Did Ron Moore Sneak Galactica 1980 Into Canon?

This came to me at four in the morning.

In Razor we saw classic cylons.

On Earth there were classic cylons.

In Galactica 1980 there was the first human looking Cylon.

We've heard rumors of the final scene of BSG being Six walking through Times Square.  Maybe it took 30 years for the Classic Cylons to nuke Earth.....

And it's Earth Year 4010 when Olmosadama shows up on Earth.

Why would there be two sets of Galacticas, colonies and people with similar names?

All this has happened before and will happen again.  We just forgot it happened in 1980.

OMG. Best. Galactica. Ever.

Galactica tonight was phenomenal.

There's been some great ones (the New Caprica five year jump ahead, the Earth shocker) but this one was the best of them all.

A mutiny!

Starbuck & Apollo ride again!

Admiral Adama kick ass action?

What a tense episode, not a second of wasted time, all action, all story moving forward, everyone's situation getting worse and worse.   Awesome.

Starbucks

I really enjoyed this article about $4 coffee in today's environment.

 

http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/columns-0/1233293109132600.xml&coll=1

 

The real reason is Starbucks always was, and remains, an expendable lifestyle fad rather than an authentic communal experience. When times get tough, $3 and $4 daily drink treats are the first to go. Unless they contain booze, and the potential to go home with someone new.

 

 

Entertainment Weekly Never Disappoints Me (Tina Fey)

I thought I was going to make it through an entire issue of Entertainment Weekly without a glowing review of Tina Fey and how she is the greatest entertainer of all time.   This was the useless Oscars issue, one of four we'll get in the next two months where they waste half the magazine telling us what movies came out in 2008 - and don't forget the awesome photos issue.

 

Anyways, got to page 83 and sure enough there it was - a glowing article about Tina Fey.

 

The streak continues.

 

Maybe next week.

Indiana Jones & The Awesome Awesomeness (Wii)

This looks great. Then again so did the Force Unleashed Trailer.



This game looks better than Indy IV

New Half-way Cool Trek Site

Some behind the scenes stuff.  Not bad.  I still worry about the Lost guys being behind this, but I temper that by realizing Berman killed the franchise.  Where's Ron Moore when we need him?

 

http://www.esurance.com/welcome/landing/startrek/welcome.aspx

I Don't Understand The Springsteen Bashing

I'm seeing an awful lot of mixed to negative reviews about Springsteen's newest album "Working On A Dream" and I don't get it.

I've spent a few weeks with this album already and it's great.

Some of the individual pieces may seem "weak" as singles when heard a lone and out of context...but when you hear the single "Working on A Dream" come after the rocking "My Lucky Day" and before "Queen of the Supermarket" you realize what a dynamic album this is.

"Queen" is one of those songs for people who can "hear" Springsteen.  Some people can listen all they want but the lyrics will never speak to them.   When the girl in the supermarket flashes that smile....well I can remember just who she is and where I was.  Maybe yuou just can't.

"The Last Carnival" may seem like a throwaway until you realize it's about the late Danny Federici.  "The Wrestler" closes out the album and there it hits the spot.  "Surprise Surprise" is so catchy it will be an instant classic, my kids already memorized it, and you can sing it at my birthday party any time you'd like.

Happy Australia Day From Skippy The Bush Roo

The Australian Flipper. Oh no, Sonny the boy has a concussion!

Met Tom Cavanagh (Ed) and Trust Me He's Cool

I got to meed Tom Cavanagh (Ed from "Ed:) the other day and he's a really cool dude.  He's exactly who you want him to be - fun, affable, cheery, bright, happy.  He doesn't quite talk in five word snappy sentences but he's pretty much like Ed!    He says they are still working on those Ed DVD's.

I've seen the first two episodes of Trust Me and my original post is below:

Good news for fans of the late great Ed.

TNT has a new show called Trust Me and I have seen the first two episodes and they are  good.   For Tom Cavanagh fans - it's not quite Ed (what could be) but it's far far better than Love Monkey.

Tom plays a guy at an ad agency (sort of kind of a 2009 version of Mad Men, sort of) and there's quirky character and snappy dialogue...you know like you'd find at Stuckeybowl.

Unfortunately Cavanagh is only the second lead, and he's in the second episode even less that the pilot.  Nina Myers from 24 shows up - looking quite different.  Tim Russ (Tuvok from Star Trek) is also in the pilot but it seems like his character has been written out as we head to series.

If you miss Ed this will cure your jones until we finally get those DVD's released.

Hudson River Plane Crash Video

You knew someone would have it. I'm surprised it took this long.

Saw This Week's Lost

This week's Lost is the best of the three episodes so far this season.   I don't want to do spoilers but it's a solid episode that explains a few things, and mostly follows Desmond and Locke.   Richard's character is increasingly important...as is Faraday's.

I miss the days of the show being about Jack/Sawyer/Hurley/Kate - and yesterday I said to someone "I liked when the show was about a plane crash on an island" and my friend wisely said "it never was."

Well it's sure not now, and it's more about the interweaving coincidences and time travel than ever before.  Anything more will spoil it for you so sorry....if you have direct questions hit me at the email address all the way at the top of the blog.

Galactica

Another solid episode.  I like seeing the desperation within the fleet, something they really only got into a few times (the episode on the mining ship, and the underrated disliked-by-many episode where Lee got involved with the mafia).  Gaeta is right - the fleet is corrupt with Adama and his girlfriend running things and Adama's son being one of the most powerful people.

It seemed un-Zarek like to surrender so easily...and seriously if you were stuck on some crappy ship and they told you a Cylon was second in command wouldn't you go apefrack too?

Good episode!

The New Star Trek Toys Look Good

USA Today gave us our first look at the new Trek toys and they look good.

The figures remind me of the long lost ones I had in the 1970s.  They also manage to look like the characters and not particularly like the actors neither old nor new.

I'm also encouraged by the new bridge which you can see in this slideshow. It looks a lot more like the 1701 we know than the I-bridge from the clips we've seen so far.

New Idol Judge: Not Feeling It Dawg

I just zipped through two lackluster episodes of the new season of American Idol.

I think they've swung too far away from the freakshow.   Wednesday night's episode was particularly non-eventful, which is how I feel about new judge Kara.

I don't dislike her, I don't like her.  She does nothing for me.  She's just a fourth judge that eats time, same as Olivia Newton John or Neil Sedaka.

The fun of the show is Paula when she acts drunk and Simon.   Get to the good stuff.  I'm guessing Kara is Paula insurance for when Ms. Abdul finally loses it - but that misses the point of the show.   Paula moments are the highlights.  If it were up to me I'd pour some rum into her Coke glass.

Sim Animals

Looks fun

The Man Who Makes Sense Of Lost (Link)

TELEVISION

The Man Who Makes Sense Of ‘Lost’ 

By EDWARD WYATT

Published: January 18, 2009

Gregg Nations, a co-producer and script coordinator, is the person in charge of keeping track of the show’s byzantine twists and turns.

And if y0u care, I've already seen the first two episodes. 

Bono Bombs & New U2 Single Is Lame

It was fun to watch Bono bomb at the Inaugural Concert.   There was no reason for a band from Dublin to be there (we have enough musicians thanks guys) and it gave the concert a little too much air of the Hollywood Elite swearing in one of their own.   Apparently the soundcheck didn't work or didn't exist because U2 sounded terrible, with a lack of punch.  (Springsteen was awful too).

Bono made some bad calls - trying to make up cutesy lyrics on the fly (didn't work), going to the podium and talking lyrics (really didn't work) and even U2-101 failed when nobody in the crowd knew what they were supposed to do during Pride.

Today we get to hear the new single.  It's terrible.  It sounds like a reject proto-Vertigo.  It's really really bad.

Not a good 24 hours for Bono.  Instead of Get on Your Boots (the new song) it's time to get out your boots - your old bootlegs that is, and enjoy U2 before they jumped the shark yesterday afternoon.

What Should Bruce Play At The Super Bowl

What should Springsteen play at the Super Bowl?

I think he needs to prove his greatness to those from outside the 100 mile NYC-Philly comfort zone.

How about....

1.  Freezeout.   It was Bruce's choice for the Hall of Fame, it rocks and it won't scare people off.   I always believe in Adama's rule of "Go with what you know" - and this one works.  I could see "Living In The Future" going here since it has the same groove but adds an Obama vibe.

2.  My Lucky Day.   He's got a new album to promote, and "Working On A Dream" will suck the life out of the audience.   Go for the rocker.

3.  Glory Days.   Again, play the hits, and this one has a sports theme.

4.  Born To Run.  Duh.  How can he not end on Born to Run.

I'd really love to see him open with Detroit Medley but people think I'm nuts.

Ron Moore Talks About Last Night's BSG

If you can't get enough BSG info click here and my own mini-review is here.

Springsteen: Working On A Dream (Album 4 stars)

Springsteen continues to amaze in his not-that-old-age.  Coming off the great Magic, an album that sounded like an E Street album when I thought we'd never get one again, I was waiting for Bruce to run in the other direction like he often does (Tunnel of Love, Seeger Sessions).  I figured we were due for an opera.

Instead we get Pet Sounds.   It's hard to grasp what Springsteen Pet Sounds sounds like until you hear it, but once you do you'll know what I mean.

Track by Track:

1.  Outlaw Pete.   The Thunder Road for this album.  8 minutes long and it's fast and slow and rocks and mellow and operatic.   Nice leadoff.

2.  My Lucky Day.   A very springsteeny Springsteen song.  This is the "typical" Bruce song he tried to write with Mary's Place which always sounds to me like an imitation Bruce song.  My Lucky Day is right in the sweet spot, except for an obviously tacked-on-later sax solo that is too loud for the mix.  I think this album would have been better off without trying to include the Big Man.

3.  Working On A Dream.  You've heard the single and blown it off.  It works much better in context here.

4.  Queen of the Supermarket.   Jungleland for the 21st Century.  Yes I said Jungleland.  One of Bruce's greatest compositions ever.

5.  What Love Can Do.  Not as strong as the first 4 but it's got a good beat and won't bother you.  Like "I'm Going Down"  it's not amazing but not bad.

6.  This Life.  I like the lyrics but I don't know what Bruce is going for here.  Is he deliberately trying to sing flat?

7.  Good Eye.   Got nothing for ya.  I can't even remember this one.

8.  Tomorrow Never Knows.  Not the Beatles song.  Straight forward jangly guitar piece.  It's ok.

9.  Life Itself.   This one is officially out there now and it's one of the secret masterpieces (along with Supermarket).   This seems to be the song really grabbing me, even though stylistically it sounds more like the Secret Garden era than Born To Run.  Trust me and don't be scared.

10. Kingdom of Days.   Around now you wonder if "Side 2" isn't that good but then you get...

11.  Suprise Surprise.    Springsteen writes a birthday song that will get as much play as the Beatles version.   This one sounds like a Byrds cover and it's one of the best on the album.

12.  The Last Carnival.   Eh.

13.  The Wrestler.  You have heard this one and blown it off.  It works much better in context as the album capper.

Really great album, as in complete work.  It's not random pieces pressed to a CD, it's a body of work and you should listen to it that way.

Galactica

Another great episode with the plot moving forward, some good shocks, the answer to the final Cylon and an interesting twist on Earth.

So we have met the Cylons and they are us.  

It's looking like the theory of some Earthlings taking to space (and bringing an athlete, a military guy, a hot blonde, an asian chick etc) might hold.

My coworker and I finally solved the Last Supper picture a few days ago.  Ignore the Six in the middle because she's only in Baltar's head.   Everyone else is coupled up - and the empty chair is the seat next to Tigh, hence Ellen.

The Tina Fey Mafia Takes On Scrubs

The Tina Fey Mafia (led by Entertainment Weekly and the New York Post) struck again.

Last week the Post published this headline:

'SCRUBS' MOVES TO ABC, DEBUTS TO LOW RATINGS New York Post, NY - Jan 7, 2009 Well, "Scrubs" didn't exactly set the world on fire, ratings-wise, finishing third in its timeslot (9-10 pm) in total viewers and having the unfortunate ... Oh ok, I guess Scrubs had a bad night.  Oh wait, lets look at the numbers for real... The "low ratings" for Scrubs pulled 6.7 million viewers.  Only 5.37 million people watched 30 Rock two nights later, but Tina Fey is a genius and can do no wrong. Yes the numbers for Scrubs weren't as good this week, and I haven't seen 30 Rock's from last night yet....but enough already with the Tina Fey hype machine.   I challenge Entertainment Weekly to publish just one issue without mentioning her.

NYC 2 Hours After A Plane Crash

I just walked through Times Square two hours after a plane crashed on the Hudson River.

It's just another day in NYC. Commuters hustling to catch whatever they need to catch and tourists taking pictures of things I ignore every day.

Just another rush hour in New York.

Great job out of the pilot!

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Island Reef Job

So by now you probably saw that Australia is offering the greatest job ever - 6 months, $100 grand, and you get to take care of an island.   The website is pretty hard to get on, but I got through once and captured the details below.  Don't apply, I'd really like the job.

The Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef is a newly created position. There are a few minor tasks that need to be taken care of, but the most important duty is to report back to Tourism Queensland (and the world) and let us know what’s taking place on the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.
Download the full Job Description 


Find out more about the responsibilities of the job, employment benefits, selection criteria, and view the key dates. You can also read about the selection process, research how to apply, and get answers to frequently asked questions.

Location

Below the water, you’ll find a World Heritage Listed natural wonder – the Great Barrier Reef. And above, the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef offer an abundance of wildlife to appreciate and activities to enjoy. The Island Caretaker will be based on Hamilton Island – the largest inhabited island in the region. It’s located just off the coast of Queensland with a wide range of restaurants, activities, shops and tours. The temperature is warm all year round and the combination of blue skies, crystal water and pure sands forms the backdrop to an ideal island life.

Want the best job in the world? If you enjoy new experiences and you can spare six months to enjoy life above the Great Barrier Reef, you’re already in with a good chance. It’s easy to apply.

Step 1: Create a video application (in English and in 60 seconds or less)

In an entertaining and engaging way, tell us why you’re the best person for the job and demonstrate your knowledge of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

Step 2: Fill out a brief application form and upload your video

Tourism Queensland will create a short list of 50 candidates who will submit a short personal profile, to help us narrow the candidates for the interview stage.
Eleven candidates will be invited to the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef for an interview from 3 to 7 May 2009. So, if you want the best job in the world, make sure you’re available to travel to Queensland for the interviews. You’ll also need to be available to start work on the 1st July 2009. Tourism Queensland will select ten candidates and one Wild Card candidate will be selected by the world – so make sure you encourage all your friends and family to vote.

Rock Hall Of Fame: Run-DMC Was Never Rock

Run-DMC has been elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

I like Run-DMC's music.  It's not rock and roll.  It's rap.  You can quote "Walk This Way" all you want to me, it's one song.  Under that logic Bruce Springsteen should be in the Gaelic Hall of Fame, U2 in the Opera Hall of Fame, and the Rolling Stones are the kings of disco.

All the rockers I knew back in the 80s hate Run-DMC.  Under early 80's logic if you liked Run-DMC you were "disco" (we were kids) and uncool because as we all know Disco Sucks.

Run-DMC are definitely hall of famers - but it shouldn't be the rock hall.  Start a rap hall or a hip-hop hall or whatever you want to call it.

Now That Wii is #1 Will EA Sports take It Seriously?

Now that the Wii is the #1 system, will EA Sports take it seriously?

I'm talking about things like "create franchise" on Madden and Fifa.   I'm talking about things like admitting that the Fifa online is so buggy that you're lucky if you even finish one game.   How about issuing a proper Nascar 2010 and not just Nascar Kart Racing.

The 2008 offerings were good but many times felt like a step back from what we had on PS2.  It's not all about graphics and I don't need a lecture about X-Box 360.  If you could have "create franchise" on a PS2 (and I think on a PS1) then surely you can squeeze that into a Wii version.   Look back at what the programmers for the Atari 2600 were able to get that system to do by the end.

Lost Season 5 Episode 2

The second episode of the new season is much better than the first.

Whereas episode 1 is all about time travel, a main plot line this season, this episode settles in a bit and mostly about the adventures of Hurley back in the "flash-forward" time and trying to avoid the cops.

It's definitely an improvement from the premiere but toward the end of the episode the writers head back into too-much-layering territory.   I'm a little worried about this show becoming a spiraling mess.

Lost Season 5 Episode 1

Saw the first episode of the new season of Lost.  

It's a bit of a mess.   Really no spoiler but time travel is the main plot thread this season and that's the problem.   There's too many story lines going and as the writers try to tie everything together, it becomes too annoying to follow.  

There's one scene where Jack is listening to a baseball game, and I was tempted to strain to figure out when the scene was taking place - I thought I heard "Rays" so maybe its October 2008 - but then I realized I didn't care.

The show has strayed a long way from being about castaways on an island and it's not a good thing.

Episode 2 is much better but I will tell you about that tomorrow.

Star Wars Photos

This is cool:  http://www.flickr.com/groups/growingupstarwars/pool/show/

A slideshow of civilian photos from when we were all young and still loved dressing up as Star Wars.  Awesome.

$4 Gas Where Are You When We Need You?

Hey remember when gas was $4 and we were all going to give up our SUV's and drive a Prius and go green and really change things?

Well gas is $1.45 so it's time to sell Expeditions!

A Global Quality Research Study showed that 85% of Expedition EL owners said they were “completely satisfied” with their purchase after three months of ownership.

Galactica: Everyone Human?

I'm re-watching Razor tonight and Six (the Cain's girlfriend version) just said "in the end we're all human." 


It was about something else but hmmm.

DVD Stuff You Can't Fast Forward Through

Dear DVD Manufacturer,

I bought Dark Knight.  I'd like to watch it without having to sit through four previews just to get to the menu.

I bought The Office Season 4.   I'd like to watch Disc 1 without having to sit through four promos (including one for the Tina Fey hype machine - who does she have dirty pictures of?  Obama?     The fourth promo is for a TV show called The Office.  Do you really need to encourage someone trying to watch an Office DVD to watch The Office?

Annoying.

Zombie Nazis

Dead Snow combines Nazis with Zombies.  This isn't the Naziest clip, and the movie is in German but hey Zombie Nazis!

Jimmy Buffett

I always enjoy a good Jimmy Buffett article!

The exact scope of the Parrot Head empire is secret. Buffett's privately held Margaritaville Holdings LLC does not publicly disclose its finances, and his publicists declined numerous requests for interviews with the singer or anyone connected with Miami-based Margaritaville Holdings.

"He wants to be known as an artist and musician, but he's an extremely savvy businessman," said Brian Hiatt, an associate editor for Rolling Stone who covers the concert industry.

Buffett is somewhat unique among aging crooners in that his fan base is broad, and is not tied solely to a string of past hit songs. For most of his career, Buffett had only one Billboard Top 10 hit, "Margaritaville," in 1977.

What he offers his fans is an accessible fantasy.

"Anyone of any age could imagine retiring to a tropical paradise and drinking margaritas," Haitt said. "There is something extra-musical about the whole thing."

You don't have to go to a concert to buy his stuff. Margaritaville boat shoes and flip-flops are found in shopping malls. Margaritaville Foods sells salsa, hummus, tortillas and dips in Wal-Mart and other stores. Landshark is sold in grocery stores, and Margaritaville tequila is in liquor stores.

And concert tickets sell out in short order, despite prices that run well over $100. The Buffett brand is on a growth spurt, usually as a result of marketing deals.

The Cheeseburger in Paradise chain was founded in 2002 and owned by OSI Restaurant Partners, owners of Outback Steakhouse, among others, under a license from Buffett. Landshark Lager, made by Anheuser-Busch, and Margaritaville Tequila, made by Seagram, are sponsors of his concerts.

New Macbook Wheel

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

Can You Watch Scrubs Already?

Come on dudes, watch Scrubs.

It's an actual consistently funny sitcom that NBC treated like crap for 7 years including airing the possible-series finale out of order last year.  If only NBC had used the Tina Fey hype machine on this one.

NBC's loss is ABC's gain.  We head for yet another final season with some young blood added to the cast including the always funny Aziz Ansari.    John McGinley has said he'll stay on as Dr. Cox if they bring the show back next year as Scrubs: The Next Generation.

The good news is that the show makes money, so maybe it wil last.   The bad news is that ABC doesn't know how to schedule shows (see the pairing of Grey's and Life on Mars last fall) so Scrubs probably faces one more uphill battle.

Free Springsteen "Life Itself" Today

A third single from Bruce Springsteen's upcoming album Working On A Dream has been released digitally and for one day only (Jan. 5, 2009) it can be downloaded free fromAmazon.com.  I'm digging it!

And here's the video:

Trust Me Ed Fans

Good news for fans of the late great Ed.

TNT has a new show called Trust Me and I have seen the first two episodes and they are  good.   For Tom Cavanagh fans - it's not quite Ed (what could be) but it's far far better than Love Monkey.

Tom plays a guy at an ad agency (sort of kind of a 2009 version of Mad Men, sort of) and there's quirky character and snappy dialogue...you know like you'd find at Stuckeybowl.

Unfortunately Cavanagh is only the second lead, and he's in the second episode even less that the pilot.  Nina Myers from 24 shows up - looking quite different.  Tim Russ (Tuvok from Star Trek) is also in the pilot but it seems like his character has been written out as we head to series.

If you miss Ed this will cure your jones until we finally get those DVD's released.

Ron Moore Talks About The Final Galactica Episodes

Ron Moore gave a lengthy interview about Galactica.

A lot of times in the podcast, you'll say things like, "I know people are interested in this, but that's really not where the story's going." You didn't really deal with the toasters becoming sentient again, that sort of thing. After I watched "Revelations," I thought it was a great ending, but I jotted down a list of things that still had to be dealt with. I'm wondering, without you giving it away, whether these things are going to be addressed or whether these are things that we're thinking a lot more about than you were.

Do you have a list?

Yeah.

Okay.

Obviously, the identity of the final Cylon, we will find this out?

Yeah.

The origin and nature of the Final Four and how they different from the rest of them?

Yes.

The origin of the rest of the skinjobs?

Yes.

What happened to Earth and what happened to the 13th Colony?

Yes.

Who, if anyone, is orchestrating all of this?

Basically, yeah. I don't know if it's going to be wrapped up in a neat bow. The show has an answer for it, whether it's a satisfying answer, I don't know.

Will "All this has happened before and it will happen again" be explained in some way?

Yes.

The opera house?

Yes.

What happened to Kara when she went through the Malestrom?

Pretty much.

Identity and nature of the "head" characters?

Yes.

Tigh and Six's baby, and whether that means Cylons can breed?

Yes. That's not a "yes" to whether they can breed -- the question will be answered.

The fate of Boomer and whether there are other 1's, 4's and 5's floating out there?

Yes.

Roslin's health?

Yes.

Okay, that's a "yes" on all of them.

See? We knew what all the questions were! I'm kind of proud of myself. "Yes"es to all of them. I thought you were going to throw a curve at me, like, "Oh, (bleep)."

The interviewer Alan Sepinwall always does a great job. check out the full piece. 

How Galactica Ends!

SyFy Portal says :

Tricia Helfer, who has played numerous incarnations of the Cylon Number Six, is the star of the scene, but will have no lines. In fact, the final scene is nothing more than music, and of Helfer walking through a crowd in her red dress.

The crowd, by the way, is in Times Square in NYC

I've had my own absord theories:

Blade Runner Galactica Theory 

Another Blade Runner Galactica Theory 

and my not far off the mark at all Everyone Is A Cylon Theory

Don't Clone Your Dog

Guys, there's thousands and thousands of pets sitting in animal shelters waiting for a home.   The clone dog won't automatically behave like the original.  Behavior is learned.  Get a similar dog if you must but don't bring an extra dog into the world when thousands are "put to sleep" every day.

LIVING TOGETHER

Beloved Pets Everlasting? 

By ERIC KONIGSBERG

Published: January 1, 2009

Living with the clones of a dead dog has its surprises. The DNA may be the same but the behavior is another story.

Looney Tunes (Link)

Good article about the disappearance of the Looney Tunes cartoons we grew up on.  Click here.

The Great Digital TV Scam of 2009

Hey you know that cool portable Watchman you have?  Throw it away.

You know that portable TV you guys use when tailgating at the NFL game?  Throw it away.

You know that battery powered set that you use during blackouts such as the one in 2003 - the one you use to find out if you should run away from the radiation cloud or if you just wait for the electric company to remove the downed tree?  Throw it away.

How about that extra TV set in the kitchen - the one not hooked up to cable?  Toss it!

In February traditional TV signals wil sign off forever, really for no good reason, and we'll only have digital signals.   All those devices I mentioned above will no longer work.   Sure you can buy a converter box, but to me it really makes no sense to carry a portable generator to power a converter box so I can use my two inch Watchman.

I've written my congressman and senator about this, but nobody responds.  Sorry just toss all those TV's you own.

Sure if you have cable TV it doesn't matter.   Sure you can ask the FCC for a converter box coupon - I've tried to get two each at two different addresses and none ever came.  

Even if you have the box you may be outside the "cliff."  You know how you would get a snowy picture on your TV in the 1970s?  Forget it.   With digital you either get the signal or you don't.   So if the signal doesn't quite make it to your house, too bad.   Or maybe the antenna is in the right position for some of the channels and you'll have to fiddle with it to get the others.

Again, before I get commenters, I understand that it's a non-issue with cable/satellite homes - but what about all the portables?  I guess we'll just toss them?   Thanks a lot.

Dick Clark, Thanks For The Memories

I guess I'm going to have to be the one who says it, since everyone is thinking it but nobody writes it.

It's time for Dick Clark to get off the stage.

Dick, you were great.  I am very sorry you had a stroke, and I hope you are doing better and live a long long time, but it's time to give the keys to Seacrest.

It sucked when you missed New Years Eve that first time.  You were the eternal teenager and never got old.  Well, you've gotten old.

I admired the hell out of you for showing up after the stroke and slugging through the show.   You knew some people would make fun of you but you still showed up.  Great job.

Now it's been a few years, and I think as a professional announcer you can realize that it's time to go.   There's no dishonor in getting off the stage.   If you want to do one more year, that would be cool, we can give you a big send off - but it's time to go.

The Lego Secret Vault (Link)

Wow this is pretty cool - the secret vault of all things Lego!

Jimmy Buffett

I always enjoy a good Jimmy Buffett article!

The Best Wii Game Of Them All Is

The best Wii game of 2008 is FIFA All Play Soccer 2009.

The college kids I work with told me that FIFA had overtaken Madden in popularity, and although I was surprised I believed them.

FIFA is a fun game that anyone can jump right into (including the kids thanks to the All-Play mode mimicked from Madden).   Move the player with the nunchuck and flick the Wiimote to shoot.  Simple, fun, get it.