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Movie Review: Hancock
Posted by Markus Langenfeld - 07/03/08 at 10:07:45 am
I think I’ve visited the theater more times this week then I would normally go in an entire month, out of the movies I had seen over the past few days I decided to write a short review for Hancock because I have a feeling it won’t get the attention it deserves, most of the early reviews I’ve read so far are bad, it’s not necessarily a bad movie but there might be better ones playing. *cough* Wall-E *cough*
I’m going to be honest; I’m a Will Smith fan. It’s so annoying when people whine about stuff in some of his movies because I find them impossible to not enjoy with his acting. Will Smith is a good actor and he’s good in a wide range of characters and while Hancock isn’t going to be my favorite movie of the summer, I thought he did a decent job.
So, the movie is supposed to be about a borderline alcoholic superhero that has fallen out of favor with the public. He saves the life of a public relations professional (Jason Bateman) whom wants to return the favor by repairing Hancock’s bad image. Given the solid acting in Hancock, where does it all go wrong? Well it’s hard to take the story seriously, there are a lot of hilarious bits in the movie and most of it is wildly unrealistic. Then all of a sudden there’s a serious moment and we’re supposed to see something in the character that isn’t there because they don’t care to expound on the plot until essentially the very end. In other words, the overall feel of the movie was confusing and the story was poor quality.
With that in mind I would say that the movie is still definitely worth seeing just because it’s so funny and entertaining. At the same time I doubt Hancock will be very memorable, let alone worth owning when it’s released to DVD.
Sumo Omni: First Impressions
Posted by Markus Langenfeld - 06/30/08 at 09:06:07 pmI’ve had this old sofa in my bedroom for a while and I’ve been looking at getting a more space efficient replacement that perhaps wasn’t a hepatitis risk to sleep on and maybe lacked a unique funky smell.
Paul Stamatiou recently wrote a review on the Sumo Omni lounge chair which he dubbed The Ultimate Blogger’s Chair. After reading about the giant bean bag on his site and others I decided that I needed to own one.
The Sumo Omni is a mega-sized pillow made of rip-proof nylon that’s filled with high quality foam beads. This ‘pillow’ can be used in a number of ways including the glove shape I’m doing now along with 9 other ways according to the Sumo website. Honestly, so far I’m impressed with the quality - $130 may sound steep for a giant bean bag but the materials are top notch. I’ve read some complaints that the nylon exterior is almost too tough where it isn’t as soft as it should be. While I guess I can understand that now that I’m sitting in the chair I’m actually really digging the strength, it doesn’t feel like any other bean bag I’ve sat in before and it’s still super comfortable.
If you’re in the market for some new seating in your bedroom or office, or perhaps a makeshift guest bed, Sumo has a few different loungers to choose from including an even larger 6ft SumoSac in a wide variety of colors.
Expecting Daddy of a baby BlackBerry.
Posted by Markus Langenfeld - 06/26/08 at 09:06:15 pmNot that I need yet another toy added to my growing list of “product reviews I’d like to write”, but I’m pretty excited about this purchase and I think I’ll be happy that I made the switch - I’m talking about owning my very first Blackberry device.
I’ve had plenty of smartphones in my day, most of them have their own review on this blog including my Samsung SPH i500, Hitachi G1000, and now my Motorola Q. I was satisfied with the Q but it lacked some of the features I need for daily use and to be honest I’m sort of bored with it.
I’ve been wanting to get a Blackberry for ages but the Blackberry data plans otherwise known as Blackberry Internet Service (BIS) seem so overpriced. At least, that was until I found that I have a need for mobile email and messaging. I’m only becoming busier with work which means my connection to the outside world is slowly fading away. Since work covers most of my cell phone anyways I might as well pick up the phone I really want with an unlimited email & data plan.
The Blackberry I decided to purchase is the sleek and powerful 8830. I decided to save myself a small fortune by going with an eBay adventure but it sounds like it’s in ‘like-new’ condition, which is good enough especially for saving $300 off buying it retail.
The new gadget is scheduled for delivery on Monday, if everything goes well you should be hearing more about my experience with the device.
Movie Review: The Happening
Posted by Markus Langenfeld - 06/15/08 at 09:06:14 pm
What can I say about this movie? I really expected a lot when I went to see The Happening this weekend. I ignored all of the bad reviews I’ve been reading, surely it had to be better then what people are saying right? I mean, previews looked so good.
The Happening seems like it would be a good concept, another “The World is Ending” flick that fans of the genre would surely enjoy. It had a good twist too; instead of people turning into zombies they essentially kill themselves and the means of ‘infection’ is very mysterious. But the dialogue, acting, even how they went about executing the plot just didn’t do it for me. The movie was lame.
There were good parts, don’t get me wrong. The film has its moments of suspense but everything around those moments was either too loose, drawn out, or just plain tacky. It just felt low quality and thrown together, it felt like a movie I’d catch myself watching on FOX some Sunday afternoon. It’s sad because M. Night Shyamalan is the guy that brought us true modern classics including a couple of my favorites like The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable.. I don’t know, maybe he needs to have Bruce Willis star in all of his movies.
The bottom line: The Happening had so much potential to be a summer hit but in reality it’s a decent rental at best.
At least nothing burned down…
Posted by Markus Langenfeld - 06/02/08 at 05:06:34 am
We made it! I essentially used up my entire weekend but this website along with the others I maintain and host are all moved over to A Small Orange. I can’t say it was easy, in fact I ran into some head scratching (and hair pulling) roadblocks along the way. However I’m fairly confident that the big issues are behind us, and it’s always reassuring to know that it could be worse.
I’m really digging A Small Orange so far. The support has been great, it’s reliable and they have some neat programs and tools set up for their customers that I haven’t seen before. In fact, I have a little something for you guys – If you’re in the market for affordable, reliable, web hosting you can save yourself $5 on your order by using coupon MARKOSENTME or 15% off with 15%FTW.
Also, although there are much better things to donate your money to, ASO has set me up with a donation link if you want to help out with my hosting costs… You know, if you’re into just giving away money.
I’ve already referred my work to ASO, so we can continue development on the new company website. In other words, don’t be surprised if I mention them more often as I’m sure I’ll run into more headaches that tend to come with any development project.
From Silicon Valley to The ATL, we’re moving.
Posted by Markus Langenfeld - 05/30/08 at 10:05:59 amIn between my ever expanding daily routine at work and trying to keep up with everything going on in life - I’ve been moving websites all week to a brand new web host. I recently expressed my dissatisfaction for Media Temple (MT), and although I’ve been in contact with MT management since then, and they did their best to make up for the many problems I’ve had with their services, I just don’t feel that they are living up to my expectations in terms of reliability and value. However, this might not be good bye forever. The upcoming developments at MT sound very exciting and I really hope that they iron all of the little issues before it’s released. If they do it right the next time around there’s a good chance I could come back, but for now I’m able to get a competitive plan with solid customer support for half the price and I’m not about to pass it up.
After shopping around and actually signing up with and trying a couple different hosts I’ve decided to choose A Small Orange as the new home for my little internet empire. So far A Small Orange (ASO) has offered very quick support and a few nice features I was missing with MT. The pricing is very competitive but most importantly they are already offering very reliable service. ASO’s data center is located in the state-of-the-art AtlantaNAP Colocation Facility in Atlanta, Georgia. Just for the record, Media Temple’s data center is in 365 Main’s new El Segundo, California facility.
Anyways, this entry will be my last with Media Temple. When I return (hopefully everything will return) later this weekend I will be bringing you my captivating ramblings from my new home.
Time to say my goodbyes to (mt)
Posted by Markus Langenfeld - 05/21/08 at 08:05:17 amIt’s been a rough ride Media Temple. I’ve put up with you guys for almost 2 years now and since I’ve signed up I waited patently through one false promise after another in hopes that you would finally work out all of the bugs and glitches that come with your Grid Service, once and for all.
I’ve paid a lot of money for your services, a lot of hard earned money, and I did nothing but promote and praise your company. It almost brings a tear to my eye as I sip my morning brew out of my Media Temple coffee mug to think about actually moving everything to a new host. But that will be my big project this holiday weekend.
You guys are supposed to be the best, you host countless top notch designers and big name bloggers and granted many of them are not on the Grid, I almost wish they were so they could see what’s going on. Daily downtime. DAILY, even if it’s just for a minute or two we pay a premium price for premium hosting that should never go down. Why are there so many problems? I know you know how bad it is, look at your status blog once, you guys don’t even bother apologizing for the intermittent problems anymore – “DOWN: 10:15AM Pacific Time, UP: 10:25AM Pacific Time” That’s it, what is that?!
When is it going to get better? When will my website be online for a month or even a week straight without a hiccup? And why is everything so freakin’ slow?
Your support is amazing, the various features and flexibility of the system is unmatched. But none of that matters if you can’t provide what matters most, Uptime.
Save some green with CheapAutosInsurance
Posted by Markus Langenfeld - 05/15/08 at 06:05:59 pm
What if there was a website that could get you a fast quote for auto insurance and give you tips on how to save money before and after you fill out the application? Or how about an online resource that features tons of articles with tidbits that the insurance companies don’t want you to know, like investing in an alarm system could have you saving big on your premium, or simply driving less or choosing a more efficient car can save you more than just a few bucks at the pump. Interested? Before you move on thinking this is just another advertisement for auto insurance, just hear me out. CheapAutosInsurance.com isn’t another landing page trying to sell you services you already have, in fact you could pretend that the website didn’t sell insurance at all and still gain some useful information.
I can tell you from my recent experience of switching insurance providers that I wish I had found this website a couple weeks sooner as I could have saved some hassle of calling an agent. The online auto insurance quote process is quick and easy, no more waiting for a representative to call back in a few hours. You just fill out a couple pages of general questions and you get a quote based on the information you provide. It also gives you the ability to compare rates from the different insurance companies they work with. Best of all, it’s completely free.
CheapAutosInsurance.com recently redesigned their website with a functional, clean layout. As soon as you visit the page you’re greeted with helpful information about getting an insurance quote. The website offers a whole database of articles designed to help consumers save time and money. It has everything from information about traffic tickets to tips on increasing gas mileage. The website also has an insurance news section that contains articles about developments in the industry and ways to help consumers avoid paying more for their coverage.
I think that a company that strives to save its customers money is definitely worth looking into and while there are plenty of places to get insurance quotes online none of them offer their potential customers valuable information like CheapAutosInsurance.com.
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