I was right with my guesses about Doctor Who!! SPOILERS - Series 4 Final Episode "Journey's End"

Woo Hoo! More guest stars!!! And now on to the other stuff.

WARNING BIG SPOILERS BELOW!

Hancock mini-review

So I just saw Hancock and I really enjoyed it. A lot of laugh out loud moments. An excellent part for Will Smith. If you think this is yor type of movie than I bet you'll enjoy it.

But the movie was different than I expected, I'm not sure if "twist" is the right word but it was something completely not expected. So go see it quickly, before you hear about it or before they change the TV trailers to reveal it.

The more interesting stuff is in the twist, so that's all I've got to say...

Technorati Tags: Hancock, twist, Will Smith

Grocery Store Prices

Since my local Farmer Jack closed and went out of business I've been paying attention to different groceries stores and prices. I didn't pay as much attention to pricing as I should since my mother worked at a Farmer Jack's and I wanted to support them (also, I felt they had good prices). Plus, it's just me and it's not worth driving around all over to save a little bit when I don't get that much (I average less than $30 a week but I do pick up some grocery items when on sale at Target).

My nearest FJ was purchased by Kroger. I'm not a big Kroger fan for two reasons: I've never been thrilled with their meat section that much and it always seems like their dairy products don't have very long life for their expiration dates. Also, they never seem to have Orange Juice on sale for very good prices (I drink a lot of it).

So I've been checking out the other stores nearby: A Meijer which I like but isn't very close and a Wal-Mart closer and on the way home from work. The prices are significantly different between the stores, I need to hit these other stores on purpose and more often. I need a grocery web site when I can put in (and have it remember) my most often purchase items: OJ, milk, cantaloupe, bananas, jumbo eggs, etc. and have it tell me where I should shop this week.

When my kitchen gets a lot smarter with RFID this will probably be a breeze. It'll know what I need and tell me it's time to go shopping or (better yet) tell me to wait a few days since everything I need goes on sale at one of the stores. And tell me while I'm not low on cereal it's so cheap this week I should stock up.

Technorati Tags: budget, Farmer Jack, groceries

Whoever said technology would simplify my life?

I use tech to complicate my life and make it better. Not simpler. I've never felt that it simplifies my life. Tech gives me information, organizes me and entertains me.

If I used just a few tech tools, it could simplify my life. An answering machine simplified it. And a fax machine. But those are very 1/2 duplex technologies, more like Web -3.0

Other basic tools like a calendar and address book help to organize my life, and make it so I don't need to remember things which makes my life a little easier.

Much of what unsimplifies life are the more interactive technologies, the ones that require a response, especially the ones that require a response quickly. E-mail is my biggest interactive technology, I've tried so many of the others and while I enjoy them they just take up so much time... Twitter, IM, and other chat-type services. I really like Seesmic, but it's hard to get a feel for what's going on with just a glance, you've got to watch the video's to see what they're about; there just isn't enough of a description to know what the conversation is about (or what it's become after multiple responses).

And then there are all the interactive ones that you're just exploring, there is so much out there and it's so time consuming it's un-simplifying my life in that it's taking away time from the rest of it.

With it I can do more than without it. Do I need to be doing more? Probably not, but some of what I'm able to explore and experience makes it worth it to me.

Technorati Tags: organize, simplify my life, Technology

TKTS Half-Price London Tickets

So my favorite place in London (England) for discount theatre tickets is TKTS half-price ticktes located in Leicester Square, it's sort of in the park so you can't miss it.

I discovered they list the available tickets on-line so that's a bonus for next trip, no reason to rush down for tickets if there isn't anything you like!

They are opening a second location in the Brent Cross Shopping Centre officially on June 29, 2008 but since I'm not there I can't go check it out (that's today!). I think they carry the same tickets at both locations.

Technorati Tags: discount tickets, Leicester Square, London, England, TXTS

Doctor Who - The Stolen Earth - S04E12

Amazing episode! Should have been a movie!

Can't say much about it without giving much away. But lots of names in the main opening credits...

BIG Cliffhangers!

Craziness at the Return Counter

So the other day I purchased this Aiptek HD 720p Video Camera, I liked it but I saw it was on sale at this week so I went in to get the $30 price difference. Well, I couldn't find the receipt so I went in to make sure it was the same camera first. It was not the same camera, it was the new better model, the Aiptek HD 1080p Video Camera, for $30 less. From the way it was on the rack I am pretty sure the old one was also on sale (i.e. clearance) since they didn't have them any more and this one seemed to be replacing that one at the same price point.

As I walked up to the counter I decided I didn't want to bother to return the old one and buy the new one since the differences were minimal and there was a 15% restocking fee. I just wanted them to credit me the $30 for the old one. They couldn't print me a new receipt, nor could they credit me the $30 without the receipt, but they would refund my money and they weren't going to nick me the $30 if I purchased a new one, so I went back, got the better camera (which was even better than I thought) and got my $30 back too. From the receipt, it looks like they have the same SKU, so now I'm sure both were $30 cheaper.

Sadly it was a waste of materials and money (they'll send it back to the manufacturer) since they didn't have a mechanism in place to credit me back the difference. But at least I made out on this one: better camera, $30 and a new receipt.

Technorati Tags: Aiptek, Aiptek HD 1080p, Aiptek HD 720p, HD Video Camera, price difference, returns, Target, Video Camera

Donna Nobel is the new DOCTOR WHO ?

I think Catherine Tate is going to be the new Doctor Who. I'll tell you why, but first I'm going to tell you there will be some episode 11 spoilers in this post so read on if you're willing....

I also have no idea how he could possibly regenerate / transmogrify into her. That's unless she's always been A / The Doctor and has forgotten; that would explain some of the specialness of her.

Brilliant Episode! "Turn Left" Doctor Who S4E10

To make up for not seeing Donna last episode, I think we see The Doctor even less this time around. And while most episodes just take place in a different time/place, this is more of a a time-travel type episode (my favorite);it's another excellent episode by Russell T. Davies.

I won't tell you much about the episode except that we still don't know what's up with the bumble bees (I'm starting to wonder if we will this season) but we do finally get to really see Rose. That's not really much of a spoiler since Billie Piper's actually in the main opening credits!

Aiptek HD 720p Video Camera - Review

So I've seen these Aiptek HD 720p Video Cameras around and they've had it at my local Target for $149 (it's only $135 at Amazon), I figured if it was awful I could return it for their 15% restocking fee. Actually, I'm now thinking it's my new camera to keep in my bag at all times.

It's a

Midnight - David Mamet meets Doctor Who

So it's Episode 10 (Season/Series 4) of Doctor Who, it's pretty much a Doctor Who only episode, Donna Noble hangs back at the spa so we see her about a total of 60 seconds. The episode "Midnight" is written by Russell T. Davies, the man who revived the Doctor Who series four years ago and is still executive producer for Doctor Who and does the same for spinoffs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures (occasional writes episodes for both).

The conversation is cRaZy and and has a bunch of people talking and no one listening and when they are, they aren't paying attention. It made me think of a David Mamet story multiple times, the conversations seemed so much like that of Oleana and other things he's written, if you don't know what I mean I'm not sure how to explain it. It was an interesting episode, if you watch the show you'll see what I mean, if you know agree with me please let me know. Actually, it was a great episode, but it certainly wasn't a "regular" episode.

Oh, and Rose shows up on the monitors again. No big surprise there...

I've got some spoilers (labeled with "SPOILERS") but I'm going to talk about the next 3 episodes: previews, rumors and conjecture (some might consider the next few paragraphs spoilers too, so stop at any time). Generally Doctor Who seasons have 13 episodes and several times that last story has spanned the last three episodes (even if you didn't realize there was more to come after episode 11) and generally the final episodes aren't too much of a cliff-hanger since the Christmas Special (actually broadcast on Christmas between seasons of the show) has generally been meant to sort of stand on it's own.

London Photos - Day One

So I got some more photos up. London Day one, not a lot, but I did do some okay descriptions :)

Technorati Tags: London, photos, Victoria Station

Drinking at the Theatre

So at some of the theater's in London (and I'm sure in other places in the world) you place your order and pay for interval drinks before the show starts. This way when it's time for intermission, your drink is already ready for you and there is no line. Very civilized :)

It's just coincidence that it's in "position L", that was already on the sheet when I scribbled my name on it. So when I went to get my drink there was my bottle of Schweppes, a glass with ice and my order sheet (see attached photo).

Technorati Tags: cocktails, customer service, drinking, intermission, interval, London, Schweppes, theater, Theatre

Sprint called me today

Sprint gave me a call to make sure I was happy. I told him I was expecting his call, he seemed surprised. I said my contract is up and they new iPhone looks pretty yummy, gotta be afraid of losing me as a customer. All he offered me was $150 off a new phone (you get that every 2 years no matter what, AFAIK).

And he said I could use that for a new Treo 800 (I have the 700p) when it comes out; he insisted it's a Palm OS device (not Windows Mobile) and I rephrased the question several times. Now that I've had time to Google it, I think he's wrong and it's a Windoze Mobile device.

Tried to buy a wireless modem card from him, best he could offer me was $60 a month. I currently have internet on my phone for $15 and $25 more (total $40) lets me tether (connect) my laptop to it and use the internet. So if I drop the $25 and pay the $60, I've still got the $15 on the phone, now $45 more a month. You'd think he could offer me a better incentive than that. I do already have unlimited tethering, give me a little more incentive to sign up Sprint...

Now that I've got the new iPhone specs and at only $199 to switch to AT&T I've got all sorts of other ideas in my head...

Technorati Tags: iPhone, Treo 800, sprint, sprint pcs