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July 31, 2006

Mediamark has concluded that adults with a DVR, aka Tivo, watch less TV than those who don't have the box. Well duh, I could have told them that. Tivo eliminates the need to channel surf because anytime you sit down, there's something you want to watch ready to go. Of course the networks are huffing and puffing, trying to hold onto their old-line thinking. Except guess what guys, it's not necessarily bad news. That's because the typical Tivo viewer is more engaged in the act of watching. We're less likely to use tv as background, wander into the kitchen or bathroom, or take a phone call without pausing the action. We're actually paying attention. What a concept.

07:51 AM | Comment (0)

July 29, 2006

Now apparently it's okay to plow people down and drive your car on top of another one, provided of course that you're 85. I suppose there's no reason to toss a non-English-speaking octogenarian in jail but what the fuck is he doing with a license? Kind of confirms my growing feeling that those who are most clueless about driving are most often behind the wheel of a Toyota.

06:28 PM | Comment (0)

July 28, 2006

As if cute blond boys and the autobahn weren't reasons enough to consider relocating, now comes that the tacky retailer from Arkansas can't make a go of it in Germany.

12:59 PM | Comment (2)

July 27, 2006

So yeah, wireless Mighty Mouse. About time. I've wanted one for, oh a year. Kind of shocked that Apple took this long to get it out. I'd heard tale of battery life issues holding the release up. Why the extra buttons would require more juice than the standard bluetooth mouse, I'm not sure. But the unwired Mighty does have a new laser pointing system with no telltale red glow. No visible light at all in fact. Maybe they stuck that in to get longer battery life. I was running through a pair of AAs with the one-button bluetooth mouse each month. Time will tell.

11:34 PM | Comment (0)

July 20, 2006

Finally, an electric car that's lust worthy. I find much of the Tesla Roadster coverage interesting for the simple fact that the writers largely ignore that the roadster is basically an electrified Lotus Elise. Not a point worth hiding as far as I'm concerned. The fact that so many Lotus people have been involved and Lotus will actually assemble the vehicles makes the Tesla seem that much more of a viable proposition to me. Though if I had $100K to drop on a toy, I might be a bit leery about riding around on top of 6831 lithium ion cells since they have been recalled frequently and implicated in an aircraft fire. However, I like the attitude that Martin Eberhard, Tesla's founder, takes. Basically reasoning that to get viable electric vehicles, it's best to start as a play thing for the rich. They'll pay high prices and put up with balky technology as the consumer electronics industry has proven time after time. Remember $500 CD players, $1,000 DVD machines and $10,000 plasma TVs?

01:12 PM | Comment (3)

July 16, 2006

Finally watched Melinda and Melinda this weekend. It had been too long since I saw a Woody Allen film. And then I got the urge to watch Hannah And Her Sisters again. It's a lovely, nuanced movie. The scene where Allen decides to convert to Catholicism and brings home a bag full of Jesus paraphernalia, Wonder bread and mayonnaise still makes me laugh out loud. And the soundtrack, just perfect.

No doubt it's a wonderful film but I'm sure part of the power Hannah holds over me is due to the time I initially saw it. It was the first new Allen film that I saw after moving to New York myself. And the city depicted in it will forever be the version that lives in my mind. The derelict and rotting Tribecca, the pristine block around the Carlyle Hotel, and the long-gone Tower Records on upper Broadway among others. It also was one of the first times I went to a movie by myself. And I stayed in my seat as the credits rolled, entranced by what I'd just seen and the delightful music that played until the lights came up.

Watching it tonight, a continent and two decades away, those same feelings came rushing back. It's comic, a bit melancholy and ultimately a very pleasant way to wrap up a delightful weekend.

10:59 PM | Comment (1)

July 11, 2006

Chinese company intends to build MG's in Oklahoma. Talk about a set of words you never expected to see combined into one sentence. I question whether the bizarre enterprise will actually see the light of day and if it does whether its bastard progeny will go down as the 21st century version of the DMC-12. I mean if BMW couldn't make a go of Rover using Brits who know how to make an engine authentically leak oil, what chance does a Chinese-Sooner consortium have? What's next, a Russian-backed syndicate announces plans to snap up the Lucas name so it can supply the "electrics" from a cross-border plant in Kansas?

10:34 PM | Comment (1)

I'm torn about what I want to be when I grow up. Dirty Old Man or Curmudgeon. Both have appealing sides. DOM means sexual satisfaction while letting go of those silly repressive WASP reflexes. Curmudgeon meanwhile seems so easy. I wouldn't have to do much except grumble about most things. Disagree with whatever opinions cross my path.

Actually now that I think about it, my friends probably think that kind of describes me at least half the time already. Maybe I shouldn't fight destiny.

10:13 PM | Comment (4)

July 10, 2006

Finally saw Crash this weekend. Sorry to say I didn't like it. Struck me as little more than a simplistic morality play. Too coincidental. Too predictable. Too shallow. Definitely not worthy of all the accolades.

02:21 PM | Comment (1)

July 05, 2006

I'm on my second cup of tea, eating a bowl of oatmeal, wearing a sweat shirt, t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, and the heat has been running for an hour yet I'm still borderline cold. Might be time to make Trixie share the heating pad that she's currently napping on.

10:12 AM | Comment (1)

July 01, 2006

I'm lucky enough to own two cars. Both are recent, 2001 and 2004. Have low mileage, 38,000 and 18,000 respectively. Remain under warranty and haven't had any maintenance issues. They're well-equipped, each coming with almost every option available including the most powerful engines. So I've got two well-maintained, reliable, comfortable and fun-to-drive vehicles. And oh yeah, they're both fully paid for. No wonder I'm chomping at the bit to buy a new one.

I know it makes no sense logically but I really want a convertible. I've plotting for several months about buying Volkswagen's new Eos. I even trekked to the LA show in January to see it in person. But my hopes were dashed in the past month when Volkswagen of America released the US specs. Turns out we won't get some of the options available in Europe. Specifically the gorgeous red leather interior that's been prominently featured in PR materials. I'm sick of interiors that only come in shades of grey or beige.

Now I've refocused on the Mercedes Benz SLK. The interior is a bit flashy, tacky (VW Group does interiors better than anyone right now) and it's a bit more than I planned to spend. It's closer to a true sports car than the Eos, which sprang from the workaday Jetta/Passat platform. Still, it's got a great exhaust note and the airscarf neck warming feature will probably make top-down driving more enjoyable when the afternoon fog rolls through.

Still, I'm waffling. Buying an SLK would be an extravagance in the extreme. I can't shake the feeling that I should probably just leave the money in the bank. Better yet, put it in a mutual fund or something equally solid and boring. Not to mention the fact that Rich sees no reason to make any changes with the cars at all.

11:35 AM | Comment (3)