Friday, June 29, 2007

Get ready, cause here iCome!

Prepare yourselves for the gadgetry world to be changed by Apple once again at 6pm tonight. That's when the iPhone hits stores.

Let me just say, I think this thing looks A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. When it comes to design, these guys know what they're doing.

But check out the review that the New York Times's tech guy David Pogue gave the iPhone.

Here is a list of the iPhone's cons. For me, they're deal breakers.
  • Models only offered in 4GB and 8GB hard drives. Please! That's the size of the Nano (which I love), but what person who has the 80GB standard iPod is going to switch to that?
  • When surfing the Internet, the iPhone doesn't support Flash. Okay, that's like 65 percent of all web sites out there.
  • When outside of a WI-FI zone like Starbucks or Panera, the Web feature is slower than dial-up. Enough said there.
  • You cannot send picture messages.
  • The battery basically needs to be recharged every day.
I learned my lesson with the Nano. I bought the first model and couldn't stand the easily-scratched surface. So I ended up buying Nano 2.0 once it came out - totally improved.

Do what I'm gonna do and wait for iPhone 3.0 or even 4.0.

Seems like they did it again

Last year when Pixar's Cars was released, I had no interest in seeing it, based on the trailers. Cars. That's all it was about and who wanted to see that? But I did see it out of boredom and it turned out to be an incredibly written script. The Pixar people know what they're doing.

Based on the previews, I had no interest to see today's latest Pixar release, Ratatouille. A rat that wants to cook. Sounds too simple and... who cares? But now that I read the New York Times' glowing review, I'm definitely going to check it out.

Read what reviewer A.O. Scott had to say.

“Ratatouille is a nearly flawless piece of popular art, as well as one of the most persuasive portraits of an artist ever committed to film."

Whoa. Where's my ticket?

Monday, June 25, 2007

Getting to know NYC

Instead of commuting home after work on Friday, I stayed in NYC with the ever-fabulous Sammy Davis.Friday, we ate at The Sea, a Thai restaurant in Brooklyn, which was featured in Garden State.

Saturday morning, we bonded with the NYC sidewalk by camping out from 8:45am to 1pm waiting for free Shakespeare in the Park: Romeo and Juliet tickets. Then we ventured with our old Temple News friend Josh to Coney Island to watch the 25th annual Mermaid Parade and ride the famous Cyclone.It was amazing to experience such a massive part of American East Coast history. My grandma rode the Cyclone when she was 15 and now I’m riding it in 2007! This is cultural history. The coaster was pretty spectacular. It was a scary ride and it was pretty long.
Then we went to the Delacourt Theatre in Central Park for Romeo and Juliet. It was one of the best theatrical experiences I’ve ever had. The scenic design was one of the best minimalist set-ups I’ve ever seen. The acting was superb and the cast actually compelled me to enjoy the story of Romeo and Juliet for the first time. And primarily, the outdoor setting with the lake as the backdrop and the most beautiful weather made the whole experience enchanting.
Sunday, Sammy and I explored without a direction just to see what we see. We walked from Union Square to Tribeca, to NoHo and SoHo, stopping at cafes and shops along the way. It was wonderful.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Political post, what?!

Hillary Clinton's campaign team has released this advertisement, one of her first in her search for the Democratic nomination for president, in which she and Bill recreate the final Sopranos scene. This video is brilliance! It's an incredibly smart move on Hillary's part to show the public that she isn't the cold political fish that she has grown a reputation for being. There is no better way to appeal to the puiblic than with humor. The fact that Hillary knew this was a good idea speaks volumes for her. Besides, this video is hilarious! And I don't want to hear anyone say that the acting is bad and the video is cheesy... it's supposed to be! Good move, Clintons.

And then there's the interesting news that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is ditching his Republican party and becoming Independent. This is the perfect get-your-act-together message, not only to the Republican party, but also the Democrats. It's pretty clear that this country is sick of stubborn party agendas, especially the damaging mudslinging that goes on between them. A powerhouse figure like Michael Bloomberg turning his back on the dual-party system is a political statement made in Heaven.

“Any successful elected executive knows that real results are more important than partisan battles, and that good ideas should take precedence over rigid adherence to any particular political ideology.”
-Michael Bloomberg

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Up with young people

As predicted, Spring Awakening made a killing at the Tony Awards on Sunday. It won for Best Musical and John Gallagher Jr. won for best featured actor, for a totaly of eight awards. The show is so deserving, and it's great to see this kind of quality theater recognized.

Unfortunately, Raul Esparza surprisingly did not win the Best Actor award for Company. It was also just announced that the show will close on July 1, so I hope that's not a result of his loss, as I know the show has been lacking in ticket sales for the past few months. It's too bad.

Listening
For the hope, for the new life

Something beautiful, a new chance

Hear its whispering

There again

-"Whispering" Spring Awakening