We've been pretty happy with the Roku Netflix player. It's tiny, easy to setup and use, and the streaming is quite smooth. There's no additional subscription charge, just $99 for the unit. All you do is add to your "Instant Queue" and it shows up on the player, ready to stream. While not perfect, the interface is good for a first run. Buffering takes some time, but considering the high quality, it's actually not bad. It automatically resumes programs and you can fast-forward / rewind / pause to your heart's content. The "chapters" are a little weird and you can't view special features or change languages like a regular DVD. I'm hoping they upgrade to include those features (they are supposedly upgrading for HD soon as well). It hasn't been a huge problem for us, since we've been mainly watching TV episodes.
The selection could use a boost (I guess it depends on what deals Netflix can arrange with studios) but we've been pretty satisfied catching up on 30 Rock, Doctor Who, and random documentaries, like 3 hilarious hours of Kevin Smith and a deep introspective of the Helvetica font. There are a number of respectable shows, including Dexter, The Office, Heroes and Weeds, as well as classics like Knight Rider, The Hulk, and all nine episodes of The Tick! I haven't paid much attention to the movie list, but at first glance, seems pretty decent.
I think Netflix has done a good turn on this one. As long as they can keep the choices growing, I really hope this endeavor is a huge success for them!
June 30, 2008
June 27, 2008
Pandora's Box
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.The beauty of our constitution is how the interpretation of 27 words by nine old farts can open a can of so many wriggling seething worms.
June 20, 2008
Politics as Usual
There's no problem with Obama declining public financing. He has that right.
What irks me is his reasoning that public financing is "irreparably" a "broken system" so that is why he must decline its use. Bullshit. Why doesn't he just tell the truth: he can raise (and spend!) more money outside of public financing and that is what fuels a presidential campaign. I guess that would be too honest. Underneath the pretty words, he's a politician after all!
Not that McCain is handling it any better. Attacking Obama for breaking a promise, instead of conceding the guy just has a better fundraising machine? It's not helping his case.
What irks me is his reasoning that public financing is "irreparably" a "broken system" so that is why he must decline its use. Bullshit. Why doesn't he just tell the truth: he can raise (and spend!) more money outside of public financing and that is what fuels a presidential campaign. I guess that would be too honest. Underneath the pretty words, he's a politician after all!
Not that McCain is handling it any better. Attacking Obama for breaking a promise, instead of conceding the guy just has a better fundraising machine? It's not helping his case.
June 18, 2008
Book Review - The Orphan's Tales
The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden
By Catherynne M. Valente
Published October 2006
See synopsis and editorial opinions on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Absolutely wonderful! I love the prose: it has a poetic rhythm akin to oral storytelling tradition, descriptive but not flowery, clever but not inaccessible. The tone and diction exude a strong sense of enchantment, combined with a commonplace lilt. You don't question anything, the world just exists and all events are told matter-of-fact, despite their fantastic nature.
The structure of the book would be a gimmick, if it weren't so masterfully implemented. We begin in the garden of a middle eastern type palace, where an unruly prince meets a mysterious orphan. The orphan tells a story, in which a character of the story tells another story, in which another character tells another story, and so on, in an elegant nested loop that builds a beautiful mythology. The tales spiral around each other and well-placed interludes bring the narrative back to the garden, grounding the book so you don't get lost. As the concentric stories progress, you start discovering connections on this delightful journey where a wide range of our own cultural legends and archetypes, like the Firebird and Mother Goose, the evil wizard and brave prince, are manipulated into the author's unique creations.
Valente is spinning her own fairy tales and they are amazing ones. Her characters are varied in form and manner, yet their struggles and emotions have a core of humanity which makes the stories meaningful and engaging. My only problem is how it abruptly ends, offering very few resolutions. If I didn't know there was a second book, I would have thrown a tantrum about all the threads left dangling.
It's rare to find well executed writing in conjunction with such marvelous imagination. This book is a definite must-read for fantasy/folklore fans and I can't wait to pick up the sequel and devour more!
By Catherynne M. Valente
Published October 2006
See synopsis and editorial opinions on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Absolutely wonderful! I love the prose: it has a poetic rhythm akin to oral storytelling tradition, descriptive but not flowery, clever but not inaccessible. The tone and diction exude a strong sense of enchantment, combined with a commonplace lilt. You don't question anything, the world just exists and all events are told matter-of-fact, despite their fantastic nature.
The structure of the book would be a gimmick, if it weren't so masterfully implemented. We begin in the garden of a middle eastern type palace, where an unruly prince meets a mysterious orphan. The orphan tells a story, in which a character of the story tells another story, in which another character tells another story, and so on, in an elegant nested loop that builds a beautiful mythology. The tales spiral around each other and well-placed interludes bring the narrative back to the garden, grounding the book so you don't get lost. As the concentric stories progress, you start discovering connections on this delightful journey where a wide range of our own cultural legends and archetypes, like the Firebird and Mother Goose, the evil wizard and brave prince, are manipulated into the author's unique creations.
Valente is spinning her own fairy tales and they are amazing ones. Her characters are varied in form and manner, yet their struggles and emotions have a core of humanity which makes the stories meaningful and engaging. My only problem is how it abruptly ends, offering very few resolutions. If I didn't know there was a second book, I would have thrown a tantrum about all the threads left dangling.
It's rare to find well executed writing in conjunction with such marvelous imagination. This book is a definite must-read for fantasy/folklore fans and I can't wait to pick up the sequel and devour more!
June 17, 2008
New Brunswick Surprises
Discovered two things in New Brunswick tonight:
* I really like Ethiopian food. Or at least, whatever Americanized version of Ethiopian food they serve at Makedas. Tasty sauces and awesome bread!
* A comic/game store just opened on Bayard & George! Pretty decent selection and they're rounding up an RPG group this Thursday night. Finally, gaming close by! Maybe someone will be running a 4E campaign this summer.
Every now and then, the locale pops out some nice treats!
* I really like Ethiopian food. Or at least, whatever Americanized version of Ethiopian food they serve at Makedas. Tasty sauces and awesome bread!
* A comic/game store just opened on Bayard & George! Pretty decent selection and they're rounding up an RPG group this Thursday night. Finally, gaming close by! Maybe someone will be running a 4E campaign this summer.
Every now and then, the locale pops out some nice treats!
June 12, 2008
Happy Loving Day!
Celebrating the Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court decision to overturn state bans on interracial marriage.
It's pretty unbelievable that 40 years ago, this was considered a legal opinion on the issue:
More info here.
It's pretty unbelievable that 40 years ago, this was considered a legal opinion on the issue:
"Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix."We've come a long way since!
More info here.
May 30, 2008
May Flowers
The past three days have been absolutely gorgeous, simply the best of spring that the northeast has to offer. Mid-60's to 70's, sunny, gentle breeze.....and I've been pulling 12 hour work days.
I'll be in the office all weekend too. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I just went outside and rolled around in the grass while our data explodes.
I'll be in the office all weekend too. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I just went outside and rolled around in the grass while our data explodes.
May 29, 2008
Cookery
This past weekend, my mom handed down the recipe for her beef stew. I've decided to post it here, because Google has the entire internet saved.
Like any home cook, she uses no measurements, just experience and feel. But you can easily season this one to taste.
Ingredients:
Beef Shank (Per my mom, it MUST, MUST, MUST be shank)
Soy Sauce
Garlic
Carrots
Vodka (Pure and straight, none of that flavored crap!)
Sugar
Green Onion
Black Pepper
Steps:
1. Cut beef into cubes and add to pot
2. Fill pot with 60/40 Soy Sauce/Water (more water if you want less salty). You want enough liquid to cover all the meat, plus around 2 inches over. Start heating.
3. For each pound of meat, add 2~3 cloves of crushed garlic
4. For each pound of meat, add the WHITE root portion of around 5~6 stalks of green onion, chopped
5. Add sugar to taste (usually a spoon for each pound of meat)
6. Add black pepper to taste
7. Add enough vodka to form a 1/4 inch layer over the existing liquid (obviously, it won't stay layered, but you know what I mean)
8. Bring to boil, then let simmer until meat is tender (around 30 minutes per pound, although it varies depending on your stove)
9. While simmering, cut carrots diagonal and add to stew. Carrots soften pretty quickly, so no need to add until later in the process
Optional: you can add potatoes, onions, or green peppers around the same time you add the beef, or cauliflower at the same time you add the carrots.
Like any home cook, she uses no measurements, just experience and feel. But you can easily season this one to taste.
Ingredients:
Beef Shank (Per my mom, it MUST, MUST, MUST be shank)
Soy Sauce
Garlic
Carrots
Vodka (Pure and straight, none of that flavored crap!)
Sugar
Green Onion
Black Pepper
Steps:
1. Cut beef into cubes and add to pot
2. Fill pot with 60/40 Soy Sauce/Water (more water if you want less salty). You want enough liquid to cover all the meat, plus around 2 inches over. Start heating.
3. For each pound of meat, add 2~3 cloves of crushed garlic
4. For each pound of meat, add the WHITE root portion of around 5~6 stalks of green onion, chopped
5. Add sugar to taste (usually a spoon for each pound of meat)
6. Add black pepper to taste
7. Add enough vodka to form a 1/4 inch layer over the existing liquid (obviously, it won't stay layered, but you know what I mean)
8. Bring to boil, then let simmer until meat is tender (around 30 minutes per pound, although it varies depending on your stove)
9. While simmering, cut carrots diagonal and add to stew. Carrots soften pretty quickly, so no need to add until later in the process
Optional: you can add potatoes, onions, or green peppers around the same time you add the beef, or cauliflower at the same time you add the carrots.
May 22, 2008
Touched
Few things move me to tears, but hearing He Xiaozhu read his poem on NPR did. He was at a teahouse in Chengdu when the quake hit.
Here is the Chinese:
And the English translation:
Thousands upon thousands of anguished cries
Returning to silence and tranquillity
Heavenly acts cannot be predicted
The moon over Wenchuan
Still, a question mark
Aftershocks extend to Chengdu
Sorrow engulfs half the world
Tears turn to ice
Let candlelight melt them away
Children, climb on a dandelion
and line up for heaven
NPR's coverage in China has been extraordinary. Yet of all the reports and interviews, this little snippet has been the one that really hits home. Sometimes it just takes an artist's touch.
Here is the Chinese:
And the English translation:
Thousands upon thousands of anguished cries
Returning to silence and tranquillity
Heavenly acts cannot be predicted
The moon over Wenchuan
Still, a question mark
Aftershocks extend to Chengdu
Sorrow engulfs half the world
Tears turn to ice
Let candlelight melt them away
Children, climb on a dandelion
and line up for heaven
NPR's coverage in China has been extraordinary. Yet of all the reports and interviews, this little snippet has been the one that really hits home. Sometimes it just takes an artist's touch.
May 19, 2008
Bringing Home Bacon
The JPMorgan offer letter arrived. I officially have a job in the Investment Banking division!
*** SO MUCH RELIEF ***
Everyone in our business unit was given a chance to stay, but throughout the firm lots of hard-working smart people got shafted. Sometimes it just has nothing to do with merit and everything to do with bad timing. At least JPM is providing career services to those who got laid off. I'm really going to miss some of them.
*** SO MUCH RELIEF ***
Everyone in our business unit was given a chance to stay, but throughout the firm lots of hard-working smart people got shafted. Sometimes it just has nothing to do with merit and everything to do with bad timing. At least JPM is providing career services to those who got laid off. I'm really going to miss some of them.
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