comfortably Numb\" or \"Run Like Hell\", or any of his other concert warhorses -- it's strange that Gilmour has not seen fit to resurrect it for any of his more recent tours.",
"I think he would be surprised by how well it has aged with his fans.",
"The rest of the album has strengths, particularly the closer, \"There's No Way,\" which may be taken as his meditation on the tense Floyd situation of the time (\"There's no way/'Cause it's my show\").",
"Also of note are the washing-machine-on-crack sound effects he utilizes for \"It's Deafinitely.",
"\"\n\nThis is one of those \"sleeper\" albums, whose merit has only continued to appreciate.",
"It is also the best of the three solo albums by Gilmour."
] |
Received it & used it the same day while comparing to my old regular ab roller. Looks more hardcore. Although no paper instruction provided, there were some assembly required. Just have to mirror the other side of axel to complete the installation. With its size, it should've come with its own carrying case. It so big it & odd shape, it doesn't fit in my gym bag. This is the reason why it's 1-star less.
Much harder to use since it has a larger diameter than a regular ab wheel which I don't have a problem using. Harder to balance & to make sure to pull my leg evenly. Need to get to use to it. I have to make sure that both my feet are aligned while strapped on to the unit or else there's a pull to one side. The wheel even though has a wider base & has the diamond traction looks, it's not rubberized enough to grip the tile floors of a fitness room (no rubber mat area). Even with a bigger wheel which is bad enough to balance on, my feet still some way some how drags to the floor. Again, the other reason why it's 1-star less.
Don't know how bad of an idea it is, but I haven't tried using it in conjunction with a regular ab roller while this one is attached to my feet. I'll have to wait for the time until I have full abdominal muscle control to do this. That's down the road... Further down the road. =)
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Received it & used it the same day while comparing to my old regular ab roller.",
"Looks more hardcore.",
"Although no paper instruction provided, there were some assembly required.",
"Just have to mirror the other side of axel to complete the installation.",
"With its size, it should've come with its own carrying case.",
"It so big it & odd shape, it doesn't fit in my gym bag.",
"This is the reason why it's 1-star less.",
"Much harder to use since it has a larger diameter than a regular ab wheel which I don't have a problem using.",
"Harder to balance & to make sure to pull my leg evenly.",
"Need to get to use to it.",
"I have to make sure that both my feet are aligned while strapped on to the unit or else there's a pull to one side.",
"The wheel even though has a wider base & has the diamond traction looks, it's not rubberized enough to grip the tile floors of a fitness room (no rubber mat area).",
"Even with a bigger wheel which is bad enough to balance on, my feet still some way some how drags to the floor.",
"Again, the other reason why it's 1-star less.",
"Don't know how bad of an idea it is, but I haven't tried using it in conjunction with a regular ab roller while this one is attached to my feet.",
"I'll have to wait for the time until I have full abdominal muscle control to do this.",
"That's down the road...",
"Further down the road.",
"=)"
] |
Installation guide fair... You do not have to remove bumper. Just be careful when installing.
Use RED LOCKTIGHT to secure bolts.
Used it twice for a total of about 3 hours towing a motorcycle trailer.
Guess what..The inside is starting to RUST !
Trailer rental store manager said Uggg when he heard I purchased a CURT product.
Research it carefully. Spend a little more money and get a receiver with a better coating.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Installation guide fair...",
"You do not have to remove bumper.",
"Just be careful when installing.",
"Use RED LOCKTIGHT to secure bolts.",
"Used it twice for a total of about 3 hours towing a motorcycle trailer.",
"Guess what..",
"The inside is starting to RUST!",
"Trailer rental store manager said Uggg when he heard I purchased a CURT product.",
"Research it carefully.",
"Spend a little more money and get a receiver with a better coating."
] |
1974 was a odd year for rock 'n' roll. The "youth culture" the music had both stimulated and given voice to was clearly, and unsurprisingly, fragmenting as the '60s receded into memory. A lot of important bands broke up that year - Jefferson Airplane, Traffic, Mott The Hoople, King Crimson, The Stooges, Byrds, Sly & The Family Stone, and even the New York Dolls, to name just a few that come to mind, all fell apart in the space of about a year (The Beach Boys stopped bothering to record, at least for several years, and embraced the past when their old label's collection of early-to-mid '60s hits reached # 1 in "Billboard"), as they either lost their sense of purpose or self-destructed. Concurrently, soul, with its direct yet artful emphasis on emotional expression and cathartic energy, also struggled as black music, after a remarkable period during which hit records both pushed the envelope in terms of musical innovation and challenged their audience with hard-hitting, often painful truths, became increasingly utilitarian (a phenomenon in the clubs, 'disco' would become part of the popular lexicon within a year or so), and all of a sudden legends like Aretha, Wilson Pickett, and James Brown seemed as unable to cope as their white counterparts. To borrow Gertrude Stein's remark, it seemed "there was no there there".
Also in 1974, we witnessed the first big-money comeback/reunion tours: CSNY (hey, I bet they were still funkier than the Eagles) made what was still an unusual and plainly mercenary decision to play outdoor stadiums; Dylan returned, after eight long years, with The Band and rocked the same arenas The Stones and Led Zep had been filling since the turn of the decade. Before reaching my teens, I'd already seen a handful of my favorite bands live, starting with Creedence back in '71, but Bob Dylan/ The Band was the first show I attended at which nostalgia was palpable, at least in the crowd, which roared every time Bob bleated through his harmonica and politely sat on its hands during powerful sets by The Band, or when Dylan and The Band performed new material); Clapton, MIA since 1970's "Layla", and George Harrison (first ex-Beatle to tour) all 'returned' from someplace. Unless you looked through import bins for Eno albums, who could blame you for feeling nostalgic? Both AM and FM radio played tripe like Loggins & Messina, Seals & Crofts, Elton John, Barry White, and Bachman-Turner Speedwagon, as well as the aforementioned band named after the predatory, flesh-eating bird pictured on dollar bills. Free devolved into Bad Company, Jefferson Airplane crashed and mutated into the Starship. No one knew it yet, but third generation 'supergroups' like Firefall and Foreigner were just around the corner. Naturally there were brash new artists waiting to fill the void - Patti Smith, Ramones and Television were playing to small crowds and giving birth to the next wave at C.B.G.B's, while Britain's Roxy Music made fresh, smart and original music that could only have been made in the 1970s.
The big groups, meaning the Who and the Stones, who somehow survived their first decade - something unprecedented in rock 'n' roll - flailed their arms and anxiously tried to re-assert their relevence. The Who offered bloated concept albums ("Quadrophenia"). As for the Stones, who had by comparison never really been preoccupied with themes of youth or adolescence, an inevitable self-conciousness permeated "It's Only Rock 'N Roll", making it one of their all-time weakest studio albums...
During the previously year or two Keith Richards had been busted for heroin numerous times, and his ghostly presence on "Goats Head Soup" (1973), the final installment in the Stones' great trilogy of impotence, hard drugs, decay, and soul survival, led some to wonder if he was destined to be the next rock star death. ("Creem", the American rock 'n' roll magazine, had actually reported that Faces' Ron Wood might fill in for Keith on the '73 European tour should Keith's legal problems prohibit him from travelling freely - two years later, of course, Wood joined the group after Mick Taylor's defection). The Stones may sound weary on "Goats Head Soup", but it's an honest expression of the band's spiritual crisis (Charlie Watts even sounds exhausted, on first listen, thanks to a dry, muted mix that was unlikely to court many new, young fans) and if the album didn't outrock the New York Dolls' debut it remains a powerful and underrated album in the Stones' body of work. The Rolling Stones, having entered their second decade, may have been tired (Keith's guitar, for the first time, is not central to the sonic identity of "Goats Head's" and Bill Wyman, increasingly alienated by Keith's addiction and its impact on the band, started to pull away, playing bass on only three or four tracks). Yet "GHS" offers some exquisite moments that reflected the Stones' willingness to take musical risks; at the same time the record vividly conveyed and dealt with the torpor threatening the Stones. If the band was fragmenting, so was the culture they spoke to. "Coming Down Again", "Winter", "Can You Hear The Music", "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo" and "100 Years Ago" and the mournful hit "Angie" may not be rockers, but they're all great songs, reflective and searching. With Keith presence subdued, the album remains unique in the Stones' catalog, and aside from a set of superb Jagger/Richards songs, many of the album's musical highlights are due to Mick Jagger's exquisitely rich vocals, which as usual are full of contradictions - now past 30 he sounds restless and calm, confused yet with a fully integrated persona, communicating wonder, humility, anger, and melancholy, and his weariness is unmistakeable even as he sings with utter authority. And "Goats" highlighted Mick Taylor's exquisite blues-drenched yet lyrical guitar playing - his last consistently focused and inspired performances as a Rolling Stone. Unfortunatly, as is the case with "Love Is Strong" from 1994's "Voodoo Lounge", "Dancing With Mr. D" was a rather underwhelming track to open a album, and one song placed at the beginning can color listeners' assessment of an entire record. Contemporary reviews were lukewarm.
When "It's Only Rock 'n Roll" was released a year later many were relieved that you could hear Keith's guitar again (whew!), and that - now in their 30s! - the Stones could "still" rock, as tracks one and three explicitly remind us. But for the first time the Stones appear to be trying to recapture something, rather than moving forward (as they would on their next, more exploratory disc, "Black and Blue"). "It's Only Rock 'n Roll", on one level, is a pale version of the early '70s Stones' classics, minus the horns and with a few hints of soon-renewed vitality in its tentative forays into funk, reggae, and Philly soul. And sure, it rocks, but you sense a strain, like their hearts aren't in it. The title track, perhaps the dinstinguised exception with its understated and subtle performance, chugs along with a funky and unforced groove, dense with overdubbed guitars and Ian Stewart's marvelous piano, its pensive, laconic lyrics expressing a sense of distance from their ever-expanding audience. As the first single to be excerpted from the album it offers a glimpse into the band's future, for it was evidently written by (sorry, the liner notes say "inspired by" which means no royalties) one Ron Wood during sessions for his solo debut recorded that year, "I've Got My Own Album To Do", a virtual collaboration with Keith (and featuring two new Jagger/Richards songs), featuring guest performances by the Micks, Jagger and Taylor. Five short minutes, and I like it, a lot more than the anthemic Chuck Berry throwback it would later become once it took its place as a concert staple. One notices the bass is played by Willy Weeks (from Wood's solo album). Elsewhere, Mick Taylor, expressed his own frustrations - and deepening addiction - by not showing up to some of IORR's Munich recording sessions. He adds fills and solos that sound pretty and out of place, expecially the overly linear solo that decorates "Time Waits For No One". "Til The Next Goodbye" is an acceptable ballad that might sound fresher if "Angie" hadn't come out the year before. Even a solid rocker like "Dance Little Sister", which should rip, comes off as slightly pallid thanks to a lumpy mix that mars the whole album. The record (which marks the first time the Stones produced themselves since "Satanic" in '67) has a grey film over it, and it finally feels both overworked and underdeveloped. I never much cared for "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" (a listenable but uninspired filler track reminiscent of the J. Geils Band, utterly lacking the life and power of their next attempt at a Temptations cover, "Imagination").
The nearly seven-minute finale, "Fingerprint File", to its credit, tries to make a timely statement, but falls a little flat as both drama (it's no "Midnight Rambler") and musically in comparison to their next album's unforced excercise in hard funk, the Meters/J.B.'s inspired "Hot Stuff" which asserts itself from the the start with Keith's chicken-scratch riffs and Charlie's authoritative drumming. "Fingerprint File" closes out a long album with Mick trying too hard, and his vocals are sometimes affected, for the first if not last time in his career.
Aside from the title track, there are other strong moments: the kickass opener 'If You Can't Rock Me' (with Keith on bass and guitars), and the gorgeous Philly soul ballad (with its cinematic imagery) 'If You Really Want To Be My Friend' are the other unequivocally successful cuts here. I also like the way they place Ian Stewart's boogie-woogie piano upfront in the mix for a change on the rollicking 'Short and Curlies', but it's still hard to ignore the throwaway lyrics.
Sorry, "It's Only Rock 'n Roll" is certainly a decent rock album, but a confused - and drab sounding - Rolling Stones album.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"1974 was a odd year for rock 'n' roll.",
"The \"youth culture\" the music had both stimulated and given voice to was clearly, and unsurprisingly, fragmenting as the '60s receded into memory.",
"A lot of important bands broke up that year - Jefferson Airplane, Traffic, Mott The Hoople, King Crimson, The Stooges, Byrds, Sly & The Family Stone, and even the New York Dolls, to name just a few that come to mind, all fell apart in the space of about a year (The Beach Boys stopped bothering to record, at least for several years, and embraced the past when their old label's collection of early-to-mid '60s hits reached # 1 in \"Billboard\"), as they either lost their sense of purpose or self-destructed.",
"Concurrently, soul, with its direct yet artful emphasis on emotional expression and cathartic energy, also struggled as black music, after a remarkable period during which hit records both pushed the envelope in terms of musical innovation and challenged their audience with hard-hitting, often painful truths, became increasingly utilitarian (a phenomenon in the clubs, 'disco' would become part of the popular lexicon within a year or so), and all of a sudden legends like Aretha, Wilson Pickett, and James Brown seemed as unable to cope as their white counterparts.",
"To borrow Gertrude Stein's remark, it seemed \"there was no there there\".",
"Also in 1974, we witnessed the first big-money comeback/reunion tours: CSNY (hey, I bet they were still funkier than the Eagles) made what was still an unusual and plainly mercenary decision to play outdoor stadiums; Dylan returned, after eight long years, with The Band and rocked the same arenas The Stones and Led Zep had been filling since the turn of the decade.",
"Before reaching my teens, I'd already seen a handful of my favorite bands live, starting with Creedence back in '71, but Bob Dylan/ The Band was the first show I attended at which nostalgia was palpable, at least in the crowd, which roared every time Bob bleated through his harmonica and politely sat on its hands during powerful sets by The Band, or when Dylan and The Band performed new material); Clapton, MIA since 1970's \"Layla\", and George Harrison (first ex-Beatle to tour) all 'returned' from someplace.",
"Unless you looked through import bins for Eno albums, who could blame you for feeling nostalgic?",
"Both AM and FM radio played tripe like Loggins & Messina, Seals & Crofts, Elton John, Barry White, and Bachman-Turner Speedwagon, as well as the aforementioned band named after the predatory, flesh-eating bird pictured on dollar bills.",
"Free devolved into Bad Company, Jefferson Airplane crashed and mutated into the Starship.",
"No one knew it yet, but third generation 'supergroups' like Firefall and Foreigner were just around the corner.",
"Naturally there were brash new artists waiting to fill the void - Patti Smith, Ramones and Television were playing to small crowds and giving birth to the next wave at C.",
"B.G.B's, while Britain's Roxy Music made fresh, smart and original music that could only have been made in the 1970s.",
"The big groups, meaning the Who and the Stones, who somehow survived their first decade - something unprecedented in rock 'n' roll - flailed their arms and anxiously tried to re-assert their relevence.",
"The Who offered bloated concept albums (\"Quadrophenia\").",
"As for the Stones, who had by comparison never really been preoccupied with themes of youth or adolescence, an inevitable self-conciousness permeated \"It's Only Rock 'N Roll\", making it one of their all-time weakest studio albums...",
"During the previously year or two Keith Richards had been busted for heroin numerous times, and his ghostly presence on \"Goats Head Soup\" (1973), the final installment in the Stones' great trilogy of impotence, hard drugs, decay, and soul survival, led some to wonder if he was destined to be the next rock star death.",
"(\"Creem\", the American rock 'n' roll magazine, had actually reported that Faces' Ron Wood might fill in for Keith on the '73 European tour should Keith's legal problems prohibit him from travelling freely - two years later, of course, Wood joined the group after Mick Taylor's defection).",
"The Stones may sound weary on \"Goats Head Soup\", but it's an honest expression of the band's spiritual crisis (Charlie Watts even sounds exhausted, on first listen, thanks to a dry, muted mix that was unlikely to court many new, young fans) and if the album didn't outrock the New York Dolls' debut it remains a powerful and underrated album in the Stones' body of work.",
"The Rolling Stones, having entered their second decade, may have been tired (Keith's guitar, for the first time, is not central to the sonic identity of \"Goats Head's\" and Bill Wyman, increasingly alienated by Keith's addiction and its impact on the band, started to pull away, playing bass on only three or four tracks).",
"Yet \"GHS\" offers some exquisite moments that reflected the Stones' willingness to take musical risks; at the same time the record vividly conveyed and dealt with the torpor threatening the Stones.",
"If the band was fragmenting, so was the culture they spoke to.",
"\"Coming Down Again\", \"Winter\", \"Can You Hear The Music\", \"Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo\" and \"100 Years Ago\" and the mournful hit \"Angie\" may not be rockers, but they're all great songs, reflective and searching.",
"With Keith presence subdued, the album remains unique in the Stones' catalog, and aside from a set of superb Jagger/Richards songs, many of the album's musical highlights are due to Mick Jagger's exquisitely rich vocals, which as usual are full of contradictions - now past 30 he sounds restless and calm, confused yet with a fully integrated persona, communicating wonder, humility, anger, and melancholy, and his weariness is unmistakeable even as he sings with utter authority.",
"And \"Goats\" highlighted Mick Taylor's exquisite blues-drenched yet lyrical guitar playing - his last consistently focused and inspired performances as a Rolling Stone.",
"Unfortunatly, as is the case with \"Love Is Strong\" from 1994's \"Voodoo Lounge\", \"Dancing With Mr.",
"D\" was a rather underwhelming track to open a album, and one song placed at the beginning can color listeners' assessment of an entire record.",
"Contemporary reviews were lukewarm.",
"When \"It's Only Rock 'n Roll\" was released a year later many were relieved that you could hear Keith's guitar again (whew!",
"), and that - now in their 30s!",
"- the Stones could \"still\" rock, as tracks one and three explicitly remind us.",
"But for the first time the Stones appear to be trying to recapture something, rather than moving forward (as they would on their next, more exploratory disc, \"Black and Blue\").",
"\"It's Only Rock 'n Roll\", on one level, is a pale version of the early '70s Stones' classics, minus the horns and with a few hints of soon-renewed vitality in its tentative forays into funk, reggae, and Philly soul.",
"And sure, it rocks, but you sense a strain, like their hearts aren't in it.",
"The title track, perhaps the dinstinguised exception with its understated and subtle performance, chugs along with a funky and unforced groove, dense with overdubbed guitars and Ian Stewart's marvelous piano, its pensive, laconic lyrics expressing a sense of distance from their ever-expanding audience.",
"As the first single to be excerpted from the album it offers a glimpse into the band's future, for it was evidently written by (sorry, the liner notes say \"inspired by\" which means no royalties) one Ron Wood during sessions for his solo debut recorded that year, \"I've Got My Own Album To Do\", a virtual collaboration with Keith (and featuring two new Jagger/Richards songs), featuring guest performances by the Micks, Jagger and Taylor.",
"Five short minutes, and I like it, a lot more than the anthemic Chuck Berry throwback it would later become once it took its place as a concert staple.",
"One notices the bass is played by Willy Weeks (from Wood's solo album).",
"Elsewhere, Mick Taylor, expressed his own frustrations - and deepening addiction - by not showing up to some of IORR's Munich recording sessions.",
"He adds fills and solos that sound pretty and out of place, expecially the overly linear solo that decorates \"Time Waits For No One\".",
"\"Til The Next Goodbye\" is an acceptable ballad that might sound fresher if \"Angie\" hadn't come out the year before.",
"Even a solid rocker like \"Dance Little Sister\", which should rip, comes off as slightly pallid thanks to a lumpy mix that mars the whole album.",
"The record (which marks the first time the Stones produced themselves since \"Satanic\" in '67) has a grey film over it, and it finally feels both overworked and underdeveloped.",
"I never much cared for \"Ain't Too Proud To Beg\" (a listenable but uninspired filler track reminiscent of the J.",
"Geils Band, utterly lacking the life and power of their next attempt at a Temptations cover, \"Imagination\").",
"The nearly seven-minute finale, \"Fingerprint File\", to its credit, tries to make a timely statement, but falls a little flat as both drama (it's no \"Midnight Rambler\") and musically in comparison to their next album's unforced excercise in hard funk, the Meters/J.",
"B.'s inspired \"Hot Stuff\" which asserts itself from the the start with Keith's chicken-scratch riffs and Charlie's authoritative drumming.",
"\"Fingerprint File\" closes out a long album with Mick trying too hard, and his vocals are sometimes affected, for the first if not last time in his career.",
"Aside from the title track, there are other strong moments: the kickass opener 'If You Can't Rock Me' (with Keith on bass and guitars), and the gorgeous Philly soul ballad (with its cinematic imagery) 'If You Really Want To Be My Friend' are the other unequivocally successful cuts here.",
"I also like the way they place Ian Stewart's boogie-woogie piano upfront in the mix for a change on the rollicking 'Short and Curlies', but it's still hard to ignore the throwaway lyrics.",
"Sorry, \"It's Only Rock 'n Roll\" is certainly a decent rock album, but a confused - and drab sounding - Rolling Stones album."
] |
I was debating between this phone, the Sensation and the Sensation XL. I wasn't sure I wanted a white phone so I didn't go for the XL, the Sensation is supposed to have a slower processor and XE looks consistent and comes with Dre head phones so I chose this phone once I saw how the desktop looked. You see I'm coming from a Blackberry Torch 2 so my eyes ache for a big screen, better browsing and a better graphical experience to say the least. I would be using the phone for personal use and I didn't want to go with Samsung because I'm a Htc loyalist ever since I used the classy HTC Evo. The Samsung Nexus Prime would be the biggest competition to this phone. It came with Android 2.3 .. which was a little surprising and I still haven't been able to update to the new operating system so I'm a little peeved but patient because there is not a lot about this operating system to change. I shall discuss features first ...
1. The phone is snappy and nothing takes long to load. Maps opens up easily, it is perfectly capable of downloading five mp3 songs at once, doing mail, doing google maps, taking a picture...the integration with Google is still not very good I feel. I understand Android is made on the Google platform but seriously the Browser is abysmal. There is an alternate browser I found and loved. Firefox...I don't think I would be able to stand this phone sometimes if it was not for speedy old Firefox. The browsing experience was decent but MULTITASKING is good with the snappy processor.
2. The software loaded is quite similar to HTC Evo's original software. The icon spacing seems good, there are quite a few screens which I have customized. The WEATHER looks exotic and eye-catching. When you press menu, you can either go through all your applications or slide right and fetch "Frequent" or slide right again and fetch "Downloads" - I have been a bigger fan of the Htc Sense than Samsung Wiz. Htc just seems to have a better built and sturdiness.
3. The screen is 4.3 , the phone is not heavy, the screen is a little underwhelming to be honest. I say that because it appears a little plasticky much like the Evo 3d. The Evo used a different kind of a screen but that was easy to break. HTC really need to improve quality of screen. Viewing a video is good but the phone is a tad too responsive sometimes which takes away from the experience. Mp4 files play easily. There is a red light which remains constantly flashing when phone is charging and it goes green when the charge is complete. I find the unlock screen a little annoying though. I don't like that circle you gotta drag up and miss the simple old "Slide Down"
4. Applications - I use Google Reader for my .epub files and it works just great except when you move the phone a little towards the right it thinks you want landscape mode. The bookshelf looks great so guys if you're away from your Kindle you can read books on this phone yes. I use Pulse for tech news, have several radio station apps, also three mp3 downloader apps, use WINAMP for music (music library, not 1/3rd as good as an iphone) Shazam works "OK" but I have discovered Soundhound. Espn applications keep me updated on NBA scores because I am living in the Middle-East for the time being. Youtube is a little disappointing and not as consistent as an iphone i am sorry to say. Again, Android surprises me because it doesn't make great use of Google or Youtube. Maybe with the next operating system this will seem more rounded.
5. Music Player / Head phones - The red dre headphones are legendary and I love them. They're not very loud and I never talk on them because people around me think I'm screaming if I start yelling into my earphones at say the gym. The bass is consistent and the red looks good though I wish the chord was a little longer. I have never used the accompanied case or the headphones. I pray these never go bad. I use them with my ipod and laptop too.
6. Typing - It is surprisingly difficult to type on this and I blame the quality of the screen for it. You cannot go very fast. I can fly on a blackberry or the iphone but this phone can sometimes be agnonizing when you're driving or say walking ... Also NO SWYPE. I should take one entire star off for this alone. Come on HTC!
7. Camera - The camera is very good though you need to make sure you know what you're doing because it is like having a pet that needs to be nurtured and tamed and understood. You gotta focus on the object, you gotta make sure the light is satisfactory, the object is still and BOOM the photos are very good. In one month I've taken say 500. I seldom indulge in the MIRROR or self portraits. It works good though. Well done hTC.
8. LOUD SPEAKER - The speaker is very low so it not a good music player. The volume is 35% as loud as it should be. No excuse for this lapse since HTC is trying to focus so hard on multimedia. Samsung owns HTC in this respect (Also Apple)
The ear phone speaker when you are talking is appalling. Worst ever.
9. BATTERY LIFE IS GREAT - This phone lasts me 20 hours which is more than any stock battery for any Android has lasted me. Make sure you never leave the house with just 20% remaining though. I use the phone a lot for browsing, checking game scores, checking email .... very good experience with the battery. Pleasant surprise because I was expecting it to last me 12 hours at most. It has also lasted me 24 hours a few times. I keep my wifi on all the time because my servie provider provides just 500MB of data a month. (Joke, I know)
10. Miscallenous/Relevant Facts - The Wifi is responsive and picks up easily. The screen can sometimes forget to turn off so makes sure you make a shortcut for your display settings. This has been one issue Htc hasn't been able to correct. Typing is average, ear phone speaker is the lowest I have had on any phone I have used. I really really hate that but I am going to keep this phone for a while.
11. Big thumbs up for the transfer my stuff interface
12. Emails are good but they need a new interface real bad.
Overall this phone is a mixed bag but I love Android. I don't talk on the phone much but when I do this phone doesn't disappoint unless I'm in a room full of people , then I just text the person or use whatsapp. It is a really good looking phone and I love the design and holding it. I use no SCREEN PROTECTOR or CASE. It is light. Connecting to MAC via USB is easy and bluetooth is even easier.
It heats a lot less than other androids I've used.
HTC really need to step the game up. I wish the speaker was louder, I wish the ear phone speaker was louder too, this phone should have had Swype and the typing shouldn't be so annoying..
I am grateful to Android for doing so much improvement in the Market. You will never be bored with such a phone. I wish they made Google integration more understandable and simple. It is a bit too open - source for me.
Youtube should play a lot better. The phone supports all formats and video watching is a pleasure.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I was debating between this phone, the Sensation and the Sensation XL.",
"I wasn't sure I wanted a white phone so I didn't go for the XL, the Sensation is supposed to have a slower processor and XE looks consistent and comes with Dre head phones so I chose this phone once I saw how the desktop looked.",
"You see I'm coming from a Blackberry Torch 2 so my eyes ache for a big screen, better browsing and a better graphical experience to say the least.",
"I would be using the phone for personal use and I didn't want to go with Samsung because I'm a Htc loyalist ever since I used the classy HTC Evo.",
"The Samsung Nexus Prime would be the biggest competition to this phone.",
"It came with Android 2.",
"3..",
"which was a little surprising and I still haven't been able to update to the new operating system so I'm a little peeved but patient because there is not a lot about this operating system to change.",
"I shall discuss features first...",
"1.",
"The phone is snappy and nothing takes long to load.",
"Maps opens up easily, it is perfectly capable of downloading five mp3 songs at once, doing mail, doing google maps, taking a picture...",
"the integration with Google is still not very good I feel.",
"I understand Android is made on the Google platform but seriously the Browser is abysmal.",
"There is an alternate browser I found and loved.",
"Firefox...",
"I don't think I would be able to stand this phone sometimes if it was not for speedy old Firefox.",
"The browsing experience was decent but MULTITASKING is good with the snappy processor.",
"2.",
"The software loaded is quite similar to HTC Evo's original software.",
"The icon spacing seems good, there are quite a few screens which I have customized.",
"The WEATHER looks exotic and eye-catching.",
"When you press menu, you can either go through all your applications or slide right and fetch \"Frequent\" or slide right again and fetch \"Downloads\" - I have been a bigger fan of the Htc Sense than Samsung Wiz.",
"Htc just seems to have a better built and sturdiness.",
"3.",
"The screen is 4.",
"3 , the phone is not heavy, the screen is a little underwhelming to be honest.",
"I say that because it appears a little plasticky much like the Evo 3d.",
"The Evo used a different kind of a screen but that was easy to break.",
"HTC really need to improve quality of screen.",
"Viewing a video is good but the phone is a tad too responsive sometimes which takes away from the experience.",
"Mp4 files play easily.",
"There is a red light which remains constantly flashing when phone is charging and it goes green when the charge is complete.",
"I find the unlock screen a little annoying though.",
"I don't like that circle you gotta drag up and miss the simple old \"Slide Down\"\n\n4.",
"Applications - I use Google Reader for my.",
"epub files and it works just great except when you move the phone a little towards the right it thinks you want landscape mode.",
"The bookshelf looks great so guys if you're away from your Kindle you can read books on this phone yes.",
"I use Pulse for tech news, have several radio station apps, also three mp3 downloader apps, use WINAMP for music (music library, not 1/3rd as good as an iphone) Shazam works \"OK\" but I have discovered Soundhound.",
"Espn applications keep me updated on NBA scores because I am living in the Middle-East for the time being.",
"Youtube is a little disappointing and not as consistent as an iphone i am sorry to say.",
"Again, Android surprises me because it doesn't make great use of Google or Youtube.",
"Maybe with the next operating system this will seem more rounded.",
"5.",
"Music Player / Head phones - The red dre headphones are legendary and I love them.",
"They're not very loud and I never talk on them because people around me think I'm screaming if I start yelling into my earphones at say the gym.",
"The bass is consistent and the red looks good though I wish the chord was a little longer.",
"I have never used the accompanied case or the headphones.",
"I pray these never go bad.",
"I use them with my ipod and laptop too.",
"6.",
"Typing - It is surprisingly difficult to type on this and I blame the quality of the screen for it.",
"You cannot go very fast.",
"I can fly on a blackberry or the iphone but this phone can sometimes be agnonizing when you're driving or say walking...",
"Also NO SWYPE.",
"I should take one entire star off for this alone.",
"Come on HTC!",
"7.",
"Camera - The camera is very good though you need to make sure you know what you're doing because it is like having a pet that needs to be nurtured and tamed and understood.",
"You gotta focus on the object, you gotta make sure the light is satisfactory, the object is still and BOOM the photos are very good.",
"In one month I've taken say 500.",
"I seldom indulge in the MIRROR or self portraits.",
"It works good though.",
"Well done hTC.",
"8.",
"LOUD SPEAKER - The speaker is very low so it not a good music player.",
"The volume is 35% as loud as it should be.",
"No excuse for this lapse since HTC is trying to focus so hard on multimedia.",
"Samsung owns HTC in this respect (Also Apple)\nThe ear phone speaker when you are talking is appalling.",
"Worst ever.",
"9.",
"BATTERY LIFE IS GREAT - This phone lasts me 20 hours which is more than any stock battery for any Android has lasted me.",
"Make sure you never leave the house with just 20% remaining though.",
"I use the phone a lot for browsing, checking game scores, checking email....",
"very good experience with the battery.",
"Pleasant surprise because I was expecting it to last me 12 hours at most.",
"It has also lasted me 24 hours a few times.",
"I keep my wifi on all the time because my servie provider provides just 500MB of data a month.",
"(Joke, I know)\n\n10.",
"Miscallenous/Relevant Facts - The Wifi is responsive and picks up easily.",
"The screen can sometimes forget to turn off so makes sure you make a shortcut for your display settings.",
"This has been one issue Htc hasn't been able to correct.",
"Typing is average, ear phone speaker is the lowest I have had on any phone I have used.",
"I really really hate that but I am going to keep this phone for a while.",
"11.",
"Big thumbs up for the transfer my stuff interface\n\n12.",
"Emails are good but they need a new interface real bad.",
"Overall this phone is a mixed bag but I love Android.",
"I don't talk on the phone much but when I do this phone doesn't disappoint unless I'm in a room full of people , then I just text the person or use whatsapp.",
"It is a really good looking phone and I love the design and holding it.",
"I use no SCREEN PROTECTOR or CASE.",
"It is light.",
"Connecting to MAC via USB is easy and bluetooth is even easier.",
"It heats a lot less than other androids I've used.",
"HTC really need to step the game up.",
"I wish the speaker was louder, I wish the ear phone speaker was louder too, this phone should have had Swype and the typing shouldn't be so annoying..",
"I am grateful to Android for doing so much improvement in the Market.",
"You will never be bored with such a phone.",
"I wish they made Google integration more understandable and simple.",
"It is a bit too open - source for me.",
"Youtube should play a lot better.",
"The phone supports all formats and video watching is a pleasure."
] |
Some aspects of the movie were excellent. Nicholson did a hell of a job, like always. He is just as believable as he wants to be. He is just crazy enough for the viewer to wonder if he belongs in the mental facility or if he is just faking to stay out of a labor-yard or the state penitentary. Some of his interactions with the head nurse and the other patients are unforgettable, like when he pretends he is watching baseball and starts the play by play announcing when the head nurse refuses to let the patients watch the world series.
I liked most of the movie and the plot development seemed to be right on cue. But once the movie started winding down, things stopped being believable. McMurphy seems to leave and enter the facility whenever he wants, cleverly eluding security, he bribes the guard with a box of liquor, and convinces his girlfriend to sleep with one of the patients. After the entire routine of trashing the mental facility at the cover of night, he decided to STAY instead of escape, when he could have easily escaped. This was just absurd and the movie lost its purpose at that point.
In typical, depressing fashion, everything falls apart, when the innocent young man commits suicide, McMurphy forsakes another attempt to escape. I won't give away the ending, but its not satisfying and not what I was hoping for, it made me feel that I wasted 2 1/2 hours of watching the film.
There were few enduring lessons; other than the motif of individuals who are on power trips, personified by the head nurse. The book is a classic and is known for developing this relationship masterfully. But in a 2 1/2 hour movie, it is hard to accomplish this dense character development. It just didn't work in my eyes.
This film usually gets great ratings, but it just didn't fly for me. I like classics, like Cool Hand Luke and the Godfather. But I don't like depressing, meaningless endings. Death, depression and failure don't necessarily make a "good" movie in my eyes. There needs to be more purpose behind it. The conversations and acting were great, but the last half hour of the movie was disappointing.
It seems as the writer of the script, and the author for that matter, had excellent material but really didn't know how to wrap it up for a memorable ending.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Some aspects of the movie were excellent.",
"Nicholson did a hell of a job, like always.",
"He is just as believable as he wants to be.",
"He is just crazy enough for the viewer to wonder if he belongs in the mental facility or if he is just faking to stay out of a labor-yard or the state penitentary.",
"Some of his interactions with the head nurse and the other patients are unforgettable, like when he pretends he is watching baseball and starts the play by play announcing when the head nurse refuses to let the patients watch the world series.",
"I liked most of the movie and the plot development seemed to be right on cue.",
"But once the movie started winding down, things stopped being believable.",
"McMurphy seems to leave and enter the facility whenever he wants, cleverly eluding security, he bribes the guard with a box of liquor, and convinces his girlfriend to sleep with one of the patients.",
"After the entire routine of trashing the mental facility at the cover of night, he decided to STAY instead of escape, when he could have easily escaped.",
"This was just absurd and the movie lost its purpose at that point.",
"In typical, depressing fashion, everything falls apart, when the innocent young man commits suicide, McMurphy forsakes another attempt to escape.",
"I won't give away the ending, but its not satisfying and not what I was hoping for, it made me feel that I wasted 2 1/2 hours of watching the film.",
"There were few enduring lessons; other than the motif of individuals who are on power trips, personified by the head nurse.",
"The book is a classic and is known for developing this relationship masterfully.",
"But in a 2 1/2 hour movie, it is hard to accomplish this dense character development.",
"It just didn't work in my eyes.",
"This film usually gets great ratings, but it just didn't fly for me.",
"I like classics, like Cool Hand Luke and the Godfather.",
"But I don't like depressing, meaningless endings.",
"Death, depression and failure don't necessarily make a \"good\" movie in my eyes.",
"There needs to be more purpose behind it.",
"The conversations and acting were great, but the last half hour of the movie was disappointing.",
"It seems as the writer of the script, and the author for that matter, had excellent material but really didn't know how to wrap it up for a memorable ending."
] |
I needed to replace my Blender and also wanted to buy a small food processor so this sounded like a great idea from a reputable company. As noted elsewhere - the Blender is LOUD. When I make my daily Smoothie the Blender hops around and you have to hold the pitcher down on the base. But it DOES get the job done.
The Food Processor works well. BUT - it comes with the 'S' blade and one cutting/shredding disk only. There are NO other ones available as in other brands and models. NO GOOD. The slicing side has about a 2mm cut which is OK for paper thin cucumbers but NO good for potatoes other than maybe potato chips. I need the larger slice for breakfast, sliced zucchini, and so on.
I am giving my Duo away and getting some other model that is more rugged and has food processor attachments. Still like Cuisinart - just not the Duo.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I needed to replace my Blender and also wanted to buy a small food processor so this sounded like a great idea from a reputable company.",
"As noted elsewhere - the Blender is LOUD.",
"When I make my daily Smoothie the Blender hops around and you have to hold the pitcher down on the base.",
"But it DOES get the job done.",
"The Food Processor works well.",
"BUT - it comes with the 'S' blade and one cutting/shredding disk only.",
"There are NO other ones available as in other brands and models.",
"NO GOOD.",
"The slicing side has about a 2mm cut which is OK for paper thin cucumbers but NO good for potatoes other than maybe potato chips.",
"I need the larger slice for breakfast, sliced zucchini, and so on.",
"I am giving my Duo away and getting some other model that is more rugged and has food processor attachments.",
"Still like Cuisinart - just not the Duo."
] |
Like so many other fans, I've waited a grand total of 5 and a half years to read this book.
While there are many theories as to why it took Martin this long to pump out this sequel, the fact of the matter is that this book weighs in at over 1000 pages, exceeding even the massive A Storm of Swords. This many pages dedicated to A Song of Ice and Fire should be a boon to any hardcore fan of the books, in theory. But did it deliver?
I've got a somewhat simple rule when it comes to novels... the longer it is, the better I expect the book to be. In a world where an author demands this much of my time, their story had best be worth it, because there are always other books worth reading out there. The first four books, in my opinion, were all well worth the time. Did this one follow suit?
The good news:
+ Martin still meets his high standards for level of detail, and his world breathes as strongly as it ever did. In retrospect, I wish I would have brushed up on the happenings of the first four books again before tackling this one. 6 years is a long time to have to remember every nuanced character and noble family crest and lineage, and who fathered what bastard, etc. But it's all well worth it. More backstory on many, many characters, and we even get more slices of history, such as parts involving Robert's Rebellion (Honestly, if Martin had the time and inclination, I'd love to see a novel on this part of Westeros history).
+ If your favorite character was missing from A Feast for Crows, they got center stage here. Tyrion is a personal favorite of mine, and he helped carry this book for me, even if his character arc in this particular novel was well below the standards for Storm of Swords (Though to be honest, that is a hard act to follow). Daenarys also plays a major role (Well, the title sort of makes that obvious, I suppose).
The bad news:
- The POV character selection in this book is, by and large, about as organized as a ten year old's closet. As Martin himself states in the foreword (I only mention this to make it obvious I'm not spoiling much, if anything), some characters from Crows do pop up later in the novel. And they do. But each of them only gets one or two chapters, where not too much actually happens. Honestly, I'd have much preferred if he had left these snippets out and simply added them to the next book, rather than giving us tiny updates on characters that don't even really address anything that happened from Crows, with one exception. But, having read the ending, I can understand why he felt compelled to include what feels literally like a tiny slice of the next book.
And then, he brings in 3 new POV characters. As if he didn't have enough already. I understand the need for one of them later in the book, but another one only gets one chapter. I didn't get a chance to feel like it built any continuity with them, and when that happens, they feel unnecessary.
- Not too much actually happens in this novel. It's brutal, but the truth. Oh sure, some characters are left in peril, and others meet unfortunate ends. If you're a fan of this series, you already knew this was going to happen. But Martin spends almost all of those 1000 pages hyping three major conflicts, and where does the book end? Right before we learn what happens in any of them. I've heard stories of how Martin has struggled more and more to wrestle this story of his into prose, and I'm inclined to believe it. I know he's a big time veteran author with his own hit HBO series now, but the fact of the matter is that he needs an editor to help him pace his story if he really desires a return to the quality of his previous books.
Bottom line: Was it worth it? Yes and no.
Yes, because it's more A Song of Ice and Fire, and because this book sets up The Winds of Winter to be one of the most exciting books in the series.
No, because this book feels like nothing but filler and cliffhangers, when it should be able to stand on its own merit.
I can only hope this dip in quality can be rectified in the next book, and even more importantly, that I won't have to wait another 6 years to find out.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Like so many other fans, I've waited a grand total of 5 and a half years to read this book.",
"While there are many theories as to why it took Martin this long to pump out this sequel, the fact of the matter is that this book weighs in at over 1000 pages, exceeding even the massive A Storm of Swords.",
"This many pages dedicated to A Song of Ice and Fire should be a boon to any hardcore fan of the books, in theory.",
"But did it deliver?",
"I've got a somewhat simple rule when it comes to novels...",
"the longer it is, the better I expect the book to be.",
"In a world where an author demands this much of my time, their story had best be worth it, because there are always other books worth reading out there.",
"The first four books, in my opinion, were all well worth the time.",
"Did this one follow suit?",
"The good news:\n\n+ Martin still meets his high standards for level of detail, and his world breathes as strongly as it ever did.",
"In retrospect, I wish I would have brushed up on the happenings of the first four books again before tackling this one.",
"6 years is a long time to have to remember every nuanced character and noble family crest and lineage, and who fathered what bastard, etc.",
"But it's all well worth it.",
"More backstory on many, many characters, and we even get more slices of history, such as parts involving Robert's Rebellion (Honestly, if Martin had the time and inclination, I'd love to see a novel on this part of Westeros history).",
"+ If your favorite character was missing from A Feast for Crows, they got center stage here.",
"Tyrion is a personal favorite of mine, and he helped carry this book for me, even if his character arc in this particular novel was well below the standards for Storm of Swords (Though to be honest, that is a hard act to follow).",
"Daenarys also plays a major role (Well, the title sort of makes that obvious, I suppose).",
"The bad news:\n\n- The POV character selection in this book is, by and large, about as organized as a ten year old's closet.",
"As Martin himself states in the foreword (I only mention this to make it obvious I'm not spoiling much, if anything), some characters from Crows do pop up later in the novel.",
"And they do.",
"But each of them only gets one or two chapters, where not too much actually happens.",
"Honestly, I'd have much preferred if he had left these snippets out and simply added them to the next book, rather than giving us tiny updates on characters that don't even really address anything that happened from Crows, with one exception.",
"But, having read the ending, I can understand why he felt compelled to include what feels literally like a tiny slice of the next book.",
"And then, he brings in 3 new POV characters.",
"As if he didn't have enough already.",
"I understand the need for one of them later in the book, but another one only gets one chapter.",
"I didn't get a chance to feel like it built any continuity with them, and when that happens, they feel unnecessary.",
"- Not too much actually happens in this novel.",
"It's brutal, but the truth.",
"Oh sure, some characters are left in peril, and others meet unfortunate ends.",
"If you're a fan of this series, you already knew this was going to happen.",
"But Martin spends almost all of those 1000 pages hyping three major conflicts, and where does the book end?",
"Right before we learn what happens in any of them.",
"I've heard stories of how Martin has struggled more and more to wrestle this story of his into prose, and I'm inclined to believe it.",
"I know he's a big time veteran author with his own hit HBO series now, but the fact of the matter is that he needs an editor to help him pace his story if he really desires a return to the quality of his previous books.",
"Bottom line: Was it worth it?",
"Yes and no.",
"Yes, because it's more A Song of Ice and Fire, and because this book sets up The Winds of Winter to be one of the most exciting books in the series.",
"No, because this book feels like nothing but filler and cliffhangers, when it should be able to stand on its own merit.",
"I can only hope this dip in quality can be rectified in the next book, and even more importantly, that I won't have to wait another 6 years to find out."
] |
Update:
I uninstalled this software and cleaned the registry for a fresh installation. Previously I had Version 10 installed and when I installed this latest version, version 10 was uninstalled. So I thought maybe some files from Version 10 were not completely uninstalled and were not compatible with this newest release. This time I did not update the Version 11 software from the internet; I just used the software on the disk that came in the retail box.
I managed to render the AVCHD HD video I had trouble with a few days ago. I am just trying to get all the way through to a finished disk now. When I tried to burn the project to a disk, the software crashed within a few minutes and exited me out of the program entirely. It asked me to send an error report. So I rendered it again, but this time just for normal DVD quality. It certainly wasn't as good as the original HD video, but it worked. When I produced the video for a Blu-ray disk, the video had some flaws. About three or four minutes from the beginning, the video snagged or froze a fraction of a second. And later, the audio snagged, too. Another place, there was a horizontal snow bar that flashed briefly. None of this was on the original video. It was produced by this software during rendering. I compiled the same video in a competitive product and it did not have these undesirable artifacts.
Next I compiled some video clips that were taken with my Canon D5 Mark II camera. The HD video format produced is .mov files, not AVCHD. I didn't try to insert transitions - just plain video clips to join together. And again - disappointment. While it was rendering, suddenly the video turn solid green for one entire clip and then return to normal when the next clip started. And when I viewed the rendering, the green segment was really there. Again, I rendered the exact same files with a competitive product and the rendering was perfect.
However the real challenge is when it comes time to burn a DVD or Blu-ray disk. This is where most all the video editors fail. I finally had to download a free disk build and burn program called ImgBurn. This is a great program I've used for years. I was able to burn a rewritable Blu-ray disk with ImgBurn, but not from within PowerDirector. PowerDirector complained that the disk was incompatible. But ImgBurn had no difficulty at all burning the exact same rendering.
My system has Windows 7 64 bit OS, an Intel i7 920 CPU, 12 GB of 1866 MHz RAM, an OCZ SATA III 120 GB SSD dedicated for the OS, a RAID 0 pair of VelociRaptor disks with 500 GB of storage for the source video, and a Corsair 128 GB SSD for target storage. I am not over-clocking. My system is rock stable - never crashes or BSOD. I used PowerDirector 10 last week to do the very same project using an AVCHD video stream from my Canon Camcorder and it worked fine.
Below is my prior experience a few days ago. I have normally been using Sony Vegas 8 and DVD Architect for the past few years and it always works. Recently I installed Pinnacle and it works well, also.
------------------------
I am moving my original review to the end of the comments section. You can read it there if you want to see my original issues.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Update:\n\nI uninstalled this software and cleaned the registry for a fresh installation.",
"Previously I had Version 10 installed and when I installed this latest version, version 10 was uninstalled.",
"So I thought maybe some files from Version 10 were not completely uninstalled and were not compatible with this newest release.",
"This time I did not update the Version 11 software from the internet; I just used the software on the disk that came in the retail box.",
"I managed to render the AVCHD HD video I had trouble with a few days ago.",
"I am just trying to get all the way through to a finished disk now.",
"When I tried to burn the project to a disk, the software crashed within a few minutes and exited me out of the program entirely.",
"It asked me to send an error report.",
"So I rendered it again, but this time just for normal DVD quality.",
"It certainly wasn't as good as the original HD video, but it worked.",
"When I produced the video for a Blu-ray disk, the video had some flaws.",
"About three or four minutes from the beginning, the video snagged or froze a fraction of a second.",
"And later, the audio snagged, too.",
"Another place, there was a horizontal snow bar that flashed briefly.",
"None of this was on the original video.",
"It was produced by this software during rendering.",
"I compiled the same video in a competitive product and it did not have these undesirable artifacts.",
"Next I compiled some video clips that were taken with my Canon D5 Mark II camera.",
"The HD video format produced is.",
"mov files, not AVCHD.",
"I didn't try to insert transitions - just plain video clips to join together.",
"And again - disappointment.",
"While it was rendering, suddenly the video turn solid green for one entire clip and then return to normal when the next clip started.",
"And when I viewed the rendering, the green segment was really there.",
"Again, I rendered the exact same files with a competitive product and the rendering was perfect.",
"However the real challenge is when it comes time to burn a DVD or Blu-ray disk.",
"This is where most all the video editors fail.",
"I finally had to download a free disk build and burn program called ImgBurn.",
"This is a great program I've used for years.",
"I was able to burn a rewritable Blu-ray disk with ImgBurn, but not from within PowerDirector.",
"PowerDirector complained that the disk was incompatible.",
"But ImgBurn had no difficulty at all burning the exact same rendering.",
"My system has Windows 7 64 bit OS, an Intel i7 920 CPU, 12 GB of 1866 MHz RAM, an OCZ SATA III 120 GB SSD dedicated for the OS, a RAID 0 pair of VelociRaptor disks with 500 GB of storage for the source video, and a Corsair 128 GB SSD for target storage.",
"I am not over-clocking.",
"My system is rock stable - never crashes or BSOD.",
"I used PowerDirector 10 last week to do the very same project using an AVCHD video stream from my Canon Camcorder and it worked fine.",
"Below is my prior experience a few days ago.",
"I have normally been using Sony Vegas 8 and DVD Architect for the past few years and it always works.",
"Recently I installed Pinnacle and it works well, also.",
"------------------------\nI am moving my original review to the end of the comments section.",
"You can read it there if you want to see my original issues."
] |
I have very mixed feelings about this CD. The musical support provided by Lowell George, other membrs of Little Feat and the Meters are simply stunning. The keyboard parts stand out very much and the drumming is very funky. The best song by far is the title track. What a cool groove.
Outside is another strong track. Whereas I like Sailing Shoes, it just does not compare to the Little Feat version. It all starts with the vocals. Robert Palmer just can not compare to Lowell George on this track.
AS a matter of fact, Robert Palmers vocals are erratic on this CD. He's very good on the title track, Outside and decent on a couple of others. However, that last song, Throught It All With You, Mr. Palmer just sounds like he is grunting and does not rise above the solid backing unit.
Also many of the songs do not have solid hooks. Robert Palmer would go on to record more solid hook driven songs later in his career. On this CD, it is very hit and miss.
Basically the style is good but the substance is not there full time yet.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I have very mixed feelings about this CD.",
"The musical support provided by Lowell George, other membrs of Little Feat and the Meters are simply stunning.",
"The keyboard parts stand out very much and the drumming is very funky.",
"The best song by far is the title track.",
"What a cool groove.",
"Outside is another strong track.",
"Whereas I like Sailing Shoes, it just does not compare to the Little Feat version.",
"It all starts with the vocals.",
"Robert Palmer just can not compare to Lowell George on this track.",
"AS a matter of fact, Robert Palmers vocals are erratic on this CD.",
"He's very good on the title track, Outside and decent on a couple of others.",
"However, that last song, Throught It All With You, Mr.",
"Palmer just sounds like he is grunting and does not rise above the solid backing unit.",
"Also many of the songs do not have solid hooks.",
"Robert Palmer would go on to record more solid hook driven songs later in his career.",
"On this CD, it is very hit and miss.",
"Basically the style is good but the substance is not there full time yet."
] |
How long does it take to explain a double-standard? I suppose it depends on how frustrated the double-standard in question has you. Kirby Dick took 1 hour and 37 minutes to explain his frustrations with double-standards that the MPAA sets (regularly) on films depicting sex & violence, and Kirby's explanation is about 1 hour more than it needed to be.
In a nutshell, Kirby's documentary-of-sorts primarily attempts to expose the monopoly that the MPAA holds over independent filmmakers trying to break through. Basically Kirby thinks that an organization (the MPAA) whose exclusive members are the "Big Six" major Hollywood studios (Disney, Sony, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Universal, and Warner Brothers) will try to hinder an independent film's chances of getting better than an NC-17 rating if it has any "controversial" sex and violence. Where, on the flip-side, Kirby says that a movie with the same (or very similar) scene from one of the Big Six's studios would earn an R rating.
And Kirby makes a very good case. But after 30 minutes, I'd say most of us get the point. The excessive elaborations in "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" go far beyond need-to-know. But, hey, Kirby can make a long movie if he wants to; Freedom of Speech is a Constitutional right, no?
Ahhh...Freedom of Speech...now that's the issue that I thought would be the primary focus of "This Film Is Not Yet Rated"...not, "No fair, the MPAA is a monopoly."
The issue to me is that we are taught that we all have Freedom of Speech as a Constitutional right. Not just the MPAA, but other regulatory groups and corporate entities (the FCC, production companies, theater owners, broadcasters, etc, etc, etc) all say, "That's fine. You can say it, but we won't put it on the air." Therefore, for Kirby to zero in on the MPAA (for over 90 minutes) was a bit narrow, and a better film would have included the other entities (deities in their own minds?) that just say "no" to free speech.
I'm certainly not for any forms of libel or slander. I'm not into snuff films. I think that a porn movie that glorifies rape should be thrown in the same category as child porn (illegal). But in this day and age where anything...and I mean anything...is so readily available with the nearest Internet connection to people young and old, why is it that mainstream media is still being censored?
If people are given fair warning to the content of media, it should be up to the viewer or listener to tune out or know better than to tune in. What's offensive to me is that I might be restricted from some form of media as it was intended because someone thinks he knows better than I do what I should or should not be able to see (or hear).
I actually like the premise of the MPAA. It's too bad for folks like Kirby Dick if a group like the MPAA truly is holding them down. After seeing Kirby's film it does seem like the NC-17 rating could be unfair at times.
The G, PG, PG-13 and R system is a good one, and it should be used broadly across all media. It let's viewers and parents know what they or their kids could be in for. Unfortunately, the MPAA doesn't always get the rating right; there are plenty of R's that could easily have been PG-13's and vice versa. But I can live with that verses censorship.
The other more restrictive rating perhaps should be P for porn, and applied specifically to movies that are made to sexually stimulate...not to movies that "have a sex scene in them".
(Sure, I know, my little remedy might need some polish, but I'm trying to keep myself to under 1 hour and 37 minutes here).
Clearly I don't feel that some government official or anyone should be allowed to restrict you from what you can see and hear. As for Kirby's movie...he does have a point that inspires discussion. But I think your time would be better spent commenting on this review with your take on the issue.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"How long does it take to explain a double-standard?",
"I suppose it depends on how frustrated the double-standard in question has you.",
"Kirby Dick took 1 hour and 37 minutes to explain his frustrations with double-standards that the MPAA sets (regularly) on films depicting sex & violence, and Kirby's explanation is about 1 hour more than it needed to be.",
"In a nutshell, Kirby's documentary-of-sorts primarily attempts to expose the monopoly that the MPAA holds over independent filmmakers trying to break through.",
"Basically Kirby thinks that an organization (the MPAA) whose exclusive members are the \"Big Six\" major Hollywood studios (Disney, Sony, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Universal, and Warner Brothers) will try to hinder an independent film's chances of getting better than an NC-17 rating if it has any \"controversial\" sex and violence.",
"Where, on the flip-side, Kirby says that a movie with the same (or very similar) scene from one of the Big Six's studios would earn an R rating.",
"And Kirby makes a very good case.",
"But after 30 minutes, I'd say most of us get the point.",
"The excessive elaborations in \"This Film Is Not Yet Rated\" go far beyond need-to-know.",
"But, hey, Kirby can make a long movie if he wants to; Freedom of Speech is a Constitutional right, no?",
"Ahhh...",
"Freedom of Speech...",
"now that's the issue that I thought would be the primary focus of \"This Film Is Not Yet Rated\"...",
"not, \"No fair, the MPAA is a monopoly.",
"\"\n\nThe issue to me is that we are taught that we all have Freedom of Speech as a Constitutional right.",
"Not just the MPAA, but other regulatory groups and corporate entities (the FCC, production companies, theater owners, broadcasters, etc, etc, etc) all say, \"That's fine.",
"You can say it, but we won't put it on the air.",
"\" Therefore, for Kirby to zero in on the MPAA (for over 90 minutes) was a bit narrow, and a better film would have included the other entities (deities in their own minds?",
") that just say \"no\" to free speech.",
"I'm certainly not for any forms of libel or slander.",
"I'm not into snuff films.",
"I think that a porn movie that glorifies rape should be thrown in the same category as child porn (illegal).",
"But in this day and age where anything...",
"and I mean anything...",
"is so readily available with the nearest Internet connection to people young and old, why is it that mainstream media is still being censored?",
"If people are given fair warning to the content of media, it should be up to the viewer or listener to tune out or know better than to tune in.",
"What's offensive to me is that I might be restricted from some form of media as it was intended because someone thinks he knows better than I do what I should or should not be able to see (or hear).",
"I actually like the premise of the MPAA.",
"It's too bad for folks like Kirby Dick if a group like the MPAA truly is holding them down.",
"After seeing Kirby's film it does seem like the NC-17 rating could be unfair at times.",
"The G, PG, PG-13 and R system is a good one, and it should be used broadly across all media.",
"It let's viewers and parents know what they or their kids could be in for.",
"Unfortunately, the MPAA doesn't always get the rating right; there are plenty of R's that could easily have been PG-13's and vice versa.",
"But I can live with that verses censorship.",
"The other more restrictive rating perhaps should be P for porn, and applied specifically to movies that are made to sexually stimulate...",
"not to movies that \"have a sex scene in them\".",
"(Sure, I know, my little remedy might need some polish, but I'm trying to keep myself to under 1 hour and 37 minutes here).",
"Clearly I don't feel that some government official or anyone should be allowed to restrict you from what you can see and hear.",
"As for Kirby's movie...",
"he does have a point that inspires discussion.",
"But I think your time would be better spent commenting on this review with your take on the issue."
] |
I had really high hopes for this one and was delighted when my sister selected this as a birthday gift for my son.
My little boy is 26 mos old and generally prefers puzzles and blocks as toys. He doesn't care much for cars/trucks. So I thought this toy with lots of manipulatives would be super fun for him.
What I discovered, sadly, is that although he is happy when you present this toy to him, he is not long entertained by it. There is a plastic frame with holes for the buttons/pegs to fit into, and the picture cards slide into notches on the backside. Think Lite Brite.
The unfortunate thing is that even if you fit the buttons into the holes properly to "complete" a picture of a dragon/house/etc, the mosaic that results really looks nothing like a dragon/house/etc. You just have a blob of buttons/pegs.
Also, the pictures are confusing. Once you insert one of the picture cards into the plastic template frame, you're not sure what to do for lots of the holes. Many of the holes are half green, half white. Do we put a green peg in here? Or leave it empty? Whichever you choose there is a big outcome on the final product.
My boy does enjoy the mechanical activity of insertion/removal but that's about it. This is a textbook three-star toy.
EDIT: AUGUST 23 2011. In the past few months, my son's interest has ratcheted up a lot with this toy. It's an ideal last-half-hour-before-bed toy as we're winding down in the living room getting ready for sleep. He's much more interested in putting the right color peg in the right color hole and is proud when he has completed the picture. I still think the quality isn't great but the boy likes it.
EDIT: JULY 22, 2012. Still some decent interest in this! It almost has a calming effect because he's so comfortable with it but it's still just fun enough that he asks to play with it maybe 2 nights a week.
EDIT: DECEMBER 8, 2014. Would you BELIEVE he still loves this at almost 6 years old? We lost it for six or eight months, but then when we found it again, it was like he was reunited with an old friend. It's obviously way too easy for him, but so comforting and he LOVES the smooth feeling of the pegs once a bunch of them are inserted into the frame.
EDIT AUGUST 2017: Although my son, who is now 8 1/2, rarely plays with this, he still sometimes requests it out of a burst of sentimentalism. I recently mentioned I was sending a copy of it to a 3 yr old cousin, and my son mistakenly understood me to say that I was sending our own copy of this toy to the cousin. He completely freaked out at the thought of giving up this toy. It's a visceral favorite.
A++
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I had really high hopes for this one and was delighted when my sister selected this as a birthday gift for my son.",
"My little boy is 26 mos old and generally prefers puzzles and blocks as toys.",
"He doesn't care much for cars/trucks.",
"So I thought this toy with lots of manipulatives would be super fun for him.",
"What I discovered, sadly, is that although he is happy when you present this toy to him, he is not long entertained by it.",
"There is a plastic frame with holes for the buttons/pegs to fit into, and the picture cards slide into notches on the backside.",
"Think Lite Brite.",
"The unfortunate thing is that even if you fit the buttons into the holes properly to \"complete\" a picture of a dragon/house/etc, the mosaic that results really looks nothing like a dragon/house/etc.",
"You just have a blob of buttons/pegs.",
"Also, the pictures are confusing.",
"Once you insert one of the picture cards into the plastic template frame, you're not sure what to do for lots of the holes.",
"Many of the holes are half green, half white.",
"Do we put a green peg in here?",
"Or leave it empty?",
"Whichever you choose there is a big outcome on the final product.",
"My boy does enjoy the mechanical activity of insertion/removal but that's about it.",
"This is a textbook three-star toy.",
"EDIT: AUGUST 23 2011.",
"In the past few months, my son's interest has ratcheted up a lot with this toy.",
"It's an ideal last-half-hour-before-bed toy as we're winding down in the living room getting ready for sleep.",
"He's much more interested in putting the right color peg in the right color hole and is proud when he has completed the picture.",
"I still think the quality isn't great but the boy likes it.",
"EDIT: JULY 22, 2012.",
"Still some decent interest in this!",
"It almost has a calming effect because he's so comfortable with it but it's still just fun enough that he asks to play with it maybe 2 nights a week.",
"EDIT: DECEMBER 8, 2014.",
"Would you BELIEVE he still loves this at almost 6 years old?",
"We lost it for six or eight months, but then when we found it again, it was like he was reunited with an old friend.",
"It's obviously way too easy for him, but so comforting and he LOVES the smooth feeling of the pegs once a bunch of them are inserted into the frame.",
"EDIT AUGUST 2017: Although my son, who is now 8 1/2, rarely plays with this, he still sometimes requests it out of a burst of sentimentalism.",
"I recently mentioned I was sending a copy of it to a 3 yr old cousin, and my son mistakenly understood me to say that I was sending our own copy of this toy to the cousin.",
"He completely freaked out at the thought of giving up this toy.",
"It's a visceral favorite.",
"A++"
] |
I suppose it has it's charm and certainly is unlike anything else from the time. This came out between Radio-Activity and Man Machine. On TEE we get only a few new synth sounds, used on every song, and these sounds are mostly recognized from MM, and a bit from RA. The whole performance seems very dry and static. It is also very minimalist with a little too much vocal for me. Nevertheless after a few listenings it gets better. I just think that it's not the most hummable...it's a little too serious in parts, gloomy (ie Hall Of Mirrors). The rhythms in the title track and towrds the latter half of the album are interesting, but there isn't a lot of variation. Understandably this was one of their most influential albums, but I would recommend most other albums before this one. There may be social commentary, but musically it just doesn't translate well, in English anyhow. If there had been more tunes, all shorter, this may have been better. I prefer the vocoded vocals of MM to this. No, I would say listen to all others before getting this.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I suppose it has it's charm and certainly is unlike anything else from the time.",
"This came out between Radio-Activity and Man Machine.",
"On TEE we get only a few new synth sounds, used on every song, and these sounds are mostly recognized from MM, and a bit from RA.",
"The whole performance seems very dry and static.",
"It is also very minimalist with a little too much vocal for me.",
"Nevertheless after a few listenings it gets better.",
"I just think that it's not the most hummable...",
"it's a little too serious in parts, gloomy (ie Hall Of Mirrors).",
"The rhythms in the title track and towrds the latter half of the album are interesting, but there isn't a lot of variation.",
"Understandably this was one of their most influential albums, but I would recommend most other albums before this one.",
"There may be social commentary, but musically it just doesn't translate well, in English anyhow.",
"If there had been more tunes, all shorter, this may have been better.",
"I prefer the vocoded vocals of MM to this.",
"No, I would say listen to all others before getting this."
] |
When I bought the book I was expecting it to have issues between the 3 main relationships, but then I figured it would end good. Not exactly what happened. The book was so depressing at times I didn't want to finish reading it, but kept the hope that things would end okay.
The book is about three couples. Ellie and Michael, Mara and Josh, and Jen and Eric.
Of all the characters I felt the worst for Ellie. Her husband cheats on her and then tried to leave her with nothing. I was so appalled by Michael's behavior through the book it was making me sick. He was supposed to have loved her and they'd been married for years and had a kid together. But he was a selfish jerk and disgusted me with the way he treated Ellie. Even though he is a character in the book there are probably guys out there like him which makes what happened to Ellie even worse.
Next was Mara and Josh. I really wanted to scream at Mara. Josh was a nice guy and she was doing everything she could to ruin things between them. She had a good thing unlike Ellie, but she never seemed to get that. I understand that she wronged Josh and he in ways had a hard time getting over it, but she was the one holding them back. In the end I was surprised by Josh's behavior and glad, but I really thought that Mara should have been the one begging for him to reconsider their relationship.
Last were Jen and Eric. I also wanted to yell at Jen. She had a great guy, one who loved her even when she didn't love him. Eric had every right to make the choices he did. Even when Jen was trying to make things right between them, I never felt like she was trying as hard as she could. She seemed to only put half her energy into wanting their marriage to work. On the other hand she was trying and Eric was acting as if he didn't care. I wanted to yell at both of them.
The book had some funny things and lots of surprises. It was so depressing at times and continued to be a cycle where nothing was really happening. The relationship between the 3 women was good. I did like the end although I wasn't clear on Jen and Eric, but I think I know what they decided to do. Eric didn't seem very enthusiastic and Jen didn't put forth the emotions she should have. I was happy for Ellie, but sad that Michael truly was a jerk, but at least things ended decent between Mara and Josh.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"When I bought the book I was expecting it to have issues between the 3 main relationships, but then I figured it would end good.",
"Not exactly what happened.",
"The book was so depressing at times I didn't want to finish reading it, but kept the hope that things would end okay.",
"The book is about three couples.",
"Ellie and Michael, Mara and Josh, and Jen and Eric.",
"Of all the characters I felt the worst for Ellie.",
"Her husband cheats on her and then tried to leave her with nothing.",
"I was so appalled by Michael's behavior through the book it was making me sick.",
"He was supposed to have loved her and they'd been married for years and had a kid together.",
"But he was a selfish jerk and disgusted me with the way he treated Ellie.",
"Even though he is a character in the book there are probably guys out there like him which makes what happened to Ellie even worse.",
"Next was Mara and Josh.",
"I really wanted to scream at Mara.",
"Josh was a nice guy and she was doing everything she could to ruin things between them.",
"She had a good thing unlike Ellie, but she never seemed to get that.",
"I understand that she wronged Josh and he in ways had a hard time getting over it, but she was the one holding them back.",
"In the end I was surprised by Josh's behavior and glad, but I really thought that Mara should have been the one begging for him to reconsider their relationship.",
"Last were Jen and Eric.",
"I also wanted to yell at Jen.",
"She had a great guy, one who loved her even when she didn't love him.",
"Eric had every right to make the choices he did.",
"Even when Jen was trying to make things right between them, I never felt like she was trying as hard as she could.",
"She seemed to only put half her energy into wanting their marriage to work.",
"On the other hand she was trying and Eric was acting as if he didn't care.",
"I wanted to yell at both of them.",
"The book had some funny things and lots of surprises.",
"It was so depressing at times and continued to be a cycle where nothing was really happening.",
"The relationship between the 3 women was good.",
"I did like the end although I wasn't clear on Jen and Eric, but I think I know what they decided to do.",
"Eric didn't seem very enthusiastic and Jen didn't put forth the emotions she should have.",
"I was happy for Ellie, but sad that Michael truly was a jerk, but at least things ended decent between Mara and Josh."
] |
The hammer itself is self is great and the handle is more comfortable then the 'rubber' estwing I have. The low star rating is two fold. One Amazon put a control sticker with near permanent glue on the handle which took quite a while to remove the glue residue it left behind. The handle is the sole purpose you get this hammer over other Estwings and that is a catastrophically bad place to put a sticker like putting a pin through a rain jacket.
The other complaint is the stickers used by Estwing were in equally stupid places with equally strong glues (The Estwing stickers I got were not lined up properly... flapping in the breeze and suffered from the chemicals I used to remove the glue from the handle but I would have normally left them on. ).
I know it is a hammer it is gonna get dirty and beat up but the glue left over was strong enough to nearly hold the hammer against gravity to my hand. That is not something I want or need near my tool belt or other tools. That stuff is just going to get gritty and nasty is no time and get all over everything else. I don't like buying a new items and then needing to clean it for 20 minutes before I can use it.
I would suggest using those easy to remove stickers on the hammer for packaging and labeling.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"The hammer itself is self is great and the handle is more comfortable then the 'rubber' estwing I have.",
"The low star rating is two fold.",
"One Amazon put a control sticker with near permanent glue on the handle which took quite a while to remove the glue residue it left behind.",
"The handle is the sole purpose you get this hammer over other Estwings and that is a catastrophically bad place to put a sticker like putting a pin through a rain jacket.",
"The other complaint is the stickers used by Estwing were in equally stupid places with equally strong glues (The Estwing stickers I got were not lined up properly...",
"flapping in the breeze and suffered from the chemicals I used to remove the glue from the handle but I would have normally left them on.",
").",
"I know it is a hammer it is gonna get dirty and beat up but the glue left over was strong enough to nearly hold the hammer against gravity to my hand.",
"That is not something I want or need near my tool belt or other tools.",
"That stuff is just going to get gritty and nasty is no time and get all over everything else.",
"I don't like buying a new items and then needing to clean it for 20 minutes before I can use it.",
"I would suggest using those easy to remove stickers on the hammer for packaging and labeling."
] |
The first two songs 'Look At Yourself' and 'I Wanna Be Free' fall in the ranks of pure hard rock genius for the early 70s; sizzling guitar solos, heavy hammond playing that puts Jon Lord to shame (IMHO) and solid explosive drumming that holds everything together. What's more, David Byron is at his finest exhibiting great vocal range and dynamics without one embarassing moment.
However, after these two songs, the whole thing slowly slides into a horrible art rock nightmare. July Morning sounds like it was building into something strong with the instrumentals getting progressively intense and when you think the climax is about to happen, it turns into a ballad. Tears in My Eyes actually has a good slide guitar riff and some catchy 'LA LA LA' vocals from Mr. Byron. But there is still an odd feel to the song. Shadows of Grief has a real akward if not grating operatic hook which repeats itself tiresomely throughout the whole song. What should Be done is a nice funky little soulful mellotron ditty which gives us a break from the artsy dronings. Lastly, Love Machine doesn't fit with this album at all. It's your basic boogie-rock baby baby song with nothing interesting happening. Why they would think to lump this 'foghat' type thing into an art-rock album is beyond me.
I would still get this album for the first two songs, but for good solid albums, I would recommend Sweet Freedom, Magician's Birthday, and even the first self titled one. In my opinion, those albums contain better composed hard rock / progressive experiments. STAY AWAY FROM SALISBURY!! WHAT A DISASTER THAT WAS!
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"The first two songs 'Look At Yourself' and 'I Wanna Be Free' fall in the ranks of pure hard rock genius for the early 70s; sizzling guitar solos, heavy hammond playing that puts Jon Lord to shame (IMHO) and solid explosive drumming that holds everything together.",
"What's more, David Byron is at his finest exhibiting great vocal range and dynamics without one embarassing moment.",
"However, after these two songs, the whole thing slowly slides into a horrible art rock nightmare.",
"July Morning sounds like it was building into something strong with the instrumentals getting progressively intense and when you think the climax is about to happen, it turns into a ballad.",
"Tears in My Eyes actually has a good slide guitar riff and some catchy 'LA LA LA' vocals from Mr.",
"Byron.",
"But there is still an odd feel to the song.",
"Shadows of Grief has a real akward if not grating operatic hook which repeats itself tiresomely throughout the whole song.",
"What should Be done is a nice funky little soulful mellotron ditty which gives us a break from the artsy dronings.",
"Lastly, Love Machine doesn't fit with this album at all.",
"It's your basic boogie-rock baby baby song with nothing interesting happening.",
"Why they would think to lump this 'foghat' type thing into an art-rock album is beyond me.",
"I would still get this album for the first two songs, but for good solid albums, I would recommend Sweet Freedom, Magician's Birthday, and even the first self titled one.",
"In my opinion, those albums contain better composed hard rock / progressive experiments.",
"STAY AWAY FROM SALISBURY!!",
"WHAT A DISASTER THAT WAS!"
] |
I purchased another windsheild mount that was more expensive. I need a mount that will work with my I phone in it's Otterbox case. The previous one, and this one, both have side arms that will grab the Otterbox. The second day I had the other brand, the phone holder snapped off in my hand as I tried to make a minor adjustment in the angle of the phone. DANG! That one went back, I got a refund. After reading many many reviews, I found that all of these windshield mount holders break, some more quickly than others. So I decided to purchase the cheapest one, to minimize my losses. I like this one pretty well. The arm is more flexible than the original one, and I am careful to try to grab the arm and the holder when I adjust the angle, but because this arm is more flexible, it's easier to adjust. This one will adjust to verticle or horizontal, and has a locking pin that works very nicely. Yes, it bounces more than the other item, but this one is going on two weeks and hasn't broken. Both this one and the other grab the phone, but don't want to let go (the button for release doesn't work after the first few days) but the Otterbox is soft on the outside and I can pull it out without messing up the phone or the holder.
But here's the mysterious part: Both this holder and the one that lasted a day and a half have this problem. In a cold car, with the humidity level just right, if you are not properly in line with the earth's magnetic poles (yes, I am kidding) the touch screen simply does not react to touch. There seems to be a problem with the capacitance detection system, perhaps because the holder is attached to the windsheild glass, and it insulates the phone and holder from you and the capacitance of the car. I found that rubbing the neck of the holder up and down (which looks VERY strange in traffic and might get you arrested) sometimes would create a capacitive differential. I finally figured out that plugging the phone in to it's charger properly grounded it, and I don't have touch detection problems when it is attached to the charger. But if you don't plug your phone into the charger, you will find that, at times, the phone simply does not detect your inputs, and that is VERY frustrating indeed.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I purchased another windsheild mount that was more expensive.",
"I need a mount that will work with my I phone in it's Otterbox case.",
"The previous one, and this one, both have side arms that will grab the Otterbox.",
"The second day I had the other brand, the phone holder snapped off in my hand as I tried to make a minor adjustment in the angle of the phone.",
"DANG!",
"That one went back, I got a refund.",
"After reading many many reviews, I found that all of these windshield mount holders break, some more quickly than others.",
"So I decided to purchase the cheapest one, to minimize my losses.",
"I like this one pretty well.",
"The arm is more flexible than the original one, and I am careful to try to grab the arm and the holder when I adjust the angle, but because this arm is more flexible, it's easier to adjust.",
"This one will adjust to verticle or horizontal, and has a locking pin that works very nicely.",
"Yes, it bounces more than the other item, but this one is going on two weeks and hasn't broken.",
"Both this one and the other grab the phone, but don't want to let go (the button for release doesn't work after the first few days) but the Otterbox is soft on the outside and I can pull it out without messing up the phone or the holder.",
"But here's the mysterious part: Both this holder and the one that lasted a day and a half have this problem.",
"In a cold car, with the humidity level just right, if you are not properly in line with the earth's magnetic poles (yes, I am kidding) the touch screen simply does not react to touch.",
"There seems to be a problem with the capacitance detection system, perhaps because the holder is attached to the windsheild glass, and it insulates the phone and holder from you and the capacitance of the car.",
"I found that rubbing the neck of the holder up and down (which looks VERY strange in traffic and might get you arrested) sometimes would create a capacitive differential.",
"I finally figured out that plugging the phone in to it's charger properly grounded it, and I don't have touch detection problems when it is attached to the charger.",
"But if you don't plug your phone into the charger, you will find that, at times, the phone simply does not detect your inputs, and that is VERY frustrating indeed."
] |
There is a a good foundation in this program for a really great game. It is unfortunate that the developers obviously ran out of time to put any of the game elements in. If you were to refer to this as a "Sandbox" game then "Grand theft auto, Saint's row and Bully" would be the playground that, that sand box was in. To give you a rough idea of my game experience with "Superman Returns"; approximatly 2 hrs 27 mins and 16 seconds into the game (according to the game clock) I had 65% of the game complete... and 95 % two hours later... Worth Sixty to you? Only if you go into this expecting a Simulator and not a game. The only gameplay elements i.e. fights and boss battles are more annoying than challenging... Electronic Arts obviously knew thay had a short game here so rather than adding more gameplay they opted to make Superman weak and boss fights tedious to the brink of making you want to throw your controller. I did buy this the day it came out and I will probably keep it if only to get a feel of what it would be like if I really could fly around metropolis. I highly recommend renting this before making a purchase. There is alot of potential with this engine, let's hope that EA/TIBURON makes use of it and expands on this.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"There is a a good foundation in this program for a really great game.",
"It is unfortunate that the developers obviously ran out of time to put any of the game elements in.",
"If you were to refer to this as a \"Sandbox\" game then \"Grand theft auto, Saint's row and Bully\" would be the playground that, that sand box was in.",
"To give you a rough idea of my game experience with \"Superman Returns\"; approximatly 2 hrs 27 mins and 16 seconds into the game (according to the game clock) I had 65% of the game complete...",
"and 95 % two hours later...",
"Worth Sixty to you?",
"Only if you go into this expecting a Simulator and not a game.",
"The only gameplay elements i.",
"e. fights and boss battles are more annoying than challenging...",
"Electronic Arts obviously knew thay had a short game here so rather than adding more gameplay they opted to make Superman weak and boss fights tedious to the brink of making you want to throw your controller.",
"I did buy this the day it came out and I will probably keep it if only to get a feel of what it would be like if I really could fly around metropolis.",
"I highly recommend renting this before making a purchase.",
"There is alot of potential with this engine, let's hope that EA/TIBURON makes use of it and expands on this."
] |
The Good:
+A good battle system overall
+The story takes on some interesting themes
+It's a very pretty game
+The music is fairly good as well
The Bad:
-There is not much exploring you can do
-The battle system takes a while before it's opened up entirely
-The voice acting isn't always at its best and neither is the writing
-The lack of exploration makes the world of Final Fantasy XIII feel somewhat lifeless at times. No towns or any real denizens to talk to means you're playing in a world that feels strangely empty with no life.
NOTE: The Following Review is Long
Final Fantasy has always been something of a controversial series among fans. The argument as to which Final Fantasy is the greatest will be a never-ending argument. Final Fantasy XIII probably does one of the more radical departures from the series. Some that many have gone to say that if it DIDN'T have the name Final Fantasy it would ultimately be a better game, given the legacy it has to live up to. However, I tend to disagree. Even if this weren't a Final Fantasy it would still be marred by the same problems. It's not a bad game, it just asks a lot of the player's patience.
Final Fantasy XIII begins in the middle of things, introducing us to two characters named Lightning and Sazh. These two are on a train going off with civilians from Cocoon--a floating paradise above land (sort of)--to be purged. That's not really why Lightning is there. She wants to save her sister who has become a L'Cie, a race that bears a curse and is feared by the fal'Cie. Things go much deeper than that, and in a nutshell Final Fantasy XIII doesn't have a bad premise, it's just that there's a lot of it. Especially in the opening moments of the game. As the game begins there is so much backstory to swallow that it's easy to be a little confused at the beginning. However, there are certain things that detract from the story. The voice acting isn't always so great and sometimes the dialog is really bad.
What may not be so grand for Final Fantasy XIII is that it's a completely linear experience. The JRPG in general (especially Final Fantasy) has ALWAYS been like this, but usually it is masked in the illusion that you can explore. Usually by giving you a world map, towns etc. But every Final Fantasy (save for the earliest entries in the series) have always been about telling you where to go and blocking off access to other areas until you get an airship or some vehicle (and even by then you've explored much of the world already). Final Fantasy XIII strips away this illusion entirely, however. There is no world map and no towns to explore. For the first twenty hours or so you'll be pretty much running straight down a corridor. There are a couple of branching paths every now and then but only to get some treasure chest before running right back to the path. The issue here isn't actually that you're running straight down a corridor so much as it is that it makes the world Final Fantasy XIII takes place in rather stale. It just doesn't come alive. While it helps to keep the story front and center this approach just doesn't draw you into the world that Final Fantasy XIII takes place in. All your shopping is basically done at save points. And even when you find a place that might be considered a town, there are no denizens to speak of and are still those corridors you'll have to run down.
The gameplay can be satisfying, but much like the rest of the game it requires patience. The battle system goes back to some of the traditional Final Fantasy staples. The ATB battle system here is a little different from the others in the sense that you can only control one character, and that you can stack up several attacks at once. Your ATB gauge increases as time goes on. At first only allowing for two or three different strings of attacks, and later allowing for up to six strings. What makes it interesting is how you can stack. You could say, stack three attacks followed by two castings of the Fire spell if you wanted. It makes for some variety. Some of the battles are fast paced as a result. You can have the system choose to string attacks automatically for you if you wish. You'll only be able to control one combatant, though and the rest of the time the game is controlling the other two. Generally speaking, the other characters can handle themselves just fine. The problem stems mostly from the fact that if the main character falls it's game over. Your allies are not going to use items or anything to revive you. The approach makes battling feel limited.
But that's not the only reason battling can, and often does, feel limited. Like the exploration it's several hours before the entire true nature of the battle system comes out. And it's a shame because quite a few mechanics of Final Fantasy XIII's battle system aren't so bad. In particular the paradigm system adds a new layer of strategy. When you first begin the game all you can do is attack and use items. But when the paradigm system is introduced you can set characters to different jobs to have them perform different tasks. Ravagers can cast lots of different spells and use elemental strikes, Sentinels can take a lot of damage an serve as body guards. Saboteurs can cast all kinds of debuffs while Synergists can cast tons of buffs. Medics are healers and Commandos are your basic attackers. The paradigm shift allows you to change everyone's job on the fly depending on how you set them up. And each "Paradigm Shift" entails a different strategy. For example, sending in two Ravagers and a Commando creates the paradigm shift "Relentless assault" which works for offensive attacks. Two commandos and a medic makes the shift "Tireless Charge" which has two characters constantly attacking while one heals. There are a lot of different combinations, but Final Fantasy XIII is going to make sure you understand this system. Because if you don't the game is more than willing to punish you. It's hard only if you find yourself at a loss of what paradigm to use against certain enemies.
You can also develop these different classes for each character further. As you battle you gain Crystal Points to be used in the Crystarium. Using your CP you can increase a characters stats and learn new abilities. It's similar to Final Fantasy X's sphere grid system in that regard.
Another interesting concept of the battle system is the "stagger." As you attack enemies a gauge beneath them begins to fill up. When it does they'll stagger opening themselves up to more damage. There's a surprisingly large amount of strategy needed for Final Fantasy XIII. It's just a shame that much like the rest of the game, it takes a while to open up. Not all the different changes are available at the get go, which is to be expected, but you'll be a good ten hours or so into the game before the entire battle system is entirely opened up to you.
You'll be a good 20 or 30 hours into the game (depending on your mileage) before you can even attempt a great deal of sidequests the game offers. So Final Fantasy XIII does get bigger... it's just that you'll find yourself at the footsteps of the endgame before you finally feel as though the game has come into it's own. Sure after you complete the game you can do a ton of side quests in the post game (and Final Fantasy XIII is filled with quite a few), but that means that you'll slog through 40 or so hours before you actually can. If you have the patience for all of that you'll be fine, but there are bound to be a lot of gamers that don't like this steady approach of slowly piling things on. Most RPGs flesh out their systems or at least put the basics of it on the table long before the halfway point, but Final Fantasy XIII isn't that kind of game. It can make longtime fans feel like it's holding your hand or babying you into some of its more complex systems. But more importantly it just doesn't balance the game out.
On the other hand Final Fantasy XIII can be fun to play. Battling is often fun even if it takes forever for all the mechanics to be at the disposal of the player. The game also has some nice production values. It's a good looking game with a great presentation. The music also isn't so bad with some of the tunes standing out quite fondly. It's not all bad, it just feels unbalanced in how it presents much of this.
Final Fantasy XIII isn't a bad game. It just asks its audience to be extremely patient with it. And you're going to have to exercise it as you watch the story unfold. Battling is often fun, especially as more of the battle system becomes available, but getting there can feel like a test in tedium until that point. The game is plentiful in sidequests but you'll have to wait a long time to get to that too. Final Fantasy XIII isn't just missing staples that make it a great Final Fantasy game... but also just a great RPG. While it's great to be able to just buy your equipment at every save point, Final Fantasy XIII's world feels pretty empty when you take out all the towns and denizens. The stripping away of the illusion of freedom is a big hit. As I said, most every RPG is big on telling you where to go and finding creative ways (or lazy, depending on how you look at it) to keep from getting too far ahead in the story. But Final Fantasy XIII takes that to an extreme. It's easy to feel bored for the first half of Final Fantasy XIII. When you get to the point that the game allows you to explore and it opens up it becomes really fun. But it shouldn't have to take that long to get to that.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"The Good:\n+A good battle system overall\n+The story takes on some interesting themes\n+It's a very pretty game\n+The music is fairly good as well\n\nThe Bad:\n-There is not much exploring you can do\n-The battle system takes a while before it's opened up entirely\n-The voice acting isn't always at its best and neither is the writing\n-The lack of exploration makes the world of Final Fantasy XIII feel somewhat lifeless at times.",
"No towns or any real denizens to talk to means you're playing in a world that feels strangely empty with no life.",
"NOTE: The Following Review is Long\n\nFinal Fantasy has always been something of a controversial series among fans.",
"The argument as to which Final Fantasy is the greatest will be a never-ending argument.",
"Final Fantasy XIII probably does one of the more radical departures from the series.",
"Some that many have gone to say that if it DIDN'T have the name Final Fantasy it would ultimately be a better game, given the legacy it has to live up to.",
"However, I tend to disagree.",
"Even if this weren't a Final Fantasy it would still be marred by the same problems.",
"It's not a bad game, it just asks a lot of the player's patience.",
"Final Fantasy XIII begins in the middle of things, introducing us to two characters named Lightning and Sazh.",
"These two are on a train going off with civilians from Cocoon--a floating paradise above land (sort of)--to be purged.",
"That's not really why Lightning is there.",
"She wants to save her sister who has become a L'Cie, a race that bears a curse and is feared by the fal'Cie.",
"Things go much deeper than that, and in a nutshell Final Fantasy XIII doesn't have a bad premise, it's just that there's a lot of it.",
"Especially in the opening moments of the game.",
"As the game begins there is so much backstory to swallow that it's easy to be a little confused at the beginning.",
"However, there are certain things that detract from the story.",
"The voice acting isn't always so great and sometimes the dialog is really bad.",
"What may not be so grand for Final Fantasy XIII is that it's a completely linear experience.",
"The JRPG in general (especially Final Fantasy) has ALWAYS been like this, but usually it is masked in the illusion that you can explore.",
"Usually by giving you a world map, towns etc.",
"But every Final Fantasy (save for the earliest entries in the series) have always been about telling you where to go and blocking off access to other areas until you get an airship or some vehicle (and even by then you've explored much of the world already).",
"Final Fantasy XIII strips away this illusion entirely, however.",
"There is no world map and no towns to explore.",
"For the first twenty hours or so you'll be pretty much running straight down a corridor.",
"There are a couple of branching paths every now and then but only to get some treasure chest before running right back to the path.",
"The issue here isn't actually that you're running straight down a corridor so much as it is that it makes the world Final Fantasy XIII takes place in rather stale.",
"It just doesn't come alive.",
"While it helps to keep the story front and center this approach just doesn't draw you into the world that Final Fantasy XIII takes place in.",
"All your shopping is basically done at save points.",
"And even when you find a place that might be considered a town, there are no denizens to speak of and are still those corridors you'll have to run down.",
"The gameplay can be satisfying, but much like the rest of the game it requires patience.",
"The battle system goes back to some of the traditional Final Fantasy staples.",
"The ATB battle system here is a little different from the others in the sense that you can only control one character, and that you can stack up several attacks at once.",
"Your ATB gauge increases as time goes on.",
"At first only allowing for two or three different strings of attacks, and later allowing for up to six strings.",
"What makes it interesting is how you can stack.",
"You could say, stack three attacks followed by two castings of the Fire spell if you wanted.",
"It makes for some variety.",
"Some of the battles are fast paced as a result.",
"You can have the system choose to string attacks automatically for you if you wish.",
"You'll only be able to control one combatant, though and the rest of the time the game is controlling the other two.",
"Generally speaking, the other characters can handle themselves just fine.",
"The problem stems mostly from the fact that if the main character falls it's game over.",
"Your allies are not going to use items or anything to revive you.",
"The approach makes battling feel limited.",
"But that's not the only reason battling can, and often does, feel limited.",
"Like the exploration it's several hours before the entire true nature of the battle system comes out.",
"And it's a shame because quite a few mechanics of Final Fantasy XIII's battle system aren't so bad.",
"In particular the paradigm system adds a new layer of strategy.",
"When you first begin the game all you can do is attack and use items.",
"But when the paradigm system is introduced you can set characters to different jobs to have them perform different tasks.",
"Ravagers can cast lots of different spells and use elemental strikes, Sentinels can take a lot of damage an serve as body guards.",
"Saboteurs can cast all kinds of debuffs while Synergists can cast tons of buffs.",
"Medics are healers and Commandos are your basic attackers.",
"The paradigm shift allows you to change everyone's job on the fly depending on how you set them up.",
"And each \"Paradigm Shift\" entails a different strategy.",
"For example, sending in two Ravagers and a Commando creates the paradigm shift \"Relentless assault\" which works for offensive attacks.",
"Two commandos and a medic makes the shift \"Tireless Charge\" which has two characters constantly attacking while one heals.",
"There are a lot of different combinations, but Final Fantasy XIII is going to make sure you understand this system.",
"Because if you don't the game is more than willing to punish you.",
"It's hard only if you find yourself at a loss of what paradigm to use against certain enemies.",
"You can also develop these different classes for each character further.",
"As you battle you gain Crystal Points to be used in the Crystarium.",
"Using your CP you can increase a characters stats and learn new abilities.",
"It's similar to Final Fantasy X's sphere grid system in that regard.",
"Another interesting concept of the battle system is the \"stagger.",
"\" As you attack enemies a gauge beneath them begins to fill up.",
"When it does they'll stagger opening themselves up to more damage.",
"There's a surprisingly large amount of strategy needed for Final Fantasy XIII.",
"It's just a shame that much like the rest of the game, it takes a while to open up.",
"Not all the different changes are available at the get go, which is to be expected, but you'll be a good ten hours or so into the game before the entire battle system is entirely opened up to you.",
"You'll be a good 20 or 30 hours into the game (depending on your mileage) before you can even attempt a great deal of sidequests the game offers.",
"So Final Fantasy XIII does get bigger...",
"it's just that you'll find yourself at the footsteps of the endgame before you finally feel as though the game has come into it's own.",
"Sure after you complete the game you can do a ton of side quests in the post game (and Final Fantasy XIII is filled with quite a few), but that means that you'll slog through 40 or so hours before you actually can.",
"If you have the patience for all of that you'll be fine, but there are bound to be a lot of gamers that don't like this steady approach of slowly piling things on.",
"Most RPGs flesh out their systems or at least put the basics of it on the table long before the halfway point, but Final Fantasy XIII isn't that kind of game.",
"It can make longtime fans feel like it's holding your hand or babying you into some of its more complex systems.",
"But more importantly it just doesn't balance the game out.",
"On the other hand Final Fantasy XIII can be fun to play.",
"Battling is often fun even if it takes forever for all the mechanics to be at the disposal of the player.",
"The game also has some nice production values.",
"It's a good looking game with a great presentation.",
"The music also isn't so bad with some of the tunes standing out quite fondly.",
"It's not all bad, it just feels unbalanced in how it presents much of this.",
"Final Fantasy XIII isn't a bad game.",
"It just asks its audience to be extremely patient with it.",
"And you're going to have to exercise it as you watch the story unfold.",
"Battling is often fun, especially as more of the battle system becomes available, but getting there can feel like a test in tedium until that point.",
"The game is plentiful in sidequests but you'll have to wait a long time to get to that too.",
"Final Fantasy XIII isn't just missing staples that make it a great Final Fantasy game...",
"but also just a great RPG.",
"While it's great to be able to just buy your equipment at every save point, Final Fantasy XIII's world feels pretty empty when you take out all the towns and denizens.",
"The stripping away of the illusion of freedom is a big hit.",
"As I said, most every RPG is big on telling you where to go and finding creative ways (or lazy, depending on how you look at it) to keep from getting too far ahead in the story.",
"But Final Fantasy XIII takes that to an extreme.",
"It's easy to feel bored for the first half of Final Fantasy XIII.",
"When you get to the point that the game allows you to explore and it opens up it becomes really fun.",
"But it shouldn't have to take that long to get to that."
] |
The 2018 Congressional Retirement Tracker
The trend to this point gives a distinct edge to the Democrats. While roughly the same number of lawmakers in both parties are leaving their seats to run for higher office just nine House Democrats are retiring outright or have already resigned compared with 24 Republicans. (House members running for other offices often count as retirements because itâs usually impractical or illegal to run for multiple positions at the same time.) Including those members who are leaving to run for another office there will be 17 open House seats vacated by Democrats and 35 for Republicans. Democratic victories last November in gubernatorial and state legislative races in Virginia and New Jersey could spur more retirements among Republicans worried about the national political environment under Trump. And although Democrats must defend far more Senate seats than Republicans in 2018âincluding several in states that Donald Trump wonâall of the partyâs incumbents are currently running for reelection. The retirements of Corker and Flake along with a Democratic victory in Decemberâs special election in Alabama give Democrats an outside chance at retaking the Senate majority. In the House theyâll need to pick up 24 seats and the more Republicans retire in districts that Hillary Clinton carried last year the more the GOP majority is at risk. Data sources: Each districtâs presidential-election results are from the Daily Kos. House and Senate election results are from the Associated Press.
2012 Senate election: +3.9 Flake He decided to leave after a single term rather than wage what would have been a brutal fight for reelection first in a primary against a hard-right Trump backer Kelli Ward and then if he won against a centrist Democrat Representative Kyrsten Sinema in the general election. Flake had lost his base in Arizona: His criticism of Trump in his recent book Conscience of a Conservative alienated the presidentâs GOP backers while his conservative voting record put off Democrats. Orrin Hatch Utah 2016 presidential election: +17.9 Trump over Hillary Clinton; +23.8 Trump over Evan McMullin
2014 Senate election: +10.24 Franken Under pressure from fellow Democrats Franken announced in December he would resign âin the coming weeksâ after multiple women came forward to accuse him of inappropriate sexual behavior. Most of the allegations involved Franken groping women while taking a photo. His resignation means there will be a special Senate election in 2018 in a state that Hillary Clinton barely carried in 2016. House Republicans Retiring Outright Steve Helber / AP Bob Goodlatte Virginia 6th district 2016 presidential election: +24.8 Trump
2016 House election: +0.52 Issa Issa in January became one of the most recognizable House Republicans to announce his retirement. A former chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee he served as the chief congressional inquisitor of the Obama administration for several years. Issa is annually ranked as one of the wealthiest members of Congress having co-founded the company behind the Viper car alarm (for which he famously provided the voice). But he was in for the fight of his life to win reelection after nearly losing in 2016 in a district that Hillary Clinton carried over Donald Trump.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"The 2018 Congressional Retirement Tracker\nThe trend to this point gives a distinct edge to the Democrats.",
"While roughly the same number of lawmakers in both parties are leaving their seats to run for higher office just nine House Democrats are retiring outright or have already resigned compared with 24 Republicans.",
"(House members running for other offices often count as retirements because itâs usually impractical or illegal to run for multiple positions at the same time.",
") Including those members who are leaving to run for another office there will be 17 open House seats vacated by Democrats and 35 for Republicans.",
"Democratic victories last November in gubernatorial and state legislative races in Virginia and New Jersey could spur more retirements among Republicans worried about the national political environment under Trump.",
"And although Democrats must defend far more Senate seats than Republicans in 2018âincluding several in states that Donald Trump wonâall of the partyâs incumbents are currently running for reelection.",
"The retirements of Corker and Flake along with a Democratic victory in Decemberâs special election in Alabama give Democrats an outside chance at retaking the Senate majority.",
"In the House theyâll need to pick up 24 seats and the more Republicans retire in districts that Hillary Clinton carried last year the more the GOP majority is at risk.",
"Data sources: Each districtâs presidential-election results are from the Daily Kos.",
"House and Senate election results are from the Associated Press.",
"2012 Senate election: +3.",
"9 Flake He decided to leave after a single term rather than wage what would have been a brutal fight for reelection first in a primary against a hard-right Trump backer Kelli Ward and then if he won against a centrist Democrat Representative Kyrsten Sinema in the general election.",
"Flake had lost his base in Arizona: His criticism of Trump in his recent book Conscience of a Conservative alienated the presidentâs GOP backers while his conservative voting record put off Democrats.",
"Orrin Hatch Utah 2016 presidential election: +17.",
"9 Trump over Hillary Clinton; +23.",
"8 Trump over Evan McMullin\n2014 Senate election: +10.",
"24 Franken Under pressure from fellow Democrats Franken announced in December he would resign âin the coming weeksâ after multiple women came forward to accuse him of inappropriate sexual behavior.",
"Most of the allegations involved Franken groping women while taking a photo.",
"His resignation means there will be a special Senate election in 2018 in a state that Hillary Clinton barely carried in 2016.",
"House Republicans Retiring Outright Steve Helber / AP Bob Goodlatte Virginia 6th district 2016 presidential election: +24.",
"8 Trump\n2016 House election: +0.",
"52 Issa Issa in January became one of the most recognizable House Republicans to announce his retirement.",
"A former chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee he served as the chief congressional inquisitor of the Obama administration for several years.",
"Issa is annually ranked as one of the wealthiest members of Congress having co-founded the company behind the Viper car alarm (for which he famously provided the voice).",
"But he was in for the fight of his life to win reelection after nearly losing in 2016 in a district that Hillary Clinton carried over Donald Trump."
] |
This book, as you probably already know, is based on the game Betrayal at Krondor. Wonderful game, filled with rich story plots and subplots, and most important, memorable characters.
Feist revisits this story in book form here. Unfortunately, the book reads more like a video game rather than a novel. If you're fans of the entire Riftwar Saga, then get this book to add to the collection (it's really a wonderful series). However, if you are unfamiliar with the series, this is not the book to get right away (instead, start with Magician: Apprentice and go from there). Krondor the Betrayal, and I'm sure this is the popular view, is really not a well written book, but it is an interesting story.
And, for those of you who do not know Ray Feist's work, this is very atypical. He really is a wonderful writer in the rest of the series. This volume is just an anomaly.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"This book, as you probably already know, is based on the game Betrayal at Krondor.",
"Wonderful game, filled with rich story plots and subplots, and most important, memorable characters.",
"Feist revisits this story in book form here.",
"Unfortunately, the book reads more like a video game rather than a novel.",
"If you're fans of the entire Riftwar Saga, then get this book to add to the collection (it's really a wonderful series).",
"However, if you are unfamiliar with the series, this is not the book to get right away (instead, start with Magician: Apprentice and go from there).",
"Krondor the Betrayal, and I'm sure this is the popular view, is really not a well written book, but it is an interesting story.",
"And, for those of you who do not know Ray Feist's work, this is very atypical.",
"He really is a wonderful writer in the rest of the series.",
"This volume is just an anomaly."
] |
Unlike Windows "CRASH" Millenium, Windows XP PRO seems to work and contain the back end "stuff" you need to build sites, connect them to back end data sources, mess around with Perl and other web technologies.
It is likely to render some of your hardware and software inoperable until you get new software and drivers. So far, the Canon Scanner doesn't work, Roxio's CD creator (as mentioned by another reviewer) requires an $80.00 upgrade to work, drivers for the Creative sound card had to be installed 3x, the latest version of WinAmp died for a while, and there may be more. After a couple days, it's only had one crash that the computer seemed to think was serious enough to contact Microsoft about.
XP Home will work for the average surfer/graphics/HTML/Office user, but beyond that, Pro is necessary. So far, it does seem like a big leap in reliability and functionality from anything I've used in the past - 3.1, 95, 98, & ME. Though its too early to tell, the rating might need to go up a star or two if it doesn't start to implode after its been used for a while.
The color scheme in the interface changed to what looks like some kind of kids playschool theme but the actual layout is very similar to previous versions and doens't take much getting used to.
Just remember, THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "HOME" AND "PRO" in terms of functionality for those that work on the web and want to do anything that requires PWS or IIS.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Unlike Windows \"CRASH\" Millenium, Windows XP PRO seems to work and contain the back end \"stuff\" you need to build sites, connect them to back end data sources, mess around with Perl and other web technologies.",
"It is likely to render some of your hardware and software inoperable until you get new software and drivers.",
"So far, the Canon Scanner doesn't work, Roxio's CD creator (as mentioned by another reviewer) requires an $80.",
"00 upgrade to work, drivers for the Creative sound card had to be installed 3x, the latest version of WinAmp died for a while, and there may be more.",
"After a couple days, it's only had one crash that the computer seemed to think was serious enough to contact Microsoft about.",
"XP Home will work for the average surfer/graphics/HTML/Office user, but beyond that, Pro is necessary.",
"So far, it does seem like a big leap in reliability and functionality from anything I've used in the past - 3.",
"1, 95, 98, & ME.",
"Though its too early to tell, the rating might need to go up a star or two if it doesn't start to implode after its been used for a while.",
"The color scheme in the interface changed to what looks like some kind of kids playschool theme but the actual layout is very similar to previous versions and doens't take much getting used to.",
"Just remember, THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN \"HOME\" AND \"PRO\" in terms of functionality for those that work on the web and want to do anything that requires PWS or IIS."
] |
The Breakfast Club is a damn enjoyable film. It stands out as a classic of its genre, the '80s teen movie, the "brat pack" flicks exemplified in the films of John Hughes (Ferris Bueller's Day Off). In Hughes's world, the grown-ups are exposed as morons, and here it is Paul Gleason as high school Principal Richard Vernon ("Does Barry Manilow know you raided his wardrobe?") as the token object of humiliation.
In The Breakfast Club, five students find themselves thrown together for a Saturday detention. Throughout the course of the day they fight, they cause mischief, they laugh, they cry, they get high, and they wind up discovering that as different as they are from each other on the surface -- the rich kid, the geek, the troublemaker -- underneath they're the same ordinary kids going through the same ordinary struggles.
You may have to ignore some of the amoral implications of the story to appreciate it. And you will have to find it in your heart to forgive the cheesiness as Hughes presents every cliche of his era one by one. Overlook some of the utter implausibilities and absurdities the film throws at us. This is good fun that puts adults in their place for a while and reminds us that "kids" are human, too.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"The Breakfast Club is a damn enjoyable film.",
"It stands out as a classic of its genre, the '80s teen movie, the \"brat pack\" flicks exemplified in the films of John Hughes (Ferris Bueller's Day Off).",
"In Hughes's world, the grown-ups are exposed as morons, and here it is Paul Gleason as high school Principal Richard Vernon (\"Does Barry Manilow know you raided his wardrobe?",
"\") as the token object of humiliation.",
"In The Breakfast Club, five students find themselves thrown together for a Saturday detention.",
"Throughout the course of the day they fight, they cause mischief, they laugh, they cry, they get high, and they wind up discovering that as different as they are from each other on the surface -- the rich kid, the geek, the troublemaker -- underneath they're the same ordinary kids going through the same ordinary struggles.",
"You may have to ignore some of the amoral implications of the story to appreciate it.",
"And you will have to find it in your heart to forgive the cheesiness as Hughes presents every cliche of his era one by one.",
"Overlook some of the utter implausibilities and absurdities the film throws at us.",
"This is good fun that puts adults in their place for a while and reminds us that \"kids\" are human, too."
] |
Pac Man proved something to me with this collection, which was that the developers could take the same concept and make it interesting with four different versions of Pac Man. First there is the original hit game, Pac Man, where you are a little man with a huge mouth going through a maze, gobbling up pellets, being chased by ghosts in a never-ending quest. The next game is "Pac Man Arrangement," which is essentially the same game, only with fun new features, such as a dash and the graphics are a bit better. When Pac Man runs over a dash, he will zip from one side of the maze to the other, past all ghosts that chase him. The third game is Pac Attack, which is a clone of Tetris, falling blocks, some with ghosts in them, and eventually a falling Pac Man to eat the ghosts! You score points by stacking a line of bars or by having a Pac Man eat the ghosts. The fourth game is a great Pac Man game for the present day called Pac Mania! It features crisp graphics, a 3D maze, 3D Pac Man and 3D ghosts, each with their own personalities! The point of it is to still eat all of the pellets in the maze, but now there are more ghosts and you cannot see the entire maze in just one screen. The mazes even have different themes to them, such as one maze will be made of Legos, another will be on the top of a roof! One more thing, now Pac Man can jump over the ghosts! It's a very nice addition to the Pac Family. The only unfortunate part to all of these games is that it does not save your high scores when you turn the game off! There is some nice variety to this game pack, but its not for everyone.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Pac Man proved something to me with this collection, which was that the developers could take the same concept and make it interesting with four different versions of Pac Man.",
"First there is the original hit game, Pac Man, where you are a little man with a huge mouth going through a maze, gobbling up pellets, being chased by ghosts in a never-ending quest.",
"The next game is \"Pac Man Arrangement,\" which is essentially the same game, only with fun new features, such as a dash and the graphics are a bit better.",
"When Pac Man runs over a dash, he will zip from one side of the maze to the other, past all ghosts that chase him.",
"The third game is Pac Attack, which is a clone of Tetris, falling blocks, some with ghosts in them, and eventually a falling Pac Man to eat the ghosts!",
"You score points by stacking a line of bars or by having a Pac Man eat the ghosts.",
"The fourth game is a great Pac Man game for the present day called Pac Mania!",
"It features crisp graphics, a 3D maze, 3D Pac Man and 3D ghosts, each with their own personalities!",
"The point of it is to still eat all of the pellets in the maze, but now there are more ghosts and you cannot see the entire maze in just one screen.",
"The mazes even have different themes to them, such as one maze will be made of Legos, another will be on the top of a roof!",
"One more thing, now Pac Man can jump over the ghosts!",
"It's a very nice addition to the Pac Family.",
"The only unfortunate part to all of these games is that it does not save your high scores when you turn the game off!",
"There is some nice variety to this game pack, but its not for everyone."
] |
Takes about an Hour without thinking to play a single level. The Characters March across the screen for what seems like an eternity and then you have to deal with Battle scenes which is a joke. Plus once i attacked a pawn with my king and The battle scene showed my king pull out a Glock and Cap the Pawn. Dont ask me how a Glock was invented during 1100's but I know about it as much as you do.
the sound effects are pretty Boring, Typical Bleeps and Blurbs, Not much else about the game that is totally enjoyable. Its Chess, And you Can turn off the Moving character option and just make it chess which means no Battle Cutscenes and no Animation, wHich is better, but still boring.
on top of all this The AI is just way too difficult to outsmart even on level 1. Its like it knows my moves before i do, and i haven't won a single game. I played it to death and Won not once, Not twice, Not even a third time.
Kind of sad really. But if your looking for something to play on your NES or want something that involves chess but isn't as boring as Chessmaster, Then Battle chess is your main man, But i warn you, while it is enjoyable at first, it will be Rarely played afterward...
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Takes about an Hour without thinking to play a single level.",
"The Characters March across the screen for what seems like an eternity and then you have to deal with Battle scenes which is a joke.",
"Plus once i attacked a pawn with my king and The battle scene showed my king pull out a Glock and Cap the Pawn.",
"Dont ask me how a Glock was invented during 1100's but I know about it as much as you do.",
"the sound effects are pretty Boring, Typical Bleeps and Blurbs, Not much else about the game that is totally enjoyable.",
"Its Chess, And you Can turn off the Moving character option and just make it chess which means no Battle Cutscenes and no Animation, wHich is better, but still boring.",
"on top of all this The AI is just way too difficult to outsmart even on level 1.",
"Its like it knows my moves before i do, and i haven't won a single game.",
"I played it to death and Won not once, Not twice, Not even a third time.",
"Kind of sad really.",
"But if your looking for something to play on your NES or want something that involves chess but isn't as boring as Chessmaster, Then Battle chess is your main man, But i warn you, while it is enjoyable at first, it will be Rarely played afterward..."
] |
So, the good things about this product. It does go on evenly (more on that below), and it provides a very slight tanning effect, which is nice if you want to graduate to a deeper 'tan." It has a pleasant scent and is not sticky feeling at all.
The bad thing is it doesn't have really any tint at all out of the tube, so you have to be really methodical in how you apply it, assuming you want an even tan look. You have to slowly apply it and blend and rub all over to ensure you get as consistent application as possible.
The results appear hours later, so you are flying blind, so to speak.
I did end up with a VERY natural looking coloring, and it took 2-3 applications to get to where I looked slightly tan but not fake. In this respect, the product is a 4 or 5. But the headache of guessing makes me want to avoid it so I think it is just "OK."
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"So, the good things about this product.",
"It does go on evenly (more on that below), and it provides a very slight tanning effect, which is nice if you want to graduate to a deeper 'tan.",
"\" It has a pleasant scent and is not sticky feeling at all.",
"The bad thing is it doesn't have really any tint at all out of the tube, so you have to be really methodical in how you apply it, assuming you want an even tan look.",
"You have to slowly apply it and blend and rub all over to ensure you get as consistent application as possible.",
"The results appear hours later, so you are flying blind, so to speak.",
"I did end up with a VERY natural looking coloring, and it took 2-3 applications to get to where I looked slightly tan but not fake.",
"In this respect, the product is a 4 or 5.",
"But the headache of guessing makes me want to avoid it so I think it is just \"OK.",
"\""
] |
A new Trump administration plan makes nuclear war likelier
The Trump administration’s wizards of Armageddon have locked down their vision of the nuclear future. It is by and large a rehash of old thinking from previous administrations but its one key departure is a doozy: It declares a newfound readiness to use U.S. nuclear weapons first and early in a confrontation with Russia and possibly others.
[No one can stop President Trump from using nuclear weapons. That’s by design.]
Russia developed this doctrine over the past five years partially to exploit growing infrastructure vulnerabilities stemming from growing Western dependencies on these networks and partially to reduce Russia’s own strategic reliance on first use of nuclear arms. By focusing on cyberwar and conventional forces Russia seeks to depend less on its 20-year-old doctrine of “escalate to de-escalate ” which calls for the early first use of small-yield Russian tactical nuclear weapons to counter Western conventional supremacy. (This Russian option is also cited by the Trump review as a reason for acquiring and using countervailing low-yield U.S. nuclear weapons.)
The West’s Achilles’ heel of infrastructure vulnerability may tempt other adversaries besides Russia to take aim at this weakness in wartime. Indeed the Trump administration’s document leaves the door ajar for possible U.S. nuclear first strikes against non-nuclear countries if they wreck our critical civilian infrastructure.
The burden of nuclear first use should remain on Russia and not be allowed to shift onto NATO. No American president wants to feel pressure to authorize the early first use of nuclear weapons. The correct approach is for the West to exploit its own cyber and conventional prowess to counter Russia on its own terms exploiting Western superiority in these areas and leaving the burden of nuclear first use on Russia’s shoulders. We need tighter not looser rules for using nukes first in a confrontation with Russia. President Trump should expunge this major new creative but misguided part of his nuclear review — and fire its authors.
How President Trump could tweet his way into nuclear war with North Korea
If Trump wants to use nuclear weapons whether it’s ‘legal’ won’t matter
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"A new Trump administration plan makes nuclear war likelier\nThe Trump administration’s wizards of Armageddon have locked down their vision of the nuclear future.",
"It is by and large a rehash of old thinking from previous administrations but its one key departure is a doozy: It declares a newfound readiness to use U.",
"S. nuclear weapons first and early in a confrontation with Russia and possibly others.",
"[No one can stop President Trump from using nuclear weapons.",
"That’s by design.",
"]\nRussia developed this doctrine over the past five years partially to exploit growing infrastructure vulnerabilities stemming from growing Western dependencies on these networks and partially to reduce Russia’s own strategic reliance on first use of nuclear arms.",
"By focusing on cyberwar and conventional forces Russia seeks to depend less on its 20-year-old doctrine of “escalate to de-escalate ” which calls for the early first use of small-yield Russian tactical nuclear weapons to counter Western conventional supremacy.",
"(This Russian option is also cited by the Trump review as a reason for acquiring and using countervailing low-yield U.",
"S. nuclear weapons.",
")\nThe West’s Achilles’ heel of infrastructure vulnerability may tempt other adversaries besides Russia to take aim at this weakness in wartime.",
"Indeed the Trump administration’s document leaves the door ajar for possible U.",
"S. nuclear first strikes against non-nuclear countries if they wreck our critical civilian infrastructure.",
"The burden of nuclear first use should remain on Russia and not be allowed to shift onto NATO.",
"No American president wants to feel pressure to authorize the early first use of nuclear weapons.",
"The correct approach is for the West to exploit its own cyber and conventional prowess to counter Russia on its own terms exploiting Western superiority in these areas and leaving the burden of nuclear first use on Russia’s shoulders.",
"We need tighter not looser rules for using nukes first in a confrontation with Russia.",
"President Trump should expunge this major new creative but misguided part of his nuclear review — and fire its authors.",
"How President Trump could tweet his way into nuclear war with North Korea\nIf Trump wants to use nuclear weapons whether it’s ‘legal’ won’t matter"
] |
Fight Night Round 3 immerses you into a quite realistic modeling of boxing. The character models are impressive, down to sweat streaks on their bodies.
If someone walked into the room while you were playing a game, they might think for a second that they were watching an actual fight. The movements of the characters are impressive. The level of details on their faces and bodies - from the veins in their arms to the ripple of muscles on their stomach - was done with great attention.
You also get good quality voice acting from the commentator.
Now, that being said, my biggest issue is with the controls. The controls here are to use a joystick and to sweep it in the direction your first is going to go. So if you want your right fist to come sweeping around from the right to hit the guy's face, you use your joystick to go right and then forward.
But in practice I found that I could be telling the controller to do right jab - right jab - right jab and that randomly a left hook would throw in there. And there's no way to aim for the head vs the body.
I think a bit issue is that I have motion-based boxing games that I adore. I throw a left hook with my arm and the on-screen character mimics me perfectly. I *love* that. To try to do that type of action with a joystick just doesn't work. Both in a technical sense and in a visceral sense.
Also, the beautiful character modeling comes at a high price. The load screens are often interminable. Moving between screens can take quite a while.
I think if there were't other options out there, and this was the only boxing game around, that I would play it. It's pretty to look at. It does provide a boxing experience. But with all the other games I can choose from, which are enormously fun to play, I just don't have a reason to pop this into the PS3 and then wait for it to eventually get me into a match.
Rating: 3/5
I purchased this game with my own funds in order to write this review.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Fight Night Round 3 immerses you into a quite realistic modeling of boxing.",
"The character models are impressive, down to sweat streaks on their bodies.",
"If someone walked into the room while you were playing a game, they might think for a second that they were watching an actual fight.",
"The movements of the characters are impressive.",
"The level of details on their faces and bodies - from the veins in their arms to the ripple of muscles on their stomach - was done with great attention.",
"You also get good quality voice acting from the commentator.",
"Now, that being said, my biggest issue is with the controls.",
"The controls here are to use a joystick and to sweep it in the direction your first is going to go.",
"So if you want your right fist to come sweeping around from the right to hit the guy's face, you use your joystick to go right and then forward.",
"But in practice I found that I could be telling the controller to do right jab - right jab - right jab and that randomly a left hook would throw in there.",
"And there's no way to aim for the head vs the body.",
"I think a bit issue is that I have motion-based boxing games that I adore.",
"I throw a left hook with my arm and the on-screen character mimics me perfectly.",
"I *love* that.",
"To try to do that type of action with a joystick just doesn't work.",
"Both in a technical sense and in a visceral sense.",
"Also, the beautiful character modeling comes at a high price.",
"The load screens are often interminable.",
"Moving between screens can take quite a while.",
"I think if there were't other options out there, and this was the only boxing game around, that I would play it.",
"It's pretty to look at.",
"It does provide a boxing experience.",
"But with all the other games I can choose from, which are enormously fun to play, I just don't have a reason to pop this into the PS3 and then wait for it to eventually get me into a match.",
"Rating: 3/5\n\nI purchased this game with my own funds in order to write this review."
] |
I have to admit I've been a bit of an Unreal fan in the Quake/Unreal debate over the years. Sinlge player wise, mulitplayer and engine. I prefered Unreal to Quake 2 single player but liked Unreals bright graphics better. Quake II Multiplayer was the nuts!
When Quake 3 came out I found I had played the Unreal Tournement Demo more when I first got that! It doesn't detract from a great game but any game I can complete in one evening (on level 3), leaving me wondering if I can be bothered to do it all again on a higer level, doesn't warrant a classic game for me.
The engine is the best ever and the bots are gorgeous as is the level design. It just lacks the cutting edge that UT has and I'm still playing that now. I do go back to Quake 3 to make a change to UT but having completed it in one evening I really cant be asked to go all the way back and do it on a harder setting - The lastability just isn't there. Still a great game though - just not as good as Unreal tournement (demo!) HA!
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I have to admit I've been a bit of an Unreal fan in the Quake/Unreal debate over the years.",
"Sinlge player wise, mulitplayer and engine.",
"I prefered Unreal to Quake 2 single player but liked Unreals bright graphics better.",
"Quake II Multiplayer was the nuts!",
"When Quake 3 came out I found I had played the Unreal Tournement Demo more when I first got that!",
"It doesn't detract from a great game but any game I can complete in one evening (on level 3), leaving me wondering if I can be bothered to do it all again on a higer level, doesn't warrant a classic game for me.",
"The engine is the best ever and the bots are gorgeous as is the level design.",
"It just lacks the cutting edge that UT has and I'm still playing that now.",
"I do go back to Quake 3 to make a change to UT but having completed it in one evening I really cant be asked to go all the way back and do it on a harder setting - The lastability just isn't there.",
"Still a great game though - just not as good as Unreal tournement (demo!",
") HA!"
] |
I lived a sheltered and deprived youth wherein I was deprived of Chucks growing up. At age 32, I remedied that by buying them locally. My review will have some 'No duh!' moments to those of you who've worn these shoes before, but here you all go:
The look is classic and minimalist; there's no gimmicks here. No air cushions, pumps, LED's, springs or rocket thrusters on the bottoms. They are canvas and rubber. This becomes super obvious when you get the box - it's long and narrow like the box you'd see at a take-out Philly shop. The shoes are folded in on themselves. I can appreciate that.
What I found I didn't like was essentially everything else. I have the high tops, and I basically need to lace these bad boys all the way up to feel like they won't shift on my foot and ankle (they run big, BTW). And since they're just canvas uppers, lacing them up all the way still doesn't give the wearer a sense of support along the ankle. But I'm not playing basketball in these things, so that's probably not a big deal.
The soles of these get me though - no cushion or support. Stepping on a curb or a rock allows you to feel the entire contour of said curb or rock. The whole shoe contorts around the object and, subsequently, so does your foot. No real sense of support or even protection. I've had sandals that have had firmer arch support!
Really, these shoes are about style. I'm glad I bought them because I like the way they look. But I'll likely go back to New Balance or some such company whenever these Chuck's need to get chucked. I'm less interested in looks and more in comfort and support. But, again I should emphasize - they look pretty sweet!
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I lived a sheltered and deprived youth wherein I was deprived of Chucks growing up.",
"At age 32, I remedied that by buying them locally.",
"My review will have some 'No duh!",
"' moments to those of you who've worn these shoes before, but here you all go:\n\nThe look is classic and minimalist; there's no gimmicks here.",
"No air cushions, pumps, LED's, springs or rocket thrusters on the bottoms.",
"They are canvas and rubber.",
"This becomes super obvious when you get the box - it's long and narrow like the box you'd see at a take-out Philly shop.",
"The shoes are folded in on themselves.",
"I can appreciate that.",
"What I found I didn't like was essentially everything else.",
"I have the high tops, and I basically need to lace these bad boys all the way up to feel like they won't shift on my foot and ankle (they run big, BTW).",
"And since they're just canvas uppers, lacing them up all the way still doesn't give the wearer a sense of support along the ankle.",
"But I'm not playing basketball in these things, so that's probably not a big deal.",
"The soles of these get me though - no cushion or support.",
"Stepping on a curb or a rock allows you to feel the entire contour of said curb or rock.",
"The whole shoe contorts around the object and, subsequently, so does your foot.",
"No real sense of support or even protection.",
"I've had sandals that have had firmer arch support!",
"Really, these shoes are about style.",
"I'm glad I bought them because I like the way they look.",
"But I'll likely go back to New Balance or some such company whenever these Chuck's need to get chucked.",
"I'm less interested in looks and more in comfort and support.",
"But, again I should emphasize - they look pretty sweet!"
] |
Well built, but not long enough. I'm not sure which device is shown in the picture but it's not a currently offered Android or iPhone device.
I slipped my Galaxy Stellar in, and it just barely fits. My Wife's Galaxy SIII would not fit. The case width is fine but the length leaves a lot to be desired. The top strap is not long enough. As for the two snap belt straps....I cut them off , as the case itself has sewn-in straps for both vertical and horizontal use. I couldn't see those plastic loops digging into my side when worn , as they are unnecessary. A razor blade did the trick and I trimmed the remaining threads with a Bic lighter. If you have a dated Blackberry...this case would be perfect with a little modification but if not.....not so much.
For the money , this case is way too much work...to get it to work.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Well built, but not long enough.",
"I'm not sure which device is shown in the picture but it's not a currently offered Android or iPhone device.",
"I slipped my Galaxy Stellar in, and it just barely fits.",
"My Wife's Galaxy SIII would not fit.",
"The case width is fine but the length leaves a lot to be desired.",
"The top strap is not long enough.",
"As for the two snap belt straps....",
"I cut them off , as the case itself has sewn-in straps for both vertical and horizontal use.",
"I couldn't see those plastic loops digging into my side when worn , as they are unnecessary.",
"A razor blade did the trick and I trimmed the remaining threads with a Bic lighter.",
"If you have a dated Blackberry...",
"this case would be perfect with a little modification but if not....",
".",
"not so much.",
"For the money , this case is way too much work...",
"to get it to work."
] |
All things considered, Capcom Classics Collection vol. 2 is an awesome collection of games and a solid buy. You get 20 exciting old-school arcade games on 1 disk for about 1 dollar apiece! (And this is coming from a guy who's never been much of an arcade fan) I've been playing video games since 1992 when I first got an NES for Christmas, and I've been a loyal fan of console games ever since. I was never really into arcade games... Infact, the only reason why I bought this game in the first place was because it had "Street Fighter" & "Super Street Fighter II: Turbo" on it. But after playing it, I must say that arcade games are exciting & addictively fun!
Even if you're not a fan of arcade games, you should definately check this one out. It made a fan out of me, and it'll make a fan out of you too!
A warning to all people who are only buying this game for the "Street Fighter" games included on this disk: SAVE YOUR MONEY!
Although this game does include 2 Street Fighter games and is much cheaper than buying one of the Street Fighter Collection games, out of all the games on this disk, the Street Fighter games are definately the weaker ones. "Street Fighter" is a fun game, but it's very dificult, and you'll get really sick of hearing the annoying single charecter voice after just afew tries. As for "Super Street Fighter II: Turbo" it's even worse! Capcom made the difficulty on this game WAY too hard! Even when it's set on "Easiest" it's still almost impossible to even make it past your first challenger!!! I've played many Street Fighter games, and none of them have ever been this mutantly hard! (Maybe it's because it was an arcade version and they wanted you to dump alot of quarters into playing it?) Just invest the extra 10 dollars in the much better "Street Fighter Alpha Anthology" & "Street Fighter Anniversary Collection" games.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"All things considered, Capcom Classics Collection vol.",
"2 is an awesome collection of games and a solid buy.",
"You get 20 exciting old-school arcade games on 1 disk for about 1 dollar apiece!",
"(And this is coming from a guy who's never been much of an arcade fan) I've been playing video games since 1992 when I first got an NES for Christmas, and I've been a loyal fan of console games ever since.",
"I was never really into arcade games...",
"Infact, the only reason why I bought this game in the first place was because it had \"Street Fighter\" & \"Super Street Fighter II: Turbo\" on it.",
"But after playing it, I must say that arcade games are exciting & addictively fun!",
"Even if you're not a fan of arcade games, you should definately check this one out.",
"It made a fan out of me, and it'll make a fan out of you too!",
"A warning to all people who are only buying this game for the \"Street Fighter\" games included on this disk: SAVE YOUR MONEY!",
"Although this game does include 2 Street Fighter games and is much cheaper than buying one of the Street Fighter Collection games, out of all the games on this disk, the Street Fighter games are definately the weaker ones.",
"\"Street Fighter\" is a fun game, but it's very dificult, and you'll get really sick of hearing the annoying single charecter voice after just afew tries.",
"As for \"Super Street Fighter II: Turbo\" it's even worse!",
"Capcom made the difficulty on this game WAY too hard!",
"Even when it's set on \"Easiest\" it's still almost impossible to even make it past your first challenger!!!",
"I've played many Street Fighter games, and none of them have ever been this mutantly hard!",
"(Maybe it's because it was an arcade version and they wanted you to dump alot of quarters into playing it?",
") Just invest the extra 10 dollars in the much better \"Street Fighter Alpha Anthology\" & \"Street Fighter Anniversary Collection\" games."
] |
For as old as this game is it has some absolutely gorgeous landscape graphics. That is the best part of the game. From there it's downhill. The difficulty selections are laughable. "Easy" is ridiculously hard. Stealth and cover should have some meaning. In this game it doesn't. You fire on the enemy and a horde of enemies have you location absolutely pin pointed and they stay targeted, no matter how much you low crawl and hide in the bushes. This type of accuracy persists even at night. I also noticed that when you fire upon one enemy all of a sudden a horde appears from all directions.
What is so difficult about adding a quick save, quick load feature into a game. This game doesn't have it. Instead we have checkpoints which can be painfully far apart.
The plot isn't bad but, oh brother, is the script and voice acting incredibly juvenile, to say the least.
If you're a masochist and love impossible challenges go ahead and buy the game and get a little fun out of it. It's really inexpensive on Amazon. But if you've already played the subsequent Far Cry games I think that you might be disappointed. Oh, I also recommend a trainer for average players with short patience.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"For as old as this game is it has some absolutely gorgeous landscape graphics.",
"That is the best part of the game.",
"From there it's downhill.",
"The difficulty selections are laughable.",
"\"Easy\" is ridiculously hard.",
"Stealth and cover should have some meaning.",
"In this game it doesn't.",
"You fire on the enemy and a horde of enemies have you location absolutely pin pointed and they stay targeted, no matter how much you low crawl and hide in the bushes.",
"This type of accuracy persists even at night.",
"I also noticed that when you fire upon one enemy all of a sudden a horde appears from all directions.",
"What is so difficult about adding a quick save, quick load feature into a game.",
"This game doesn't have it.",
"Instead we have checkpoints which can be painfully far apart.",
"The plot isn't bad but, oh brother, is the script and voice acting incredibly juvenile, to say the least.",
"If you're a masochist and love impossible challenges go ahead and buy the game and get a little fun out of it.",
"It's really inexpensive on Amazon.",
"But if you've already played the subsequent Far Cry games I think that you might be disappointed.",
"Oh, I also recommend a trainer for average players with short patience."
] |
This is from a woman's point of view. This product cleans my husband. That is always a plus. He doesn't smell like a dead mouse. Again, a plus. Fresh scent? Definitely not the same "fresh" as other products. But not an unpleasant smell. When I put long lasting in the title I meant it. I can still smell it on his clothes when I wash, even if I let the laundry pile up for a few days. For the price it is worth it for your husband not to smell like butt.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"This is from a woman's point of view.",
"This product cleans my husband.",
"That is always a plus.",
"He doesn't smell like a dead mouse.",
"Again, a plus.",
"Fresh scent?",
"Definitely not the same \"fresh\" as other products.",
"But not an unpleasant smell.",
"When I put long lasting in the title I meant it.",
"I can still smell it on his clothes when I wash, even if I let the laundry pile up for a few days.",
"For the price it is worth it for your husband not to smell like butt."
] |
First off let me start by saying I'm a huge Metal fan and am quite fond of thrash. I listen to Bands like Megadeth, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Testament, Judas Priest, Sepultura and Black Sabbath on a regular basis. After listening to this album I can't honestly figure out why Anthrax are considered to be in the big four, on par with the likes of Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth. It drives me mad. While some of the songs on here are pretty good, like the best track, the entertaining energetic "Caught in A Mosh," none of the tracks are on par with great thrash classics like Holy Wars...The Punishment Due, Raining Blood, or Battery. I know most metal vocalists suck, paticuarily thrash vocalists but Belladonna sticks out like a sore thumb in this band, because even though he's an acceptable singer, he sounds like he should be in a hair band not a thrash band like anthrax. The riffs are quite solid, with some such as the intro riff to "Imitation of Life" being one of the greatest thrash riffs ever, the band fail when it comes to writing solos. Sure people complain about kerry king and Jeff Hanneman of Slayer but I can assure you that Dan Spitz's solos are a lot worse and all sound exactly the same and have no energy. Charlie Bentante is an ok drummer, but he fails when compared to good thrash drummers like Dave lombardo, Gene Hoglan, Nick Menza and Lars Ulrich. And many of these songs are quite boring to tell the truth. In fact 3 stars is surely overly generous for this record but I do sort of like the bands lighthearded lyrics which contrast nicely to other metal bands constant rants about how the world sucks but it doesn't save the fact that there were better non-big four thrash bands significantly better than this, like Testament, Dark Angel and Sepultura. In paticular I think Testament should be part of the big four over Anthrax, there songs are a lot more memorable, their vocalist is better and the guitarist, alex skolnick writes jazz fusion solos that never fail to impress. On the other hand Anthrax mostly writes boring songs with boring solos. This stuff is absolutely dated; any people getting into thrash should absolutely avoid Anthrax and spend their time with better thrash bands like Metallica (1st 4 records), Slayer (all records but undisputed attitude), Megadeth (Killing is my business, Peace Sells and especially Rust in Peace), Testament (all but Demonic), Sepultura (Schizophrenia, Beneath The Remains, Arise, Chaos A.D), Dark Angel (Darkness Descends), and Exodus (Bonded by Blood). Avoid overrated dated stuff like this and buy the stuff above as you can save your money and have a lot more fun listening to good thrash.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"First off let me start by saying I'm a huge Metal fan and am quite fond of thrash.",
"I listen to Bands like Megadeth, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Testament, Judas Priest, Sepultura and Black Sabbath on a regular basis.",
"After listening to this album I can't honestly figure out why Anthrax are considered to be in the big four, on par with the likes of Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth.",
"It drives me mad.",
"While some of the songs on here are pretty good, like the best track, the entertaining energetic \"Caught in A Mosh,\" none of the tracks are on par with great thrash classics like Holy Wars...",
"The Punishment Due, Raining Blood, or Battery.",
"I know most metal vocalists suck, paticuarily thrash vocalists but Belladonna sticks out like a sore thumb in this band, because even though he's an acceptable singer, he sounds like he should be in a hair band not a thrash band like anthrax.",
"The riffs are quite solid, with some such as the intro riff to \"Imitation of Life\" being one of the greatest thrash riffs ever, the band fail when it comes to writing solos.",
"Sure people complain about kerry king and Jeff Hanneman of Slayer but I can assure you that Dan Spitz's solos are a lot worse and all sound exactly the same and have no energy.",
"Charlie Bentante is an ok drummer, but he fails when compared to good thrash drummers like Dave lombardo, Gene Hoglan, Nick Menza and Lars Ulrich.",
"And many of these songs are quite boring to tell the truth.",
"In fact 3 stars is surely overly generous for this record but I do sort of like the bands lighthearded lyrics which contrast nicely to other metal bands constant rants about how the world sucks but it doesn't save the fact that there were better non-big four thrash bands significantly better than this, like Testament, Dark Angel and Sepultura.",
"In paticular I think Testament should be part of the big four over Anthrax, there songs are a lot more memorable, their vocalist is better and the guitarist, alex skolnick writes jazz fusion solos that never fail to impress.",
"On the other hand Anthrax mostly writes boring songs with boring solos.",
"This stuff is absolutely dated; any people getting into thrash should absolutely avoid Anthrax and spend their time with better thrash bands like Metallica (1st 4 records), Slayer (all records but undisputed attitude), Megadeth (Killing is my business, Peace Sells and especially Rust in Peace), Testament (all but Demonic), Sepultura (Schizophrenia, Beneath The Remains, Arise, Chaos A.",
"D), Dark Angel (Darkness Descends), and Exodus (Bonded by Blood).",
"Avoid overrated dated stuff like this and buy the stuff above as you can save your money and have a lot more fun listening to good thrash."
] |
This is an interesting, exciting, and disapointing CD of singles from MISSION of BURMA. This collection titled SIGNALS, CALLS, and MARCHES is as slip-shod as the underachieving career of this exciting and influential band. As a reissue, it presents the songs vividly and remastered. The songs capture the driving energy of East-Coast US Post-Punk. TWIRFMR is a prime example of the best. The lyrics are a poignant appraisal of punk's manifesto. "Once I had my heroes / Once I had my dreams / But all that is changed now / The truth begins, again / The truth is not that comfortable" F&F is another fine example : "Try to catch a falling star / Crush it into dust / Stuff it into a jar / and throw it far away ". Musically, the song couragously collapses into a whimper and recovers with a strong finish. Few bands of any period pull off a song like F&F as successfully. At the same time, what did MoB do with this talent if not crush it and throw it far away? Why should I care two decades later? This collection does nothing to motivate a new listener. It is not enough that Mr Richard Hall (aka Moby) enjoyed MoB while growing up in Connecticut. Like the band this collection is a disappointment of underperformance.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"This is an interesting, exciting, and disapointing CD of singles from MISSION of BURMA.",
"This collection titled SIGNALS, CALLS, and MARCHES is as slip-shod as the underachieving career of this exciting and influential band.",
"As a reissue, it presents the songs vividly and remastered.",
"The songs capture the driving energy of East-Coast US Post-Punk.",
"TWIRFMR is a prime example of the best.",
"The lyrics are a poignant appraisal of punk's manifesto.",
"\"Once I had my heroes / Once I had my dreams / But all that is changed now / The truth begins, again / The truth is not that comfortable\" F&F is another fine example : \"Try to catch a falling star / Crush it into dust / Stuff it into a jar / and throw it far away \".",
"Musically, the song couragously collapses into a whimper and recovers with a strong finish.",
"Few bands of any period pull off a song like F&F as successfully.",
"At the same time, what did MoB do with this talent if not crush it and throw it far away?",
"Why should I care two decades later?",
"This collection does nothing to motivate a new listener.",
"It is not enough that Mr Richard Hall (aka Moby) enjoyed MoB while growing up in Connecticut.",
"Like the band this collection is a disappointment of underperformance."
] |
This is the best decaf green tea I've ever drank.
A reviewer said that it contains caffeine. I am quite sensitive to caffeine. It gives me panic attacks.
So far I have consumed 2 cups daily of this tea with no adverse effect. So I'm hopeful there's no caffeine in it.
I am enjoying every cup.
3/31/2017:
I'm going to agree with the reviewer on February 2016 who said this tea may not be completely decaffeinated.
I have been having intense fast heartbeats and panic attacks after drinking this tea. This is the only change I've made/added to my diet, so I know it's the tea.
Too bad! I really enjoyed the taste of this tea.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"This is the best decaf green tea I've ever drank.",
"A reviewer said that it contains caffeine.",
"I am quite sensitive to caffeine.",
"It gives me panic attacks.",
"So far I have consumed 2 cups daily of this tea with no adverse effect.",
"So I'm hopeful there's no caffeine in it.",
"I am enjoying every cup.",
"3/31/2017:\nI'm going to agree with the reviewer on February 2016 who said this tea may not be completely decaffeinated.",
"I have been having intense fast heartbeats and panic attacks after drinking this tea.",
"This is the only change I've made/added to my diet, so I know it's the tea.",
"Too bad!",
"I really enjoyed the taste of this tea."
] |
There was some good stuff in BIRD SONG (Grace #2) with a couple of little supernatural twist that I didn't see coming, but I can't deny I was pretty disappointed with this second book. Too much of the "real" stuff (the human world stuff) was not believable to me and there was way too much of the dramatics for my taste... especially at the end. After all that had gone down in FALLING FROM GRACE and BIRD SONG up to this point, THAT is what is so devastating to Grace?.. really?? THAT confession is what puts the "soul mates" relationship and future at risk?... well, sorry I'm having a rough time accepting a lot of what happens in this book and THAT is not even making the list for me.
Being that I already own the rest of the books, I will eventually finish the series, but right now I not super inspired to move forward with the story, so I'll be taking a little break from Grace and her Angles, and reading something else before I crack open BLACK HALO (Grace #3).
Care to find out what put me off so much with this installment??? -Keep reading.
***SPOILER!***
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*Completely unrealistic... and that bit having nothing to do with angels.. and everything to do with the author wanting me to believe that somehow after physically attacking another student 'Stacy' (to the point of ambulances and hospitalization) the said attacker 'Erica' is not only NOT suspended, much less expelled (ever heard of zero tolerance?) but is allowed to return to school the next day as if nothing had happened. And that's not the absurd part, well ok that is absurd, just not the height of it. The attacker 'Erica' then somehow sells the Vice Principle on the idea that it's all the hospitalized victim's friend Grace's fault; because the beating was really meant for her and the reason for the beating is that she 'Erica' likes Graces boyfriend and doesn't think freak-Grace is good enough for him. So the VP basically tells Grace this is all her fault and if she doesn't agree to stop seeing her too good looking bf Robert, then Erica is going to sue the school for discrimination, because of course the whole thing is racist... Stacy and Grace are both Koran after all.... I mean WTH!?! We're really supposed to find this believable?.. really?? I know I'm not a teen (haven't been for a while) but I'd like to think that even the most hormonally driven flighty teenager would find that little turn of events hard to swallow. Paranormal and fantasy is great, entertaining and fun to read, but the reality part of the story should at least have its toe in reality. There is no way that in any school today a student who hospitalized another student (especially unprovoked) wouldn't be immediately expelled or at the very least suspend and probably sued by the victim... Not just going unpunished, but justified by the VP that well, she is rich and beautiful and well she had a right because, hey that other girl isn't cute enough to be with that good looking guy and she really meant to hospitalized her anyway, it was just a case of mistaken identity ...what??? My intelligence has been sorely insulted Ms Naeole.
*
****End Spoiler****
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"There was some good stuff in BIRD SONG (Grace #2) with a couple of little supernatural twist that I didn't see coming, but I can't deny I was pretty disappointed with this second book.",
"Too much of the \"real\" stuff (the human world stuff) was not believable to me and there was way too much of the dramatics for my taste...",
"especially at the end.",
"After all that had gone down in FALLING FROM GRACE and BIRD SONG up to this point, THAT is what is so devastating to Grace?..",
"really??",
"THAT confession is what puts the \"soul mates\" relationship and future at risk?...",
"well, sorry I'm having a rough time accepting a lot of what happens in this book and THAT is not even making the list for me.",
"Being that I already own the rest of the books, I will eventually finish the series, but right now I not super inspired to move forward with the story, so I'll be taking a little break from Grace and her Angles, and reading something else before I crack open BLACK HALO (Grace #3).",
"Care to find out what put me off so much with this installment???",
"-Keep reading.",
"***SPOILER!",
"***\n*\n*\n*\n*\n*\n*\n*\n*Completely unrealistic...",
"and that bit having nothing to do with angels..",
"and everything to do with the author wanting me to believe that somehow after physically attacking another student 'Stacy' (to the point of ambulances and hospitalization) the said attacker 'Erica' is not only NOT suspended, much less expelled (ever heard of zero tolerance?",
") but is allowed to return to school the next day as if nothing had happened.",
"And that's not the absurd part, well ok that is absurd, just not the height of it.",
"The attacker 'Erica' then somehow sells the Vice Principle on the idea that it's all the hospitalized victim's friend Grace's fault; because the beating was really meant for her and the reason for the beating is that she 'Erica' likes Graces boyfriend and doesn't think freak-Grace is good enough for him.",
"So the VP basically tells Grace this is all her fault and if she doesn't agree to stop seeing her too good looking bf Robert, then Erica is going to sue the school for discrimination, because of course the whole thing is racist...",
"Stacy and Grace are both Koran after all....",
"I mean WTH!?",
"!",
"We're really supposed to find this believable?..",
"really??",
"I know I'm not a teen (haven't been for a while) but I'd like to think that even the most hormonally driven flighty teenager would find that little turn of events hard to swallow.",
"Paranormal and fantasy is great, entertaining and fun to read, but the reality part of the story should at least have its toe in reality.",
"There is no way that in any school today a student who hospitalized another student (especially unprovoked) wouldn't be immediately expelled or at the very least suspend and probably sued by the victim...",
"Not just going unpunished, but justified by the VP that well, she is rich and beautiful and well she had a right because, hey that other girl isn't cute enough to be with that good looking guy and she really meant to hospitalized her anyway, it was just a case of mistaken identity...",
"what???",
"My intelligence has been sorely insulted Ms Naeole.",
"*\n****End Spoiler****"
] |
The Lawman takes place in 1869 and starts with Abigail running from her ex-lover. She decides to be a mail order bride and goes to Montana to meet the man she has agreed to marry but he has been arrested and not there to marry her. Even though she is out of money, she has to get back on the stage coach and keep moving or get married right away. She enters the saloon to get the stage coach driver and accidentally starts a brawl that destroys the bar. Marshal Morgan Avery walks in on the kayos and arrests her. He takes her to the jail and locks her in a cell.
This story is uniquely set in the time period. It both conforms with and goes against the times.
I liked the characters in The Lawman. Abigail was feisty and tried to get herself out of the problems she unknowingly created. I was surprised with how brazen Abigail was for that time period. Morgan was a good man and always wanted to do the 'right thing'. But the fact that he ALWAYS wanted sex lowered his appeal to me. When Abigail and Morgan got together, it felt more of a business arrangement than attraction for each other so that part wasn't believable.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"The Lawman takes place in 1869 and starts with Abigail running from her ex-lover.",
"She decides to be a mail order bride and goes to Montana to meet the man she has agreed to marry but he has been arrested and not there to marry her.",
"Even though she is out of money, she has to get back on the stage coach and keep moving or get married right away.",
"She enters the saloon to get the stage coach driver and accidentally starts a brawl that destroys the bar.",
"Marshal Morgan Avery walks in on the kayos and arrests her.",
"He takes her to the jail and locks her in a cell.",
"This story is uniquely set in the time period.",
"It both conforms with and goes against the times.",
"I liked the characters in The Lawman.",
"Abigail was feisty and tried to get herself out of the problems she unknowingly created.",
"I was surprised with how brazen Abigail was for that time period.",
"Morgan was a good man and always wanted to do the 'right thing'.",
"But the fact that he ALWAYS wanted sex lowered his appeal to me.",
"When Abigail and Morgan got together, it felt more of a business arrangement than attraction for each other so that part wasn't believable."
] |
Trump Defends Alleged Wife
On Friday President Trump spoke to the press about ousted aide Rob Porter who left the White House after two ex-wives accused him of spousal abuse and one provided a photo of herself with a black eye. Trump defended Porter stating “it was very sad when we heard about it and certainly he ’s very sad now. As you probably know he says he ’s innocent. And I think you have to remember that. He said very strongly yesterday that he ’s innocent so you’ll have to talk to him about that. But we absolutely wish him well. Did a very good job while he was at the White House.”
BREAKING: Trump wishes Porter well points to his denials. " He says he 's innocent. I think you have to remember that." pic.twitter.com/t3PfTVtld0 — Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) February 9 2018
For Trump Porter’s denial is enough to allow him to wish Porter well. The same does not hold true for Omarosa who isn’t accused of punching a woman in the eye but who did say she wouldn’t vote for Trump in 2020. She got shellacked from the White House podium yesterday.
So it seems that Trump ’s standard of belief relies on the denial of the accused. But not always obviously. Trump spent most of the 2016 election cycle chanting “Lock her up!” regarding Hillary Clinton who was never charged with or convicted of a crime. He wasn’t wrong to believe that Hillary had committed criminal acts. But her denial wasn’t enough for him .
And of course Trump was in fine fettle with regard to the Central Park Five:
I can see why @realDonaldTrump supported Rob Porter and emphasized his claims of innocence given the President's long history of commitment to due process and fairness. pic.twitter.com/nfB99FjS9o — TreasonHat (@Popehat) February 9 2018
Denials are only enough in the realm of sexual abuse and assault apparently. Back in 1992 Trump defended convicted rapist Mike Tyson stating “You have a young woman that was in his room his hotel room late in the evening at her own will. You have a young woman who was seen dancing for the beauty contest dancing with a big smile on her face looked happy as could be.” He proposed no jail time for Tyson.
Trump used the Rob Porter excuse with Roy Moore as well stating “You have to listen to him also…He totally denies it.” And way back when Trump even defended Bill Clinton calling his accusers “terrible” and “unattractive.”
But Trump ’s rule regarding denials regarding sexual abuse cease to apply if he can attack his political opponents. So during the campaign Trump held a campaign press conference with four accusers against Clinton; in open debate he stated “There’s never been anybody in the history of politics that has been so abusive to women.” Clinton of course denied such abuse.
Trump ’s rule makes a good deal of practical sense: he ’s been accused by a bevy of women of both sexual harassment and assault. He denies it. Therefore he has to take everyone else’s denials at face value.
But suffice it to say that Trump ’s standard puts decent conservatives at severe moral risk. The question here isn’t whether Trump stands for “innocent until proven guilty.” He doesn’t. The question is whether Republicans are willing to stand by while other Republicans are credibly accused of awful offenses tut-tutting about “denials ” all in order to mirror Trump ’s self-serving standard.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Trump Defends Alleged Wife\nOn Friday President Trump spoke to the press about ousted aide Rob Porter who left the White House after two ex-wives accused him of spousal abuse and one provided a photo of herself with a black eye.",
"Trump defended Porter stating “it was very sad when we heard about it and certainly he ’s very sad now.",
"As you probably know he says he ’s innocent.",
"And I think you have to remember that.",
"He said very strongly yesterday that he ’s innocent so you’ll have to talk to him about that.",
"But we absolutely wish him well.",
"Did a very good job while he was at the White House.",
"”\nBREAKING: Trump wishes Porter well points to his denials.",
"\" He says he 's innocent.",
"I think you have to remember that.",
"\" pic.",
"twitter.",
"com/t3PfTVtld0 — Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) February 9 2018\nFor Trump Porter’s denial is enough to allow him to wish Porter well.",
"The same does not hold true for Omarosa who isn’t accused of punching a woman in the eye but who did say she wouldn’t vote for Trump in 2020.",
"She got shellacked from the White House podium yesterday.",
"So it seems that Trump ’s standard of belief relies on the denial of the accused.",
"But not always obviously.",
"Trump spent most of the 2016 election cycle chanting “Lock her up!",
"” regarding Hillary Clinton who was never charged with or convicted of a crime.",
"He wasn’t wrong to believe that Hillary had committed criminal acts.",
"But her denial wasn’t enough for him.",
"And of course Trump was in fine fettle with regard to the Central Park Five:\nI can see why @realDonaldTrump supported Rob Porter and emphasized his claims of innocence given the President's long history of commitment to due process and fairness.",
"pic.",
"twitter.",
"com/nfB99FjS9o — TreasonHat (@Popehat) February 9 2018\nDenials are only enough in the realm of sexual abuse and assault apparently.",
"Back in 1992 Trump defended convicted rapist Mike Tyson stating “You have a young woman that was in his room his hotel room late in the evening at her own will.",
"You have a young woman who was seen dancing for the beauty contest dancing with a big smile on her face looked happy as could be.",
"” He proposed no jail time for Tyson.",
"Trump used the Rob Porter excuse with Roy Moore as well stating “You have to listen to him also…He totally denies it.",
"” And way back when Trump even defended Bill Clinton calling his accusers “terrible” and “unattractive.",
"”\nBut Trump ’s rule regarding denials regarding sexual abuse cease to apply if he can attack his political opponents.",
"So during the campaign Trump held a campaign press conference with four accusers against Clinton; in open debate he stated “There’s never been anybody in the history of politics that has been so abusive to women.",
"” Clinton of course denied such abuse.",
"Trump ’s rule makes a good deal of practical sense: he ’s been accused by a bevy of women of both sexual harassment and assault.",
"He denies it.",
"Therefore he has to take everyone else’s denials at face value.",
"But suffice it to say that Trump ’s standard puts decent conservatives at severe moral risk.",
"The question here isn’t whether Trump stands for “innocent until proven guilty.",
"” He doesn’t.",
"The question is whether Republicans are willing to stand by while other Republicans are credibly accused of awful offenses tut-tutting about “denials ” all in order to mirror Trump ’s self-serving standard."
] |
First of all, this is an excellent game. The game has superb graphics, easy controls, and most important fun gameplay. Game modes include instant action, which allows you to build a custom mission. You get to pick the baattlefield (example: hoth) and then pick the type of gameplay (example: capture the flag) you then pick which side you was to be on (good or bad) and then play. Another game mode, galactic conquest is almost like the board game Risk. The player picks their side (republic, cis, rebels, or empire). They then try to capture the entire galaxy. Players move their ships like in a board game and then actually fight battles. The third game mode is missions with objectives. You pick between bounty hunter, rebel spy, or impirial soldier. You then get five missions to complete. There is also online gaming, which I haven't tried yet. The main flaws of the game are it occasionally gets stuck after a battle and the missions don't really have a plot/story to go along with them such as in other star wars games. Also, the space battles could've been made much more intense. Overall, if you like star wars at all, I think that you should get this game. It is one of the best psp games out there.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"First of all, this is an excellent game.",
"The game has superb graphics, easy controls, and most important fun gameplay.",
"Game modes include instant action, which allows you to build a custom mission.",
"You get to pick the baattlefield (example: hoth) and then pick the type of gameplay (example: capture the flag) you then pick which side you was to be on (good or bad) and then play.",
"Another game mode, galactic conquest is almost like the board game Risk.",
"The player picks their side (republic, cis, rebels, or empire).",
"They then try to capture the entire galaxy.",
"Players move their ships like in a board game and then actually fight battles.",
"The third game mode is missions with objectives.",
"You pick between bounty hunter, rebel spy, or impirial soldier.",
"You then get five missions to complete.",
"There is also online gaming, which I haven't tried yet.",
"The main flaws of the game are it occasionally gets stuck after a battle and the missions don't really have a plot/story to go along with them such as in other star wars games.",
"Also, the space battles could've been made much more intense.",
"Overall, if you like star wars at all, I think that you should get this game.",
"It is one of the best psp games out there."
] |
I've been using this type of wipe in the bathroom since my kids were young. I find that they work better than paper alone, and I've tried a variety of brands. I had high hopes for Charmin. Their paper is the best, so I expected their wipes to also be the best. Wrong. They are nothing special. They stick together, are hard to dispense without pulling out more than you need, and there is no thickness or texture to them. On top of that, one of my dispensers was cracked on arrival.
I'll go back to using the wipes I've been using. They are also a name brand, but the top of the dispenser is flatter, the wipes are thicker and textured, and you can pull out one at a time, unlike these.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I've been using this type of wipe in the bathroom since my kids were young.",
"I find that they work better than paper alone, and I've tried a variety of brands.",
"I had high hopes for Charmin.",
"Their paper is the best, so I expected their wipes to also be the best.",
"Wrong.",
"They are nothing special.",
"They stick together, are hard to dispense without pulling out more than you need, and there is no thickness or texture to them.",
"On top of that, one of my dispensers was cracked on arrival.",
"I'll go back to using the wipes I've been using.",
"They are also a name brand, but the top of the dispenser is flatter, the wipes are thicker and textured, and you can pull out one at a time, unlike these."
] |
This game came highly recommended to me and got good reviews, but I have to say that this is one of the most infuriating games I've ever played. Yes, 2 of the 3 mini-games that are initially unlocked are fun, but to get the other 3 mini games you have to play the main game, and the main game is infuriatingly not fun. Actually, the first 5 or 6 levels or so are pretty fun, but then it rapidly, and painfully, gets difficult. It's a lot like Marble Madness, except for the fun part. A key difference between the way Marble Madness worked and the way this works is that in Marble Madness, if you fell off an edge you lost time, but were placed roughly back where you were before you fell off. In Super Monkey Ball, if you fall off you have to start the level entirely over again. Combine that with levels involving balance beam precision and what you end up with just isn't fun.
I made it through the easy levels, but decided I'd had enough only a short way into the medium difficulty levels. An hour into it and I was only less than halfway to unlocking one mini game. It's just not worth it. My advice would be to only buy this game if you have an Action Replay to unlock all the mini games right away, or if you have friends/family who have a save with all the mini games unlocked that you can copy to your memory card. The mini games are fun, and SMB should have been entirely mini games.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"This game came highly recommended to me and got good reviews, but I have to say that this is one of the most infuriating games I've ever played.",
"Yes, 2 of the 3 mini-games that are initially unlocked are fun, but to get the other 3 mini games you have to play the main game, and the main game is infuriatingly not fun.",
"Actually, the first 5 or 6 levels or so are pretty fun, but then it rapidly, and painfully, gets difficult.",
"It's a lot like Marble Madness, except for the fun part.",
"A key difference between the way Marble Madness worked and the way this works is that in Marble Madness, if you fell off an edge you lost time, but were placed roughly back where you were before you fell off.",
"In Super Monkey Ball, if you fall off you have to start the level entirely over again.",
"Combine that with levels involving balance beam precision and what you end up with just isn't fun.",
"I made it through the easy levels, but decided I'd had enough only a short way into the medium difficulty levels.",
"An hour into it and I was only less than halfway to unlocking one mini game.",
"It's just not worth it.",
"My advice would be to only buy this game if you have an Action Replay to unlock all the mini games right away, or if you have friends/family who have a save with all the mini games unlocked that you can copy to your memory card.",
"The mini games are fun, and SMB should have been entirely mini games."
] |
UPDATE: less than 1 week in, and my daughter's 10ft cord is already loose on the micro end. The cord itself wiggles where the plastic plug meets the cord. Of course, she's probably a little harder on cords than we adults would be, but her other cords she's used have lasted much longer(i.e. 9 mnths to 1yr, or more depending on brand, and style). We've learned, and have taught her the right, and wrong way to use them, so there's no way a well built cord would last only a couple of uses, either way. I'm debating whether to send them all back, or ask for a single replacement, because we really needed the 10 ft. cord for our vacation in a few weeks, and I don't want to realize after it's too late that it wasn't just a single faulty cord, (which it might be). I'm not sure what to change my 5 star review to, due to this happening with 1 out of 4. Of course, we're not even using 2 of them yet. Original review: These are good, micro USB cords. I have tested all 4 cords, and they all work. We go through cords in our house with a busy schedule, and so many electronics, so we either lose them, or they eventually stop charging right. I have bought so many cords over the years, and sometimes they've been good, some are okay, and some don't work, or not all of the cords work. I try to do my research before buying, and read the reviews. We haven't had these for long, so I will update once we've had them longer, or if we have any problems. As you can see in my pic, there are only 2 cords left in the pack, because my daughter, and husband have already snagged one. So far, they're working great, and it's a great value, which is even better.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"UPDATE: less than 1 week in, and my daughter's 10ft cord is already loose on the micro end.",
"The cord itself wiggles where the plastic plug meets the cord.",
"Of course, she's probably a little harder on cords than we adults would be, but her other cords she's used have lasted much longer(i.",
"e. 9 mnths to 1yr, or more depending on brand, and style).",
"We've learned, and have taught her the right, and wrong way to use them, so there's no way a well built cord would last only a couple of uses, either way.",
"I'm debating whether to send them all back, or ask for a single replacement, because we really needed the 10 ft.",
"cord for our vacation in a few weeks, and I don't want to realize after it's too late that it wasn't just a single faulty cord, (which it might be).",
"I'm not sure what to change my 5 star review to, due to this happening with 1 out of 4.",
"Of course, we're not even using 2 of them yet.",
"Original review: These are good, micro USB cords.",
"I have tested all 4 cords, and they all work.",
"We go through cords in our house with a busy schedule, and so many electronics, so we either lose them, or they eventually stop charging right.",
"I have bought so many cords over the years, and sometimes they've been good, some are okay, and some don't work, or not all of the cords work.",
"I try to do my research before buying, and read the reviews.",
"We haven't had these for long, so I will update once we've had them longer, or if we have any problems.",
"As you can see in my pic, there are only 2 cords left in the pack, because my daughter, and husband have already snagged one.",
"So far, they're working great, and it's a great value, which is even better."
] |
Hey, your right, Anita Carter is THE female vocalist of all time. But I was disapointed with this release. A lot of people think that this is all of the solo recordings she made. Wrong!! She made a lot more, and they were a lot better than these.
Some of these songs are 5 star recordings, then some are Joan Baez style folk songs.
This cd would make an essential supplement to a reissue of her more country sounding recordings.
Pray that more of her recordings are released, along with the recordings of Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters. Those recordings do exist.
But until more is released, this will fill the void very nicely.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Hey, your right, Anita Carter is THE female vocalist of all time.",
"But I was disapointed with this release.",
"A lot of people think that this is all of the solo recordings she made.",
"Wrong!!",
"She made a lot more, and they were a lot better than these.",
"Some of these songs are 5 star recordings, then some are Joan Baez style folk songs.",
"This cd would make an essential supplement to a reissue of her more country sounding recordings.",
"Pray that more of her recordings are released, along with the recordings of Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters.",
"Those recordings do exist.",
"But until more is released, this will fill the void very nicely."
] |
HITS is one of the better non makeup Kiss albums. With 15 tracks total, there was bound to be a little filler, so I can deal with the occasional clinker. HITS comes off as an album of Demos and unfinished songs, it is what it is, and at times its very good. Its not nearly as wimpy as some of the other 80's releases, and at the time when it came out, was actually a breath of fresh air for Die hard makeup era Kiss fans, as some of the songs where tougher and not just Bon Jovi type knock offs.
Regarding the songs themselves, they are allover the place, so many different styles, and basiclly non produced, the sound is very raw and unpolished on a lot of tracks, but this is part of the albums charm. "Love is Like A SlapIn The Face" does not have one drum fill or cymbal hit in the entire song, it could very well be a drum machine or better yet, Gene on the drums as he played in many of his demos anyway. A lot of Gene on guitar as well of the other demo songs included. "Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell" is a good example.
Hide Your Heart was a Crazy Nights Throwaway. Many bands tried their hand at this one (Molly Hatchet as well as Ace on trouble Walkin), very Bon Jovi-ish. Prsoner of Love is Great! Betrayed & Rise To It are cool Kiss Songs! Silver Spoon has a great hook as well. Forever gave Kiss a much needed BIG HIT! Some very good material here....
Overall, HITS has a bum rap among Kiss fans, yet its much better than at least 3 of the Non Makeup albums (Personally, I feel its better than Revenge as well), and ranks as one of the FUN Kiss records. People ofter forget that it has one of their biggest if not the biggest hit in "Forever", which is a very cool song. It was a step in the right direction, following 3 of the wimpiest, weakest albums of their career. They toured with a huge stage show, and brought back some of the classic Kiss tunes in the process. I saw Eric's last concert at MSG in 11/90 as well.
I have great memories of this album, this is when I Finally accepted Kiss without the makeup, because the music is GOOD!
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"HITS is one of the better non makeup Kiss albums.",
"With 15 tracks total, there was bound to be a little filler, so I can deal with the occasional clinker.",
"HITS comes off as an album of Demos and unfinished songs, it is what it is, and at times its very good.",
"Its not nearly as wimpy as some of the other 80's releases, and at the time when it came out, was actually a breath of fresh air for Die hard makeup era Kiss fans, as some of the songs where tougher and not just Bon Jovi type knock offs.",
"Regarding the songs themselves, they are allover the place, so many different styles, and basiclly non produced, the sound is very raw and unpolished on a lot of tracks, but this is part of the albums charm.",
"\"Love is Like A SlapIn The Face\" does not have one drum fill or cymbal hit in the entire song, it could very well be a drum machine or better yet, Gene on the drums as he played in many of his demos anyway.",
"A lot of Gene on guitar as well of the other demo songs included.",
"\"Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell\" is a good example.",
"Hide Your Heart was a Crazy Nights Throwaway.",
"Many bands tried their hand at this one (Molly Hatchet as well as Ace on trouble Walkin), very Bon Jovi-ish.",
"Prsoner of Love is Great!",
"Betrayed & Rise To It are cool Kiss Songs!",
"Silver Spoon has a great hook as well.",
"Forever gave Kiss a much needed BIG HIT!",
"Some very good material here....",
"Overall, HITS has a bum rap among Kiss fans, yet its much better than at least 3 of the Non Makeup albums (Personally, I feel its better than Revenge as well), and ranks as one of the FUN Kiss records.",
"People ofter forget that it has one of their biggest if not the biggest hit in \"Forever\", which is a very cool song.",
"It was a step in the right direction, following 3 of the wimpiest, weakest albums of their career.",
"They toured with a huge stage show, and brought back some of the classic Kiss tunes in the process.",
"I saw Eric's last concert at MSG in 11/90 as well.",
"I have great memories of this album, this is when I Finally accepted Kiss without the makeup, because the music is GOOD!"
] |
As an ergonomic handle for converting the iPhone into an easier to hold point and shoot camera, it does a very nice job. There are two bottons on the top for shooting pictures (a raised button), or shooting video (an adjacent smaller red button flush with the top of the grip). The design of the grip is well thought out: the top "wing" of the holder, is actually a bit concave, perfect for resting your thumb and keeping it off the screen.
The things to like:
Makes gripping the phone as a camera very easy and comfortable.
The LiveAction App is free to download.
Works with both forward and rear facing cameras.
The App is intuitive: it has a zoom, delay timer, flash setting (on, off, and auto), with a touch you can tell it where to focus. It is very easy to transmit or upload photos once they are taken.
The things not to like are:
The buttons on the grip are a bit too far forward rather than directly over the phone, but you do get used to it.
The Grip only works with the (Belkin) LiveAction App an cannot be used with the phone's regular camera functions or any other photo app.
Pictures are not stored in your cameral roll, but in the "Gallery" of the app.
The grip covers the charging socket and must be removed to charge the phone.
Overall it is a nice little gadget if you want to use your phone as a dedicated camera. The limitation of using only LiveAction is a drawback.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"As an ergonomic handle for converting the iPhone into an easier to hold point and shoot camera, it does a very nice job.",
"There are two bottons on the top for shooting pictures (a raised button), or shooting video (an adjacent smaller red button flush with the top of the grip).",
"The design of the grip is well thought out: the top \"wing\" of the holder, is actually a bit concave, perfect for resting your thumb and keeping it off the screen.",
"The things to like:\nMakes gripping the phone as a camera very easy and comfortable.",
"The LiveAction App is free to download.",
"Works with both forward and rear facing cameras.",
"The App is intuitive: it has a zoom, delay timer, flash setting (on, off, and auto), with a touch you can tell it where to focus.",
"It is very easy to transmit or upload photos once they are taken.",
"The things not to like are:\nThe buttons on the grip are a bit too far forward rather than directly over the phone, but you do get used to it.",
"The Grip only works with the (Belkin) LiveAction App an cannot be used with the phone's regular camera functions or any other photo app.",
"Pictures are not stored in your cameral roll, but in the \"Gallery\" of the app.",
"The grip covers the charging socket and must be removed to charge the phone.",
"Overall it is a nice little gadget if you want to use your phone as a dedicated camera.",
"The limitation of using only LiveAction is a drawback."
] |
I received the package on time, it was OK. I did expect something unfinished and so was content with the box overall. However,there are a few things that made this just terrible.
First: the clasp is not in the middle! what the heck. Why. It's an inch off the middle to the right.
Second: upon 'closing' the box, the top does not lie flat with the bottom, causing a small gap on either the left or the right side, depending on which side you press more firmly.
It didn't matter to me that the edges and such were quite rough (I recommend using a bit of sandpaper), since i was going to paint over them anyway.
All in all, this was mostly what i expected, and I can use it anyway for my project so it's fine.
----update edit ----
After sandpapering it, the lid now closes properly! :D
I might just buy another one of these.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I received the package on time, it was OK.",
"I did expect something unfinished and so was content with the box overall.",
"However,there are a few things that made this just terrible.",
"First: the clasp is not in the middle!",
"what the heck.",
"Why.",
"It's an inch off the middle to the right.",
"Second: upon 'closing' the box, the top does not lie flat with the bottom, causing a small gap on either the left or the right side, depending on which side you press more firmly.",
"It didn't matter to me that the edges and such were quite rough (I recommend using a bit of sandpaper), since i was going to paint over them anyway.",
"All in all, this was mostly what i expected, and I can use it anyway for my project so it's fine.",
"----update edit ----\nAfter sandpapering it, the lid now closes properly!",
":D\nI might just buy another one of these."
] |
I purchased this game when I bought the Wii and it works really well especially with a Gamecube controller. The plot of the game is that you (Mario) are visiting a distant land, when you are confronted by the citizens who accuse you of polluting their countryside. Mario is sentenced to using a water cannon to go around and clean everything that was ruined. You soon find out that there is a Mario lookalike (sort of a blue, watery looking Mario) running around with a paintbrush polluting everything. Your water pack has the ability to be a fire hose, jet pack, rocket pack and motorboat.
Now that the description is out of the way "Here we go!". The graphics are good for a game of its time. It has the overall feeling of Mario 64 but doesn't quite live up to the rep of a Mario game. The puzzles have the potential to be fun, but also incredibly frustrating. The variety of game play is also pretty abundant. However, this game has the absolute worst camera angles of any game I've ever played. Add that to the poor shadowing and you have a formula for a game where the player will constantly have to restart missions and climb sequences from falling off cliffs, not making the jump, falling into the water, falling from not being able to gauge distances, missing landings while using the je pack option, etc. Even Devil May Cry had better camera angles than this game and you can't control the cameras in that game. I even find it pretty annoying that I can't adjust camera controls, I'm very used to non inverted controls and this game is all about control inversion.
Anyway, that is my overall of the game. I'm not sure if this game is worth the $17 or $18 you'll pay in total from Amazon. But if you are a dedicated Mario fan go for it. I say just spend the money on Mario 64 and Super Mario World downloads for the Wii and play those. I think you'll derive much more enjoyment and the less frustration playing those games.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I purchased this game when I bought the Wii and it works really well especially with a Gamecube controller.",
"The plot of the game is that you (Mario) are visiting a distant land, when you are confronted by the citizens who accuse you of polluting their countryside.",
"Mario is sentenced to using a water cannon to go around and clean everything that was ruined.",
"You soon find out that there is a Mario lookalike (sort of a blue, watery looking Mario) running around with a paintbrush polluting everything.",
"Your water pack has the ability to be a fire hose, jet pack, rocket pack and motorboat.",
"Now that the description is out of the way \"Here we go!",
"\".",
"The graphics are good for a game of its time.",
"It has the overall feeling of Mario 64 but doesn't quite live up to the rep of a Mario game.",
"The puzzles have the potential to be fun, but also incredibly frustrating.",
"The variety of game play is also pretty abundant.",
"However, this game has the absolute worst camera angles of any game I've ever played.",
"Add that to the poor shadowing and you have a formula for a game where the player will constantly have to restart missions and climb sequences from falling off cliffs, not making the jump, falling into the water, falling from not being able to gauge distances, missing landings while using the je pack option, etc.",
"Even Devil May Cry had better camera angles than this game and you can't control the cameras in that game.",
"I even find it pretty annoying that I can't adjust camera controls, I'm very used to non inverted controls and this game is all about control inversion.",
"Anyway, that is my overall of the game.",
"I'm not sure if this game is worth the $17 or $18 you'll pay in total from Amazon.",
"But if you are a dedicated Mario fan go for it.",
"I say just spend the money on Mario 64 and Super Mario World downloads for the Wii and play those.",
"I think you'll derive much more enjoyment and the less frustration playing those games."
] |
This book is quite interesting because it has attracted a range of reviews from people who loved it to others who absolutely hated it. To my surprise I liked it despite its numerous faults. I have dithered around with my rating - on the one hand the main characters are very annoying, but on the other hand I read the book in one go and became quite engaged with it. What did I like? I thought it was well written and the descriptions of the Battle of Waterloo were compelling. It had a reasonable spy story that I did not find too onerous and a number of secondary characters who caught my interest enough to want to read about them in follow up books.
So what didn't I like? I agree with a lot of the other reviewers. There were so many plot threads that were not fully explained or tied up. For example, we never really find out the hold Mimi has over Jack, the hero. It seems strange that one minute he is lusting over his ex-wife and the next minute is crying out for Mimi. Jack is quite a distasteful man. The way he treated our heroine in the past is quite appalling and to my mind, never does enough to redeem himself and make himself a sympathetic character who the reader can identify with. Olivia, the heroine, is treated incredibly badly but forgives Jack at the drop of a hat. So in the end, the reader loses patience and sympathy and ends up not caring less what happens to her.
I think this author has promise and I hope her next book avoids the mistakes she has made in this one. I am all for the big misunderstanding, bad behavior and redemption stories. But you have to write them in a way where the reader's sympathy remains with the character/s. Dreyer sets up the Drake's Rakes series well - let's hope that future stories have a little more charm than this one did.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"This book is quite interesting because it has attracted a range of reviews from people who loved it to others who absolutely hated it.",
"To my surprise I liked it despite its numerous faults.",
"I have dithered around with my rating - on the one hand the main characters are very annoying, but on the other hand I read the book in one go and became quite engaged with it.",
"What did I like?",
"I thought it was well written and the descriptions of the Battle of Waterloo were compelling.",
"It had a reasonable spy story that I did not find too onerous and a number of secondary characters who caught my interest enough to want to read about them in follow up books.",
"So what didn't I like?",
"I agree with a lot of the other reviewers.",
"There were so many plot threads that were not fully explained or tied up.",
"For example, we never really find out the hold Mimi has over Jack, the hero.",
"It seems strange that one minute he is lusting over his ex-wife and the next minute is crying out for Mimi.",
"Jack is quite a distasteful man.",
"The way he treated our heroine in the past is quite appalling and to my mind, never does enough to redeem himself and make himself a sympathetic character who the reader can identify with.",
"Olivia, the heroine, is treated incredibly badly but forgives Jack at the drop of a hat.",
"So in the end, the reader loses patience and sympathy and ends up not caring less what happens to her.",
"I think this author has promise and I hope her next book avoids the mistakes she has made in this one.",
"I am all for the big misunderstanding, bad behavior and redemption stories.",
"But you have to write them in a way where the reader's sympathy remains with the character/s.",
"Dreyer sets up the Drake's Rakes series well - let's hope that future stories have a little more charm than this one did."
] |
I'm impressed with Infinifilm's presentation style in their DVD efforts. I really loved 13 Days (see a prior review), and if there is one thing worthy of notice in "Blow", it is the presentation, technical style and DVD extras. No attempt is made in the actual film to explore the horrors of cocaine, but the two
documentaries make it clear how the 70's drug of choice has devastated the culture and society of Colombia, along with the lives of many. Ted Demme, a fine director, explores what scenes were left on the cutting room floor in an entertaining piece, and the real George Jung gives a film interview that makes the "goings on" in Blow seem a little closer to reality.
That said, the film was a disappointment to me - well filmed, with no seeming point or passion. I felt that Johnny Depp was
believable and totally in character for the role, and perhaps he
and Demme meant to have him exhibit little or no passion or chemistry with the central women in his life, his mother, his wife, his daughter. He's believable in the youth scenes and the drug trafficking scenes, in prison....but seeing him try to make us believe that his daughter is the central focus of his life...well, it just didn't feel that way on the screen.
Ray Liotta is miscast and subdued as Jungs' dad, and, with every passing flick I grow more and more disenchanted with Penelope Cruz, who just seems to show up on the screen, emote a little, and hurry to get back to her film trailer. Capt. Corelli was disastrous, she is strident and unattractive in Blow, and, intuition tells me that Vanilla Sky will fall on its face.
So, you take a bit of pop culture, add an incredibly talented leading man and director with little support from the other cast, and perhaps not enough of a tale to tell, and you get "Blow".
Not a favorite of mine.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I'm impressed with Infinifilm's presentation style in their DVD efforts.",
"I really loved 13 Days (see a prior review), and if there is one thing worthy of notice in \"Blow\", it is the presentation, technical style and DVD extras.",
"No attempt is made in the actual film to explore the horrors of cocaine, but the two\ndocumentaries make it clear how the 70's drug of choice has devastated the culture and society of Colombia, along with the lives of many.",
"Ted Demme, a fine director, explores what scenes were left on the cutting room floor in an entertaining piece, and the real George Jung gives a film interview that makes the \"goings on\" in Blow seem a little closer to reality.",
"That said, the film was a disappointment to me - well filmed, with no seeming point or passion.",
"I felt that Johnny Depp was\nbelievable and totally in character for the role, and perhaps he\nand Demme meant to have him exhibit little or no passion or chemistry with the central women in his life, his mother, his wife, his daughter.",
"He's believable in the youth scenes and the drug trafficking scenes, in prison....",
"but seeing him try to make us believe that his daughter is the central focus of his life...",
"well, it just didn't feel that way on the screen.",
"Ray Liotta is miscast and subdued as Jungs' dad, and, with every passing flick I grow more and more disenchanted with Penelope Cruz, who just seems to show up on the screen, emote a little, and hurry to get back to her film trailer.",
"Capt.",
"Corelli was disastrous, she is strident and unattractive in Blow, and, intuition tells me that Vanilla Sky will fall on its face.",
"So, you take a bit of pop culture, add an incredibly talented leading man and director with little support from the other cast, and perhaps not enough of a tale to tell, and you get \"Blow\".",
"Not a favorite of mine."
] |
The "sort of" part is their documentation and customer support are next to useless so you are on your own.
Also it seems to be stuck with 1280x720 as the highest resolution. When using HDMI video and running the AVerMedia RECentral app, everything appeared to work and be set okay but there was no sound initially. After some trial and error, got the sound to work but still haven't figured out why it is stuck with 1280x720 as the max resolution. More trial and error to figure that one out, if ever. I would really like to get 1920x1080 at some point but the settings do not appear to accept that.
Update: It will do 1920x1080. The problem I had was that the source was set to 1280x720. Ooops.
The lack of sound I was experiencing was that you MUST have the "HDMI out" connected to a monitor, even if you don't use it or need it.
I never tried the component video to see how that works.
In standalone mode, the capture will create a 4.1GB MPEG-2 .TS file (~34 minutes), that is the maximum file size it can handle at 1280x720. So if you go over the 34 minutes, say 1 hour, it will start a new file with a _00001 suffix to the name. If you exceed 67 minutes, then there will be a third file, _00002, and so forth. To create a full video, you will need to put these together using a video editor. There will be a "glitch" where they are joined since a frame will be dropped when it switches to the new file. The reason for all of this being that the SD cards have to be formatted as FAT32.
Tried it in PC mode and the file size limitation and frame dropping do not exist (since the PC is NTSF).
AVerMedia's user guide, manual, tutorials and FAQ's are not much help. The 3rd party message boards do contain useful info, however.
Last, AVerMedia's customer service is useless and trying to use the web customer service is more than useless - It is abysmally out of date (appears that none of the current products are listed in their mandatory pull down menu), doesn't have Win 8 in the OS list and barely works anyhow.
Pros:
Good video capture
Runs standalone assuming you have a USB 5V power source (not supplied)
Relatively easy to operate
Handles 32GB SD cards. (have not tested larger cards)
Cons:
Terrible customer service
Poor documentation
Standalone mode has limitations: file type (MPEG-2 .TS filetype only - but there is a converter available to convert to MP4), and can't make a video file larger than 4.1GB due to the FAT32 format, requiring some editing to paste the pieces back together.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"The \"sort of\" part is their documentation and customer support are next to useless so you are on your own.",
"Also it seems to be stuck with 1280x720 as the highest resolution.",
"When using HDMI video and running the AVerMedia RECentral app, everything appeared to work and be set okay but there was no sound initially.",
"After some trial and error, got the sound to work but still haven't figured out why it is stuck with 1280x720 as the max resolution.",
"More trial and error to figure that one out, if ever.",
"I would really like to get 1920x1080 at some point but the settings do not appear to accept that.",
"Update: It will do 1920x1080.",
"The problem I had was that the source was set to 1280x720.",
"Ooops.",
"The lack of sound I was experiencing was that you MUST have the \"HDMI out\" connected to a monitor, even if you don't use it or need it.",
"I never tried the component video to see how that works.",
"In standalone mode, the capture will create a 4.",
"1GB MPEG-2.",
"TS file (~34 minutes), that is the maximum file size it can handle at 1280x720.",
"So if you go over the 34 minutes, say 1 hour, it will start a new file with a _00001 suffix to the name.",
"If you exceed 67 minutes, then there will be a third file, _00002, and so forth.",
"To create a full video, you will need to put these together using a video editor.",
"There will be a \"glitch\" where they are joined since a frame will be dropped when it switches to the new file.",
"The reason for all of this being that the SD cards have to be formatted as FAT32.",
"Tried it in PC mode and the file size limitation and frame dropping do not exist (since the PC is NTSF).",
"AVerMedia's user guide, manual, tutorials and FAQ's are not much help.",
"The 3rd party message boards do contain useful info, however.",
"Last, AVerMedia's customer service is useless and trying to use the web customer service is more than useless - It is abysmally out of date (appears that none of the current products are listed in their mandatory pull down menu), doesn't have Win 8 in the OS list and barely works anyhow.",
"Pros:\nGood video capture\nRuns standalone assuming you have a USB 5V power source (not supplied)\nRelatively easy to operate\nHandles 32GB SD cards.",
"(have not tested larger cards)\n\nCons:\nTerrible customer service\nPoor documentation\nStandalone mode has limitations: file type (MPEG-2.",
"TS filetype only - but there is a converter available to convert to MP4), and can't make a video file larger than 4.",
"1GB due to the FAT32 format, requiring some editing to paste the pieces back together."
] |
There's no denying you get a lot for your money with this set. The plates include a wide variety of designs, most of which I can see myself using. I also like the carrying case, it's much nicer than having them loose or rubber banded together. However, the plates themselves are not etched very deeply, so some designs don't pick up well or end up being somewhat sheer due to the very thin layer of polish. Some of the designs are oddly warped or stretched, and I suspect several are knock-offs of other brands. The edges of the plates and etching are also pretty sharp, I cut myself once removing the blue film and again trying to get a plate out of the carrying case sleeve, and the etching tears at cotton pads when I clean them. I have plates from another brand, Ejiubas, and the difference is very obvious, they are etched deeper and the edges are smooth and safe. The stamper in this kit is also not very good, I can't get it to pick up designs (not a problem with my other clear jelly stampers). Also, the whole point of a clear stamper is that you can look down through it and see where you are placing your design, but this stamper is two-sided so the end you aren't using obscures the view of the working end. All in all, I have and will continue to use this set (albeit very carefully to avoid further injury), but I'll be opting to spend more on higher-quality plates and stampers in the future.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"There's no denying you get a lot for your money with this set.",
"The plates include a wide variety of designs, most of which I can see myself using.",
"I also like the carrying case, it's much nicer than having them loose or rubber banded together.",
"However, the plates themselves are not etched very deeply, so some designs don't pick up well or end up being somewhat sheer due to the very thin layer of polish.",
"Some of the designs are oddly warped or stretched, and I suspect several are knock-offs of other brands.",
"The edges of the plates and etching are also pretty sharp, I cut myself once removing the blue film and again trying to get a plate out of the carrying case sleeve, and the etching tears at cotton pads when I clean them.",
"I have plates from another brand, Ejiubas, and the difference is very obvious, they are etched deeper and the edges are smooth and safe.",
"The stamper in this kit is also not very good, I can't get it to pick up designs (not a problem with my other clear jelly stampers).",
"Also, the whole point of a clear stamper is that you can look down through it and see where you are placing your design, but this stamper is two-sided so the end you aren't using obscures the view of the working end.",
"All in all, I have and will continue to use this set (albeit very carefully to avoid further injury), but I'll be opting to spend more on higher-quality plates and stampers in the future."
] |
I enjoyed reading Jacquelyn Mitchard's novel, The Deep End of the Ocean, sometimes. Early on the story began to move with the abduction, in the midst of chaos, and the series of events that transpired afterwards. This is what hooked me. The story line faded and characters begin to develop
She put a deep amount of detail in each scene, too much information for me sometimes. So I became weighed down, sifting items in a scene for a clue, or some meaning. The storyline read more like fact than fiction: a strange kidnapper; an incredible turnaround, which should have been a bright moment for all, but fizzled seriously for the wounded family. The story is chock full of human nature, and the characters living the story outweigh it.
Mitchard's development of Reese was just unreal for me, ironically. I could not bridge the transformation he made from Vincent. Where did this development have its gears mesh with the storyline? I could understand the character of Reese. He is real. Now he came out of Vincent is what boggles my mind.
The deep end of the ocean could be the tidal wave that hit all the characters. The dangers encountered in such depths were overwhelming. They sink, and struggle for the return to normalcy. But restoration after the storm turns out to be not what you hoped for, which is part of human living. It would have been good to hear of the story of Cecil, whose journey from "was" to "is" needed more of a description. I was sure she was faking it, and so I lacked sympathy. More words should have been spent on her, fewer on Reese.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I enjoyed reading Jacquelyn Mitchard's novel, The Deep End of the Ocean, sometimes.",
"Early on the story began to move with the abduction, in the midst of chaos, and the series of events that transpired afterwards.",
"This is what hooked me.",
"The story line faded and characters begin to develop\n\nShe put a deep amount of detail in each scene, too much information for me sometimes.",
"So I became weighed down, sifting items in a scene for a clue, or some meaning.",
"The storyline read more like fact than fiction: a strange kidnapper; an incredible turnaround, which should have been a bright moment for all, but fizzled seriously for the wounded family.",
"The story is chock full of human nature, and the characters living the story outweigh it.",
"Mitchard's development of Reese was just unreal for me, ironically.",
"I could not bridge the transformation he made from Vincent.",
"Where did this development have its gears mesh with the storyline?",
"I could understand the character of Reese.",
"He is real.",
"Now he came out of Vincent is what boggles my mind.",
"The deep end of the ocean could be the tidal wave that hit all the characters.",
"The dangers encountered in such depths were overwhelming.",
"They sink, and struggle for the return to normalcy.",
"But restoration after the storm turns out to be not what you hoped for, which is part of human living.",
"It would have been good to hear of the story of Cecil, whose journey from \"was\" to \"is\" needed more of a description.",
"I was sure she was faking it, and so I lacked sympathy.",
"More words should have been spent on her, fewer on Reese."
] |
I am not a literature fan so this was very hard for me to get into. I had a hard time focusing on it on what was actually going on. The story line was good but I think she focus too much on the poems and literature than the actually story and I know I am the only one who seems to think that way. When I am reading for pleasure, that is what I want to do, not think I am in a class of which I did not like when I was there. When I read I want to read something I really enjoy. I was a little disappointed as I have read her books before and really enjoyed them. It took me too long to finish this book because I did not enjoy it. If I had not been given this book for a review I would not have finished this book. It could have been a very good book because the story line was very good. Jonathon's wife had died and he had just given up on living and just existed. His house was a wreck and so was his life. His sister talked him into to setting in on this literature class. He went to class and met Elizabeth and it was the beginning of his whole life started changing. Other than so much literature it is a good book. If you like literature and poems then this is the book for you. Looking forward to reading her other book that I received. I received this book free in exchange for a review.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I am not a literature fan so this was very hard for me to get into.",
"I had a hard time focusing on it on what was actually going on.",
"The story line was good but I think she focus too much on the poems and literature than the actually story and I know I am the only one who seems to think that way.",
"When I am reading for pleasure, that is what I want to do, not think I am in a class of which I did not like when I was there.",
"When I read I want to read something I really enjoy.",
"I was a little disappointed as I have read her books before and really enjoyed them.",
"It took me too long to finish this book because I did not enjoy it.",
"If I had not been given this book for a review I would not have finished this book.",
"It could have been a very good book because the story line was very good.",
"Jonathon's wife had died and he had just given up on living and just existed.",
"His house was a wreck and so was his life.",
"His sister talked him into to setting in on this literature class.",
"He went to class and met Elizabeth and it was the beginning of his whole life started changing.",
"Other than so much literature it is a good book.",
"If you like literature and poems then this is the book for you.",
"Looking forward to reading her other book that I received.",
"I received this book free in exchange for a review."
] |
As I get older, I am finding myself making more of an effort to eat a healthier, well-balanced diet, and incorporate as many organic ingredients into my daily routine as I can (as much as my wallet will allow!). On that quest in shopping Amazon Pantry, I came across Wolfgang Puck's Organic Chicken with Wild Rice soup. I thought to myself, it's Wolfgang Puck, so it's got to be delicious, right? Not exactly.
First off, I was disappointed when I got the shipment. The can was MUCH smaller than I expected. Think Campbell's small soup can. I figured for the price, it would be a bigger can. BUT, I will admit, this was entirely my fault, as I did not pay attention to the ounces in the can before ordering.
That being said, I popped open the can to prepare lunch, expecting at least a FEW pieces of chicken and vegetables mixed in with the broth and rice. Not so. I would guestimate at least 80% of the soup is broth and rice. I counted 2 small chicken chunks. After trying it, the flavor was lack-luster. I can't even describe it, it was just very bland. Also, VERY high in sodium! (over 800mg) - Very disappointed, I definitely will not be purchasing this again.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"As I get older, I am finding myself making more of an effort to eat a healthier, well-balanced diet, and incorporate as many organic ingredients into my daily routine as I can (as much as my wallet will allow!",
").",
"On that quest in shopping Amazon Pantry, I came across Wolfgang Puck's Organic Chicken with Wild Rice soup.",
"I thought to myself, it's Wolfgang Puck, so it's got to be delicious, right?",
"Not exactly.",
"First off, I was disappointed when I got the shipment.",
"The can was MUCH smaller than I expected.",
"Think Campbell's small soup can.",
"I figured for the price, it would be a bigger can.",
"BUT, I will admit, this was entirely my fault, as I did not pay attention to the ounces in the can before ordering.",
"That being said, I popped open the can to prepare lunch, expecting at least a FEW pieces of chicken and vegetables mixed in with the broth and rice.",
"Not so.",
"I would guestimate at least 80% of the soup is broth and rice.",
"I counted 2 small chicken chunks.",
"After trying it, the flavor was lack-luster.",
"I can't even describe it, it was just very bland.",
"Also, VERY high in sodium!",
"(over 800mg) - Very disappointed, I definitely will not be purchasing this again."
] |
<div id="video-block-R3NYPQ6VTMESVF" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/B19%2BEFMLwBS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61sQzfMWCxS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> As you can see in the video, the em michelle phan The Great Cover Up Ultimate Concealer worked great for covering up my dark circles under my eye compared to the side, but looked caked on where I used it for covering up blemishes and dark spots.
I have mocha colored skin and rule of thumb is that you are suppose to choose at least one or two shades lighter when purchasing a concealer. This way you can neutralize dark areas without having unwanted attention because it is way too light. I am using the Medium Neutral Cool.
Concealers are for spot correctors and not to be used as an all over foundation substitute. It should always be worn underneath foundation and powers. You can apply it with your finger or use a small brush.
The em michelle brand feels very velvety smooth and dries up to a satin powdery finish. However, I found that it only looked smooth under my eyes, while areas where there are wrinkles and fine lines it looked caked on and very noticeable. My dark circles did appear quick a bit lighter and my skin even looked smoother under my eyes. However areas that I did spot covering for blemishes and acne dark spots did not look as smooth. It looked obvious I used makeup to hide blemishes on my face.
This makes a great under eye dark circle corrector, but if you are looking for a concealer to treat all problems areas I do not recommend this product.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"<div id=\"video-block-R3NYPQ6VTMESVF\" class=\"a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block\"></div><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"\" value=\"https://images-na.",
"ssl-images-amazon.",
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"png\" class=\"video-slate-img-url\"> As you can see in the video, the em michelle phan The Great Cover Up Ultimate Concealer worked great for covering up my dark circles under my eye compared to the side, but looked caked on where I used it for covering up blemishes and dark spots.",
"I have mocha colored skin and rule of thumb is that you are suppose to choose at least one or two shades lighter when purchasing a concealer.",
"This way you can neutralize dark areas without having unwanted attention because it is way too light.",
"I am using the Medium Neutral Cool.",
"Concealers are for spot correctors and not to be used as an all over foundation substitute.",
"It should always be worn underneath foundation and powers.",
"You can apply it with your finger or use a small brush.",
"The em michelle brand feels very velvety smooth and dries up to a satin powdery finish.",
"However, I found that it only looked smooth under my eyes, while areas where there are wrinkles and fine lines it looked caked on and very noticeable.",
"My dark circles did appear quick a bit lighter and my skin even looked smoother under my eyes.",
"However areas that I did spot covering for blemishes and acne dark spots did not look as smooth.",
"It looked obvious I used makeup to hide blemishes on my face.",
"This makes a great under eye dark circle corrector, but if you are looking for a concealer to treat all problems areas I do not recommend this product."
] |
I have not picked up a YA novel since Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer so The Raie'Chaelia was very unexpected.
To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by The Raie'Chaelia (say that five times fast!), instead of a young love story that overshadowed a bigger plot, it was the reverse. The book starts off with an ominous tone and by the end of the first few pages, the reader is left with the questions "Who, What, Where and How?"
Chalice is a sweet character, young of course, full of questions of her past that she was so close to finding out when her village was attacked and she was forced to flee to another village far away. Alone with only her horse and her unanswered questions for months, Chalice has plenty of time to think of what may have happened to her village, family and friends as well as why her family kept her past, including who her parents were, hidden from her. It was interesting to watch her grow from a young, carefree teen, into a cautious, wiser young lady, and to see her start to fall in love with her childhood friend Jeremiah, who seems to be the only inhabitant of the village of Branbury.
I have to hand it to Melissa Douthit, she created such imagery with this book that it made it hard to put down. The descriptions of places and people were so vivid that I could almost see the forests Chalice traveled through, Branbury and even the mysterious Chinuka. It really was like watching a movie unfold in my mind.
While reading The Raie'Chaelia, I was reminded of The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey which I read as a young adult. It has the same fantasy feel and can be a bit confusing to readers who aren't very good at remembering names, places and family lines. However, I find that sometimes using Google to sort things out can make it much easier. Or a simple pen and paper to take notes. This separates the serious readers from the readers who are just passing time until their favorite show comes on.
Douthit's grasp of the fantasy genre is strong, her understanding of how creating languages for your characters can make or break a story and thankfully, it made this one. The introduction to several words in different languages made the story that much more believable.
What was a little odd, in my opinion was the inconsistency of the names. Here you have a fantasy novel and you definitely expect names like Chalice, Kirna and Tycho but you don't expect common names like Jeremiah and Ben. It kind of made me stop in the middle of envisioning scenes and go "Jeremiah? Ben? Really?" But perhaps I'm just finicky that way.
Being a YA novel, I expected it to be similar to many of the others of its genre that you can find in stores and in some ways it is. Chalice is a teenager after all and she's going to behave like one, she may even have you rolling your eyes at her at times (I know I did), but what teenager, myself included, didn't elicit that reaction from passing adults?
Overall, a very enjoyable read if I do say so in a slightly surprised voice. I'll be adding the rest of the series to my TBR pile.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I have not picked up a YA novel since Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer so The Raie'Chaelia was very unexpected.",
"To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by The Raie'Chaelia (say that five times fast!",
"), instead of a young love story that overshadowed a bigger plot, it was the reverse.",
"The book starts off with an ominous tone and by the end of the first few pages, the reader is left with the questions \"Who, What, Where and How?",
"\"\n\nChalice is a sweet character, young of course, full of questions of her past that she was so close to finding out when her village was attacked and she was forced to flee to another village far away.",
"Alone with only her horse and her unanswered questions for months, Chalice has plenty of time to think of what may have happened to her village, family and friends as well as why her family kept her past, including who her parents were, hidden from her.",
"It was interesting to watch her grow from a young, carefree teen, into a cautious, wiser young lady, and to see her start to fall in love with her childhood friend Jeremiah, who seems to be the only inhabitant of the village of Branbury.",
"I have to hand it to Melissa Douthit, she created such imagery with this book that it made it hard to put down.",
"The descriptions of places and people were so vivid that I could almost see the forests Chalice traveled through, Branbury and even the mysterious Chinuka.",
"It really was like watching a movie unfold in my mind.",
"While reading The Raie'Chaelia, I was reminded of The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey which I read as a young adult.",
"It has the same fantasy feel and can be a bit confusing to readers who aren't very good at remembering names, places and family lines.",
"However, I find that sometimes using Google to sort things out can make it much easier.",
"Or a simple pen and paper to take notes.",
"This separates the serious readers from the readers who are just passing time until their favorite show comes on.",
"Douthit's grasp of the fantasy genre is strong, her understanding of how creating languages for your characters can make or break a story and thankfully, it made this one.",
"The introduction to several words in different languages made the story that much more believable.",
"What was a little odd, in my opinion was the inconsistency of the names.",
"Here you have a fantasy novel and you definitely expect names like Chalice, Kirna and Tycho but you don't expect common names like Jeremiah and Ben.",
"It kind of made me stop in the middle of envisioning scenes and go \"Jeremiah?",
"Ben?",
"Really?",
"\" But perhaps I'm just finicky that way.",
"Being a YA novel, I expected it to be similar to many of the others of its genre that you can find in stores and in some ways it is.",
"Chalice is a teenager after all and she's going to behave like one, she may even have you rolling your eyes at her at times (I know I did), but what teenager, myself included, didn't elicit that reaction from passing adults?",
"Overall, a very enjoyable read if I do say so in a slightly surprised voice.",
"I'll be adding the rest of the series to my TBR pile."
] |
Would the Miami Marlins dare trade Giancarlo Stanton after the season?
Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE Giancarlo Stanton is hitting home runs at a ridiculous pace this season but the distance they are traveling is equally hard to believe. USA TODAY Sports
Giancarlo Stanton slugs his 50th home run of the season -- a two run home run in the eighth inning. (Photo: Jasen Vinlove USA TODAY Sports)
They want Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton and while itâs not realistic now it could be by the start of the 2018 season.
Stanton who passed through waivers without a sniff a few weeks ago suddenly has a captive audience hitting his 50th home run Sunday earlier than any player since Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa in 2001.
Despite his exploits no team has informed the Marlins they would be willing to pay the remainder of Stanton âs entire salary a cool $295 million over the next 10 years beginning in 2018.
Yet not even the Marlins who will be sold as soon as their season ends to a group led by Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman are stupid enough to trade Stanton now.
Stanton will be wearing a Marlinsâ uniform right up until the their season finale on Oct. 1 or longer if they happen to make the playoffs.
The Marlins with Jeter running the show once the sale closes will trade Stanton .
It would be altogether different of course if Jeffrey Loria was still owning the team. He would be lampooned to Cuba if he dared trade Stanton .
The difference now of course is that when Stanton is traded Jeter will be in charge.
The Marlins who want to keep their payroll around $100 million simply canât have one-third of their payroll tied into one player no matter how many homers Stanton hits.
Letâs face it considering Stanton âs injury-plagued past his trade value may never be higher.
The Cardinals have the money and certainly the most prospects of any team interested in Stanton but Stanton also has complete no-trade rights. Itâs unknown what teams he would be willing to approve a trade.
Stanton âs preference would be the Dodgers where he grew up in the Los Angeles area and still lives during the offseason. But sorry the Dodgersâ days of wild spending are over vowing to shed payroll.
Letâs see if Stanton can hit two more home runs this month and break Rudy Yorkâs record of 18 homers in August of 1937; hit 12 more homers to pass Maris; or even continue this crazy tear and produce a 70-homer season.
When itâs all over and he puts away his bats for the winter we can watch Stanton establish yet another record.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Would the Miami Marlins dare trade Giancarlo Stanton after the season?",
"Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE Giancarlo Stanton is hitting home runs at a ridiculous pace this season but the distance they are traveling is equally hard to believe.",
"USA TODAY Sports\nGiancarlo Stanton slugs his 50th home run of the season -- a two run home run in the eighth inning.",
"(Photo: Jasen Vinlove USA TODAY Sports)\nThey want Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton and while itâs not realistic now it could be by the start of the 2018 season.",
"Stanton who passed through waivers without a sniff a few weeks ago suddenly has a captive audience hitting his 50th home run Sunday earlier than any player since Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa in 2001.",
"Despite his exploits no team has informed the Marlins they would be willing to pay the remainder of Stanton âs entire salary a cool $295 million over the next 10 years beginning in 2018.",
"Yet not even the Marlins who will be sold as soon as their season ends to a group led by Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman are stupid enough to trade Stanton now.",
"Stanton will be wearing a Marlinsâ uniform right up until the their season finale on Oct.",
"1 or longer if they happen to make the playoffs.",
"The Marlins with Jeter running the show once the sale closes will trade Stanton.",
"It would be altogether different of course if Jeffrey Loria was still owning the team.",
"He would be lampooned to Cuba if he dared trade Stanton.",
"The difference now of course is that when Stanton is traded Jeter will be in charge.",
"The Marlins who want to keep their payroll around $100 million simply canât have one-third of their payroll tied into one player no matter how many homers Stanton hits.",
"Letâs face it considering Stanton âs injury-plagued past his trade value may never be higher.",
"The Cardinals have the money and certainly the most prospects of any team interested in Stanton but Stanton also has complete no-trade rights.",
"Itâs unknown what teams he would be willing to approve a trade.",
"Stanton âs preference would be the Dodgers where he grew up in the Los Angeles area and still lives during the offseason.",
"But sorry the Dodgersâ days of wild spending are over vowing to shed payroll.",
"Letâs see if Stanton can hit two more home runs this month and break Rudy Yorkâs record of 18 homers in August of 1937; hit 12 more homers to pass Maris; or even continue this crazy tear and produce a 70-homer season.",
"When itâs all over and he puts away his bats for the winter we can watch Stanton establish yet another record."
] |
Well I must say that I enjoyed this book much more than I expected after the last. To its credit, the protagonist is much truer to what I would expect a real person to be in his shoes, also the book moves at a steady clip that moved it beyond the walls of the royal abode, where most of the action took place in the previous two books. This book is quite a change from the last two books in that it almost wholly abandones many of the characters that played prominent roles there. I didn't mind that. The new characters are interesting and add to the story, but I did sometime miss the old characters. Some might feel the abscence of Chade and Burrich more keenly than I did though.
After completing the trilogy I was struck by how poorly they were named. The stage that Hobb set initially seems much more interesting to me than the direction that she took it. I liked the idea of an assassin employed for nothing more in some cases than for political gain. I liked the idea of confronting how this would reflect on the assassin and those that employed him. Unfortunately, there is very little of that in the series and I think that the protagonist is generously named "assassin" given his tasks.
A couple of the things that bothered me about this book: implausible barriers thrown up so the author can take the story where she wants it to go. I just didn't buy Fitz' reluctance to reveal his resurrected self to his old friends. The reasons he gives felt manufactured. This feeling increased by the reception he receives from those to whom he does reveal himself. In fact, it seems that there is hardly anyone close to him who is repulsed by his use of the wit. But the author has somewhere she wants to take us, so he must refuse to reveal himself. It detracted from the story and I didn't buy it.
The author is unmerciful to poor Fitz. He suffers and how. The whole series is chalk full of one abuse after another. This did not bother me throughout the entire series, because it seemed that it was building to a payoff. Not so. I don't mind if everything doesn't turn out as expected at the end, in fact I prefer it - it adds verisimility of the story - but the way she ends this book was entirely unsatisfactory. It turns out that Fitz truly is a dog who needs his master to lead his life given what he does with it when it is his own. It really detracted from the story. So much so that tainted the whole book and the series.
Finally, Hobb showed a penchant for a brief denouement in her first two books, so I should have seen it coming, but I was still surprised at how broadly she treats overriding mysteries at the end of the book. I think that many will be left scratching their heads about the significance of certain events and items. I don't know why, after painting such a rich picture in developing the story, she doesn't do the same in finishing it. Hobb feels stingy in giving up those payoff moments in the series, and given that this is the last of the three, it really stings here.
That said the world was great and the characters were sympathetic. I believe that the story will leave a lasting impression on your mind - unlike many other fantasy novels - just not a completely satisfying one.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Well I must say that I enjoyed this book much more than I expected after the last.",
"To its credit, the protagonist is much truer to what I would expect a real person to be in his shoes, also the book moves at a steady clip that moved it beyond the walls of the royal abode, where most of the action took place in the previous two books.",
"This book is quite a change from the last two books in that it almost wholly abandones many of the characters that played prominent roles there.",
"I didn't mind that.",
"The new characters are interesting and add to the story, but I did sometime miss the old characters.",
"Some might feel the abscence of Chade and Burrich more keenly than I did though.",
"After completing the trilogy I was struck by how poorly they were named.",
"The stage that Hobb set initially seems much more interesting to me than the direction that she took it.",
"I liked the idea of an assassin employed for nothing more in some cases than for political gain.",
"I liked the idea of confronting how this would reflect on the assassin and those that employed him.",
"Unfortunately, there is very little of that in the series and I think that the protagonist is generously named \"assassin\" given his tasks.",
"A couple of the things that bothered me about this book: implausible barriers thrown up so the author can take the story where she wants it to go.",
"I just didn't buy Fitz' reluctance to reveal his resurrected self to his old friends.",
"The reasons he gives felt manufactured.",
"This feeling increased by the reception he receives from those to whom he does reveal himself.",
"In fact, it seems that there is hardly anyone close to him who is repulsed by his use of the wit.",
"But the author has somewhere she wants to take us, so he must refuse to reveal himself.",
"It detracted from the story and I didn't buy it.",
"The author is unmerciful to poor Fitz.",
"He suffers and how.",
"The whole series is chalk full of one abuse after another.",
"This did not bother me throughout the entire series, because it seemed that it was building to a payoff.",
"Not so.",
"I don't mind if everything doesn't turn out as expected at the end, in fact I prefer it - it adds verisimility of the story - but the way she ends this book was entirely unsatisfactory.",
"It turns out that Fitz truly is a dog who needs his master to lead his life given what he does with it when it is his own.",
"It really detracted from the story.",
"So much so that tainted the whole book and the series.",
"Finally, Hobb showed a penchant for a brief denouement in her first two books, so I should have seen it coming, but I was still surprised at how broadly she treats overriding mysteries at the end of the book.",
"I think that many will be left scratching their heads about the significance of certain events and items.",
"I don't know why, after painting such a rich picture in developing the story, she doesn't do the same in finishing it.",
"Hobb feels stingy in giving up those payoff moments in the series, and given that this is the last of the three, it really stings here.",
"That said the world was great and the characters were sympathetic.",
"I believe that the story will leave a lasting impression on your mind - unlike many other fantasy novels - just not a completely satisfying one."
] |
In the 1800's, it isn't easy for Abigail to run from the law. But when she enters the small remote town of Willow Creek, far removed from her earlier questionable life, Abigail meets Morgan Avery, the town's virile and handsome sheriff. Abigail realizes that this man is a good choice for the husband that she needs. When the sheriff provides a comfortable home and food for her, showing her care when she is limited in supporting herself, she falls in love with him. But then after nuptials and several months of a joyful new life, Fletcher Montgomery, the abusive man that forced her into her former life of crime tracks her to this haven. Abigail remembers the vicious murderous way that Fletcher killed another man. She doesn't want Morgan killed. Morgan's death would be her fault. Therefore, Abigail rushes to leave her loving husband, but her husband suspects that her escape from the town deals with her former life and what she hasn't told him. Morgan tracks her and Fletcher down and makes certain that his wife is shielded and that Fletcher, the man that framed his wife for murder, gets the punishment that he deserves.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"In the 1800's, it isn't easy for Abigail to run from the law.",
"But when she enters the small remote town of Willow Creek, far removed from her earlier questionable life, Abigail meets Morgan Avery, the town's virile and handsome sheriff.",
"Abigail realizes that this man is a good choice for the husband that she needs.",
"When the sheriff provides a comfortable home and food for her, showing her care when she is limited in supporting herself, she falls in love with him.",
"But then after nuptials and several months of a joyful new life, Fletcher Montgomery, the abusive man that forced her into her former life of crime tracks her to this haven.",
"Abigail remembers the vicious murderous way that Fletcher killed another man.",
"She doesn't want Morgan killed.",
"Morgan's death would be her fault.",
"Therefore, Abigail rushes to leave her loving husband, but her husband suspects that her escape from the town deals with her former life and what she hasn't told him.",
"Morgan tracks her and Fletcher down and makes certain that his wife is shielded and that Fletcher, the man that framed his wife for murder, gets the punishment that he deserves."
] |
This is a nice block, but it is a real nuisance to install. I suggest the following approach. First, drill the holes with the template. Then, drill out the holes in the spacer block to clear the screws. Now, insert something into the small holes in the rotating piece (wire, small drill bit). Use the inserted things as guide to position the block through the spacer and the cabinet bottom. Now, you need to clamp it in place. If no clamps, then have someone hold it (good luck!). Now pull out the guides and install the screw. I found any other way to be hopelessly annoying.
Once you get it installed, it does the job very well.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"This is a nice block, but it is a real nuisance to install.",
"I suggest the following approach.",
"First, drill the holes with the template.",
"Then, drill out the holes in the spacer block to clear the screws.",
"Now, insert something into the small holes in the rotating piece (wire, small drill bit).",
"Use the inserted things as guide to position the block through the spacer and the cabinet bottom.",
"Now, you need to clamp it in place.",
"If no clamps, then have someone hold it (good luck!",
").",
"Now pull out the guides and install the screw.",
"I found any other way to be hopelessly annoying.",
"Once you get it installed, it does the job very well."
] |
This game has been in the minds of gaf heads for some time now, and when the release date snuck up on me, I headed to EB on my lunch break to pick up a copy. I should have read the reviews first. IGN basically bashed it and gave it a very average review, other site gave it acclaim. The game is pretty straight forward, you are Trane, a "toy" graf artist inspiring to be a legend. Your rival are other bombers and the cops (and a special anti-grafitti task force). Even underground subway workers try to tek a oiece out of you. This brings me to the first problem; the game is oddly enough very combat heavy, which isn't a problem (hey, punks jump up to get beat down...) but it is a gripe if the controls suck. Or maybe suck is too harsh a word, lets just say when Trane jumps, it like he' s floating. It's unstable to say the least, and in a game with alot of jumping, climbing, and fighting, thats a no siree. But as wonky as it is (and you will never forgive it), you will adapt or better yet, accept it and move on to the games stronger points, which is sleek presentation, style and graf influence.
Yes, I've bombed before, Im not going to be a dumbass and tell you where, but I was young, into art, and heavily influenced by the colors and style. I still marvel at really great pieces, and have yet to fully grasp the ever evolving 3d nature of the current graf trend. It really is great art when done properly, I love it. Marc Ecko loves it too, and it shows. Unlike GTA where tagging was a mini game, Getting up covers all aspects. One reviewer was pissed that you could put up your own piece, but to me, that was a stupid gripe. How interactive do you want games to be? it would have been nice, but it also would have meant alot of extensive peripheral crap that I don't have i.e. eyetoy and such. So just enjoy the fact that you can pick the styles and colors in which Trane bombs his moniker 'Trane' and be done with it. later, stenciled letters and numbers can allow you to be creative and write your initials and birthdate. see? think outside the box dammit!
The story is quaint, powered by the voice talents of Talib Kwali and others. Rosario Dawson adds her pipes to a very sexy female character who goes out with Tranes rival, Gabe. Charlie Murphy is White Mike, and there are curse words abound, SO THIS ONE IS NOT FOR KIDDIES IN BOTH SUBJECT MATTER AND LANGUAGE. Let them learn about graffitti the hard way, but visiting central booking....wait, that's not right either.
Bottom line....IF YOU DONT ENJOY BOMBING OR DONT CARE ABOUT GRAFITTI ART, INFLUENCE, OR SUB-CULTURE, THIS GAME WILL BORE YOU. Even if you do, it will aggrivate you with the wonkiness of the controls. it's not that the layout is bad, Trane just feels like he's not grounded to wats around him. He david Blane levitates all over the damn place! The interface, and music (Diddy did something right for a change) is awesome. They literally put you in Tranes Tims. you see and experience what he does, and when you bomb a 'heaven spot' it feels cool. some challenges get repetitive or tedious, such as tagging a van eight times....isn't once enough? others require you to take pictures of the tags of legends in order to upgrade you own style, which is sorts nice. I don't know how else to stress the fact that if you don't like grafitti, walk past this one.
The method of tagging a big piece is kinda cool, when you get a drip, it really bugs you. Doing it could have been more precise, but the fact that you are timed helps. I cant see alot of people messing up though, unless they have absolutely no coordination, its easy is what Im trying to say. Graphically, I've seen better and worse. The tags are sweet, Trane's are colorful and vary in style. you can use marker, stencil, and stickers for throw-ups; and latter move on the rollers and wheat paste. Characters are blocky, and the environment is not GTA go wherever the hell you want to. Trane has specific objectives and spots that he MUST bomb. Of course, you can write on most (not all) walls, but it's pointless to do so unless they give you rep points for it. Still, it is funny to see 'trane' written all over the evironment, too bad you cant tag moving cars!
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"This game has been in the minds of gaf heads for some time now, and when the release date snuck up on me, I headed to EB on my lunch break to pick up a copy.",
"I should have read the reviews first.",
"IGN basically bashed it and gave it a very average review, other site gave it acclaim.",
"The game is pretty straight forward, you are Trane, a \"toy\" graf artist inspiring to be a legend.",
"Your rival are other bombers and the cops (and a special anti-grafitti task force).",
"Even underground subway workers try to tek a oiece out of you.",
"This brings me to the first problem; the game is oddly enough very combat heavy, which isn't a problem (hey, punks jump up to get beat down...",
") but it is a gripe if the controls suck.",
"Or maybe suck is too harsh a word, lets just say when Trane jumps, it like he' s floating.",
"It's unstable to say the least, and in a game with alot of jumping, climbing, and fighting, thats a no siree.",
"But as wonky as it is (and you will never forgive it), you will adapt or better yet, accept it and move on to the games stronger points, which is sleek presentation, style and graf influence.",
"Yes, I've bombed before, Im not going to be a dumbass and tell you where, but I was young, into art, and heavily influenced by the colors and style.",
"I still marvel at really great pieces, and have yet to fully grasp the ever evolving 3d nature of the current graf trend.",
"It really is great art when done properly, I love it.",
"Marc Ecko loves it too, and it shows.",
"Unlike GTA where tagging was a mini game, Getting up covers all aspects.",
"One reviewer was pissed that you could put up your own piece, but to me, that was a stupid gripe.",
"How interactive do you want games to be?",
"it would have been nice, but it also would have meant alot of extensive peripheral crap that I don't have i.",
"e. eyetoy and such.",
"So just enjoy the fact that you can pick the styles and colors in which Trane bombs his moniker 'Trane' and be done with it.",
"later, stenciled letters and numbers can allow you to be creative and write your initials and birthdate.",
"see?",
"think outside the box dammit!",
"The story is quaint, powered by the voice talents of Talib Kwali and others.",
"Rosario Dawson adds her pipes to a very sexy female character who goes out with Tranes rival, Gabe.",
"Charlie Murphy is White Mike, and there are curse words abound, SO THIS ONE IS NOT FOR KIDDIES IN BOTH SUBJECT MATTER AND LANGUAGE.",
"Let them learn about graffitti the hard way, but visiting central booking....",
"wait, that's not right either.",
"Bottom line....",
"IF YOU DONT ENJOY BOMBING OR DONT CARE ABOUT GRAFITTI ART, INFLUENCE, OR SUB-CULTURE, THIS GAME WILL BORE YOU.",
"Even if you do, it will aggrivate you with the wonkiness of the controls.",
"it's not that the layout is bad, Trane just feels like he's not grounded to wats around him.",
"He david Blane levitates all over the damn place!",
"The interface, and music (Diddy did something right for a change) is awesome.",
"They literally put you in Tranes Tims.",
"you see and experience what he does, and when you bomb a 'heaven spot' it feels cool.",
"some challenges get repetitive or tedious, such as tagging a van eight times....",
"isn't once enough?",
"others require you to take pictures of the tags of legends in order to upgrade you own style, which is sorts nice.",
"I don't know how else to stress the fact that if you don't like grafitti, walk past this one.",
"The method of tagging a big piece is kinda cool, when you get a drip, it really bugs you.",
"Doing it could have been more precise, but the fact that you are timed helps.",
"I cant see alot of people messing up though, unless they have absolutely no coordination, its easy is what Im trying to say.",
"Graphically, I've seen better and worse.",
"The tags are sweet, Trane's are colorful and vary in style.",
"you can use marker, stencil, and stickers for throw-ups; and latter move on the rollers and wheat paste.",
"Characters are blocky, and the environment is not GTA go wherever the hell you want to.",
"Trane has specific objectives and spots that he MUST bomb.",
"Of course, you can write on most (not all) walls, but it's pointless to do so unless they give you rep points for it.",
"Still, it is funny to see 'trane' written all over the evironment, too bad you cant tag moving cars!"
] |
Ordered from Prime Pantry 2/20//18. Received 2/23/18. Exp. date is 6/25/18. Taste is O.K. and is better if warmed. Has whole grain oats and whole grain wheat flour. Each of the 6 individually wrapped breakfast cookies weighs 1.69 oz. and has 5 grams of dietary fiber, which is good, but only 3 grams of protein. I would prefer more protein for a breakfast item. I can get the same amount of fiber and over 3 times as much protein if I eat my favorite brand of protein bar for a quick breakfast or snack, and the protein bar tastes better to me. However these Quaker breakfast cookies have their place as they are quick and convenient, can be easily stored in a purse or in a desk at work, and do provide some fiber and carbs with which to start the day.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Ordered from Prime Pantry 2/20//18.",
"Received 2/23/18.",
"Exp.",
"date is 6/25/18.",
"Taste is O.",
"K. and is better if warmed.",
"Has whole grain oats and whole grain wheat flour.",
"Each of the 6 individually wrapped breakfast cookies weighs 1.",
"69 oz.",
"and has 5 grams of dietary fiber, which is good, but only 3 grams of protein.",
"I would prefer more protein for a breakfast item.",
"I can get the same amount of fiber and over 3 times as much protein if I eat my favorite brand of protein bar for a quick breakfast or snack, and the protein bar tastes better to me.",
"However these Quaker breakfast cookies have their place as they are quick and convenient, can be easily stored in a purse or in a desk at work, and do provide some fiber and carbs with which to start the day."
] |
From the man who brought us the surreal, yet hauntingly real, world of "Brazil" comes the drug-induced world of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Terry Gilliam uses his craft to mimic this world and help the viewer feel as if he or she is part of this world. As a result, this film appears disconnected and bizarre. Don't worry. It's supposed to be that way.
In route to a writing project, Johnny Depp plays Hunter S. Thompson, aka Duke Raoul, who with his lawyer, played by an initially unrecognizable Benecio Del Toro, binge and document their way through the experience. Is it the drugs or is it Las Vegas? Both seem to feed of each other.
The film tells us that somehow the adages and directions given in the 60s seem to have misled us somehow. Not an anti-drug movie, the movie merely points out that there seems to be a step missing in the search for truth.
I would only recommend this to a patient viewer. It does take a while to connect the ideas.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"From the man who brought us the surreal, yet hauntingly real, world of \"Brazil\" comes the drug-induced world of \"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.",
"\" Terry Gilliam uses his craft to mimic this world and help the viewer feel as if he or she is part of this world.",
"As a result, this film appears disconnected and bizarre.",
"Don't worry.",
"It's supposed to be that way.",
"In route to a writing project, Johnny Depp plays Hunter S.",
"Thompson, aka Duke Raoul, who with his lawyer, played by an initially unrecognizable Benecio Del Toro, binge and document their way through the experience.",
"Is it the drugs or is it Las Vegas?",
"Both seem to feed of each other.",
"The film tells us that somehow the adages and directions given in the 60s seem to have misled us somehow.",
"Not an anti-drug movie, the movie merely points out that there seems to be a step missing in the search for truth.",
"I would only recommend this to a patient viewer.",
"It does take a while to connect the ideas."
] |
I've never used a creme-to-powder foundation before, but have heard the benefits and figured, why not? While I get the appeal of the concept, I might not buy it again--at least not this particular product.
I was very pleased when I put it on the first time. I liked the method of application, I even liked the learning curve required to get the right look, and I was delighted with my face after all make-up was applied. Smooth coverage, pretty and natural glow, and heck if it didn't match my skin tone quite nicely.
But, as the day wore on, I wasn't as pleased. Please note I was never miserable, but the staying power wasn't great (I did use the company's primer with this that was great with my other foundations yet only pretty good here--bad combo?) and I felt my face looked a bit cakey.
Okay, not as good as application as I thought. Yes, there's a learning curve, but on the subsequent days of practice I still had the same results. Sheer or a stronger coverage, this still has an odd cakey look to it I just don't care for.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I've never used a creme-to-powder foundation before, but have heard the benefits and figured, why not?",
"While I get the appeal of the concept, I might not buy it again--at least not this particular product.",
"I was very pleased when I put it on the first time.",
"I liked the method of application, I even liked the learning curve required to get the right look, and I was delighted with my face after all make-up was applied.",
"Smooth coverage, pretty and natural glow, and heck if it didn't match my skin tone quite nicely.",
"But, as the day wore on, I wasn't as pleased.",
"Please note I was never miserable, but the staying power wasn't great (I did use the company's primer with this that was great with my other foundations yet only pretty good here--bad combo?",
") and I felt my face looked a bit cakey.",
"Okay, not as good as application as I thought.",
"Yes, there's a learning curve, but on the subsequent days of practice I still had the same results.",
"Sheer or a stronger coverage, this still has an odd cakey look to it I just don't care for."
] |
Let's say a band has written nine songs and decides to make an album. One is a superb song (probably one of the best the band has ever written), one is near excellent, whereas the other seven range from just O.K. to good. Now take your superb song and have it lead off the album, and take your near excellent song and make it third in the order. The problem for a listener of the album is that after the third song, s/he's not going to hear anything approaching what's already been heard, hence there's surely going to be a letdown. This is indeed the problem with "Mirror Moves."
"The Ghost in You" is a great great song, and fans generally agree it's one of the band's best. "Heaven" is near excellent. The rest range from O.K. to good ("Alice's House" and "Highway Days" are probably the best of the remainder). Here, Richard Butler has, for the most part, lost his raspy snarl, and sings much more melodically, with more gentle themes (such as love). I personally think "Mirror Moves" is the band's weakest album, but that's what makes the Psychedelic Furs so great, because the album is still pretty good.
Footnote: Notice how the band self-plagiarized the main riff from "Like a Stranger" to write the superior "In My Head" a few albums later.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Let's say a band has written nine songs and decides to make an album.",
"One is a superb song (probably one of the best the band has ever written), one is near excellent, whereas the other seven range from just O.",
"K. to good.",
"Now take your superb song and have it lead off the album, and take your near excellent song and make it third in the order.",
"The problem for a listener of the album is that after the third song, s/he's not going to hear anything approaching what's already been heard, hence there's surely going to be a letdown.",
"This is indeed the problem with \"Mirror Moves.",
"\"\n\n\"The Ghost in You\" is a great great song, and fans generally agree it's one of the band's best.",
"\"Heaven\" is near excellent.",
"The rest range from O.",
"K. to good (\"Alice's House\" and \"Highway Days\" are probably the best of the remainder).",
"Here, Richard Butler has, for the most part, lost his raspy snarl, and sings much more melodically, with more gentle themes (such as love).",
"I personally think \"Mirror Moves\" is the band's weakest album, but that's what makes the Psychedelic Furs so great, because the album is still pretty good.",
"Footnote: Notice how the band self-plagiarized the main riff from \"Like a Stranger\" to write the superior \"In My Head\" a few albums later."
] |
The writer came across as a bit amateur without having done some basic science research. See below for several instances where well-known sci-fi tomes were ignored or misstated. Other than that, the story is quite well woven together, and with some fact checking and concept verification this novel would be well up there. I would have loved this as a young adult, perhaps its target audience, but a bit of science would make it work so much better.
Some examples of poor sci-fi:
-In one case, a ship leaves Earth to get to a massive planet called Lavmino, which is .6 light years from Earth. It also has a nearby sun, which should make it an extra-solar system. But, the nearest solar system to Earth is just over 4 light years away! According to one NASA definition, the solar system goes out to where the sun's gravity is balanced by that of other stars, some 2 light years away, placing Lavmino in our system.
-The home planet (not Lavmino) is described as being on the far side of the galaxy, some 16,000 light years from Earth. But the Milky Way is at least 100,000 light years across (up to 200,000 if you count outliers) and Earth is about 27,000 light years from its center. Thus the far side would start 27,000 light years away and if the author really meant the "far side", add another 100,000+/- light years to that. 16,000 doesn't fit in any case.
-In explaining how the ship is propelled, a vortex of plasma is specified as rotating at "infinite speed". To which I ask, "Huh? How fast is that? Wouldn't centrifugal forces formula pull it apart?". In another misuse of "infinite", a cylinder is described as having "an infinite number of coloured dots on it", but that could be hyperbole for dramatic effect.
-etc.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"The writer came across as a bit amateur without having done some basic science research.",
"See below for several instances where well-known sci-fi tomes were ignored or misstated.",
"Other than that, the story is quite well woven together, and with some fact checking and concept verification this novel would be well up there.",
"I would have loved this as a young adult, perhaps its target audience, but a bit of science would make it work so much better.",
"Some examples of poor sci-fi:\n\n-In one case, a ship leaves Earth to get to a massive planet called Lavmino, which is.",
"6 light years from Earth.",
"It also has a nearby sun, which should make it an extra-solar system.",
"But, the nearest solar system to Earth is just over 4 light years away!",
"According to one NASA definition, the solar system goes out to where the sun's gravity is balanced by that of other stars, some 2 light years away, placing Lavmino in our system.",
"-The home planet (not Lavmino) is described as being on the far side of the galaxy, some 16,000 light years from Earth.",
"But the Milky Way is at least 100,000 light years across (up to 200,000 if you count outliers) and Earth is about 27,000 light years from its center.",
"Thus the far side would start 27,000 light years away and if the author really meant the \"far side\", add another 100,000+/- light years to that.",
"16,000 doesn't fit in any case.",
"-In explaining how the ship is propelled, a vortex of plasma is specified as rotating at \"infinite speed\".",
"To which I ask, \"Huh?",
"How fast is that?",
"Wouldn't centrifugal forces formula pull it apart?",
"\".",
"In another misuse of \"infinite\", a cylinder is described as having \"an infinite number of coloured dots on it\", but that could be hyperbole for dramatic effect.",
"-etc."
] |
This is just one more title that proves that gaming houses can not successfully port a game originally configured and designed for the X-box or Playstation to a PC platform. Even great gaming houses can't do this -- and folks, even on their best day, Obsidian would never be accused of being great.
Ultimately, for anyone who has played Doom 3, Half-Life 2, or Painkiller, or almost any other FPS title coded for PCs, SWK II will be a big disappointment. The real problem is that it does not have the logical user interface and natural character interaction with the game-space that games designed for the PC have. And because SWK II doesn't feel and look as real as the titles previously mentioned, the gameplay is dramatically compromised.
My bet is that this game was rushed to market as part of the massive merchandising effort surrounding Star Wars Episode III. And it suffers from the same thing that most of Lucas's recent efforts suffer from, and that is that he and his team have clearly made the decision to trade quality for speed to market. And they have done this to the degree that the Star Wars franchise has been all but made a joke (case in point: Jar Jar Binks). This is almost heart wrenching given Lucas' contribution to the sci-fi genre and to entertainment in general in the late seventies and early eighties.
I just don't know why George Lucas wouldn't take better care of his life's work. It doesn't seem to make any sense, not any sense at all.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"This is just one more title that proves that gaming houses can not successfully port a game originally configured and designed for the X-box or Playstation to a PC platform.",
"Even great gaming houses can't do this -- and folks, even on their best day, Obsidian would never be accused of being great.",
"Ultimately, for anyone who has played Doom 3, Half-Life 2, or Painkiller, or almost any other FPS title coded for PCs, SWK II will be a big disappointment.",
"The real problem is that it does not have the logical user interface and natural character interaction with the game-space that games designed for the PC have.",
"And because SWK II doesn't feel and look as real as the titles previously mentioned, the gameplay is dramatically compromised.",
"My bet is that this game was rushed to market as part of the massive merchandising effort surrounding Star Wars Episode III.",
"And it suffers from the same thing that most of Lucas's recent efforts suffer from, and that is that he and his team have clearly made the decision to trade quality for speed to market.",
"And they have done this to the degree that the Star Wars franchise has been all but made a joke (case in point: Jar Jar Binks).",
"This is almost heart wrenching given Lucas' contribution to the sci-fi genre and to entertainment in general in the late seventies and early eighties.",
"I just don't know why George Lucas wouldn't take better care of his life's work.",
"It doesn't seem to make any sense, not any sense at all."
] |
Its was a LOT of work for such a cheap toy...
We purchased this for our two year old daughter for Christmas and doubt that it will make it through the year! Its very poorly made for the asking price.
The ONLY reason why this didn't rate a 1 star is that our daughters actually do play with it...
Cheap.
Its one of the cheapest play toys that we own!!! We were very excited to find a "Made in the USA" toy that we should have done more research. The asking price on this toy is a J O K E! It looks like it costs about $10 due to very poor quality.
First off, like the other reviewers stated, it comes in a thousand different pieces that you have to twist, cut, pull out of plastic molds. It took FOREVER to get them out before even constructing this toy...The horrible part (besides our hands being shreaded alive) is that there are JAGGGED EDGES that you have to cut or shave off so the kids won't hurt themselves playing with the accessories! Seems like a LOT of money to spend for a cheap baby nursery!
Our directions were off. Its a VERY good thing that my husband is handy and has put together kids toys before, because the screws did NOT line up all the time and the instructions were about as vague as you can get - especially when the plastic is mislabeled! We could NOT fit a few of the screws at the bottom of the toys into the unit since it was at such a bad angle for a screw driver! We also had problems with getting the screws in even with a drill! We finally ended up using a very small screw driver. They SHOULD have included a small screw driver with the instructions b/c if you don't own one you are SOL. So LOTS of effort for a cheaply made toy.
The accessories are not only poorly made and lacking. The hangers do not fit on the closet piece, we have NO idea what the two pink bottle looking things are, and it does not even come with a bottle or anything! I do, however, like the storage area in the nursery.
I would not recommend this product because it is cheap and not sturdy for toddlers, the accessories are lacking, and it takes waaaaay to long to construct.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Its was a LOT of work for such a cheap toy...",
"We purchased this for our two year old daughter for Christmas and doubt that it will make it through the year!",
"Its very poorly made for the asking price.",
"The ONLY reason why this didn't rate a 1 star is that our daughters actually do play with it...",
"Cheap.",
"Its one of the cheapest play toys that we own!!!",
"We were very excited to find a \"Made in the USA\" toy that we should have done more research.",
"The asking price on this toy is a J O K E!",
"It looks like it costs about $10 due to very poor quality.",
"First off, like the other reviewers stated, it comes in a thousand different pieces that you have to twist, cut, pull out of plastic molds.",
"It took FOREVER to get them out before even constructing this toy...",
"The horrible part (besides our hands being shreaded alive) is that there are JAGGGED EDGES that you have to cut or shave off so the kids won't hurt themselves playing with the accessories!",
"Seems like a LOT of money to spend for a cheap baby nursery!",
"Our directions were off.",
"Its a VERY good thing that my husband is handy and has put together kids toys before, because the screws did NOT line up all the time and the instructions were about as vague as you can get - especially when the plastic is mislabeled!",
"We could NOT fit a few of the screws at the bottom of the toys into the unit since it was at such a bad angle for a screw driver!",
"We also had problems with getting the screws in even with a drill!",
"We finally ended up using a very small screw driver.",
"They SHOULD have included a small screw driver with the instructions b/c if you don't own one you are SOL.",
"So LOTS of effort for a cheaply made toy.",
"The accessories are not only poorly made and lacking.",
"The hangers do not fit on the closet piece, we have NO idea what the two pink bottle looking things are, and it does not even come with a bottle or anything!",
"I do, however, like the storage area in the nursery.",
"I would not recommend this product because it is cheap and not sturdy for toddlers, the accessories are lacking, and it takes waaaaay to long to construct."
] |
While not being an audiophile, I was looking for a pair of decent sounding headphones to wear at work for extended periods of time. I had a pair of Koss TD/80's that sounded acceptable, but were uncomfortable to wear for over 10 minutes. These looked quite comfortable, and were about what I was looking to spend. At first listen they seemed quite dull, favoring the mid to low sections and not at all the bright, responsive headphones that I was looking for. Then I realized that I was driving them with my laptops internal card. At home, it was a different story entirely. The highs suddenly came out, and they responded like a decent pair of headphones. I would definitely recommend using these only with a properly driven output device, or a headphone amp. Also, these seemed to bring out the worst in my MP3 files. All in all, only medium performance on typical equipment. Better equipment brings out better sound. I hear that the HD495's are better sounding on typical equipment for the same price.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"While not being an audiophile, I was looking for a pair of decent sounding headphones to wear at work for extended periods of time.",
"I had a pair of Koss TD/80's that sounded acceptable, but were uncomfortable to wear for over 10 minutes.",
"These looked quite comfortable, and were about what I was looking to spend.",
"At first listen they seemed quite dull, favoring the mid to low sections and not at all the bright, responsive headphones that I was looking for.",
"Then I realized that I was driving them with my laptops internal card.",
"At home, it was a different story entirely.",
"The highs suddenly came out, and they responded like a decent pair of headphones.",
"I would definitely recommend using these only with a properly driven output device, or a headphone amp.",
"Also, these seemed to bring out the worst in my MP3 files.",
"All in all, only medium performance on typical equipment.",
"Better equipment brings out better sound.",
"I hear that the HD495's are better sounding on typical equipment for the same price."
] |
3$ at harbor freight. Other than that, these work. I zapped my arm once, on accident, and it was unpleasant. Obviously we have much higher impedance than flys or bugs or it would hurt like you know what. Having said that, don't go around zapping anyone.
I have owned 10 or more. They seem to last for a year or so, and always develop some issue, primarly two that i have noticed. One===they start to fall apart from the weight in the end==the batteries. The second issue is the switch. After a while it gets intermittent. BUT--knowing now I can go to harbor freight and get it free or for a few $ (free with coupon), I should never be without.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"3$ at harbor freight.",
"Other than that, these work.",
"I zapped my arm once, on accident, and it was unpleasant.",
"Obviously we have much higher impedance than flys or bugs or it would hurt like you know what.",
"Having said that, don't go around zapping anyone.",
"I have owned 10 or more.",
"They seem to last for a year or so, and always develop some issue, primarly two that i have noticed.",
"One===they start to fall apart from the weight in the end==the batteries.",
"The second issue is the switch.",
"After a while it gets intermittent.",
"BUT--knowing now I can go to harbor freight and get it free or for a few $ (free with coupon), I should never be without."
] |
Oh where shall I start? This performance has certain really good points, and some that are just plain horrible. It really comes down to a game of boys vs. girls, and believe me, the boys whipped those girls into oblivion.
It's really a shame that a performance can have such wonderful forces like Fritz Wunderlich, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Franz Crass (all three of whom are considered by many to be the greatest interpreters of these parts ever), and yet the consistency is broken by poor performances by the strained squeals of Evelyn Lear's Pamina and the entirely bland and uninvolved Queen of Roberta Peters. The three ladies aren't that great either.
Roberta Peters' delivery of "Der Holle Rache" is kind of a joke. If you are familiar with Steven Wright, imagine casting him as the Queen of the Night (well, give him a swift quick between the legs first). Yeah, that's about it. Peters actually sounds bored in her delivery of her two arias. However, her voice and technique are good for the most part (with the exception of some rather breathy F's).
Evelyn Lear, on the other hand, is very musical and expressive, but sounds like a dying cat. The sounds of her high range remind me of that time I stubbed my toe on a pile of rusty nails. What a shame.
And you know what the worst part is? This performance would have been perfect if some better sopranos were cast. Wunderlich can be relied upon to emit beautiful sounds and absolutely heartbreaking expression. Fischer-Dieskau's acting (which is the central part of Papageno's character) is wonderful--proving that he is indeed one of the greatest baritones in recent memory. And of course Franz Crass's classic interpretation of Sarastro. If I had my way, I would superimpose sopranos such as Edda Moser and Sumi Jo into this recording, and then it would indeed be perfect.
But until then, my advice is to buy this recording for half of the arias, and buy another recording for the other half. That would be cool.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Oh where shall I start?",
"This performance has certain really good points, and some that are just plain horrible.",
"It really comes down to a game of boys vs.",
"girls, and believe me, the boys whipped those girls into oblivion.",
"It's really a shame that a performance can have such wonderful forces like Fritz Wunderlich, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Franz Crass (all three of whom are considered by many to be the greatest interpreters of these parts ever), and yet the consistency is broken by poor performances by the strained squeals of Evelyn Lear's Pamina and the entirely bland and uninvolved Queen of Roberta Peters.",
"The three ladies aren't that great either.",
"Roberta Peters' delivery of \"Der Holle Rache\" is kind of a joke.",
"If you are familiar with Steven Wright, imagine casting him as the Queen of the Night (well, give him a swift quick between the legs first).",
"Yeah, that's about it.",
"Peters actually sounds bored in her delivery of her two arias.",
"However, her voice and technique are good for the most part (with the exception of some rather breathy F's).",
"Evelyn Lear, on the other hand, is very musical and expressive, but sounds like a dying cat.",
"The sounds of her high range remind me of that time I stubbed my toe on a pile of rusty nails.",
"What a shame.",
"And you know what the worst part is?",
"This performance would have been perfect if some better sopranos were cast.",
"Wunderlich can be relied upon to emit beautiful sounds and absolutely heartbreaking expression.",
"Fischer-Dieskau's acting (which is the central part of Papageno's character) is wonderful--proving that he is indeed one of the greatest baritones in recent memory.",
"And of course Franz Crass's classic interpretation of Sarastro.",
"If I had my way, I would superimpose sopranos such as Edda Moser and Sumi Jo into this recording, and then it would indeed be perfect.",
"But until then, my advice is to buy this recording for half of the arias, and buy another recording for the other half.",
"That would be cool."
] |
I am very unhappy ..I just received my headphones and the thing I'm disappointed with is shipping.
AFTER i had placed my order for a $4.80 pair of headphones, I ended up being billed $26.48 for shipping to Alaska when the package only says that they paid $5.44 for shipping. I relooked over their website and it says that they only ship within the US. WELL, ALASKA IS WITHIN THE US!!!!!!!!!! And then I see where they have this chart, that I MUSTVE OVERLOOKED BEFORE, that there is a specific charge for shipping to a PO Box in Alaska. What's wrong with this picture? The company address is from Franklin Park, Illinois. Guess it mustve cost $21.04 for someone to use a big truck to go to the post office. *VERY UNHAPPY*
I haven't even taken the headphones out of the package yet. Sure hope they've got gold plating. *UGH*
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"I am very unhappy..",
"I just received my headphones and the thing I'm disappointed with is shipping.",
"AFTER i had placed my order for a $4.",
"80 pair of headphones, I ended up being billed $26.",
"48 for shipping to Alaska when the package only says that they paid $5.",
"44 for shipping.",
"I relooked over their website and it says that they only ship within the US.",
"WELL, ALASKA IS WITHIN THE US!!!!",
"!!!!",
"!!",
"And then I see where they have this chart, that I MUSTVE OVERLOOKED BEFORE, that there is a specific charge for shipping to a PO Box in Alaska.",
"What's wrong with this picture?",
"The company address is from Franklin Park, Illinois.",
"Guess it mustve cost $21.",
"04 for someone to use a big truck to go to the post office.",
"*VERY UNHAPPY*\nI haven't even taken the headphones out of the package yet.",
"Sure hope they've got gold plating.",
"*UGH*"
] |
Bioshock has a great premise, with a fascinating backstory. It takes place in the submersed city of Rapture, driven by industry and art and a love of freedom, led by idealists and dreamers. It is also severely messed up, and the effects of hedonistic life and elitism stack up until something terrible tears apart their hidden Eden. Science that had once considered itself unshackled from petty morality has gone haywire, and the decadence of a society that existed for society's sake has fallen apart. With such a fantastic story at the foundation, Bioshock should be one of the greatest games ever, right?
Well, no. It certainly is fun to play through once, and that is an endeavor I would recommend once you've played through a number of better games. When this game was in production a number of promises were made -- not the least of which was the "-shock" moniker in the title. This is supposed to be a spiritual successor to the frightening System Shock series, which may be old and clunky, but were classics. They were games that frightened me immensely, and I was looking forward to being scared silly in the halls of Rapture. Instead, the ride was sort of dull.
The art is amazing, but the story degenerates as it goes. The one truly brilliant twist comes too soon in the game, and the philosophy of the moment is lost when your character just ignores its implications and continues on with his life without question. I would recommend that everybody experience that twist, but YouTube will get you there in a tenth the time and with nearly none of the disappointment.
The real problem is that there just isn't any complexity to this game. There were supposed to be complex moral quandaries, but the reward for being good is better than that of being evil, and with only two endings that you determine without consciously knowing it, the game just doesn't have a conscience. You are a character in a game, and Bioshock lets you know it over and over again. Throw in the fact that by the end of the game pretty much everyone who has ever played will have roughly the same character (no actual role-playing here), and you have a disappointingly formulaic game that should have been the best in years.
Still, I would recommend the game if you can get it used or if you have nothing else to play; but pretty much anything else will yield more fun than this one.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"Bioshock has a great premise, with a fascinating backstory.",
"It takes place in the submersed city of Rapture, driven by industry and art and a love of freedom, led by idealists and dreamers.",
"It is also severely messed up, and the effects of hedonistic life and elitism stack up until something terrible tears apart their hidden Eden.",
"Science that had once considered itself unshackled from petty morality has gone haywire, and the decadence of a society that existed for society's sake has fallen apart.",
"With such a fantastic story at the foundation, Bioshock should be one of the greatest games ever, right?",
"Well, no.",
"It certainly is fun to play through once, and that is an endeavor I would recommend once you've played through a number of better games.",
"When this game was in production a number of promises were made -- not the least of which was the \"-shock\" moniker in the title.",
"This is supposed to be a spiritual successor to the frightening System Shock series, which may be old and clunky, but were classics.",
"They were games that frightened me immensely, and I was looking forward to being scared silly in the halls of Rapture.",
"Instead, the ride was sort of dull.",
"The art is amazing, but the story degenerates as it goes.",
"The one truly brilliant twist comes too soon in the game, and the philosophy of the moment is lost when your character just ignores its implications and continues on with his life without question.",
"I would recommend that everybody experience that twist, but YouTube will get you there in a tenth the time and with nearly none of the disappointment.",
"The real problem is that there just isn't any complexity to this game.",
"There were supposed to be complex moral quandaries, but the reward for being good is better than that of being evil, and with only two endings that you determine without consciously knowing it, the game just doesn't have a conscience.",
"You are a character in a game, and Bioshock lets you know it over and over again.",
"Throw in the fact that by the end of the game pretty much everyone who has ever played will have roughly the same character (no actual role-playing here), and you have a disappointingly formulaic game that should have been the best in years.",
"Still, I would recommend the game if you can get it used or if you have nothing else to play; but pretty much anything else will yield more fun than this one."
] |
The animation and action in the Poltergeist Report is excellent. What is lacking is real emotion and humor. There are a couple of laughs, with Kuwabara as comic relief. Even George, Koenma's hapless demon flunky, only has a couple of warning lines. But the usual banter between Yusuke and Botan, or Yusuke and Genkai is non-existent. The characters of Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, Genkai, Koenma, and Kurama act like wooden actors from a Hong Kong martial arts '70's film with a formulaic plot of heroes bent on revenge. Botan is a helpless female the whole time.
The music is poor. Sound effects feel off. The story is about Yakumo, the king of the netherworld, who wants to take over both the spirit world and the human world. A little miko from the spiritual world with the world's biggest and most annoying cowlick alternately tries to help, but mostly gets in the way.
Oh, God, the English voices are HORRIBLE! The movie was released by a different company that released the Yu Yu Hakusho series. Not only are the voices different, the acting has no heart.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"The animation and action in the Poltergeist Report is excellent.",
"What is lacking is real emotion and humor.",
"There are a couple of laughs, with Kuwabara as comic relief.",
"Even George, Koenma's hapless demon flunky, only has a couple of warning lines.",
"But the usual banter between Yusuke and Botan, or Yusuke and Genkai is non-existent.",
"The characters of Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, Genkai, Koenma, and Kurama act like wooden actors from a Hong Kong martial arts '70's film with a formulaic plot of heroes bent on revenge.",
"Botan is a helpless female the whole time.",
"The music is poor.",
"Sound effects feel off.",
"The story is about Yakumo, the king of the netherworld, who wants to take over both the spirit world and the human world.",
"A little miko from the spiritual world with the world's biggest and most annoying cowlick alternately tries to help, but mostly gets in the way.",
"Oh, God, the English voices are HORRIBLE!",
"The movie was released by a different company that released the Yu Yu Hakusho series.",
"Not only are the voices different, the acting has no heart."
] |
LOVE HAPPY is the Marx Brothers' final starring feature film, though the spotlight here is on Harpo (the real star of the picture), while Chico and especially Groucho have supporting roles. This one is primarily for Marx completists, who will be delighted to learn that the print used for this DVD transfer runs 91 minutes rather than the standard 85-minute version previously released on VHS ... and seen on TV and in theatrical revivals. I'm not sure where this longer cut has been languishing all these years (the DVD is a Republic Pictures/Lions Gate release, yet there's a Paramount/Viacom logo too), but the shorter edition is the one that's been in general circulation over the past four decades. It's surprising that Republic didn't toot their own horn about having made this longer version available. Did they even realize it was a longer version?
The pictorial quality of this DVD is stunning. Every other edition I've seen -- including a 35mm print that dated back to 1953 -- looked like it was processed on outdated film stock, giving the picture a dimly-lit pictorial quality. Not so in this case: the image is sharp and distinct, giving this independent production a glossy, polished look it did not possess before.
None of the "new" scenes are what I'd call major sequences ... though, happily, additional gags conceived by Frank Tashlin (SON OF PALEFACE, ARTISTS AND MODELS, THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT) are now reinstated. (Unhappily, there's no extra footage of Marilyn Monroe.) I'm puzzled why these cuts were made in the first place -- in some instances it only shortens a scene by a matter of seconds.
Comparing the DVD to the old VHS edition, these are the restored sequences I noticed: the original introduction to Chico's character, narrated by Groucho; Harpo feeding a string of hot dogs to hungry actors inside a bull costume; Groucho showing the audience snapshots of him and Ilona Massey romping together in various locales; Harpo whirling around inside a giant washing machine while a gleeful Raymond Burr looks on; an additional encounter between Chico and Leon Belasco, narrated by Groucho; Melville Cooper showing Ilona Massey X-rays of Harpo; additional sight gags during the climactic rooftop chase (although there`s still a clumsy fadeout during the chase). Plus, there are additional, fleeting quips from Groucho (none of which are especially funny), as well as different music scoring for some scenes.
Again, I'm not sure why this movie was tinkered with. Why would United Artists, the original theatrical distributor, remove a number of Groucho's bits when he has so little to do to begin with? For that matter, why cut any Marx scenes in a film that has superfluous footage involving secondary characters?
The extra footage is fascinating to watch but it doesn't change my overall opinion of LOVE HAPPY. I think that the film has a number of very funny and imaginative scenes, but it still ranks as a lesser Marx effort. Nevertheless, if you're a true Marx Brothers fan, you'll want (and need) this DVD for your collection.
| 1 |
neutral
|
[
"LOVE HAPPY is the Marx Brothers' final starring feature film, though the spotlight here is on Harpo (the real star of the picture), while Chico and especially Groucho have supporting roles.",
"This one is primarily for Marx completists, who will be delighted to learn that the print used for this DVD transfer runs 91 minutes rather than the standard 85-minute version previously released on VHS...",
"and seen on TV and in theatrical revivals.",
"I'm not sure where this longer cut has been languishing all these years (the DVD is a Republic Pictures/Lions Gate release, yet there's a Paramount/Viacom logo too), but the shorter edition is the one that's been in general circulation over the past four decades.",
"It's surprising that Republic didn't toot their own horn about having made this longer version available.",
"Did they even realize it was a longer version?",
"The pictorial quality of this DVD is stunning.",
"Every other edition I've seen -- including a 35mm print that dated back to 1953 -- looked like it was processed on outdated film stock, giving the picture a dimly-lit pictorial quality.",
"Not so in this case: the image is sharp and distinct, giving this independent production a glossy, polished look it did not possess before.",
"None of the \"new\" scenes are what I'd call major sequences...",
"though, happily, additional gags conceived by Frank Tashlin (SON OF PALEFACE, ARTISTS AND MODELS, THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT) are now reinstated.",
"(Unhappily, there's no extra footage of Marilyn Monroe.",
") I'm puzzled why these cuts were made in the first place -- in some instances it only shortens a scene by a matter of seconds.",
"Comparing the DVD to the old VHS edition, these are the restored sequences I noticed: the original introduction to Chico's character, narrated by Groucho; Harpo feeding a string of hot dogs to hungry actors inside a bull costume; Groucho showing the audience snapshots of him and Ilona Massey romping together in various locales; Harpo whirling around inside a giant washing machine while a gleeful Raymond Burr looks on; an additional encounter between Chico and Leon Belasco, narrated by Groucho; Melville Cooper showing Ilona Massey X-rays of Harpo; additional sight gags during the climactic rooftop chase (although there`s still a clumsy fadeout during the chase).",
"Plus, there are additional, fleeting quips from Groucho (none of which are especially funny), as well as different music scoring for some scenes.",
"Again, I'm not sure why this movie was tinkered with.",
"Why would United Artists, the original theatrical distributor, remove a number of Groucho's bits when he has so little to do to begin with?",
"For that matter, why cut any Marx scenes in a film that has superfluous footage involving secondary characters?",
"The extra footage is fascinating to watch but it doesn't change my overall opinion of LOVE HAPPY.",
"I think that the film has a number of very funny and imaginative scenes, but it still ranks as a lesser Marx effort.",
"Nevertheless, if you're a true Marx Brothers fan, you'll want (and need) this DVD for your collection."
] |
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