What I'm Reading - Pattern Recognition by William Gibson

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson.

2008 Movie Preview

The following is a list of movies I am looking forward to seeing this year.

Hellboy 2: the Golden Army
Wanted - action movie starring Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie
Get Smart - Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart
Iron Man - I'm a sucker for comic book movies
21
The Forbidden Kingdom - Kung Fu movie starring Jet Li and Jackie Chan
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - guilty pleasure
Deception - (maybe)
Speed Racer - this just looks too cool (OK, am I showing my age?), you can't go wrong with race cars. Go, Speed Racer!
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Indiana Jones and the Kindgom of the Crystal Skull
The Foot Fist Way - check out the trailer. It cracks me up!
The Incredible Hulk - Oh yeah! Made the right way this time, let's hope.
Hancock
The Dark Knight
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Righteous Kill - Pacino and DeNiro, need I say more?
Valkyrie - could go either way
Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince

Bender's Big Score on Comedy Central tonight

Check it out: Bender's Big Score airs on Comedy Central tonight. There are to be at least 2 more Futurama movies released this year, which will be chopped up into episodes and aired on Comedy Central.

Advertisements, Commercials, and Overspending...Oh, my!

I am so SICK of commercials and advertisements! Did I tell you how much I hate advertisements? It seems like I can't do anything or go anywhere without being told or shown what I should be buying! It is an assault on the senses! Even on the Internet-especially on the Internet! In the beginning, there was practically no advertising on the Web. Then, there were ways to block advertisements. Now, some advertisements are not possible to disable. We have a DVR and skip some of the advertisements that way, but then we see product placement in practically every frame of the television show we are watching! I sat at lunch last week and decided to read a magazine. I read an article that listed ways to save time. I checked out the websites they recommended. They were all start-up, commercial websites (read "pay"). The article was just an advertisement in disguise. I am so disgusted!

I guess that is why I love camping so much. I just want to go out into the woods, pitch my tent, and be surrounded only by life. It is so relaxing and rejuvenating! I can't wait.

I am trying to find ways to limit the amount of advertisements I have to encounter on a daily basis, but it is not easy. I try to listen to CD's or tapes in the car, instead of the radio. I am limiting the time I spend on the web. And I try to condense all of my shopping into one day a week. If anyone has other ideas to limit exposure to advertising, please share them.

Pew Forum U.S. Religious Landscape Survey Results

Results from Pew Forum U.S. Religious Landscape Survey.

Music I Like: Until You Dare by The Hooters

Yes, the Hooters have a new album out. The title of the album is Times Stand Still.

I absolutely love 2 of the songs (I haven't listened to all of the songs yet). They are Until You Dare and I'm Alive. You can listen to samples of the songs on Amazon.com. Or you can visit their MySpace page.

Until You Dare just says everything I feel right now. How I feel about life, now that I am in my late 30's.

Notable Movies of 2007

(Note: This list is subjective and is chosen only from the movies I have seen.)

Best Movie: The Bourne Ultimatum

Best Family Movie: The Golden Compass

Best Comedy: Superbad
Summer Blockbuster: Transformers

Best Special Effects: I am Legend

Best Cinematography:

Most over-hyped: Shrek the Third

Disappointing sequal: Shrek the Third

Pointless Remake: The Heartbreak Kid

Just for Fun: Ghost Rider

Most Innovative: Beowulf

Better than expected: Live Free or Die Hard
Best Car Chase: Live Free or Die Hard

Best Actor:
Best Actress:
Best Animated Film: The Simpsons Movie

What I'm Reading: Benjamin Franklin Vol. 1 by Carl Van Doren

Benjamin Franklin, Vol. 1 by Carl Van Doren

Philadelphia Auto Show 2008

Two of my sons, my husband and I all went to the Philadelphia Auto Show yesterday. We had a great time. We got to sit in, touch, and look under the hood of dozens of cars and trucks (maybe hundreds, but we were only there for four hours!). Some cars, like the exotic sports cars pictured, were behind barriers.

I got to sit in some cool trucks. My husband sat in a Jaguar-his favorite. There was also a section with customized cars. They were cool to look at, but definitely not something I woulds spend money on. I'm more interested in the mechanics of the vehicle. My 16-year-old participated in a driving simulation for teens to see how well they drive. He has not taken any lessons yet, so I guess I should not be worried that he went through a red light and took out a light pole!

We also were able to compare the various hybrid vehicles that are being offered by the different manufacturers. My husband found the Toyota hybrid to be the most effecient at 40 miles per gallon. He is interested in getting a hybrid for his next vehicle. I am planning to get an all-wheel-drive vehicle next. I would love to get a big truck, but the gas mileage is way too low.

Check out my photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/afeeser/sets/72157603838770778/

Check out the Philadelphia Auto Show at: http://www.phillyautoshow.com/

Qtrax - Free MP3's

Qtrax is a site opening tonight that allows free and legal downloads of MP3's, ringtones and more. It is paid for through advertising. It is unclear how the software works. The site says that it is a peer-to-peer network, but it also says that the player accesses sites with artists' music, videos, etc. It is also unclear how the advertising will appear, but the website states that it does not have spyware and that the advertisements are non-intrusive.

Link: Qtrax.com