soapbox

(1) What does the soapboxosphere know about the Roku? It’s kinda an iTV + Netflix thing, where for $99 you get a box that allows Netflix subscribers access to their entire ‘Watch Now’ movie database. No extra fees, no computer necessary. My take is that the aaplTV will provide new/hip/trendy things, while this Netflix things gives you good access to older/nonpremium films.

(2) A recent study concludes that even with HD-DVD defeated, BluRay hasn’t immediately taken off, in no small part due to the fact that Blu-Ray players still cost a billion dollars. Duh. (But I still want one).

(3) Two more uses for AirportExpress:

• play any kind of movie file on iTunes
• or play non-iTunes software over AirportExpress.

(4) Finally, if you’re traveling a lot, I don’t see how/why to not get one of these. Screw the Macbook Air, you can put your whole computer in your pocket, as long as you have a host computer to boot on. 160 Gig for $129, and measures in at 12.7 cm x 8.1 cm x 1.8 cm.

I’ll just go with this one bullet-style:

• Randomly switched on the TV just as the last episode of Idol started.  Now apparently this is the six or seventh season?  But I’ve never seen one, so I decided to stick around and learn a little about pop cuture.
• Was also intrigued because Tony Kornheiser (of ESPN’s PTI fame) makes reference to Idol on his podcast, so I had some familiarity with his opinions of the show.
• David A. scared me, he looked two-dimensional and very breakable.  Tony K called him “a Disney kid” and “Celine Dion as a seventeen-year-old boy”.  Great voice, sang Elton John very well, but ugh.  couldn’t watch him, but convinced taht he’ll win.
• David Cook is a much better musician, but not the heart-throb of 13-year-old girls, so he can’t win.

I feel kinda dirty now for having posted on this.  But it’s been several years since I posted something about The OC, so maybe it’s alright?

So I was channel surfing this evening on our new couch (come visit!) and stumbled across this guy:

I knew the actor looked familiar but couldn’t place him.  If you answered “Don Flack from CSI:NY”, then good for you.  Or if you came up with “Lords of Dogtown”, then nicely done.  But no, I thought for a couple seconds and then came up with “Jim Craig, I mean, Eddie Cahill”.  My TV/movie/pop culture IQ is really not that good, sometimes.

IMDB is a beautiful thing.  Apparently Cahill made a guest appearance on Dawson’s Creek? and showed up in seven “Friends” episodes as Tag Jones.

Now this is a great list.  The question is, to what question is the list an answer?

sandy cohen, barney rubble, and jessica rabbit.

Ponder that for a moment or three, then click to see the full post.

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She’s the only one with a real and somewhat likable personality.

Sexism ahead, you’ve been warned.
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Well, it’s that time again, to waste most of this coming week poring over articles and different sites’ analysis, trying to figure out which 5-12 upset to go with, flipping coins on 8-9s, and so on.

Mostly, winning a pool is just dumb luck.  Both times that I’ve won (in almost 20 years of playing, hmmm, that’s worse than the Florida Marlins, ugh) it has been a case of knowing who my competition liked and going a different way, then lucking into those guys winning.

My buddy Joe* has found the most reliable solution - asking his very ditzy girlfriend about each pairing and going with that.  Seriously, oftentimes that bracket beats his carefully-crafted one.

*not his real name.

Anyway, for more analysis on the detrimental effects of sports knowledge on March Madness brackets, check out this entertaining read.  I really like the Mascot Fight Club method, although that’s also the most difficult to clearly define.

I report, you decide.  Fair and Balanced, indeed.