1TO10REVIEWS

My Review:5.5

So, Techcrunch (a popular technology and Internet blog) threw a party tonight (Friday July 27, 2007) and Sol and I snagged a couple of tickets. Their own post about the event was located here. This is sort of an important event for those people who work in Silicon Valley and engage in all things internet. Lots of people, sort of a ‘who’s who’ crowd was there; it’s a good place to see and be seen, and to network. But I don’t really want to expound too much on the “networking opportunities,” or the “chance to engage with “influencers.” That’s kind of boring.

Instead, let’s focus on the aspects that most people can identify with. Namely the venue, the food, the drink, the atmosphere, the company and the ambiance, the bathroom situation. All those myriad factors which, aggregated together, combine to form an overall level of enjoyment. That’s what I want to review. How fun was the Techcrunch party? How well did it come off?

To do this, I am going back to the highest level of statistical analysis which I can still safely claim to have mastery over. 5th grade level math. Addition, division, averages and means.

I will give each of the above named categories a score (out of 10, naturally). I will add these up, divide by the total number of categories, and that is the means by which I arrived at my score. How did I pick these categories? Well, not with any painstaking analysis or extensive research and polling. Nope. These are pretty much arbitrary and off the top of my head. If you have suggestions for some party factor or category that you think ought to have been included, please comment and I may revise the list (and consequently the score.) If you attended the Techcrunch party, please feel free to offer your own rating, either with my well-thought-out method, or one of your own choosing.

• Venue:7
• Food:8
• Drink:5
• Atmosphere:3.5
• Company: 6
• Ambiance:7
• Bathrooms: 2

• Total: 5.5

In summary, I have to say that the TC party was “pretty good.” They had good beer and terrible Margaritas, which is better than a dry party by far, but I would have been happy with a cash bar and as much JD as I wanted to buy. There wasn’t “dinner” so to speak, but the appetizers were pretty good (I liked the vegetable samosas and the mini ice-cream sandwiches).

The venue was nice, mostly the back porch of August Capital off of Sand Hill Rd. in Menlo Park. I was able to smoke a cigar with some friends, so that was sweet. However, there were over 500 people present, and only two bathrooms available. It seemed fitting to give that terrible oversight a 2 out of 10; this did not help the party’s average. I was pretty pissed about it - pun very mich intended. The bushes in VC land got a little extra watering on Friday night, from yours truly and many others.

The atmosphere at the party was more-or-less as expected: stuffy and self-important. Most of these people think their sh-t doesn’t stink, and those aren’t people I especially enjoy hanging out with. But, some friends were there, along with some genuine entrepreneurs who were trying to network as best they can, so the company overall wasn’t bad.

I think a 5.5 is fair, though I’m sure Mike and the TC crowd might have a different opinion of their party.

My rating: 6

I waited in line with David. I felt like a nerd because I had spent part of another night with Kurt in a different line. For some reason I just wanted to wait in a line. I’m not sure why waiting in a line appealed to me. I just waited. In a line. I think maybe I waited in the line because everyone in the line was excited to be in the line.

Like the short, terse vibration of a new email on my iPhone, it hit me: why don’t I wait in more lines? I could be a line junkie. My brother waited in line for Return of the Jedi. He still talks about it. “That was awesome,” he regularly notes. “Yeah dude, that sounds rad,” I say back. What happens in these damn lines that make people so stoked?

Is it about hope? It’s like a prom date, but a sure thing. At the end of the line for the Apple iPhone I was going to get iLaid. I mean, is my life so lame that waiting in a line is the equivalent of getting laid on prom night? Holy shit, I’m depressed. I’m going to play with my iPhone now.

My Review:8 —UPDATED—

NOTE: I HAVE UPDATED THIS REVIEW, AND CHANGED THE RATING. PLEASE SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM FOR THE UPDATE.

I am seriously conflicted here. I would love to give this machine a nine or ten. But at the moment, I simply can not.

I am lifelong PC user. I’ve been using Windows, in its various stuttering iterations for many years. All my life (my computing life) people have been raving about Macs. “They’re wonderful. They’re so easy to use. They don’t break all the time like PC’s. PC’s suck.” Etc., etc.

So I was pretty excited to get my first Mac. Sol has a Macbook and raves about it, and I needed a new, small travel machine, so I decided to get one. I got the 13″ black Macbook, and upgraded to 2GB’s of memory. So it’s got a 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB memory and a 160GB hard drive. For specs see: http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs.html It’s pretty, it’s sleek, and it is very responsive when launching and running applications. It’s got the killer Mac UI (user interface) and typical Apple attention to detail. There’s only one problem: it keeps shutting down.

You’ve heard of the Blue Screen of Death? This is a commonly referred to problem with PC’s when there is a sudden and catastrophic failure of the Windows operating system. It might require only a simple system reboot, or it might mean that your computer is toast. Well, in the first 8 days of my Mac ownership I had 6 system crashes, what they call a Kernel Panic Shutdown. That means that the Unix core (the kernel of code which is the basis for the operating system) experienced a severe problem and had to shut down. That’s bad. That’s “crossing the streams” bad. And it happened 6 times.

What’s it like? Oh, the whole screen grays out, and a black box with white text appears in the middle of the monitor which says “You need to restart your computer. It displays this information in a number of different languages, though since the machine is locked up, there’s not much else you could do anyway.

So I called Apple Care three times. After the third attempt, I finally made an appointment to go into my local Apple store and talk to a “genius”. Genius might be a little strong, but he was pretty smart. After about 2 hours of tinkering they decided to just give me a new computer. So I brought that one home, reconfigured it to my preferences, updated my Address Book, downloaded all the software updates, and now… I just had my third and fourth Kernel Panic Shutdowns. God Dammit.

At first I thought it might be me. I downloaded Camino browser, and then I started having problems again. I got two shutdowns, so I uninstalled it and removed all reference files from the Library and Preferences. After that it seemed to be fixed… until today. Today I got two more Kernel Panics, and I am seriously bummed. I really want to love this computer and be a “Mac guy.” Mac guys are always so cool, so in touch with Nature and with themselves. They talk better, dress better, communicate better. Sighh.

From my reading on the internet, the most likely story I’ve found so far involves possible issues with the wireless card. I mostly have been using wireless internet for this machine, so that is certainly plausible. Meaning the correlation is there (I have had shutdowns while using the wireless internet) but I cannot yet prove causation.

This is not a snide, back-handed, pro-PC attack on Macs. I genuinely want to be a Mac guy. (OK, the hyperbole from the last paragraph was a little snide, but only partly so.) But I keep having problems. Sol thinks it’s me. That I have some kind of electro-magnetic emission that causes all electronics and gadgetry to fail. Maybe that’s my X-Man talent.

In any case, I am forced to give a mediocre rating to my new Macbook. I want it to kick ass, but thus far it does not.

By the way, I welcome any suggestions or commentary, especially from those who have experienced similar problems. Thanks much.

- David

————————————————————————————-

Update - August 9th, 2007

I have received a couple of comments on this post - thank you for the responses. I recently visited an Apple store in my area nad spoke with someone at the Genius bar. Apple has acknowledged the kernel panic issue, and confirmed that it IS related to the wireless card on certain Macbook and Powerebook models. There is an update to the wireless software available from Mac. Just click on the apple in the top left corner and click on updates. It has been 1 week and counting since I updated, and no kernel panics yet (fingers are crossed over here.) Best of luck to the rest of you.

-David

My Review: 2

First of all, let me clarify what this post is about. I am a rabid Harry Potter fan eagerly anticipating the release of the seventh and final book as well as the 5th movie adaptation. I am not here to compare Sir Michael Gambon to Sir Richard Harris. I am not here to blast Sir Michael Gambon as an actor. I happen to think that he is an extremely fine actor, world renowned for his theatrical prowess and for his professionalism in big budget productions for the silver screen. There is no debate (in my mind) as to his competence as an actor in general; I think that he is excellent.

No, this review is focused solely on his performance and interpretation of the character Albus Dumbledore in the film adaptations of the Harry Potter books, specifically books 3, 4, and 5. (The late Sir Richard Harris played the role of Dumbledore for movies 1 and 2.)

The role of Albus Dumbledore is a familiar one in the “Hero’s Quest” genre of story telling. Many such stories feature an aged, wise mentor whose role it is to protect, educate, and guide the hero. (For examples please refer to Brom in the Eragon series by Christopher Paolini, Cort in the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, Gandalf in the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein, and Curly in the movie City Slickers featuring Jack Palance and Billy Crystal.) Different authors choose different paths for their guides and mentors to follow, including how prominently they figure in the story, how they teach (kindly or with tough love) and whether they live or die in the story. In this instance we are dealing with J.K. Rowling’s much beloved grandfatherly figure: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

Dumbledore is wise. Dumbledore is kind. He is funny, charismatic, ever-polite and courteous, and always exudes a radiating sense of power and calm. He is a rock from which to anchor oneself in the stormy seas of Rowling’s magical world. He is not snappish, abrupt or rude. He never shouts at people. He always gives the appearance of calm control. (***Notable exception and possible plot killer - read the asterisk below, but only if you have already read book 6 or you do not care about the plot being exposed.)

All that being said, I must now begin the regrettable process of lambasting an otherwise fine actor. Gambon’s performance in this role drives me crazy. He shouts and frets. He twists his fingers with a look of great consternation on his face. He moves rapidly, and talks over people. He argues, fusses and fumbles for words. To put it another way, he acts in every way opposite of the image of Albus Dumbledore.

Now, in fairness, Gambon has a tough job to do in filling the shoes of Sir Richard Harris. Not only was Harris one of the most remarkable actors of all time (in my humble opinion) he also nailed the role of Dumbledore perfectly. Calm, collected, and always with a merry little twinkle in his eye. (Note the Bertie Botts scene at the end of the first movie.) Again, I don’t want to compare the two, but I do want to acknowledge the admittedly difficult task of reprising a role done so well by such a fine actor.

(Harris as Dumbledore in the “Botts” scene)

It is entirely reasonable that Gambon would want to make the character his own; in fact, I respect him for that ambition. But I feel more strongly than I can express that his performances as Dumbledore to date (movies 3 and 4) are way, way off target. It is immensely frustrating to see a character whom I respect and cherish mishandled.

An equal share of the blame goes to the directors involved, Alfonso Cuarón and Mike Newell. It was partially (even significantly) their responsability to own and understand the character and “direct” the actor in his performance. I think in not steering Gambon towards a calmer, more commanding persona they both did the actor a grave disservice, and did enormous damage to the quality of both movies.

I must say that I am anxious to see the latest movie, Harry Potter 5: The Order of the Phoenix. By all accounts the scripting, acting and effects are outstanding. Aside from the tremendous detraction found in Gambon’s performance as Dumbledore, I enjoyed movie #4 the most since movie #1. I can only hope that the latest director David Yates has taken it upon himself to re-direct Gambon in his interpretation of the role.

I’d love any comments on this - I feel strongly about this particular subject. I may update after seeing the movie - it opens tonight at midnight and I will be there. But based on the performances so far (in movies 3 and 4) I have to give his performance as Albus Dumbledore a resounding 2.

PS

I loved Gambon as the villain in Open Range with Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall; he was truly outstanding and totally despicable (in the right way.)

(Gambon is in the middle.)

—————————————————————————————————————

For reference, here is the IMDB page for Michael Gambon.

—————————————————————————————————————

*** In book 6 Dumbledore drinks a vile potion concocted by Lord Voldemort. This potion magically induces a firghtened and delirious state which includes shouting and fear. Soon thereafter Dumbledore is killed after pleading with a member of his teaching staff back at the school where he serves as Headmaster. These events are contrary to the points I am making about the chractr of Voldemort, but I submit that they are irrelevant for two reasons: 1. These are exceptional circumstances which lead up to the character’s death. 2. This book (6) has not yet been filmed and should have little or no bearing on the performance of the character of Dumbledore up to this point.

—————————————————————————————————————

Update:

I saw the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  I think they did a fine job.  They crammed  800 or so pages into 138 minutes of screen time, and I think they did a credible job.  Gambon’s performance as Dumbledore suffered from similar woes to those in the past, but had two small saving graces in this movie:

1. Rowling build a degree of conflict between Harry and Dumbledore into the plot of this story, and though I still don’t like the degree of agitation Gambon portrays in his character, there is at least some more tension that is legitimately supposed to exist in this movie.

2. Dumbledore’s role in this movie is much smaller that in past reprisals; thus we need suffer less than we might have.  (All right that was a low blow.  Sorry.)

For just this movie (as opposed to Gambon’s portrayal of Dumbledore across all 3) I would rate him a 4.  For the whole suite I am sticking to my 2 rating.  Movie number 4 justs makes me mad.

Fireworks

My Review:7

Fireworks displays are a lot of fun.  On 4th of July they remind us (at least they’re supposed to) of the rockets red glare -  i.e. the bursts of cannon fire between the British and the Colonists during the war of independence.  But fireworks can also be trite, cliche, and sometimes uninspired.  Like anything I else I suppose you get a mixed bag.

Honestly my views this year (from 4th of July, 2007) are slightly colored; my truck was towed on Wednesday night because so many people flock to our neighborhood every year on the 4th. Correspondingly, parking enforcement is quintupled.  Or more.   It’s probably not fair to let my personal issues affect my review of Fireworks in general, but what the hell.  It really made me mad.  Almost lead to a fistfight.  Or rather, a beating.  I would have killed the guy.  Heh.

My favorite fireworks colors are white or gold.  Colors (especially greens, reds, blues, purples, etc.) are lame.  Well, not lame, but sometimes they just seem a little overdone.  In fact I was informed that because this is the special year of the Golden Pig (in Chinese tradition) which makes the gold fireworks extra special. 
We got some pictures, what do you think?

On the plus side fireworks are fun, and they do seem to engender this childlike excitement and wonderment in almost everyone.  Kids are so fun to observe during a fireworks display.  But all people seem to look up into the sky and just get lost a little bit in the moment.  This past 4th of July I spent a couple minutes toward the end of the display singing the national anthem softly to myself.  It did cause a “moment.”  It was nice.

Fireworks finales are also pretty fun.   The sudden rush of booms, pops, crackles, lights, sparkles, explosions and fun are great.  They’re just great.

I originally wanted to give fireworks a 5, because my car got towed.  But I need to get over it, and to some degree I have.  I now want to give fireworks a 7, because my bad experience shouldn’t ruin it for everyone else.   And fireworks are fun.

God, this was kind of a lame post.  I wouldn’t say that here, but most likely no one will ever read it anyway.

7.